Day 15 Palas de Rei to Santiago

Day 15 Palas de Rei to Santiago de Compestela (Monte do Gozo)

40.33 (total 547.61)

Everyone was up by 6:30 feeling ok but washed out. Not only had everyone been ill but we had not eaten for the best part of 24 hours. Not good when you are cycling and using up calories. We HAVE to get to Santiago today. We decide that today we have to keep stopping / eating to get energy levels back. We eat breakfast in the hotel before joining the constant procession of folk heading west out of the town and towards Santiago. And today it is cool and wet.

There are still hills to climb and we all find that we are dropping down to very low gears as soon as we start to climb. We stop at a garage to get some chocolate bars and then at a cafe for coffee and tostadas. We are all still feeling very flat with not a lot in the legs.

We roll through Arzua and the hills are softening a bit. The rain clears away and the humidity with it. A sleep stop is called and everyone flakes out on some roadside benches. It is now cool but clear and fresh. Just as we think it is getting easier we are faced with a 3k slog out of Amenal but we now have less than 10 miles to Santiago. At the top of the climb and following some signs that take cyclists off the road, we find the Santiago boundary stone just before we reach the airport. As far as we are concerned, we are there. Various calls home are made followed by various photo’s being taken. We then set off again around the airport, through Lavacolla and San Marcos to Monte do Gozo to meet up with Malcolm.

We find the aubergue, again up a very steep climb, and book in before catching a bus down to Santiago. Once there we go to the Pilgrims Office to collect our Compostela and then we ate before starting immediately to plan the return journey back to Bayonne.