Day 26 Sarria to Portomarin

We had great evening in Sarria last night,we had a fiine meal sitting next to the river,I had garlic prawns and just to be  different a tasty steak.

The lads came and shared my room as it had three beds,it was like being in a dormitory ,we laughed ourselves to sleep,it was priceless.

Usual routine this morning,my ankle was still hurting and swollen,I took some painkillers and applied the gel

We set off at 0630 and I was limping and holding everyone back,but as the pills kicked in I caught up with the team and just thought sod it,keep going and just ignore it,so I did.

We were soon clear of the town and were back into the country.

You may have noticed by now  if you have been following the blog that we seem to be wearing the same clothes everyday,well the truth of the matter is we are,our wardrobes are so limited,we wash our clothes when we get in at night,dangle them out of the window to dry ,then wear them again the next day.

The countryside  was resembling the terrain we had witnessed at the beginning of the walk in St Jean Pied de Port five years ago,well it feels like five years ago we set off on our adventure .

Sadly Sarria is the last town that pilgrims can walk from to qualify for the pilgrims certificate,so it gets very crowded from here on in,we no longer had The Camino to ourselves .

You could tell the people that had just joined the walk they were not limping they had new shoes,short haircuts and smelled nice unlike us who look untidy dishevelled with  dirty shoes and we probably smell a bit!!! I feel sorry for them because in three days those new shoes will bring on the blisters and pain that we have had for the last thirty days.i have noticed I am beginning to resemble Robinson Crusoe.

Today it was very humid indeed and it was just sapping our strength

We only passed through two villages of any note.

The walking was beautiful ,we all commented on how tired we were,I think 26 days of walking was beginning to take its toll on all of us.

DOAB time with a cat thrown in.

We kept bumping into this fellow who always walked with a rose in his mouth I did not have the courage to ask him why.I suspect if I had it might have played on my mind.

What we thought was going to be a short walk went on further than we had anticipated.

Martin placed 3 stones for his lovely 3 children to mark the 100 km to go point.

The landscape reminded me of Cornwall.

By now I was getting really tired I suspect I may have let myself get dehydrated.

We often come across these shrines where people leave things in memory of friends and family.

Everybody is cashing  in on The Camino,I suspect in time it will become too commercialised .

At last we arrived at Pottomarin.

We had lunch in town then got a cab to our hotel which I have to say is stunning.

I cannot tell you how tired I am at the moment,as the team will verify every time I sit down I fall asleep.so far today I have fallen asleep three times in taxis and once in a restaurant,I am so tired it hurts,the more I speak to others who started where I did on this walk the more I realise I am not alone.

I always thought the nearer I got to Santiago the easier it would get,sadly I could not be further from the truth,it gets harder.

If I am honest I am dreading tomorrow,I am going to have to dig deep,I only have 60 odd miles to do but it feels twice as much as that at this moment,I hope I will feel more positive tomorrow ,I will not be beaten after coming this far.

My ankle still does not feel right but I am beyond worrying about it,

Stats

Walked 14,2 miles

Av speed 2,8

Walked for. 4.58

59 miles to go .

Distance walked 425 mile

Mariet emailed me this great picture of a dog doing The Camino.Buen Camino my furry friend.