El Acebo to Ponferrada – Stage 26

Stage 26 – El Acebo (León) – Ponferrada (Bierzo)
Total Distance – 17.0 km
Adjusted for Climb – 17.0 km (descent 700 m)
High Point: El Acebo at 1,150 m (4,940 feet)

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El Acebo, a typical Roman plan town

El Acebo (pop. 17) was a godsend to us because of the steep and dangerous descent that immediately preceded it which made me grateful that this typical Roman mountain village was there to shelter us. Some documents and ancient books refer to the name of the village as: EL ACEBO DE SAN MIGUEL ARCÁNGEL, which is the name of its church and patron saint but this long version of the name is not used anymore for the village. This village in the 15th century achieved the distinction of being freed of all taxes in exchange for its inhabitants marking of the treacherous Camino route during the winter with 800 poles so that the route could be travelled during the winter snows. They were also expected to give shelter to peregrinos and to rescue those that found themselves in difficulties.

It was here that Sue noticed my clothes that were being dried and she was amazed that I could fit them and the rest of my equipment in my Mountainsmith day-pack! She, then and there, decided to christen it the “TARDIS”, after the blue police box that Dr. Who uses on TV to travel the galaxy anywhere in time and space. The TARDIS is infamous for actually being much, much bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. TARDIS stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space, TARDIS! While I do not consider myself to be “Dr. Who” I was pleased to have the TARDIS along with me on the Camino.

The TARDIS (right) in action!!

When Sue and I set out that morning we immediately were greeted by some unexpected travellers. These sheep were very well-behaved and were happy to follow their leader through the countryside and onto the road.

First there was one

Then some more decided to join!

Then it became a party!

Soon we were on the trail towards Riego de Ambrós (pop. 35, alt. 930m), and we found it be a decidedly pretty mountain village. It was clear that houses were being renovated here for either seasonal or permanent occupancy. The beauty of the surrounding countryside and the closeness of Ponferrada by car made it an ideal location.

 

While it was fun to be walking in such a beautiful area we soon were hit with a dose of reality in the form of a very steep, rocky, and dangerous descent. We knew it was coming because the guidebooks had alerted us to it but nonetheless it was a slow descent.

Soon however we were to be rewarded with the beautiful sight of the town of Molinaseca (pop. 800). Nestled astride the gorge cut by the río Merulo Molinaseca is the gateway to the broad central valley of the Bierzo region. Occupying a strategic position leading to the Foncebadón pass it was an important Roman checkpoint on what they called the Interamnio Flavio – the Roman gold road. Two ancient bridges, the largest called the Puente de los Peregrinos, remain to give the town additional charm.

Sue on the outskirts of Molinaseca

Crossing the bridge at Molinaseca

It was a pleasure to be in this very picturesque small town nestled against the hills. While there Sue and I had to take a small break to enjoy the scenery. As you can see from the pictures we were not alone in our desire to relax and enjoy the view!

Young peregrinos relaxing with a beautiuful view

In case you’re wondering both the beer and the flowing water were ice-cold!

While we would of loved to have spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the view we had to get going. As I walked through this small town the streets reminded me a little of parts of Dijon in France.

The streets of Molinaseca

Santiago Peregrino

Statute of Santiago Peregrino with a marker from a sister town in Japan

Ponferrada in the distance

The rest of our journey that day was without a stop for rest except for a small detour to see an ancient Roman fountain that to my amazement was still delivering water! I stared at this fountain thinking that it had been bringing water down from the mountains for well over 1,600 years and probably would continue to do so in perpetuality!

Ponferrada in the distance

Tribute to a fallen Peregrino

Rest in Peace – Descanse en Paz

The Roman fountain is near!

I stared at this fountain thinking that it had been bringing water down from the mountains for well over 1,600 years and probably would continue to do so in perpetuality!

Two German Peregrinas on the road to Ponferrada. We would see them again in the coming days.

More Peregrinos

The bridge tat took us into the city.

Ponferrada

Rabanal del Camino to Acebo – Stage 25

Stage 25 – Rabanal del Camino – Acebo
Total Distance – 14.8 km
Adjusted for Climb – 17.0 km (accrued ascent 400 m = 2.0 km)
High Point: La Cruz de Ferro at 1,505 m (4,940 feet)

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Manuel, the owner of the wonderful Casa Rural A Cruz De Ferro with myself and Sue

Myself, Manuel and his wife Miriam

Having been fortified by the great hospitality of Manuel and Miriam our gracious hosts at the Casa Rural A Cruz De Ferro, Sue and I were ready to tackle the mountain pass of Irago that Brierly called,

…the highest point of our whole journey

Brierly was referring to the puerta Irago where la Cruz de Ferro is to been seen and I felt prepared and looked forward to the climb. With this in mind Sue and I made our way through the outskirts of Rabanal.

Cyclist making his way through Rabanal

Watering area just outside Rabanal

Monument outside of Rabanal

Soon we were making our way up the trail with views of the río Turienzo valley.

The terrain ahead

Walker, cyclist and Sue ahead on the trail

Beautiful watering trough that we saw north of Rabanal

Detail of the watering trough

Both Sue and I were in good spirits as we tackled the gradual but steady climb. For the first 5 kilometers we would be climbing a little over 250 meters over a trail that was rocky in some places. Luckily for us the weather was beautiful and even though I had prepared for it to be cold by buying a black thermal shirt while in Astorga it wasn’t as cold as I expected it to be.

Sue enjoying the hike

Me on the trail

Posing with a local who made fruit available to us poor peregrinos

Sue leading the way!

Taking pictures of the local flowers

We were steadily approaching the village of Foncebadón and I was thinking of the passage in Gitlitz’s and Davidson’s The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook that quoted a warning from 1790,

The nature of the landscape is extremely rough and fearsome, and from nearly the first of September until the end of May the pass is closed, and the neighboring villages put up cairns to mark the route, and if this is insufficient, they dedicate  themselves to guide, accompany, house and thaw out the poor pilgrims who come and go from Galicia.

I could well imagine how different out journey would have been in the throes of winter and I was glad that I did not have to face what the “poor pilgrims who come and go from Galicia” faced in 1790!

The Landscape

English peregrino walking into Foncebadón

The village of Foncebadón

Foncebadón, semi-abandoned but rebounding today, has been a village for over 2,000 years and in its Roman past was an important place in the machinery of the Empire in that the village and the mountain pass through the Irago mountains served as an artery connecting Rome and the crucial wheat lands of the Castilian Meseta with the gold mines of Bierzo. In the houses that are being renovated you notice that their construction makes heavy use of local slate. Roofs are covered in slate or thatch and the chimneys are enclosed with slate. The walls of the ancient buildings are capped with flat horizontal stones that keep out rain, snow and dew from penetrating the walls or otherwise they would freeze and crack open.

Marcos, ex-paratrooper and my gracious host at La Taberna de Gaia in Foncebadón

His campaign flag

It makes very good sense to stop while in Foncebadón (also it’s the only place to stop for food) because you need to gather up your strength before the rest of the climb and not to mention the steep and dangerous descent that awaits you. We had the good fortune to have met Marcos who was our host at La Taberna de Gaia. This mountain-side tavern was a refreshing stop and I enjoyed conversing with Marcos about his days as a paratrooper and also about his son who is a player in the Barcelona system. As a Real Madrid supporter I was met with the expected ribbing but I managed to give as good as I got. It was all in great fun and I told Marcos that I expected to see his son play professionally one day in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. He made a look of horror as I said this but recovered when I told him that it was as a Barcelona and not a Madrid player that I expected to see him. Soon, we had to get on our way because we still had quite a way to go.

Views from Foncebadón

The road leading up from Foncebadón.

Foncebadón from up higher

More heights await us ahead

Sue moving on ahead

The famous La Cruz de Ferro is just 2 kilometers above Foncebadón and very soon we were there. This cross is to my way of thinking both a monument to the mountain pass, reminding you that you are now at 1,504 meters (4,934 feet) of altitude, and a monument to the Pilgrimage. It is here at the top of the immense rock-pile that peregrinos leave a rock, either one that they’ve brought from home or one that they’ve picked up at the start of their journey as a symbol of their journey or as an act of contrition. This simple act also has a precedent in history be it the pre-Roman Celts (the Gaelic for these piles of rock is the word cairns) or Roman travelers who used them to pay homage to the God Mercury.  It was here that the hermit Gaucelmo decided to top a rock-pile with a cross and turn the tables on a pagan act.

La Cruz de Ferro

Sue leaving her stone at the top of the rockpile. Notice the hats, ribbons, notes that peregrinos have left stapled to the pole

A short while after our visit to La Cruz de Ferro we met a young American peregrino named Chris. Sue was intrigued by the fact that he and I had the two smallest backpacks she had ever see on the Camino. She made sure to record the fact.

Dueling backpacks

Chris moving ahead

Chris contemplating the way ahead

Another fallen peregrina

While walking with Sue and Chris we started discussing the next village on our route. It was a place named Manjarín and it was another of those abandoned villages one sees from time to time on the Camino. That one had a strange twist in that there was a communal albergue in a renovated house, with very basic facilities, there that boasted “the last Templar”. Chris was very keen on staying there and I definitely was not because it was too early in the stage and it seemed too “primitive” for my tastes.

Chris heading toward Manjarín.

Manjarín and its communal albergue

Manjarín

Sue and I left an excited Chris in Manjarín and proceeded on our way through a wonderful mountain trail. Soon we were at a fruit stand and there we met the owner of the fruit stand. Her name was Siehoa and she was originally from the Basque country. She told me that she was hiking in the area and that she fell in love with it and never returned home. She had renovated a house in Manjarín and she lived there now.

The English peregrino taking a picture of the fruit stand

Siehoa and me

After leaving the fruit stand we were heading for the military observation post which marked the highest elevation of the whole route. From that point on the route was dangerously steep and full of large-sized rocks that made for a difficult descent. I can tell you that I found it to be the most difficult descent (400 meters in 2 km!)  of the whole Camino!! I had to be very deliberate in where I was steeping in order to avoid twisting my ankle. Because of the difficult nature of the descent we made an executive decision to stop for the evening at Acebo. It was a good decision because we could go no further. Tired but happy we settled in early in the one-street town of Acebo.

Sue again leading the way! You can see the military observation post at the top of the mountain at 1.535 meters (5.036 feet!)

The trail

The nuclear power station at the left of the picture

Peregrinos making good time

The trail in front of us was very steep and full of rocks

Acebo, our destination

The Casa Rural where we stayed

The view from Acebo