The Big Walk

Pallozas – Day 12

We set off at dawn so we can make the presumed big ascent before the heat hits, but today there’s a wonderful cool breeze and the way turns out to be very well graded. There are panoramic views, with the pastoral farmland and woods behind us visible like a miniature, whilst the rough scrubland around us rolls up to the summits. The Sierra turns out to consist of vast, billowing hills rather than craggy mountains. Once up high, the camino weaves around contouring the hillsides, and the ease of climb combined with the total change of scene means we walk along feeling euphoric. I could go on and on like this for ever – a feeling I’ve had on walks many times before – but for once, my mind tells me we’re really going to. As we arrive at the hostel at O Cebreiro, I’m suddenly brought back down to earth. I realise I’ve left my trekking pole behind a dispiriting three kilometres behind and have to walk back to collect it.

O Cebreiro is a remarkable village, but one which has been overtaken by tourism. At the same altitude as Ben Nevis, and with open panoramas all around, it nestles on a saddle off the main road. Half of the buildings here are pallozas, Celtic houses built in a style dating from prehistoric times. Constructed in stone and oval in shape, the walls lean in and the pointed, thatched roofs look like sombreros. They are no longer lived in – most are now used as barns although one is a museum giving some idea of life inside. It was surprisingly spacious, with three rooms and furnished with box beds, though the tiny window holes admitted little light. The fire was on the floor in the centre, with no chimney, so the whole palloza must have been full of smoke when a home. Unfortunately this place has been smartened up so much that any authentic impression is lost.

A large ninth century church indicates that this has always been a key staging post for pilgrims. It’s incredible to think that this very church would have been visited by St Francis of Assisi on his own pilgrimage. The other buildings in the village include souvenir shops and restaurants catering to the many visitors, though I did sample the local cheese – fresh, soft and sweet, served with membrilla, a kind of quince jelly.