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Today, Bro. William travels nearly 31kms, or over 19 miles, one of the longest days. There are several options to avoid the worst of the busy road network around Ponferrada. And while this stage involves some road walking as we pass through the city, there are many cafes and bars to refresh us along the way and we have the Bierzo to look forward to with its sheltered micro-climate and vineyards. If we decide to stay in Ponferrada there is much to do and see and several interesting detours we can take from here. Alternatively, we can visit the main sites (all of which are directly along the camino) and still make our way relatively easily to the albergue in Cacabelos (23.9 km) or with greater effort to Villafranca del Bierzo (30.7 km) by evening. 
Ponferrada - grew steadily under the Romans to become Interamnium Flavium, a large city in the middle of one of the Roman Empire's richest mining districts. Destroyed twice over the next 500 years, first by Visigoths in the fifth century and then by Muslims in the ninth. Camponaraya - the second village is a strange mix of dreary modern houses interlaced with lovely old buildings that offer just a taste of the Camponaraya's original architecture. The village's endless exit is made easier by the Co-operativa Vinas del Bierzo, which sells wine by the glass, industrially poured from a huge tap. We can also buy wine by the bottle to spirit us towards Villafranca del Bierzo. From here, we'll pass, appropriately enough, through vineyards. Cacabelos - well known for its wines, Cacabelos is a pretty little town founded by Alfonso IX in the tenth century and rebuilt after a twelfth century earthquake.The town's archaeological museum has some interesting finds from local excavations and is worth visiting. The eighteenth-century Santuario de la Quinta Angustia is on the site of a former pilgrim hospital, it's notable for a bizarre altar showing the baby Jesus playing cards with San Ant6nio de Padua. 
Villafranca - once had eight monasteries and six pilgrim hospitals. As its name suggests, it was settled by the Franks, who came here on the orders of King Alfonso VI to guard this strategic trading place on the banks of the Rio Burbia and the Rio Valcarce. Today, Villafranca is one of the loveliest towns in all of Spain, picturesquely set on a river and surrounded by mountains. The industrial revolution passed the town by, so it's not tainted by rampant construction, and the centre of town is a maze of narrow streets and open plazas. The Calle deAgua is lined with splendid mansions, one of which was home to the nineteenth-century novelist Enrique Gil y Carrasco. In spring, there's a poetry festival in the municipal gardens. On the way into town, next to Albergue Ave Fenix, we pass the beautiful Romanesque Iglesia de Santiago, which has a Puerta del Perdon. Just as at other churches along the camino, if we are unable to continue the pilgrimage we can walk through these finely carved doors and receive the same spiritual benefits as if we had made it all the way to Santiago de Compostela. |
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