Day 42 – at San Martín de Moreda

Four degrees below last night, so ice on the inside of the van windows and the dog’s water only lickable. The bonus of course is a clear day, with the temperature into the early 20s mid-afternoon.

My assignment today was the Rio Ancares circuit, about a 12 kilometre loop, which ending up taking about four hours.

Being a Sunday, I met two other hikers, Spanish guys heading in the opposite direction, as busy as it gets this time of year. Not long after them, a young guy and his girlfriend past in their Range Rover. That section was possible by 4WD, and they slowed to chat.

I had to wrack my brains for Spanish vocab, but managed to recall that ‘abejas’ meant ‘bees’. A giveaway was the way he was dressed, though I just didn’t expect such young bee-keepers. They warned me to be careful when passing the hives, but there was no problem. If my Spanish had been up to it, I would have challenged them to keep moths instead. I heard on the radio a few days ago that they pollinate to a greater extent than bees, though I’m not sure of their honey might taste like.

It was the first day of unbroken sunshine at a decent temperature, and on return both Roja and I were feeling the effects. I didn’t hydrate anywhere near enough, I need to take the example from the dog.