Double Stage: Rionegro del Puente to Puebla de Sanabria

 "The world is big, and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark."
John Muir

Camino Sanabrés Stage 4 / Via de la Plata Stage 28

Today marks Stage 4 on the Camino Sanabrés, which also makes it Stage 28 on the Via de la Plata. Normally, when we cover 40–60 km in a single day - trekking a double or even triple stage - it’s because we’ve hit our stride: our steps are coordinated, the rhythm feels natural, and the trail seems easier. Only a few times before, on the Camino de Madrid and later on the Camino Primitivo, have we walked a double stage out of sheer necessity, when exhaustion left us with no other options…until today.

Long Night in the Albergue

We’ve said it before, but on the Camino some days aren’t so much new stages as extensions of the previous day’s trek. Such was the case today - after only three hours of sleep in the albergue last night, we, along with just about everyone else, were heading out very early back onto the Way of St. James.

Last night was one of the most difficult we've experienced in any albergue so far on, or any other Camino.  Despite closing the bar to pilgrims at 9 PM, the establishment was soon reopened to local residents.  As the night progressed, the crowd at the bar outside grew steadily, as did the volume of the raucous laughter, drunken singing, and shouted conversations. 

By midnight, music and conversations were happening at such high volume that the entire albergue was awake. We knew the time not from clocks, but from the chaos itself: lights were switched on, watches and cell phones were repeatedly checked, and pilgrims went outside to see what was happening.

Although the albergue appeared to have solid stone walls, they were in no way soundproof.  By midnight, pilgrims had closed the albergue’s windows in an effort to keep out the worst of the noise, which meant the temperature inside the stuffy and airless dorm rose steadily until most were lying on top of their sleeping bags and sheets, sweating and waiting for morning.  

By 4 AM, the bar party outside seemed to wind down, though in its place there was still a frenzy: people yelling in the street, patrons being ushered into their cars, car horns blaring, and tires screeching as vehicles raced off down the road. Meanwhile, pilgrims in the albergue began packing their gear en masse, seemingly deciding there was no reason to stay. By 4:30 AM, the lights upstairs were on, prompted by one pilgrim’s blunt observation: “Why not head out? What is the point in staying now?” I don’t think I have ever seen so many pilgrims so universally stunned and upset by a situation.

As we took our gear downstairs, we discovered that the occupants of the first-floor dorm were already walking out the door, and within a few minutes, we joined them. Outside, people were literally being lifted off their chairs on the bar patio and placed into their cars, after which they drove unsteadily and erratically away. It was a dangerous and terrifying scene to witness, especially given that this Camino route often runs along the edge of roads whose ditches are routinely littered with beer cans.

Rionegro del Puente to Mombuey

Though we had had very little sleep the night before, the walk was thankfully easy in the cool air of early twilight of the day. The Camino followed a narrow track between homes, wove through grassy fields, and eventually ran parallel to the A-52 and N-525 highways.

A short while into the morning, just as our energy began to fade - having had neither dinner the night before nor breakfast that morning - we reached the town of Mombuey. It was the first, and possibly only, community listed as having a coffee shop and bar for the stage. On the edge of town, the hotel with a bar was tightly sealed. We walked on, hoping that this was not our only option in town.

The trail wound down what seemed like the main highway, which also served as the town’s central road. The first bar that we found open, San Martino, was filled with locals and bikers.  Here, the bartender was actively ignoring the six other pilgrims already striving to order, so we simply walked on.  Upsettingly, each establishment along this stretch had tables covered in empty glasses and bottles, as though they had not been cleaned in days.  Perhaps last night’s party outside of our albergue had been a regional festival and not merely a local drink up?

At the second establishment, Bar Central, an extraordinarily dirty location, we gratefully dropped our backpacks and went inside, hoping for anything at all. Oddly, our request for a tostada was refused, and we were instead sold a prohibitively expensive prepackaged stale muffin and acidic coffee. Two British pilgrims and two Americans soon joined us, stunned at the almost 20-euro bill for two coffees and two muffins.

Glad to be leaving this odd town we were also grateful that despite the challenges last night that we had not pushed on to here yesterday.  The donativo albergue in Mombuey had several bunks, and we were unsure of being able to get a place to sleep.  When we walked passed it, the albergue itself was a clean and beautiful-looking stone building, but even very early in the morning, it already had 12 people lined up outside.  A clear reflection of how many pilgrims seem to now be on the Camino Sanabrés.  

Trekking on the Camino traced down side streets to the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asuncion and a large white cross before departing Mombuey to again closely parallel the N-525 before weaving under the Autovia de las Rias Bajas on a dirt lane.

Walking Town to Town

Leaving Mombuey, the Camino became a series of short walks between towns, taking us first through the communities of Valdemerilla and Cernadilla. Each village was quaint, marked by large stone placards detailing the town’s name and a brief history.

In Cernadilla, we took a break with four other pilgrims - two Australians, a Scottish woman, and an American woman - under the front of a small chapel, the Ermita del Cristo. Everyone was tired and a little demoralized by the morning’s challenges, but grateful for the chance to rest in the shade. Walking on, we navigated village streets lined with beautiful stone houses, each telling a story of the region’s history.

Along the way, we saw ample evidence of boars in the form of dug-up soil and ripped fields, though unfortunately, we never glimpsed the animals themselves. The fields were full of mud and deep ruts, making walking challenging, while moss-covered rocks, wet from the morning’s moisture, were precariously slippery, especially with heavy backpacks on our shoulders.

The next community the Camino wove through was San Salvador de Palazuelo, home to both a small white chapel, the Ermita de San Salvador de Palazuelo, and a larger church.  Beyond here, our route took us along dirt tracks to the village of Entrepeñas, and finally - after navigating roadways, highways, the Autovía, and passing over train tracks - we steadily climbed to the roadside community of Asturianos.

High Temperatures, Pilgrim Prices, Full Albergues

We arrived in the roadside town of Asturianos, where the Camino led us to the main road and a small chapel adorned with a beautiful, large tiled mural on its front.

It was very warm, so we stopped at the only open bar we could see and ordered four Aquarius drinks. The grumpy bar owner charged us 20 euros for the four cans, but given the heat, we could not have cared less about the cost or his attitude.

Afterwards, we walked to the albergue just beyond town, only to discover that the small establishment, with just 10–12 beds, already had about 20 people lined up outside, none of whom we recognized. With little point in staying, we continued along the paved road out of town to rejoin the N-525 highway.

Continuing the Camino

For the second part of the day, and our second stage, we met and continually leapfrogged a young German girl as we walked down the trail. The pathways led us off the roads, but at a cost -  they were very wet and muddy. Thankfully, stepping stones helped us across, though moss made them slippery to navigate.

The surrounding forest was quintessentially Galician, with its damp earth, moss-covered trees, and rich green hues. Along the way, we spotted a vibrant mossy green Spanish Woodpecker, though it flitted too quickly for a photograph.

About three kilometres further along, we reached the town of Palacios de Sanabria. Here, we passed a roadside bar full of motorbikers and took a break beside a small church, soaking in the calm of the village after the wet and slippery trail.

We were now about 26 km into the day’s trek, and our bodies were feeling it – especially in the ever-rising temperatures.  Adding to our own exhaustion was the fact that, despite what the guidebook and app suggested, the route was neither flat nor dry. The trail wove through a lush forest that provided welcome shade and gave us the chance to spot a Green-underside Blue butterfly and several Iberian Green Frogs.

At times, the pathway was literally running water, reminding us of crossing the moorlands of England on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast trail last year, where we spent more time slipping and pulling ourselves out of mud than actually moving forward. A few kilometres further along, the Camino led us along backcountry lanes to the community of Remesal. While there were no services in the village, a beautiful stone chapel offered a quiet point of interest.

Leaving Remesal, we enjoyed a brief walk amid a shady forest before passing under power lines and nearing the highway once again.

Crisscrossing the Highway

Soon, the Camino began weaving back and forth amid the highway, descending into river valleys and climbing up hills. The route felt both frustrating and pointless at times, as if it existed merely to connect small, declining localities to the Camino or to lengthen the stage.

Throughout this stretch, we took repeated long breaks on stone benches under the cover of the entrances of each church, the final of which was in Otero de Sanabria. From there, we still had about six to seven kilometres to our destination for the day, and we were bone weary. The afternoon sun beat down as we tackled a long, exposed road walk into the town, starting with Triufe, about four kilometres from our goal.

Utterly exhausted, we passed the German girl for the last time. Limping, with tears in her eyes, she appeared to be calling to try to stay in the nearby Casa Rural rather than continue on. We sympathized, as our own pace had slowed dramatically in the heat.

Triufe looked to be a beautiful town, but by this point, we were walking on automatic, focused only on finishing the day. Worried, we pushed ourselves to complete the 41-kilometre stage, only to find (thankfully) that the final four kilometres were easy and quick to trek, being mostly along the side of the roadway, crossing over the A-52 and into town. 

Puebla de Sanabria

As we walked into the modern outskirts of town, the trail followed the side of the N-525, with traffic rushing past. Climbing into Puebla de Sanabria, we passed sign after sign highlighting the historical significance and beauty of this remarkable community.

Puebla de Sanabria is a well-preserved medieval town, built on the sides and top of a hill. Steep streets lead up to the Castle of the Counts of Benavente and the Church of Santa María del Azogue, both commanding features of the town’s skyline.

This region has a long and storied history, with habitation dating back to 509. By the 10th century, it had become a political center. In the 12th century, a medieval castle was constructed, serving as a fortress to defend the borders of León. The Castle of Puebla de Sanabria was later rebuilt in the 15th century on top of the dated medieval ruins, and in the 17th century it briefly fell under Portuguese control. Extensive restoration in recent years has made the town and its castle a popular destination for tourists today. In many ways, it reminded us of Rocamadour, France, which we visited on the Via Podiensis / GR65.

Accepting not Expecting

Exhausted and footsore, we stopped at one of the first bars in town for a very cold pint of beer and to purchase groceries for the night, unsure if we would have the energy to venture further through town to find food later tonight. While sitting there, I reserved a room about a kilometre from downtown, on the other side of town, which meant we would walk our 42nd kilometre of the day to reach our accommodations. The other options would have required us to climb up into the historic city centre as well as pay a much costlier price for our room tonight.

Crossing the River Tera, we could see the historic castle towering on the hillside in front of us.  Taking the most direct route to our hotel, we navigated around the base of the hillside and in short order, we found an abandoned-looking establishment and had to call for a combination to open the key lock box. 

Once again, we had found our way to another hotel with no one on the premises.  Thankfully, inside the building was clean and quiet, but it also looked like we were on the set of The Shining.

We went to our room, rested, showered, cleaned up, and did laundry. Though not glamorous, the hotel had everything we needed. With almost everything done, we settled in for a simple meal of cheese sandwiches in our room, grateful for a few quiet, restorative moments after a long and challenging day.

In these moments, it’s easy to reflect on the Camino as a balance between effort and reward.  The exhaustion, the long kilometres, and the unpredictable challenges, which in turn make the small comforts such as a quiet room and a simple meal feel all the more precious.

Evening Exploration of Puebla de Sanabria

By 8 PM, feeling somewhat restored, we walked into the old quarter of town to see the church and castle, a task made much easier without our backpacks. Wandering the historic streets, we took pictures and enjoyed capturing the narrow alleys with their interesting lighting, letting ourselves wander without a strict plan. Eventually, we found a quiet bar and had a glass of wine before strolling through the town at night and returning to our hotel.

People moved through downtown in arrow shirts, blue jeans, and bright white runners.   It was a clear sign that this was a tourist destination, creating a striking contrast to the quiet, often empty endings of most stages on the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabrés.

Once back in our hotel room, we were pretty much done for the night, having walked more than 50 kilometres that day. Before heading to sleep, I bought bus tickets for our journey from Finisterre back to Santiago and from there back to Lisbon.  This finalizes the last of our plans for after the pilgrimage and brings a sense of closure and anticipation for what comes next. 

See you on the Way!