Most peaceful night of the trip so far despite the barking dog at night and the crowing rooster in the morning. Awake before 7am and went downstairs to make cups of tea. Breakfast in the dining room overlooking the garden, by day the house turns into a tea room serving the passing pelegrinos. This has been our best accommodation so far, we spend some time chatting to the manager who has worked in Liverpool but never made it over to Manchester
On the road shortly after sunrise, it's a cool morning but holding the promise of a hot and sunny afternoon
Excess produce offered for free. The grapes are somewhat bitter and under ripe, but the fig is perfect. This turns out to be the best day so far for plundering fruit, a lot of wayside apricot trees in addition to some great apples. If I'd only had nut roasting facilities there is also an abundance of plump sweet chestnuts
Our hostess had promised the best walking of the route today, and the good tree lined paths certainly delivered. In a change from the ubiquitous eucalyptus these were predominantly oak groves and stands of pine
with small fields dotted with what originally would have been small farmsteads but are probably now plush housing
The early sunshine is warming, but Lisa's jumper is not coming off yet
5km into the day's walking we arrive at this cafe bar, advertised as the last before Sigueiro - another 8 miles down the road. So stop off for tea/coffee, chocolate chip cookie and Sello for our passports.
A very unconvincing scarecrow
We carry on along our sylvan track
but then encounter the AP-9 motorway, seen on the right of the picture. We have been criss-crossing this road since day one, but it now runs alongside our path for three noisy miles. I'm not convinced that this had been factored into the promise of the best section, and maybe it had simply been local pride talking
But to try and soften this memory before entering the town of Sigueiro we turn off the road into delightful woodland and a quaint stone bridge straight out of a children's story book.
Mural in the not-so-mean streets of Sigueiro
A very nice lunch, this tomato salad was simply delicious. I was expecting my octopus to come in the form of a stew, but it was more like a burger with a bed of steamed greens. No complaints though
As ever, walking in the heat of the afternoon is an ordeal which stretches out the miles. Today is our hottest so far, but fortunately there are only three miles to be stretched and my more traditional clothing works well in this climate
The trees offer a little shade, but we are soon back onto open road in full sun. The days always seem to finish with a few miles of hot tarmac. We have a hotel with a pool tonight, and that thought helps me along to the finish
We check in, I wash my feet in our room and make a beeline for the pool
For reasons that my duolingo Spanish doesn't cover the pool is closed and unavailable. But the shaded garden is very pleasant
We head to the local bar next door for beer and food. We encounter a problem. The bar is closed, the owners are on holiday.
So back to our hotel, which can provide beer, and food will be available later at perhaps 7.30
Several beers later, and the food time has been pushed back to 8pm.
At 8pm we go and camp out in the dining room. I have opted for the three course table menu and Lisa is opting for a salad option. Given the deserted status of the premises the food is surprisingly good. My main course, roast chicken with salad and rice, has the tastiest chicken I have had since perhaps my honeymoon in Corfu 36 years ago. The supply chain here must be very short, we have passed so many local farmsteads with happy hens roaming free: the difference in flavour is immeasurable
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