What I hadn’t said at the end of yesterday’s long walk was that I had gained blister in a very odd place. Despite having invested in expensive 1000mile socks that are guaranteed no blisters for 1000 miles I have one on the tip of my big toe. I put it down to my boot not being tightly enough laced for the first part of the day. This morning I had championed a later start for a shorter days walking so we left the log cabins at 9am. The town of Palas de Rei had some lovely things to see. Just as I was getting into my stride there was a church where four people were sitting around the altar saying what I can only guess was morning prayer. As we do this in Glastonbury every week and are often observed or joined by visitors I found it intriguing to have the boot on the other foot.

Down some steps in a more modern town and a busy road to cross found me wondering which way to go, no mile markers in sight, no yellow arrows sprayed on walls on trees, then I looked to the floor and embedded in the pavement was the direction marker for the pilgrims. Round a few more corners and there was a lovely statue of two pilgrims dancing, waving or pointing or maybe all three.

The path then climbed a hill out of Palas de Rei, time to get my heart rate up and warm up, the mornings have been extremely chilly here. Across another road and down a lovely path through some woodlands, the path has sunk into the earth with so many people walking it.

I couldn’t get myself comfortable, I was too hot so I stopped to take my coat off. I had forgotten a tissue and my nose kept running. The strap for my water bottle had slipped so it was under my arm and really annoying. And my little toe, that had been reminding me it was there since the start of the walk began to do so in earnest.

A stop in a pretty chapel for a stamp and I acquired a tissue and adjusted my pack, I decided to ignore my toe, and keep walking but for some reason it was really hard work today, like wading through treacle. It caused me to begin reflecting about pilgrimage and how they are a reflection of life and the way in which we can have times in life when everything is going smoothly, things are going according to plan and it feels simple. But then we get times where there are glitches on the road. Interestingly there were more churches for stopping at to get stamps too.

I had kept stopping and Wraenna had kept walking so as I left the village and the second church of the day she had walked past me. I caught her up at the bottom of the biggest ‘bump’ of the day - said hi, carried on turned and captured a great photo of her and Carmel persevering at their own pace and then strode away up the hill - fuelled by music in my head phones I powered on until I reached a cafe with an inordinately long queue, not for the loo but for a stamp. I decided to do my good deed for the day and bought coffee for myself and Wraenna so that when she arrived at the top of the hill she could recover. I also ended up joining the queue for a stamp in my passport as it turned out to be a wax seal with a silver cross hanging from it, somebody told me afterwards they were being created by a former Para-Olympian. I met a crazy German chap who was walking with his wife and some friends. Because the cafe was called Casanova he decided to announce that he was the Casanova, I think for anyone living there that joke probably wears quite thin!

I had no desire to stop for lunch with only 14km to walk all day I kept going but for some reason it just didn’t get any easier. All the stamps for my passport were in little churches and chapels where I’d pause and look around, get a stamp and move on again. There were some times when the path went very close to some large factories, and alongside main roads so it was easier to just keep going. Then back off the road and through another pretty, old village. As I walked up another incline on the way into Melide I encountered a lady from Australia who was carrying a 30kg pack and had been walking for 31 days. She said this had been her hardest day yet, which somehow made me feel a lot better. As I turned off the way to locate our hotel I wished her Buen Camino.

Our hotel was Carlos 96, set up by a chap from London. I had a burger and chips, a large glass of coke (please note not beer) and a lie down. The rest of the day involved a stroll up to the town of Melide for a couple of Camino souvenirs a visit to the church and a soak in a short bath. I have never had a bath with my feet up on the wall above the taps but I’m sure it was good for my circulation!

I’m told that the other group in the hotel (which included a number of enthusiastic people from Ireland) starting singing in the bar around 10.30pm, I was extremely grateful that I always travel with earplugs as I didn’t hear a thing!