Your legs will know after the first hour: this is going to be a long haul. You’re on the move for well over 8 hours, with one long, steep climb where your breathing sets the pace. Start gently. Let your mind go blank for a while and let your feet do the work.
Along the way you cross the border from Portugal into Spain. Put your watch forward an hour. A long descent follows, and it asks more of your knees than you might expect. The landscape stays open and quiet. In Verín you step into the public albergue, put your rucksack down and kick off your shoes.