OUR WAY

 19th May 2025

Day 21 - El Acebo to Cacabelos

Vineyards near Cacabelos

The note at reception said “doors open at 7am - no leaving before 7am,” so we had the longest lie-in ever, until 6:25am. I crept out to eat my cereals on the balcony in the cool air so as not to disturb anyone, but by 6:40 the dorm was fully awake, so I switched on the lights. We were packed and away just before 7am, although it turned out the doors had probably been open earlier. One guest reckoned it was all a ploy to get people to buy breakfast before leaving.

The Camino dropped steeply for the first stretch, heading down to Ponferrada about 12 km away. In hindsight, not setting off earlier was a blessing – it would’ve been a poor choice to tackle that terrain with a headtorch. We passed through Molinaseca, a picturesque historic village officially classed as ‘una de las más bonitas en España,’ then continued beside the road through some suburban sprawl before arriving at the grand Castillo de Ponferrada.

Castillo de Ponferrada

We wandered through the old town, where most places were still shut, until we found a supermarket just before leaving. We stocked up on croissants and napolitano de chocolate and made good use of their toilets.

Narrow streets of Molinaseca

The route then wound through a riverside park, a small residential stretch, and back into farmland. A large supermarket interrupted our stride again – more pastries – and when a heavy shower hit, we sheltered under the canopy of a closed restaurant.

Less than 200 km to go!

The farmland gave way to vineyards as we approached Cacabelos and our Hostal La Gallega, our stop for the night. It ended up being a tiring 30 km day, with a later-than-usual arrival thanks to our morning curfew, and we ended up with top bunks in the dorm as the last to arrive.

Showers, laundry, and a nap followed in that order.

Where we stayed
Hostal La Gallega
€13 bunk bed in edition 6 bed dorm room
Hand washing, line drying. Bar. Single toilet/shower per room. Limited kitchen
Our rating 7/10