Ribiera Sacra Wine

Next on my agenda today: the Wine Interpretation Centre: a thoroughly modern exposition of the importance of wine in this area. It is built on the site of an old hospital. Wine produced here has only became well known in recent years, because the small wineries only produced what could be drunk locally. They finally joined together into a co-operative and adopted the name Ribeira Sacra, meaning “Sacred Riverbank” as a marketing ploy. A bit like Margaret River, I suppose. However, they have a huge disadvantage in that the vines are all grown on steeply sloping terraces so that there is no way for production to be mechanised.

Courtyard of old hospital.

Grapes of this region.

A “river” of white wine bottles.

Time for a taste with my very knowledgeable guide.

Can’t buy any, though! Can’t carry it.

Poster of wine labels.

On my way back to my hotel, I stopped to take a photo of the “Roman Bridge”, really a medieval structure but retaining an original name:

After this, I was suddenly pounced upon by a Spanish woman, Aida Menendez, the author of the official guidebook to the Camino Invierno. She lives in Monforte and appears to prowl the streets looking for pilgrims! She was very excited to find one from Australia and I was excited to meet her. I recognised her immediately from her photo in the guidebook. She then accosted two passersby and got them to take our photo:

Nice colour co-ordination!

Monforte de Lemos

For dinner last (a very hot night), I walked down to La Fabrica, the no.2 restaurant on Trip Advisor. No-one spoke English so I took a while translating the menu on Google T. In the end I chose a tomatoes and goats cheese salad, followed by grilled octopus. I also had a glass of local white wine called Godello.

As the portions were large, I asked for a doggy bag and it’s now in my minibar for consumption today.

Today, Thursday, there has been a dramatic change in the weather. It was completely overcast and only 14 degrees at lunchtime. I took a taxi up the hill to the Parador, built on the site of a monastery and stronghold of the Counts of Lemos. The Parador is a neo classical building and not to my taste.

Parador on the right.

Inside the Parador, looking towards the cloister.

View from the Parador, looking down towards Monforte.

Ponferrada to Monforte de Lemos

So I am now the Michael Portillo of Galicia! (Why doesn’t he make some more Spanish railway programmes, since he is half Spanish?)

I travelled on the little blue tourist train for 2 hours, running about 10 minutes late. We left just after 9.00 am. It was a really beautiful route, going along  rocky cuttings and a few tunnels through the mountains. The hillsides were covered in yellow flowering trees, (maybe mimosa, but couldn’t identify it properly from the train).  

The train made 11 stops, with the following places actually on the Camino Invierno:

Sobradelo

O Barco de Valdeorras

A Rua - Petin 

Montefurado

San Clodio - Quiorga

Monforte de Lemos.

There is also a faster afternoon train from Ponferrada to Vigo, with fewer stops.

The route between A Rua and Montefurado has really nice lake and river views, and before Quiroga the train waited a good 10 minutes to allow trains to pass in the opposite direction. Need to sit on the left side of the train for this part, in order to get the best photos!

View near O Barco

Near Vilamartín 

A Rua station

View of River Sil just after A Rua 

My luggage!


One or two weary hikers got on at some of the stops, apparently tired from yesterday’s heat. One fell asleep and missed all the views.

On arrival at Monforte they headed straight for the station bar, whilst I took a short taxi ride to my hotel, the Ribiera Sacra where I’m staying for two nights. Dropping off my backpack, I headed straight to Tourist Information and quizzed the young man for some time about various transport options. There is a bus out on most days, except the one day I want (Friday 17th), so I may resort to a taxi then.

Next door to the TI was a lovely tapas bar so I indulged for a small lunch:

Glass of draft cider

Russian Salad and Rabbit Legs (behind).
Cost: €3.60 altogether.

Later, I found 2 Lindt chocs in the minibar of my hotel. It would have been rude to leave them there!

Ponferrada at 9.30 pm

 Can’t escape those bloody elections!

Ponferrada

I left Astorga at 9.00 am. Luckily the bus was a bit late. Dina gave me a lift back into town from Santa Catalina. I can’t begin to describe the kindness of Carlos and Dina, owners of Via Avis. Nothing was too much trouble for this friendly couple! Everyone running a boutique hotel should be like them.

The bus took an hour on a very picturesque route. I should have been walking this, but my knee has let me down. I dropped my backpack at the Hotel El Castillo and took a taxi to Clínica Ponferrada to consider my options. I communicated with the doctor via Google Translate ( what did we do before this?) He wanted to give me a general injection in the buttock, but I asked for a more precise one in the knee. As I write this I’m still wondering how effective it’s gong to be.

I might add the day has been beautiful, hot and sunny. It would have been wonderful on the tops. I know, because I did it 5 years ago. Pest! However, I see pilgrims struggling with the heat as they enter town (it’s currently 32 degrees) and I’m sitting outside a shady pavement cafe drinking an Estrella Galicia. Next job is to find an ATM and a nice restaurant for dinner. This knee will not spoil my holiday!

I’ve been to Tourist Information to ask about the train which runs along the Camino Invierno Route tomorrow morning. It’s a slow regional train and I will go as far as Monforte de Lemos, admiring the scenery from the train window.

Templar Castle, the most famous sight in Ponferrada.

Street of the Clock.

Santa Catalina

I’m staying another day here in Santa Catalina. My knee has been playing up and I need to rest it. Tomorrow, my plan is to take the bus to Ponferrada to seek medical advice. The best laid plans...,

Courtyard of my hotel, Via Avis. A beautiful spot.

Stork’s nest at the top of the church belfry.

Astorga to Santa Catalina

For dinner last night I went to Hotel Gaudi (where I stayed last time I was in Astorga) and ordered salad and lamb chops. The Spanish do baby lamb so well!

This morning I woke up to the birds cheeping in the garden, the temperature reading of 8 degrees and a wind speed of zero. I’ve never seen zero before on my app. I was in no hurry, with only 10 km to walk, and wanted to make the most of the perfect weather, the sunshine and the scenery. I stopped for a fresh orange juice in Murias, where I met a couple from Liverpool doing the Camino with their dog.

Everybody made a big fuss of the dog: he was let off the lead as they left town and he just followed them obediently.

Arriving in Santa Catalina, this is a popular bar and Albergue.

This is my accommodation: Via Avis. It’s an upmarket restoration, very tastefully done. The owner is Carlos, Spanish, and his Lithuanian wife. The house is about 400 years old. The walls are original but the roof is new. It’s been open 18 months. I hope they do well as every detail has been carefully thought about.

This is the view looking south from a huge picture window at the back.

And this is my room, called Golondrina (Swallow).