Triacastela

Triacastela only appeared in the guide book as a place name and a possible overnight rest in the middle of one of the longer (39km) stages of the Camino. Not expecting a great deal, I was thus pleasantly surprised to find a charming town with admittedly only a couple of serious churches, but a number of reasonable hotels and friendly if chaotic restaurants. I stumbled upon a brand new Albergue which offered excellent en-suite rooms at €30 as well as dormitory accommodation for those on a pilgrim budget.

Even the pilgrim hostel was brand new and situated on the edge of town in idyllic rural surroundings. A perfect town to relax and recover for the next day's walk to Sarría. There were two routes, the one via the monastery of Samos supposedly 21km; according to my companions, it actually measured almost 30km, but still well worth it for the fabulous scenery and, of course, the monastery itself.