The transport options between Leon and Sarria on a Sunday were not great so we organised a private transfer with a stop at Ponferrada, a little town on the Camino just over 100km from Leon. The main attraction in Ponferrada is Castillo de Los Templarios, the Templars Castle. The castle was commissioned in 1178 to protect pilgrims walking the Camino. We got the audio guide and spent an hour exploring.

Afterwards, we drove over the mountains, following the Camino for a portion of the way. It looked like this section would be pretty tough trek. The highest point of the trail is through this section. The views were beautiful. We arrived in Sarria around lunchtime and were able to check-in to our room. We then went to find some lunch. A specialty of Galicia is the pulpo (octopus), pulpo á feira. The octopus is boiled in large vats, sliced and drizzled with olive oil and paprika. I’m not a huge fan of octopus, the suckers put me off, but I had to try it while we were there. We went to Pulperia Luis, which is recommended by guides. The main room was very full with a big family group celebrating, but they have a downstairs overflow with a lot more tables. We ordered a serve of the pulpo and an empanada with a beer. The pulpo was very tasty and tender, and we enjoyed our lunch. Just after we sat down, a group of Queenslanders were seated next to us. They were a family group who were starting the Camino in Sarria. This is a very common option because to get your Camino certificate, you need to walk at least 100 km, and Sarria is located 115 km from Santiago with a lot of accommodation options. We enjoyed chatting and eating, then left to explore the town.

After our explorations, we stopped at a bar for a drink. There were heaps of pilgrims from all different countries swapping stories. Afterwards, we wandered down the street and ran into the Ladies from Shep, who were having a glass of wine at another bar, so we stopped and sat down for another drink and a chat. We were staying in different accommodations in Sarria but just down the street from each other. We had a lovely afternoon drink, and when we got up to leave, the owner insisted on everyone having shots of a coffee liqueur.

We had a quick toilet stop at our accommodation, then headed down to the river for dinner. Walking along, we decided on Meson Roberta. It was early for Spanish dinner, but we didn’t want to be too late because we had a full day of walking the next day. We had a tomato and cheese salad, croquettes and steak, which were all very good. The couple at the table next to us were from Puerto Rica and were walking from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port. We had a lovely conversation while we were waiting for our food. That is one of the memorable parts of doing the Camino—all the people you meet along the way.