We left El Acebo later than usual, as we knew it was a shorter day (just under 16km). It was also great that our accommodation provided coffee in the morning – because we didn’t think there were any options for the next 8km. However, it turned out that a new cafe / bar had opened in Riego de Ambrós that wasn’t there last year, so it wouldn’t have been more than 4km before we had our fix.

The walk down to Ponferrada was uneventful, but the temperature was climbing and – by the time we reached the city – we really needed some liquid refreshment (non-alcoholic – otherwise we’d never have made it to the hostel!).

While sitting outside the cafe-cum-curiosity shop directly opposite the Templar Castle, we bumped into a couple we’d met a few days prior. They told us that we’d arrived on the day they held their annual Templar reenactment and fireworks festival, due to start at 10pm – after our usual bedtime, frustratingly.

After checking in, we made for our old haunt, a bar and ice-cream parlour in the town square just up from the castle. Many of the locals were dressed up for the day, and quite a few were taking part in mini acts around the town to get people in the mood for the evening.

We didn’t stay up for the main event, but then again it hadn’t started by 10:30pm as it was still too light for fireworks.

Leaving Ponferrada the next morning, we stopped by the statue of the penitent man for our usual morning selfie, but also to put some googly eyes on it to make it more fun for the next pilgrims leaving town.

We passed though a few small places on the walk, with not much of note except more storks, a few statues, and a coffee shop (thankfully).

After arriving in Villafranca del Bierzo, we made a beeline for Albergue Leo, run by the fantastic Maria. Rated the 11th-best albergue on the way, it’s a lovely building and only a few minutes walk to the way out of town and to some good food places.

Leaving Villafranca del Bierzo this morning presented us with another choice: take the road route with very little in terms of views plus lots of traffic noise, or take the Variante de Pradela (an alternative route towards Pradela). The alternative route affords outstanding views of the area plus no road noise – but does mean a fairly brutal climb totalling 420m.

The 420m climb is spread out over 6km or so, but a lot happens in the first 20 minutes. We started at 7:30am at 500m altitude – right at the base where the alternative route starts, and by 7:50am, we’d ascended another 200m over a distance of 1.4km. Maths might not be my strong point, but that’s around a 14.3% gradient. While it might not seem excessively step, the terrain was rocky and we were all carrying heavy backpacks. The views were totally worth it, though.

Tomorrow we leave Las Herrerías – and Castilla y León, as we cross over into Galicia after an hour or so. Via another steep slope 😬. Fun times!