After the rain of the previous day, I had managed to wash and dry my clothes, but my boots were still west as I prepared to set out again. Also, the sun had not yet fully risen, and with no heat in the day, the mist still hung around in many places. The albergue in Berducedo did not offer breakfast, but it was only a few kilometres to La Mesa, and it looked like breakfast there was an option.
Breakfast in La Mesa did indeed work out, and thus fortified, I went on. After the ascents of the previous days, this was to be the day of the big descent. But first, I had to get over the hill behind La Mesa. As I went up the hill, the remnants of the mist were still around, but clearly disappearing quickly. I passed the Capella de Santa Marina, and then the descent began.
The valley on the western side is spectacular. However, the fact that so much is even visible is not without its problems. There was a forest fire here in 2017, and the effects are still visible. Blackened skeletons of trees stick out above the new growth, and the trail snakes across an almost bare hillside that should be forest.
The valley is in fact a large reservoir, the Embalse de Salime. The reservoir is held in by a hydroelectric dam. As the trail descends towards the dam, the nature of the valley becomes clearer. Downstream of the dam, the river goes through a beautiful valley, while the reservoir itself greatest its own landscape.
It is a long steep descent to the dam, and then immediately, the trail starts to ascend again on the western side of the valley. By now, the sun was out in full force, and I stopped for refreshment in Vistalegre. Going onwards, the trail follows the road with great views of the valley, before turning away to go through the forest towards the town of Grandas de Salime.
In Grandas de Salime, I ran into trouble. I had tried to book an albergue in the town the previous evening. I had emailed one place, but they advised that they were full. I phoned another place, but the proprietor said they did not speak English and put the phone down. An email to a third place had gone unanswered, and I was optimistic that this meant they had a place. Alas I was wrong. When I arrived, that place was full. I went around three other albergues, but it seemed that every one was full. In a town that would not offer a place to sleep for the night, I would not even buy a beer, so I went on.
I left Grandas de Salime, and a shady track took me most of the way to Cereixeira, where I stopped for lunch. The kind lady in the shop-bar there gave me free refreshments with my beer. Then it was onwards across open countryside to the village of Castro.
In Castro, the lady at the Albergue told me that they were full, but she was able to arrange accommodation at a nearby B&B. It was a little bit more expensive but worth it. The albergue in Castro even allowed me to have dinner there that evening. All in all, the people of Grandas de Salime will remain in my memory as uncaring. The charity and helpfulness of the people in Cereixeira and Castro will also remain long in my memory.
And my step count for the day was 40,633.
Walkingman 