Walking Day 1 Ponferrada to Borrenes 17.4km - Elevation gain 297m
Friday October 13, 2023
We started walking just before dawn in slightly chilly air and intermittent drizzle after cafe and croissants. Within a half hour we were out of town heading up a gradual grade along the Rio Sil. It felt good to be walking again on Spanish trails. But our pace is slower and the uppies seem more arduous.
As usual Al would get ahead of JL and would wait for her. At one point he rounded a curve and waited but JL took a while to catch up When she did she explained that she had tripped and fell when her backpack got ahead of her, and not wanting to break another wrist, now has a bump on her head. We are walking late in the harvest season and find very few “candies” along the way. No blackberries, but we did find a few very sweet wine grapes.

The Camino Invierno is less traveled (only saw 1 bike today). There were few locals about the small villages we passed through but the colors and cleanliness reminded us of why we enjoy the walk.
Of course in any town you can always find a good deal that needs just a little TLC!
Most of today’s walk was on dirt road w the familiar Camino markers to guide the way through Hobitt land.
Today’s walk should have taken us up to Castillo Corantel. This 9th century castle is +300m up (and 5km more) than an alternate route and just too much for our 1st day.
The alternate route was no picnic either. Its elevation gain was 90m in under 500m or about a 20% grade. This area had plenty of slate for the taking.
Once crested and back on the Camino we walked the final 1.5k into Borrenes in search of housing. No alburgies, and the only hotel full. The hotel owner called the next town, found us a room, and the owner picked us up. So the last 7k for the day was by private car. Now in Las Medulas and exhausted!
The graph below only partially represents the day as JL’s Strava died before completion. Current elevation 2420 ft. Walked ended at 10.5 miles.

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