Day 43 - Laza to Xunqueira de Ambía (21 miles)

Today we faced the vagaries of hill weather. After last night's rain storm we checked the forecast for today to find it would rain from 9am. Well, there was nothing we could do about it but at least we were forewarned. But this morning when I awoke there was no sign of rain, only low cloud and mist clinging in layers to the valley and to the hilltops with a forecast now for rain from 1pm; plenty of time to complete a short day's walk and find an albergue. Later, as four of us sat having a mid morning coffee at Alburgueíra in a bar decorated from top to bottom in scallop shells, I mentioned the afternoon rain only to be shown a forecast by Bernadette that showed no rain at all for the day. This was good news as we now planned for a long day to catch our colleagues who had pressed on further yesterday. So we finished our coffee in good cheer only to walk outside into heavy drizzle.

That coffee in Alburguería had to be earned; it was a slow and steady thirteen hundred foot climb to that tiny village. The four of us had set off separately from Lazá, at first following the lush and flat valley floor with mist filtered sunlight adding beauty and a sense of mysticism to the morning. Then the climb began. It was in some respects the reverse of yesterday, starting in verdant green surroundings and ascending to a dry, rock and pine covered landscape. It was a hard and sweaty two hours to the cafe in Alberguería and the drizzle that met us when we left.

The remainder of the day was a mix, both in weather and landscape. There would be blue sky and the promise of sun only for it to rain again shortly after we had removed our waterproofs. And there was high moorland, open fields and a little road. What I particularly remember though were the stretches of ancient woodland we spent much of the afternoon in. The gnarly old trees and the path marked by slivers of moss-covered rock standing like rows of lost cemetery stones gave a sense of walking through antiquity, the darkness of the weather and the dripping of water only adding to a Tolkienesque sense of age and mystery. It was something special and it took the mind off the distance we had set ourselves for the day.

It was to be ten hours after leaving Lazá before we arrived at the modern albergue just on the edge of Xunqueira de Ambia and where we were reunited with those we had lost yesterday. A walk into the town for beer and food, a look round the church - where an old lady opened up areas for us that we would not normally have seen - and finally a communal meal back in the albergue rounded off a long but satisfying day.