8.6

Sorry not to have posted yesterday but we did 32k yesterday and a total climb of over 3000 feet. 14 hours on the road so I was pretty tired by the time we got into the tiny village of La Mesa at 7.30! One of the most arduous days and so gratifying to have made it. The views were amazing and not done justice by my phone. John and Susie have been great, even buying 2 bottles of Coke Zero to surprise me at the summit! Had to admit, I had to dig really deep but I kept going somehow. As you can see, the wind was blowing hard and we had to keep all layers on. In the afternoon, when I was feeling exhausted, we ran into some lovely people from Bilbao who resuscitated me with water and a Werther's Original.

Today was shorter but taxing with acute climbs and descents. Scenery was spectacular with the reservoir at Grandas de Salime as you can see. The afternoon was a less fun time, climbing up 1000feet around a busy road. When I finish the first book about last year on the French Way, I'll probably write a second about this year: probably entitled "My last Camino, probably"! What I've learnt is that the French Way was longer but so much easier. The Primotivo is a killer!