Day 27 on the Norte: Ribadeo to Lourenzá

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The Day I Had a Meltdown.

I have almost no video footage from the day that we walked 17 miles from Ribadeo to Lourenzá on the Camino del Norte. I have no video because I was very busy having a complete Camino meltdown.

The day started out peaceful enough. We saw a beautiful sunrise as we set out from Ribadeo. But as the day wore on, I stopped seeing the beautiful scenery around me. For some reason, my feet just hurt just like they did back in the early days of the walk.

As my feet swelled in the heat of the day they felt trapped in my boots. My mood soured.

I wanted to walk alone, but the group was worried about me. So every time I stopped, they stopped, too. I knew that I was holding them up and this stressed me out.

A Meltdown on the Camino del Norte

Picturing it now, I have to laugh. There I am, sulking on the side of the road, taking my boots off with less than a mile to go. I hurl them into a grassy ditch and give a little howl. And then Lizz says:

“Do you want me to call you a cab?”

An innocent enough question, but I lost my damn mind.

“A cab?” I sneered. “No, I don’t want a fucking cab. I didn’t walk 16 bloody miles to take a cab.”

It is the only fight that Lizz and I had in 35 days of walking together. Later Lizz would tell me that I was pretty fierce for a girl crying on the side of the road. To her credit, she didn’t laugh, and she gave me a little distance until I recovered.

Thank you, Lizz. And I’m sorry about my meltdown.

Day 27 would prove to be the only day that I didn’t put together a video story. I was shocked when I picked up my GoPro to start editing. Despite the beautiful scenery that we walked through, I did not once think to turn on my GoPro. I am not sure that I even looked up.

After having such a positive, life-changing walk on Day 26, I couldn’t even be bothered to look up on Day 27. This shows the ups and downs that we all experience when walking the Camino.

Luckily for us all, Day 28 would turn out to be an epic one.

Where to Stay in Lourenzá

You may notice that I’ve talked less about albergues on this stretch of the Camino. It isn’t because we had our sticks stolen back on stage 22! It’s because we are still walking with our friend Margo, and she preferred to book rooms in advance rather than wandering into towns and looking for a bed (and albergues often don’t take reservations.)

This method definitely has its pros and cons. With four of us walking together on this stretch of the Camino del Norte, it was just as economical to split the costs of a hotel or rented apartment, so we often did just that. While I missed the communal experience, it was really nice not to worry about where I was sleeping.

We stayed in a rented apartment in Lourenzá that we found on Booking.com. Here are more accommodations in Lourenzá:

Lessons Learned on the Camino del Norte:

1. Walk YOUR Camino and nobody else’s. What I mean is that there will be times when you join up with other people and their pace will be different. Don’t be influenced to walk faster – or slower. See if you can meet up at the same albergue in the evening and then do your own thing.
2. Some days you will think…I am walking across Spain this is so awesome! And some days you will think…I am walking across Spain am I a crazy person? The answer is: yes, you are a crazy person. And it’s pretty awesome.

Tips from a Post-Camino del Norte Perspective:

1. You will have a meltdown or two. Forgive yourself; you’re doing something seriously hard. Just don’t bring others down. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that won’t always be fun. But your bad day doesn’t have to be anybody else’s bad day. Remember that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for your fellow pilgrims, too. Separate yourself. Breathe. Forgive. Move on.

Our Pilgrimage Stats After Day 27 on the Camino del Norte:

Stage Miles: 17

Actual Miles Walked: 17 (27 kilometers)

Bus forward Miles: 0

Total Miles Walked So Far: 329 (529.5 kilometers)

Up Next Day 28 on the Camino del Norte: Lourenzá to Abadin