Ponte de Lima to Rubiaes

Raincoats on and polyprops for warmth are the order of the day.The heavy rained had ceased but the rain clouds were heavy and loomed large for most of the morning and the signs were not promising for an improvement.

We walked out of the town marveling at the transformation of the town.A forest of tents lined the banks of the river and spread through the old town streets fronting the river.Goodness knows what time they set it all up and travel to sell their goods.People travel from miles around  every second Monday to barter and buy  goods of every description.We had a browse but we had a big climb in front of us so could not linger.It was nine o'clock and we had at least five hours walking ahead of us.

The early stages of the walk led over the rio (river) and the old historic bridge via old pathways through the vineyards cultivated fields of corn and cabbages-tall and huge leaves,seems to be a staple food and used to make soup.
Our route was up for most of the day.We left the old town behind us after an hour or so and we found ourselves in much more remote territory,streams and little walkways through the countryside,the sound of birds became more common and people less visible.It was a lovely walk and we enjoyed the more rural landscapes.

We had a scary encounter with an aggressive dog beside the river where we had to cross the bridge so out with our poles and brandishing them with intent we managed to stare him down and escape to safety.Lots of dogs in this country.

We climbed for a couple of hours through pine  forest and a couple of lovely old villages before we stopped for coffee at a cafe beside the Chapel known 'As Our Lady of the Snows' I am sure it lived up to its name during the winter. I was taken by the name of the village-Revolta! The cafe owners are Marcia and Manuel and they provide the last coffee for the day so it is a ritual stop to be savoured. They are very welcoming and make a good brew.

After that stop the climb really starts to challenge-it leads up rocky stony paths through the forest ,past the cross draped with memorabillia from countless pilgrims passing by-little offerings,notes and lots of pebbles and stones which are seen on most of the posts and crosses we passed.The top of the pass is 450m and the highest pass on the camino.

We eventually emerged into a little holding paddock which marked the top of the pass about 1.00pm so made good time on this leg.The rain was persistent and finding shelter to eat lunch was a priority for the moment. Not much lingering for the views today.We packed up and headed over the top(past a motorway-they are never far away). We had some fellow pilgrims for company at the top but  we barely saw any other walkers all day.

The way down was easier walking and on softer surfaces but the rain was unpleasant and after a couple of hours we were desperate to see Rubiaes. It is quite remote in this area and places few and far between so we were pleased to see the Cafe Rubiaes loom up,only to be devastated by the news that we had walked too far. O Reouso do Peregrino our accomodation hostel was actually in the previous hamlet we passed a few kilometres back.....so...back we trudged.

We added an hour to our day. We were excited to see a bath in our ensuite as we were cold and needed a shot of heat to revive but no bath plug so a shower was the option and a warm bed. Middle of summer and we are wrapped up in blankets to keep warm.No WiFi here and I lack a book to read.Not our best day to date.
They took us out for dinner at a local cafe where we had the cabbage soup-not recommended! A huge piece of pork with chips,rice and salad plus dessert-I could hardly move.
If it is still raining like this tomorrow we may take a taxi rather than 18 kms in such heavy rain.