Well today we left the Via de la Plata and those that are travelling on it, and headed west towards Orense on the Sanabrese route to Santiago. So sad to say good bye to those we have met along the way but hopefully we will meet up at the end. This is certainly the road less travelled and we only saw one pilgrim today. Where is everyone? I really feel like I am doing an authentic pilgrimage. It is so different to the Frances route.
The walk this morning was through stunning countryside. We stopped to talk to this lovely lady who wanted to make sure we took the right turn. She had no teeth, her coat was threadbare and held together with safety pins, and her cap looked like it was set into her hair, but what a kind gentle woman. She was moving her sheep. It just makes you wonder about people’s lives and what they have been through. These country people are so generous and kind. 
We passed by the Esla river and stopped there for lunch and a ‘boots off’. Ducks were paddling around, the air was cool, and the water was so still that we could see reflections. Beautiful!
The scenery changed every 10 minutes. We climbed over a mountain range and came down steeply on the other side. We walked through mud, puddles, bushy landscapes and barren ones. Flies were today’s ‘bug bear’, and the sun came out as we traversed the meseta-type plains, so we were really hot. We saw a deer flash across in front of us too. 
We now have new way markers to watch out for, along with the yellow arrows
And then the horror set in. I have a cold and was bursting out with the sweats and a temperature. We came down off the mountains and hit a meseta type landscape. All I could see was a long straight road ahead. My heart sank into my leaden boots and I plodded miserably for what seemed like forever, sweating, gasping and dragging my poor weary body towards the town in the far distance. I began to think it was a mirage and that I was hallucinating. 
Now tucked up in bed in a cosy room, feeling a little more human. Wonder what tomorrow will bring….better health I hope!
Margaret Caffyn 
Oh Maggie….I hope you are feeling better. Colleen’s turn to play “nurse”! It is miserable to feel so badly and see the mirage ahead.
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Oh, Margy, hope you feel much better very, very soon. Loving the photos and your diary.
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More AMAZING moments captured- those bridges and lake , and the kind old woman…. tk u so much for my morning fix, sharing your trek and emotions…. so hope u r feeling better Stotty, please rest up as long as u can…. take care of YOU !! Love, megxxxx
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Hope you get over your illness quickly!!! Photos are magical!!! Take care !!!!
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Hang in there, and get better soon. What yesterday felt like a nightmare, becomes a beautiful memory in the future. Some very evocative photos: I liked the bridge over Esla (?).
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