Day 5: From Portomarín to Santiago de Compostela

The night in the hostel was very good and warm again. In the morning I packed my things as usual and set off shortly after 8 am. In Portomarín, too, it was again super, super cold in the morning. It feels like winter has really arrived here in the last two days. In the mornings I always wear everything I have with me. Luckily, this time a small climb came straight away, so I could warm up.

The fog was mystical, and when the first rays of sun came through, it looked like a film set. Even early in the morning there were quite a few people on the road, and the Camino was busy again. It feels like the mood among the pilgrims keeps getting better, because soon they'll arrive in Santiago. I'll be arriving there today, if all goes well, and I'm really looking forward to finally reaching the goal. But there are still a good 100 kilometres to Santiago.

As in the last two days, I keep switching back and forth between the Camino and EuroVelo 3, which ends in Santiago. EuroVelo 3, the "Pilgrims Route", runs for more than 5,000 kilometres from Trondheim in Norway through seven countries to Santiago de Compostela. In Spain it mostly follows the Camino Francés; from Roncesvalles to Santiago that's about 870 kilometres. I've been riding it since Burgos.

Unfortunately, the roads in the small mountain villages aren't always that good, so even on the descents I have to brake, because otherwise the bike shakes me right off the handlebars.

In Melide I made a long lunch stop and ate properly again. After that came some more climbing: the official EuroVelo stage from Melide to Santiago has around 1,160 metres of elevation gain over a good 66 kilometres, so it was constantly up and down. Here EuroVelo passes through Arzúa, one of the cheese capitals of Galicia, and along the so-called "Ruta del Holandés" (Dutch Route) beside the AC-240 country road all the way to the Ciudad de la Cultura on the edge of Santiago, largely away from the streams of pilgrims. I rode through lots of lonely roads and villages where I saw many farms, but also many empty houses. It was really dead out there. Again and again I saw these elongated buildings on a raised base: hórreos, traditional granaries typical of Galicia. In the past they were used mainly to dry and store maize and grain. Because they stand raised and have permeable walls, the air circulates, and stone slabs on the base keep mice and rats out. Many are made of stone or wood, but some are made of perforated bricks. Now and then I also saw old barns that looked very old from the outside. Their barn doors stood open, though, and inside there were 24/7 vending machines where you could buy drinks and food, right on the pilgrim route. I found that very interesting. Then I rode through Touro, and I passed Rosario too.

Because EuroVelo runs a bit away from the Camino there, but I wanted to ride the last kilometres of the Camino, I took another shortcut. It led along a muddy, gravelly forest track, though, where I had to fight my way uphill once more. At some point I saw a Camino sign again: 6.55 kilometres to go.

Then I passed the disc golf course at Monte do Gozo and the monument where two pilgrims point towards Santiago. Monte do Gozo means "Mount of Joy", because from here pilgrims used to see the towers of the cathedral for the first time. And sure enough, I too could briefly see the towers from up there. Further on I passed the welcome sign of Santiago de Compostela, where loads of stickers and ribbons hang and in front of which loads of stones have been left.

I had already seen the towers of the cathedral from the Mount of Joy, and the cathedral itself is very impressive. Construction began in 1075, and it was consecrated in 1211. The tomb of the Apostle James lies beneath the high altar, and the baroque façade facing the square dates from the 18th century. Around 6:30 pm I reached the Plaza del Obradoiro. There wasn't much going on any more, and it was already very, very cold again. But it was a lovely and interesting feeling to arrive here, in Santiago de Compostela at the cathedral.

🚴 108.46 km
⏱️ 7:18 h total time
⛰️ 1,946 m elevation gain
⚡ Avg. 14.8 km/h