AUSSIE SLOW TRAVELLERS

It was a good day for up. Which was just as well, because the first part of the day was a lot of up! We started out with a mix of minor road walking and dirt track. The early morning light lit up the sky and hills. We crossed under the motorway and walked through pine forests. We crossed under again and climbed up a grassy track to the first of a series of small villages. These all had stone buildings, usually a water fountain, and often a dog, some more friendly than others.  In O Navallo we stopped for a banana break, the outdoor exercise machine providing a convenient seat. Some sheep were in a small paddock near the path.   At As Ferreiras the bar we'd bookmarked was closed, but a hotel provided us with a good second breakfast. There was a great selection of ride-on toys for the younger customers too.  After this, we descended steeply into the valley before starting a steady climb again. We passed a team of three whipper-snipping the path - we've been hugely impressed with

The weather improved overnight and we set off in sunshine. We retraced our steps to the township to rejoin the Camino Sanabres, admiring birds, mossy steps and cows.  We were soon into open country with great views of purple grass and large boulders. The waymarking was extraordinarily clear - we didn't have to beat down the grass to hunt for markers or consult our gps. If there was a water crossing, stepping stones or small bridges were provided. Men in a tractor and a local bicyclist gave us friendly waves.  We ambled through O Cañizo, loving the combination of stone buildings, water fountains and plants.  Once past O Cañizo, we were out again in the hills, and soon came into A Gudiña, a larger town. We stopped for coffee and were asked if we'd like mugs: what a treat! We ordered cake and the bartender gave us complimentary mashed potato croquettes - we must have looked hungry, and we ate them all up!  In A Gudiña we stocked up at the supermarket then found the signage for

We left early to beat the forecast storms, rain gear on as protection from the elements. Cows stopped to stare as we passed by. We found plenty to photograph, including a fountain, the Santuario de la Tuiza and our shadows with amazingly long legs.  The path soon turned to puddles, but stone slabs made negotiating them easier. We crossed a wooden bridge and followed a path in the grass for a few metres until it petered out. Consulting the gps, we retraced our steps and headed up what we had assumed was a dry riverbed. It soon became a dirt track again and we headed up through green forest, backlit with the sun streaming through the leaves. Later we had views towards the summit and back the way we had come.  Eventually we arrived at Portela da Canda, our entrance to Galicia. We found our first statue by the Ourense-born sculptor, Nicanor Carballo. We're looking forward to finding more of these.  We continued downhill, admiring the Galician path - it was wide, grassy and well-d