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Well. The XIX Legion was posted to Astorga and regularly patrolled the borders of the empire to keep those Celts controlled. The regular route coincides with the Camino Portugesa as well as some of the Camino Frances. They probably had better weather even here on the wet Celtic fringe. However today
has been better although it was wet enough to encourage setting off with full wet weather gear, fortunately dryed out from yesterday ( the facilities in Galician alburgues have improved over the last 13years) with washing machines and dryers fortunately. Though weather has not been as bad as east Scotland it has been wet enough to fill all the streams crossing our path. Though all feet better than the unfortunate at our alburgue. Once the sun came out however lots of birds came out of hiding and the Way was good again.

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No not a new hair style. Just back to normal for Galicia Wales Cornwall etc Rain heavy at times. Streams overflowing out of Pontevedra. So much for Climate change. Just more, much more of the same. We were driven at on stage even with full wet weather gear to shelter in a Lavaderia. Doubtless restored with EU money. On the other hand the great little albergue we are now at probably also benefited from EU funds directly or indirectly so no complaints really. Just could do with a little less rain. Appropriate street display leaving Pontevedra.

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It rained several times today. Tim thought of Betsy and Tony.and was glad of the shelter of public transport. Tomorrow looks worse. Ah well.

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Well owing to an unfortunate problem with a passport. It was too old! A bit like its holder. Tim is a week late and trying to catch up with Betsy and Tony who are fortunately not moving fast. Even so the help of. Portuguese public transport is needed to get to Pontevedra. But it was late causing some consternation. A natas was eaten while waiting.

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Up. 6.30 out at 7.00 walking through cool streets. We are ahead of the game by 1km having covered that from the basilica yesterday. We pass the first way marker and find a cafe with coffee and narrranja juice.
Sadly this state of affairs does not continlue. We walk out of the street pavements of Alicante and through the twilight zone of fast small roads with no pavements into the true dry countryside. We hear the first hoopoe but don’t see one.
We walk gradually into an increasingly shattered landscape of quarried hillsides. We pass signs that suggest maybe we should not be here, finally a man in a pickup discussed our route with us in Spanish and Tony replied in English and maps. He kindly directs us through the mess and back onto on to the official path. Betsy is not moving well by this stage and it gradually becomes apparent even to her that all is not functioning correctly in her brain. We slowly regroup , Tony finds a village with a bus stop and we return to Alicante. UK tomorrow although with rest and coolth normal function of the brain has resumed.

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Take off almost on time (only 15mins late) in rain and cold wind.But land in Alicante on time in hot sun. Passport control no problems but alas the buses to Alicante are on strike at last one arrives bearing the legend sevicios minimos. , nothing to do with on board toilets but buses about 1hourly instead of 20minutes. Tony locates the pre-booked b&b and we check in.
After that is like greyhounds out of the traps and hey for tres cevezas
Next it was the Basilica of Santa Barbara for the commencing stamp on our pilgrim passport, cunningly horded by Tony from a previous expedition. And then up to the heights of the Citadel de Santa Barbara. After that there was nothing to do but eat though an exhaustive search along the sea front produced no Sardinas for Tim.

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It is now four years since we walked the pilgrimage routes of Europe and seven since we walked in Spain. We have had our eyes
on another Spanish tributary leading as all such routes do to Santiago. This one known as the Ruta de Lana or wool route is from Alicante to Burgos where it joins the Camino Francais walked as a first Camino from homes in the UK by Tony and Tim in 2008. We catch a easyJet flight tomorrow (as ever) and should start walking on Tuesday .

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La Ruta de la Lana means the Wool Route and is based broadly on drove roads (cañadas) followed by drovers and their often-huge flocks, travelling to milder climates nearer the coasts for winter and to higher mountain pasture in summer. These routes, dating back to before the Middle Ages, were also used by sheep-shearers and wool merchants, and to take livestock to markets. Burgos itself was the capital of the wool trade in the 16th and 17th centuries and the routes from the SE, especially from La Mancha, were well used. This route was undoubtedly well-used by pilgrims to Santiago and there is documentation of a pilgrimage to Santiago made in 1624 by Francisco Patiño, his wife and cousin, from Monteagudo de las Salinas, a village some 45 kilometres before Cuenca.