I had a rough night worrying about the plan for a taxi to the farther boat crossing and generally the feeling of being hustled which always rubs the wrong way. Nedjo told me a middle-of-the-night story of Rosie and Nedjo frogs leaving their pond to see the world and eventually I fell asleep. I was deeply asleep when the alarm went at 7:00 and we got our packs ready quickly, ate from the breakfast spread and then jumped into the taxi just a few minutes past 8:00.
It was already raining quite heavily, but really nothing compared to what was on the way. Three other peregrinos arrived at the boat launch, back by the campsite we’d walked past yesterday (so no steps unwalked) and we were quickly bustled aboard. Nedjo was seated at the back and I was at the front for the very short but slightly scary crossing. There was not a dock on the other side, just a forceful landing onto the sandy shore, and I was happy for a fellow peregrino’s hand to help me to the beach. The rain was pelting and the sand was blowing ferociously. A wooden boardwalk showed the way, but the rain and wind made it challenging to stay upright.
The coastal route seemed daunting so we made a foray up to the highway to check that option, but at that point there was little shoulder so we stuck with the ocean-side boardwalk. I was grateful for my poles for the stability they offered and we walked single file so neither of us was close to the edge since the gusts of wind threatened to blow us over. We were delighted when the town of A Guarda came into view. We stopped for a most welcome cafe con leche in a rather fancy cafe where they weren’t too concerned with our dripping state. What a fabulous coffee that was and served with a complimentary slice of pain au chocolate—yum!
Leaving A Guarda there were signs noting the coastal route was closed due to the storm and with detour signage in place. That was welcome guidance and when we did resume a path closer to the ocean we knew it must have been deemed safe. Some sections were along the highway but with a broad - and painted yellow - shared pedestrian/bike lane. While not the most scenic, it did feel safe and luckily we were never hit with the huge waves of water we saw some cars sending up.
Other times we dropped down to beautiful, broad tracks where we could walk easily and eventually by early afternoon the torrential rain lightened and then finally stopped. What a relief. There were rest areas and picnic spots along the way and we were glad of one for our cheese and melba toast, figs, tangerines and chocolate. I put on dry socks and Nedjo wrung his out.
I was a little cold after lunch so it felt good to be moving and, keeping my jacket on, I soon warmed up. The mix of highway, track and closer to the water sections continued. There were more horses, plus sheep and cows in fields created by stone walls. Nedjo noted that it reminded him of Ireland—the Galicia-Gaelic connection I guess.
After a bad night, I was very happy to reach our albergue (Alojamiento Camino Portugues €40, shared bathroom), and while Nedjo took on the job of setting our boots to dry, I relaxed and rested after a nice hot shower. Our enclosed balcony has given us a place to dry our clothes and I’m delighted tomorrow is a short day. The bar/cafe down the road served us simple but good fish and chicken and we didn’t have to wait until 8:00. I stuck to one glass of wine as I need to make sure I’m ready for a good sleep.