Bromptomaniac

It was nice to start the day with a good breakfast and a long descent. I kept things sensible and didn’t let myself go full Tour de France on the way down—after all, I want to finish the Camino in one piece. Since I began at a high altitude, it was on the chilly side, but as I dropped into the valley and the sun started to rise, the layers started coming off. By the time I reached today’s big climb, I was riding in just a jersey—for the first time in a week.
While crossing the valley, I passed through Ponferrada, with its Templar Castle and the oddly named John Lennon Square (no idea why it’s there), and then Villafranca, where a wrong turn had me lugging Greengo down a set of steps.
To reach O Cebreiro, I had to tackle a long, winding, and steep climb—basically the uphill version of my morning descent, so things balanced out. From O Cebreiro, there’s a stunning view: behind me, the province of León; ahead, the first glimpse of Galicia.
Just a few more minutes of pedaling took me to today’s pit stop—Linares. It’s a tiny place with just a handful of houses, one bar/mini-market, and a small committee of cows keeping watch.

76 km – distance cycled
~6% – of Spain’s land area is occupied by Galicia