An early start today because this was a full day of walking; a planned 13.35 miles, though we suspect it might be more because the OS Maps app we are using tends to underestimate. We visit the bakery across the road to buy cakes and muffins (for an unbelievably cheap three euros for three pastries) and descend through Nigran along residential streets.

A word or two about signage and navigation; the most common Camino signs are spray painted yellow arrows appearing on walls or posts, followed by the more formal yellow on blue signs. Sometimes our route ran parallel with the green arrows of the Camino de los Faros ( the Lighthouse Way). The brass shells embedded into pathways are the least common and only seem to appear in towns. Of course we have to navigate to and from our accommodation, so it can be a while before we get back to the Way and see any signs at all. All four of us are getting better at spotting the signs now. We are navigating using a route from All Trails, but transferred to the OS Maps app so it can be broken into the 10 days we are walking from Baiona to Santiago.

We again reach the Atlantic, this time Praia de Patos, and the path extends down onto the sand in a few places. Of course descending to the beach implies a later ascent but this was made easier by a few spots outside people’s houses; one where food was left for walkers to take, another where we could stamp our Pilgrim passport and another where a handy bench allowed us to have our 11:00am potato chip stop.

We climbed up through small villages via lanes and trackways. Unfortunately all the churches were closed today, thus no formal count, but we did have our picnic lunch under a tree in a churchyard sitting on a stone bench (Igrexa de San Miguel de Oia). Once again, we ate ham and cheese sandwiches. Along the way we often saw small vegetable plots where potatoes, corn and brassicas seemed to be most popular. Eventually we reached the forest and for about a mile enjoyed the cool shade of the eucalyptus trees and a waterfall. Once out of the woods, we descended to the outskirts of Vigo via some grassy shortcuts and passed the enormous Stellantis car assembly plant. This was set up by Citroen in the 1950s to avoid the then high pre-EU tariffs. Suddenly we were in the city and so stopped to enjoy afternoon sodas before the final push. The ‘push’ started off pleasantly with a walk through a municipal park and then a pleasant shaded trek next to the river. We swapped words with an older gentleman with a dog. Literally swapped, because not a lot was understood apart from the message that Vigo never gets cold. Then we were hit with a huge and unexpected hill coming into the center of Vigo, arriving at the Praza Espana roundabout, dominated by huge bronze horses. Descending down the Gran Via to our hotel, we noticed a glass roofed pathway down the center of the street with a moving walkway going up the hill. Final mileage, 15.06 miles and well won.

A lot of people walk the Camino. We know this because they all passed us today.

Here is the map for May 30, 2025;