Best & Worst combined

[Channing Thieme]

One of the most exquisite stretches can also be one of the worst.  Herein
lies our only seriously dangerous (in fact horrific) moment of the 35
otherwise glorious days we spent in Spain last fall.  For those headed to
the Camino please make a note to yourselves to take the longer route to
Trabadelo when leaving Villafranca del Bierzo.  This is the day (or two)
which concludes with the magnificent climb to the not-to-be-missed O
Cebreiro.  All of the guidebooks recommend this longer alternative when
leaving Villafranca, with good reason.  Concerned over the length (27'8 km)
and level of difficulty of the day, we made the mistake of consulting with
the local tourist office in Villafranca and were hands-down advised to take
the shorter highway option as it is the "authentic" pilgrims route which is
by far the most popular with pilgrims.  Up until this point we had opted for
the countryside when given a choice, but these 'authorities' said that the
shorter route followed a beautiful river.

-Which it did, mostly in the form of a drop-off to our left as we faced
oncoming highway traffic six to ten feet to our right, winding through the
narrow Valcarce valley.  If there was scenery to behold we never saw it as
we focused on our balance against the forceful winds that came in the wake
of the tractor trailers and trucks zooming by.  In thirty five years of
hiking this ranks among the most unnerving experiences I have had.  It took
over 14 kilometers for the yellow arrows to finally turn off of the
thoroughfare at Ambasmestas and into pastoral terrain.  Shaken, we realized
we were in no shape to climb to O Cebreiro.

The good news is that there are two refugios as well as a couple of hostals
in this lovely stretch at the foot of the mountain.  We stayed at the
white-washed and pleasant Hostal Fernandez in Vega de Valcarce.  The next
day's ascent was one of the highlights of the trip, which would have been
lost on us had we attempted to try it that afternoon.

One word of note.  For a small fee, both refugios in Villafranca offer a
ride for your backpacks to O Cebreiro.  Should you do this and then decide
to cut the day short, you'll spend the night apart from your packs ... or
you can take a cab to the summit from Vega.  The taxis in this tiny village
have a booming business.  We had stayed at a hostal in Villafranca and only
learned of the backpack service in retrospect.  If you have the time, take
the two days.  It is well worth it.

Buen Camino,
Channing