Camino Portuguese 25: Caldas de Reis to O Milladoiro

Thursday, June 26, 2025

Camino Portuguese: Day 25 – Caldas de Reis to O Milladoiro

It was good that I didn’t have to wake up super early today since I was rudely kept awake until midnight. I slept in until around 06:30 and then set off from the hostel. Since I’d walked 8km further outside town yesterday, I needed to either take the bus or a taxi out to the same point so I could resume the walk. I had a bus ticket for 08:20, but I was hoping to find an Uber or taxi to get me out there sooner. I went to a cafe in town to have a coffee, though it took them half an hour to actually get me my drink. The place was very busy and several customers were being high-maintenance, so I understood the delay in service.

I drank my coffee quickly and then set about finding an Uber. Unfortunately, there were no available rides in town, so I did an online search for taxis in town. After finding one that had a WhatsApp contact, I messaged them and was able to quickly arrange a ride. The taxi driver picked me up less than five minutes later – it was crazy efficient! While we were driving, I heard my water bottle spilling and discovered a huge puddle of water on the car’s leather seats! The water bottle had somehow popped open, though I hadn’t noticed it until now. By luck I had my microfiber towel in my backpack, and I was able to clean up the spill. The entire drive took about ten minutes and soon I was dropped off back at the same location where I’d caught the bus yesterday.

It was around 08:15 by the time I truly began today’s walk and I knew that it would be a long, hot day. I had to cover around 32km today to reach the town of O Milladoiro, so I put in my headphones and started walking. As soon as I left the main road and reached the Camino route, I found a crowded cafe and was surprised to see John sitting there having breakfast! He was sitting with an Australian woman named Sasha, and I stopped to talk for a couple minutes. They were both walking to O Milladoiro as well – I had told John about my plans a while ago and he in turn told Sasha. My Camino planning was once again helping others plan their daily walks!

The three of us left the cafe together and I was very glad to have the company for today’s walk. Soon after we left, we all heard the chatter of a large group of pilgrims behind us – “The Horde” of 100km pilgrims had found us! John, Sasha, and I picked up our pace considerably to keep them at bay because we had zero intention of being caught in the middle of the group. The Camino was a very nice dirt, gravel path this morning, which made it easy for us to walk quickly. Each time we turned around though, we could still see some of the group close behind! How was it possible?!

We eventually reached a delightful cafe in a small town, and we knew that the group would stop there for a break. The group consisted of many teenagers and thus we assumed they would want/need the break. This, unfortunately, meant that we could not stop ourselves if we wanted to avoid ‘the horde’, so we pressed onwards. According to our maps, we had only an hour or so to the next town, which we could all easily do before we were in need of a proper rest.

The weather this morning was perfect for walking: overcast and cool. Much of the Camino was fully shaded as well, helping to keep us cool as we walked. John, Sasha and I talked throughout the entire walk and that helped to pass the time. I was thoroughly enjoying their company as we chatted, getting to know each other better, joking around, etc. This is what I wanted the Camino to be like from the start (or at least from Porto onwards). Both John and Sasha had both experienced the same difficulties in meeting people along the way, so we all took some comfort that it was a shared anti-social experience with the other pilgrims. The walk was very pretty as we strolled through the countryside and passed through various villages. One town was rather cute, though the view from atop the small hill where it was located was ruined by a gigantic factory.

When we reached the town of Padron around 10:00, we were ready for a break. There were several cafes around and we eventually settled on one that was just opening up. We ordered coffee and had hoped to find some food, but the menu only had full meals and no small breakfast options. We decided to try finding food at some of the other cafes once we’d finished our coffees, but food proved to be elusive this morning. Every place we went to said their kitchen was closed! Exasperated, the three of us decided to continue to the next town to find food. As we were making out way out of Padron, we ran into Carl, Mel and their group! They were wrapping up their coffee break and we chatted briefly. We confirmed our dinner plans for tomorrow night in Santiago before parting ways – I was very much looking forward to the dinner!

John, Sasha and I had to walk for over an hour before we reached another place that appeared to serve food. Once we saw other people sitting outside eating, we knew we were in luck. The three of us shared a ham pizza and a vegetable paella. The food was good and filling, giving us a boost of energy for the remainder of the day. It was around 13:00 by the time we finished our lunch and we still had about 10km left to walk today.

Unfortunately, the sun had emerged from behind the clouds during lunch and the afternoon’s walk became quite hot. The Camino continued along the dirt/gravel path, but the stretches of shade were getting fewer. As we neared O Milladoiro, we heard some extremely loud music blasting from somewhere nearby. We could hear the music for the next hour or so and I was amazed that it could be permitted to play so loudly.

It was close to 16:00 by the time we finally reached O Milladoiro. The three of us were exhausted and delighted to finally be done with the day’s walk. I was staying in a hotel just down the street from their hostel, and we all agreed to meet in a few hours for dinner. Earlier in the day I had suggested that we take a taxi or Uber into Santiago itself for dinner tonight sine we were only 7km outside of the city (and the food in town would be infinitely better than anything in O Milladoiro – a small little area with few dining options).

My hotel for the night was incredible! It was luxurious, with one of the most comfortable beds of the entire Camino, and a large bathroom equipped with a wonderful shower. I was delighted with this hotel, though I’d forgotten how nice it was from when I originally made the booking. I spent the next few hours relaxing and then showering before heading out for dinner. I met up with Sasha at a bar next to their hostel, where we each had a beer while we waited for John.

Once John joined us, we went over to my hotel to have them order a taxi since Uber was not operating in the area. The drive into town was quick, and the taxi dropped us off relatively close to the cathedral. I instantly recognized the area and led the way to the cathedral. I took John and Sasha to the main square in front of the gigantic cathedral, which awed them – like me when I did my first Camino, neither of them had expected it to be so massive. We then walked around to the entrance so we could see inside. Just outside of the cathedral, an outdoor concert was going on, complete with orchestra and operatic singers! It was pleasant to listen to as we queued up to enter the cathedral.

Inside the cathedral, we spent a few minutes walking around to admire the opulence of the main altar, the organs, and the general grandeur of the building. The three of us then got in the queue to enter the tomb where the remains of St James are supposedly kept (according to the Catholics...). It’s a small room with a large silver box which is said to contain the remains of James. After moving quickly through the tomb, we walked up the stairs to see behind the main altar. It was a very pleasant experience for me to revisit the church – it brought back so many memories of my first Camino.

The three of us then went in search of somewhere to eat dinner. I had suggested a Chinese restaurant where I’d eaten before, but it was a 20-minute walk away... too far for us after today’s exertion. It took us a few minutes of walking around before we found a small restaurant with a free table and a menu that looked good. Sasha and I both had a veal dish that was topped with a delicious bechamel sauce. I also had a large Radler with my meal – finally getting to enjoy my “Camino drink”. After dinner, we walked over to a cafe so we could have some churros and a slice of Santiago cake.

By the time we hailed a taxi to take us back to O Milladoiro, all three of us were thoroughly exhausted and ready for bed. We planned to meet at 06:30 tomorrow morning so we could finish the Camino together. Once back at my hotel, I spent the rest of the evening stretching out in the comfy bed. I was very excited to finish the Camino in the morning!

Distance Walked: 33.40 km
Steps Walked: 44,228

Total Distance: 676.84 km
Total Steps: 900,244