Day 5 – Vila Praia de Âncora to A Guarda – 20km
Âncora was a really lovely coastal town—flowers everywhere, and everyone seemed to be smiling and enjoying themselves. I was also grateful that today’s leg was a shorter one at just 20km.
It was about a two-hour walk to the town of Caminha, where I planned to catch the ferry across into Spain. It was a fairly easy-going walk, but when I arrived I discovered that the ferry hadn’t run in over two years—the water was too shallow. Instead, local fishermen offer to take pilgrims across for €6 a piece. I also learned that the water was so shallow that you could wade most of the 2km distance. Not that I was going to attempt that…
And so, I once again set foot in Spain!
Back on the trail, I took a scenic route along the coastal side of the mountain. It added a little distance but was well worth it. The main route led over a pass into A Guarda and apparently wasn’t very exciting. Thankfully, I had company for the walk into A Guarda—a German girl who had just finished her nursing degree kept pace with me the whole way. Chatting made the time fly. We talked about jobs, COVID lockdowns, and our journeys so far. We parted ways in A Guarda and as I made my way to the hotel, I realised we’d never exchanged names. Just goes to show—all pilgrims are friends, names or not.
My bag was waiting for me at the hotel. I relaxed in my room for a bit, then headed out in search of dinner. Turns out, kitchens don’t open until after 8pm in these parts, so I had to bide my time with a few beers. When food finally came, I ordered an epic serve of nachos and demolished the lot. I needed the fuel—tomorrow would be the second-longest leg of the trip: 30km. Thankfully, the longest was still Day 1.
Day 6 – A Guarda to Baiona – 30km
I got in a bit of trouble this morning for making my cheeky ham and cheese rolls at breakfast. I’d completely missed the sign saying packed lunches from the buffet were prohibited. But I’d already made them by the time the staff noticed, so I got away with just a tut-tut.
The walk started off great. My feet felt good, and the morning was cool and shady. The first few hours went by easily. That all changed around midday when the sun came out, the wind dropped, and the path turned rocky and hilly. It was a decent slog getting to Baiona. Most people break this leg in Oia, about halfway—if only!
There were some gnarly ascents and descents, but I finally rolled into Baiona and found my hotel, El Mosquito. It was a massive eight hours of walking today. My feet seriously need a break. I did manage to wade through some salt water at the beach near the hotel, which helped. The blisters are slowly getting better—still not gone, but improving. I rewarded my days efforts at a fancy seafood restaurant, I couldn’t make heads or tails of the menu, but scallops were pretty amazing.
Tomorrow marks the halfway point of the walk. I’m glad to have made it this far. With all the super-long days behind me, the rest should hopefully be more manageable.
Next stop: Vigo, 24km.
