Day 3: From León to Cacabelos

The night, unfortunately, wasn't a good one. It got very, very cold and very damp, so that in the morning there was even some ice on the tent. Since I hadn't slept well anyway, I decided to wait until sunrise and only then pack up in peace. So I didn't get on the bike until 10 am.

After a small breakfast I carried on through the flat country, along small gravel roads. Again I passed through lots of small towns and saw beautiful churches. Among them was Astorga, with its Bishop's Palace designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí. At lunchtime I had two tortillas de patata.

Today I had a nice encounter with two cyclists from Cologne. They've been working on the Camino de Santiago for almost three years, riding one stage every year. Now they're riding the last one. Both had electric mountain bikes, the man even with a trailer, and they really do ride the entire Camino, including off-road.

The finale of the day was a pass at 1,500 metres, which I fought my way up. Because I had slept so badly, I was missing an incredible amount of energy, and it dragged on forever. Around 5:30 pm I was at the top. That's where the Cruz de Ferro, the "Iron Cross", stands, at around 1,500 metres the highest point of the whole Camino Francés. Pilgrims traditionally leave a stone there that they've brought from home.

Then I booked my hostel for the night and got ready for the descent. 17 kilometres downhill along winding mountain roads. The sky was blue and the sun was slowly sinking towards evening. The light was beautiful.

At the hostel I could park my bike under the stairs and had a small room all to myself, where I could dry my sleeping bag and tent. I also washed the clothes I'd been wearing so far and ate a plate of tortellini.

Tomorrow is the day with the most elevation gain. Let's see how it goes! It's fascinating to talk with the other pilgrims. Many have been on the road for a few weeks; for me it's only been a few days. The difference is very interesting.

🚴 116.91 km
⏱️ 6:35 h total time
⛰️ 1,200 m elevation gain
⚡ Avg. 17.7 km/h