Walking across Europe - 2013: Camino Norte - October 11, 2025 Day 7 Vilanova de Lourenza to Abadin

Daily Information

Distance: 22.8 Kms

Elevation G/L meters: 955:(485)

Cumulative Information

Planned Distance: 178.3 Kms

Actual Distance: 186.9 Kms

Actual/Planned Distance: 104.8%

Today was an awesome walking day in the Galicia. Bright and sunny with amazing views especially past Mondoñedo when we took the mountain route.

Quiet day where the elevation gains were the highest yet so we worked hard and broke a slight sweat 😓.

Injury report: no change…we are moving forward and past the halfway mark!

Here is Strava link for today…oh my it looks like a crazy walk!

Strava Day 7 link

First back to last evening where we shared an interesting meal with Derrick Netherlands and Bob United States. The food was superb! Paulo and I shared a mixed salad (very sorry no picture…it was delicious). I had a combo plate which I most enjoyed.

The highlight was talking to Bob who is 74 and is walking his second long Camino in 2025 after his Spring Camino Frances walk. Bob was alone when we entered with Derrick and we invited him to join us.

Quickly it was apparent that Bob has likely walked a fairly solitary Camino and was ready to share. He was a lawyer for 47 years so he and Paulo had an immediate connection. Married for 43 years his wife passed away after a 12 year battle with cancer. He is walking in her memory which was touching to hear.

He mentioned that he has swapped out all the plaques/certificates etc accumulated through his law career and replaced them with a single frame containing a Camino Shell, his credential with stamps and his Compostela. This from the Camino Frances walk earlier in 2025.

He will do the same when his 800+km Camino Norte walk is completed. I would say he had a tear or two in the corner of his eyes as he said this. I found this touching to hear how he is moving forward and keeping what is most meaningful to him given the changes in his life.

As we were wrapping up Bob asked if we could have a group picture as he will be moving along with shorter stages and will likely not meet again.

Derrick, me, Bob, Paulo

Before supper I was sitting in a common area trying to write my blogpost with Paulo talking to me 🤣. Thankfully a woman working in the Pension came and introduced herself to Paulo…smiles all round..a quick hug and she was gone. Her home town is also Recife Brazil where Paulo is from…she had noticed in the registry Paulo’s address.

The world is a small place…nice coincidence…and I gained 5 minutes of solitude 😉

Early morning start we met some pilgrim walkers in the breakfast cafe

- Mêle and Kirsten from Germany (first Camino walk). Unsure of their starting point however they have been walking for a couple of weeks

- Andy and Karin from Germany They are walking similar to us for 2 weeks

Along the way in the morning walk I met John from Ireland again. Nice young guy with a good sense of humour. If I understood correctly in the last couple of years he has walked the Camino Portuguese twice (start in Lisbon and start in Porto) and twice the Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port. Now Camino Norte from Irun. Holy that’s a lot of walking…John said it’s a bit addictive.

Ok so I took the plunge and asked John a question that I have been mulling over for a few days “Do you know John L (walking partner on 2025 Kerry Way) who is THE renowned Irish Master detective aka Columbo from the tv series?”. I was shocked and somewhat dismayed to hear “No”. I mean come on how can that be? John L is surely famous throughout Ireland!

Some morning pictures

Toast, honey and walnuts

It seemed like everyone we know congregated at a Mondonedo cafe. This was a decision point…either take a longer 15.5km route on a lower level route or a 12km mountain route with much higher elevation gains. Gronze recommendation…mountain route if weather is nice…easy decision…Mountain route it is!

A superb decision…a highlight of the Camino Norte!