Day 46 - Ourense to Oseira Monastery (21 miles)

Two hours ago I was sitting on cool grass surrounded by low hills with the sound of a river behind me, the rustle of the wind in the trees above and the ever present bird song the only sounds. It was a setting of total tranquility and befitting the site of a working monastery, the square grey bulk of which was filling the view to my front. I was waiting with another walker for 3pm when the monks finished prayers after which we would be able to get into the monastery albergue where we were going to spend the night. Or so we thought.

You have to be flexible on the Camino. After over an hour with not a soul to be seen I went off in search of someone to ask about getting into the albergue. It took a while - more because of the absence of people rather than the size of the village - but I found an old man who told me that the monastery albergue was closed (although there were no signs to that effect on the door) but that the municipal one was open. It turned out to be not far away tucked in at the back of the monastery but again there were no signs as to its existence. And neither did it show in my guide book or on my Camino app which has been pretty accurate to date. I also learned at the albergue reception that neither of the two bars listed in my guide book were currently open and the only place you could get food (in the form of a takeaway sandwich) was the monastery office and at only very specific times. It was all rather unfortunate and not what I had hoped for when I set out this morning.

It had been a long day to get to that point, starting with a hard climb out of Ourense before sunrise and with a couple more climbs to look forward to later in the day. But I did spend most of the day walking through woodland which was pleasant, breaking out into the occasional tiny village before getting back amongst the trees. It still feels remote here but it is noticeable how the villages have far fewer derelict houses compared with those from only a couple of days ago; we now seem to be closer to where the money is.

I am now fed, using what I was carrying in my bag: bread, a little meat, cheese and fruit. I am hoping this will be enough to see me through the start of tomorrow's twenty mile trip until I find somewhere to eat something more substantial. If all goes to plan it is the last long day before I get to Santiago de Compostela, another four days walking away.