Neil: Our first day on the Camino proper . The clientele is from all over the World . It’s on the bucket list of many people I think . At breakfast I play at doctors and help a Dutchman with shin splints. They will take a taxi to the next place and get some insoles .
Here are the statistics from 2023
• Walking – 404,175 pilgrims
• Bicycling – 22,881 pilgrims
• Blank entry – 5,726 pilgrims
• Horseback – 606 pilgrims
• Sailing – 276 pilgrims
• Wheelchair – 198 pilgrims
Today we started in mist. The cycle route follows the walkers for a few miles. In ones and twos they walk, some have started a long way away like us, some just doing a section at a time. We met two cyclists today an Austrian lady who was travelling quickly and a lovely lady from Utah who was on her own who had hired a bicycle for a few days. She had a terrible pump and poor pressure in her front tyre. So an international group set about helping taking in turns with my mini pump. Two Aussies father and son and a gentleman from China got the required pressure in. She was very grateful. We met her later for lunch on a bench in a small village. We exchanged WhatsApp numbers. I remember from walking the West Highland Way and the Dales Way those lovely conversations that flow easily with people you will probably never meet again. The meseta or plains are a joy to cycle almost no cars with distant vistas . Occasionally a deserted church reminds you that you are treading in the path of Pilgrims that have walked this way since the tenth century. Whether secular or spiritual I don’t think it matters, it’s the journey. I think it’s in the moments of peaceful silence with the hum of a wheel that I feel a real connection with the surroundings . Ceri might be ahead by 200 metres( usually up a hill!) or I get in the big chain wheel and power down a slope . The hills at the moment are all very gradual, the miles roll by . Our legs now are well used to most terrains. We tend to stop for a break every hour or so, a glass of wine or a beer mid afternoon for me is a stimulus. I caught myself thinking this afternoon, should I have a white wine or red or a beer. The first wins and now we are in our village for the night. It looks as if the day is over but one more twist awaits. Ceri tells me our hotel tonight is 6 km out of town. Strange I think as I have seen a sign for a hotel as we come into Sahagun. We duly cycle the distance and turn right into a field ! Seemingly cut and paste into google maps has played a trick on us and we have to walk along a bramble track under a motorway to get back to the hotel I had seen an hour ago. The hotel is a bit like ‘ The Shining’ minus the cold weather! All the hostals were full. We spend an hour booking a few more days worth . The craic is certainly not here ! One of our advantages over the walkers is that we can always go off piste. Egg and chips awaits !
Ceri's Blog with Neil 