Morning…all!

So on the basis that I truly did Google “hostel” (not hotel, and yes I have double checked) and that it cost us only 59 euros it’s fair to say we were both expecting a basic level of accommodation last night, possibly a dormitory, certainly shared wash facilities  and perhaps if we are lucky  some on site foodie things. We roll up to Coto Real and understandably assume that we are in completely the wrong place…..surely this is way too posh? (Tbh at the time of writing I am still highly suspicious that my credit card will be charged eleventy billion pounds at some unspecified point in the future). I waddle into reception (I am still wearing my cycle shoes that’s not normally how I walk you understand or at least i don’t think so?) in my now very skanky cycling gear and the very friendly and English speaking “Senor Receptionist” welcomes me as if i am the most normal thing he has seen all day (NB no one has ever felt that way about meeting me for the first time). Booking confirmed, room key issued and bikes carefully stowed away….honestly I imagine this is the same adrenaline rush bank robbers get!

The room may not pass everyone’s four star expectations but it is pretty damn good and clearly  it is not a tent! We throw all of our worldly possessions at the rooms ample extremities, shower, change and then head out to explore.

Turns out there is not very much to explore in Rabade, and in fact our hotel is almost certainly the highlight so with too much unexpected time on our hands the default position is “have a beer” and so we do, more than a couple of times if I’m honest and probably more times than is helpful. We also decide to stay “mi casa” for dinner ….its evident they have a repertoire far beyond pasta and mushrooms with sauce (plus cooking on a gas burner in a hotel room is, so I understand, generally frowned upon) so we decide to partake.

All in all we have pretty decent (I am going to push the boat out and say “good” evening courtesy of Cota Real Hotel (not hostel).

Regardless of the hospitality they have shown, the complimentary carrot and their rather questionably art installation choices, we decide we still need to be away by 7am, and so that is what we do.

Amidst the horror of yesterday’s ordeal I forget to mention that our route has now taken us away from the northern coastline and instead we are heading inland, cutting across the top left corner of Spain and south west towards Santiago de Compostela, our destination today. All being well (not sure what I mean by that…..all will definitely be well thank you very much) we will rejoin the Atlantic tomorrow on the West coast of Spain.

The first 10 miles are blissfully flat and peaceful, it’s very early still and evidently no one else is foolish enough to be up and about. Somewhat counterintuitively we head north and then curve round to the west and then south west before turning onto the N634, and the first confirmation that Santiago is not actually a made up place. This is the busiest and therefore most unpleasant road we have been on since Santander and with lots of lorries. They are all super courteous and always give us quite a wide birth but nonetheless it’s defintiely “Sub optimal”.

The benefit of being on a main road is that generally they are faster with less brutal climbing and we make good progress (this is our fastest day since our frantic gallop to Portsmouth on day one).

Day seven is the first day where the weather properly lives up to the “el Scorchio” name….by 10am it is already acres the bakers (I am so sorry I have no idea what that means ….i am v v v tired so please cut me some slack!) and it gets hotter and hotter as the day goes on.

As usual the last 10 miles feel absolutely interminable and much to Marc’s disgust the Garmin takes us on a very weird, very indirect and very hilly detour for the last 9 miles…..he hasn’t spoken to me for about an hour now but hopefully it will blow over.

We have arrived at Camping As Cancelas, they have my reservation, they have cold beer and the sun is shining ….on balance it’s been a good day! We are now off to bond with our “pellegrino people”!

Just a reminder please that if you are reading this and have not yet donated then now is your moment …please grab it!!