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Dawn on the Amazon

Peru, South America

Iquitos: The Rough Diamond of the North

I love sitting by the window on flights. I love having somewhere to rest my head if I want…

April 30, 2014

About Me

About Me

Hi I'm Kiara, the travel blogger and photographer behind Gallop Around The Globe.I can usually be found hiking up mountains, getting lost in the cobblestone streets of my favourite cities, making friends with a furry feline or two, photographing cacti, or grazing on olives and cheese.

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✨️Day 8 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️A

✨️Day 8 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️A Fonsagrada to Castroverde📝 Distance: 33.2 kilometres / 20.6 miles
📝 Elevation: 887 metres
📝 Steps: 45,376Thoughts:I walked the first section with Brian from Hull; now lives in West Brom. We discussed the camino at length, from gear and packs/weight to stops, stages, and bookings. The resulting conclusion was that there is no right way, and everyone walks their own camino👍The first cafe marked along the route was closed (even though their sign said 'abierto'), so we were very relieved to find the cafe in A Lastra open after a pretty gruelling climb!We picked up Adrian (Brian's father-in-law), Alan (the Mexican) and Claudia (from Poland) for the second leg, got drenched by a big storm (⛈️)and then I powered on solo after O'Cadavo.Since crossing into Galicia, I've noticed that the scenery is significantly less spectacular (an observation that's been mirrored by my fellow pilgrims). For that reason (along with the fact that I had company for the majority of today's walk), I didn't find myself reaching for my camera very often until I arrived at my final destination.The sun had properly broken through the clouds by the time I walked into the beautiful town of Castoverde, and as a result I felt very pleased I'd decided to do the extra 7 kilometres to stop here.I checked into @pensionromacastroverde - easily THE nicest place I stayed at along the Camino, complete with a balcony overlooking Castroverde's castle 🏰

✨️Day 7 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️

✨️Day 7 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️ Grandas de Salime to A Fonsagrada📝 Distance: 26.5 kilometres / 16.5 miles
📝 Elevation: 906 metres
📝 Steps: 38,752Thoughts:Very foggy start to the day, with lots of spider webs around (a few with spiders in them!), glistening in the morning dew. It's times like those that I wish I wasn't reliant solely on my mobile phone to take photos - my DSLR takes such great macro shots. 📷 That said, I am quite pleased with the picture I captured of the mushrooms 🍄 🍄I took advantage of the fact that there were plentiful quantities of blackberries growing along the paths I walked today. Blackberries are a great food source if you hike the trail during August/September (for info: I am writing these updates retrospectively), especially when there are no services for miles.And, in fact, the first open cafe I arrived at was just after I crossed the border from Asturias to Galicia (marked by a small line of rocks along the trail) - nearly nine miles in. Stop here for a coffee and to re-hydrate, but my advice would be to wait until you arrive at Mesón Catro Ventos to have lunch - the food here comes very highly recommended.I found A Fonsagrada to be a pretty uninspiring town, but I did take the opportunity to try the famous Galician dish, Pulpo a la Gallega, at one of the local Pulperías 🐙

✨️Day 6 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️

✨️Day 6 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️ Berducedo to Grandas de Salime📝 Distance: 20.6 kilometres / 12.8 miles
📝 Elevation: 644 metres
📝 Steps: 32,978Thoughts:A nice easy day of walking today, with the exception of the long climb uphill from A Mesa. A lot of pilgrims have cursed the descent to Salime Reservoir, but i didn't find it too steep at all - just a lovely gentle meandering trail, with spectacular views to admire along the way 😊Make sure you stop at Hotel Las Grandas for a drink or something to eat. The terrace out the back offers incredible views of the reservoir. It's easily one of the most picturesque coffee spots along the trail 👣 ☕️👌I arrived into Grandas de Salime super early, but I stumbled across the Ethnographic museum, which I found really interesting, and which kept me occupied for an hour or so. And, the town itself isn't bad either - especially when the sun is shining 🌞

✨️Day 5 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️

✨️Day 5 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️ Collinas de Arriba to Berducedo📝 Distance: 21.4 kilometres / 13.3 miles
📝 Elevation: 856 metres
📝 Steps: 32,702 (but this is not counting the initial climb from our albergue in Collinas de Arriba up to the point at which the trail joins the Hospitales route, because i had a watch malfunction 🙈)Thoughts:It was my first day on the trail where I had company all day - I walked with the two Polish girls I'd met the night before - Karolina and Kamila. It made a nice change from being alone with my thoughts, but meant that I didn't take quite as many photos, unfortunately 📷Considering that the Hospitales route was reportedly tougher than the main route via Pola de Allande, we were really surprised to find more pilgrims along this section of the trail than we'd encountered anywhere else thus far 😯This may have been down to the fact that we had perfect weather conditions for walking this route. Where a lot of people battle with thick fog up at the top, we were rewarded with blue skies and sunshine 🌞. The views were epic, and we loved walking above the clouds ⛅️ 😍We saw lots of wild horses along the way, and plenty of cows too, their bells jangling as they grazed.The sun was still shining when we arrived into Berducedo, so we joined a number of other pilgrims at one of the local bars. I love a post-hike beer (or two) in the sunshine 🌞 🍻

✨️Day 4 on the Camino Primitivo ✨️➡️

✨️Day 4 on the Camino Primitivo ✨️➡️ Tineo to Collinas de Arriba📝 Distance: 24 kilometres / 14.9 miles
📝 Elevation: 784 metres
📝 Steps: 36,372Thoughts:I had the trail mostly to myself today, which was lovely 😀 It gave me the time and freedom to properly appreciate the landscapes I was walking through 😍The highlight of the day for me was taking a small diversion to the abandoned Monastery of Santa Maria de Real in Obona.I went a bit maverick and decided not to follow the main route to Colinas de Arriba, and instead to walk the longer way, following the start of the Hospitales alternative route (which I would pick up again the following day). It was one hell of a climb in the heat but 100% worth it for the views and tranquility 👌I arrived at a lovely albergue in Colinas de Arriba, where the hosts treated all their guests like family. It was the first time on the trail that I'd actually had the opportunity to properly meet and talk to other pilgrims. It was a wonderful feeling of community and shared experiences 😊❤️

✨️Day 3 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️

✨️Day 3 on the Camino Primitivo✨️➡️ Salas to Tineo📝 Distance: 20.7km / 12.9 miles
📝 Elevation gain: 749 metres
📝 Steps: 31,004Thoughts:I spent most of the day climbing uphill, albeit a relatively gentle incline after the first three miles - through woodland, with panoramic views out to one side, and past tiny little agricultural villages 🚜👨‍🌾🐄The sunshine returned, which instantly lifted my spirits and made the walk so much more enjoyable.And, after three days on the trail, my @ospreyeurope pack is still super comfortable, and my @inov_8 shoes feel like slippers! I gave so much thought to what I packed and how much it weighed, so I'm super pleased that I appear to have gotten it right. I made the decision not to bring my DSLR, due to it weighing 2.5kg with the lens on, so all the photos I'm sharing are taken on my Samsung S24 mobile phone.Considering that I loved the majority of today's walk, it seemed super fitting that it culminated with the stunning descent into Tineo. I loved all the decorative, overhanging wooden balconies, the narrow, atmospheric streets, and the spacious public square at the bottom of town, flanked with some of Tineo's most beautiful, colourful buildings.

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