We had a lovely sunny start to the day in contrast to the last couple of days.  We walked about 14 miles today and the entire walk was on forest paths and through lots of small breas, making it a really nice day.

I have managed to fill nearly three credentials with stamps but before I can get my compostella in Santiago, it is compulsory to obtain two stamps a day over the last 100 kilometres, preferably from churches.  The pilgrim office in Santiago will accept some albergue stamps but they prefer church stamps.  The idea is to stop people cheating and to prove you have walked at least 100 kilometres.

The camino passes every church over the whole route, after all, it is a pilgrimage.  Unfortunately a lot of the churches have fallen into disrepair and others don’t usually open until after 10 o’clock.  Most pilgrims start walking around 7:30 am which means they have passed a lot of churches before they find one open.  Over the last three days we have collected about four stamps each day and two of those have been from churches.  Only four more church stamps to get!

One church stamp we did get today was from a lovely little church, Iglesia de San Juan in Furelos which is famous for its unusual depiction of the Crucifixion.  Instead of Jesus’s arms being spread to each side, he has one hand stretching down to earth and the other reaching up to heaven.  I should also mention the stamp we received yesterday at a tiny chapel in Ventas de Naron which is given by a blind man.  You place the credential on the table in front of him and guide his hand, he then stamps and dates it.  You may also make a small donation, which we did, by placing the money in his hand.  The man is very old and, apparently, he has been doing this, day after day, for years!

The countryside and hamlets, or brea’s, we walked through were very pretty and no longer smelled of cow and horse dung.  Most places were clean and very well maintained.  One house we passed on the way to Melida looked to be straight out of Tuscany and the place we stopped for coffee at Coto had wonderful manicured lawns and hedges.  Incidentally, it was here I saw another chicken coup but discovered it was just another design for drying corn cobs.  I much preferred the idea that they had been made for pixies or fairies.  Laurence said he liked the idea that they were where you put naughty children!  The trees in the forests are mainly eucalyptus, a non-indigenous species that has taken over the landscape and become a symbol of Galicia.  It was originally brought from Australia in 1865 for the construction trade but proved to be a poor choice and, instead, has driven out the local oak and chestnut trees.  It is fast growing with no natural controls.

We arrived in Melida, quite a large town, by 11:30 am and bought some fruit and some pastries for lunch.  It being a Saturday, the town was very busy, however, barriers were being erected as there was a 20 km race from Palas de Rei, and the runners were finishing at Melida.  Unfortunately they were not expected until 6 pm so we could not hang around to see them.

It was after 12 o’clock by the time we headed out of town and came across a nice quiet spot next to the municipal cemetery and decided to eat our lunch there.  We eventually arrived at our albergue around 2:20 pm.

The last three days walking have been long and hard but the paths continue to be good making the ups and downs much easier.  Going downhill I have developed a sort of half jog to keep the stress and tension out of my knees and thighs, and it means I get down more quickly.  I then have to start walking uphill again as there are no flat bits in between, just up and down and up and down.  Fortunately, they don’t seem to be as steep today as they have been previously.  It won’t last.  Our guide book warns there are more steep ups and downs to come over the next two days!