Camino Primitivo Stage 8 – A Fonsagrada to O Cadavo

June 5, 2022

It was an overcast morning, but not nearly as socked in as most mornings. Today would be our last day in the mountains as we began the descent toward Lugo which we would reach tomorrow. Today’s walk consisted of trails and wooded paths that would carry us the 15 miles to O Cadavo where we would spend the night.

One of the many pleasant findings in Spain is their love of cats. In both Scotland and Peru, dogs were the prominent pet, and I rarely if ever saw a cat. However, in Spain cats are everywhere! They hang out near the restaurants hoping to get a treat and are often seen outside around houses and in the villages. I would often stop and talk to them and pet them if they let me. Some were friendly while others were clearly feral but all were undoubtedly doing their job to keep the rodent population down.

As we were walking along one of the trails with farms and pasture land on either side, we came upon this beauty! She was just standing there watching us with nothing but a low wire fence between us. And she just stood there as if posing for us! We continued on through the woods and up to an exposed hillside with a small chapel, locked of course. It did make for a nice wind block while we took a quick break.

It turned out to be a nice, peaceful day. At one point we caught up to the group from Portugal who were taking a break near a house with an above-ground swimming pool next to it. The water was green so no one opted to take a plunge. We enjoyed the last of the sweeping views across the mountains as we made our way up one last big climb to get to O Cadavo.

We were tired when we arrived in O Cadavo. We were all staying at the San Mateo Albergue along with the group from Portugal. In fact, we were all staying in the same room together. After showers and laundry, Suzanne and I found an open bar in town and sat down to have a drink. Malthe was there as well and Gary soon joined us. This bar didn’t serve food so we were off to find somewhere to eat dinner.

Since it was late afternoon on Sunday and this was a small village, our dining choices were few. Plus, supermarkets were not open. We walked into another bar and Suzanne asked if they were serving food only to be loudly lectured by the bar keep that it was much too early for anyone to be serving dinner. It was probably about 6:00 and he told us of only one place that would be open, so we went there.

This bar was busy! I guess when you’re the only one open that’s where everybody ends up for dinner. It was a nice place but this was probably my least favorite meal in that there was only one fish/vegetarian meal to choose from. Sardines! Big ones that were half burnt and the least appetizing meal I think I’ve ever seen. When no one else at the table comments or even looks at your food, you know it’s bad! I made it through the meal then it was back to the albergue and bed. I actually had a semi-private bed as no one was above me and I had a wall of windows next to me. So much better than the previous night!