Day 33 - Castañada to Pedrouzo (26km)

Today has been a slow day, walking mostly in woodland and mostly in the rain. For some reason we all felt weary and the day seemed to drag. It was not helped I guess by our late start, by the weather and by the extended stops for breakfast and snacks in towns and villages along the way, welcome respite from the rain that was with us most of the day but significantly delaying our arrival at our destination. On the plus side, the weather seemed to bring out the smells of the surroundings, mostly that of eucalyptus and elderflower, and our late start from Castañada - which lies three kilometres before where most people overnight - meant the main crowds were ahead of us and the number of people was more what we were used to.

At one of my coffee stops I bumped into a couple from Bristol who like me had started from St Jean. Interestingly one of the first things they asked me, and without any previous comment on my part, was whether I thought the Camino felt different, going on to express similar views to mine; it would appear that the changes I sense are real not just some personal perception.

I guess it’s a beer garden...

We are now in Pedrouzo, the last stop before Santiago. It’s full of accommodation and restaurants; like all the main stopping points since Sarria it has expanded to meet the demands of the increased number of walkers. Other than that it doesn’t seem to have much to offer, but as it was once again raining when we left our hostel and headed to dinner, I did not feel inclined to explore. Tomorrow is a short day of 18 kilometres but I’m expecting it to be busy as everybody converges on the final destination so we plan to leave at 7am. It hasn’t sunk in yet that it will be the final leg of this journey, partially I guess because I still intend to walk on to Finisterre on the coast and partially because I intend to be back in Santiago when Rob and Greg arrive in a few days time. Maybe it will sink in when I am standing in the cathedral square.