Day 11 of a Camino Primitivo trek ends in Melide, the Galician town famous for octopus — and the point where this quieter northern route folds into the much busier Camino Frances. The writers behind this walking diary covered roughly 15 miles to get there, and the day had a bit of everything: a hearty hotel breakfast of toast with tomato puree, ham and fried eggs, long stretches of paved road that were functional rather than scenic, and one genuinely striking rock formation on a hilltop before the descent into town.

A detail worth flagging for anyone planning their own Camino: the character of the trail changes noticeably once you join the Frances near Melide. Foot traffic jumps, and so does the litter along the path. If you're walking the Primitivo precisely to escape crowds, those final days into Santiago require a mental adjustment. The flip side is practical — Melide has far more services, accommodation and food options than the villages on earlier stages.

The pair rolled into town running on nothing but gummy sweets, checked into a small yellow-roomed hotel, and went straight for pizza. One ordered the local speciality, an octopus pizza — a nod to Melide's reputation as the pulpo capital of Galicia. Even better, they spotted an old Camino pillar marker right next to the restaurant, the kind of historic waymarking that makes these routes feel like walking through centuries of pilgrimage.

Then came the less romantic side of long-distance walking: a stomach bug. One hiker had recovered from one earlier in the trip, only for the other to come down with it that same afternoon, curled up watching sitcom reruns between naps. It's a blunt reminder that shared dorms, pilgrim menus and weeks on the trail take a toll, and that building a rest day or two into your itinerary isn't weakness — it's planning.

For travellers weighing up the Primitivo against the Frances, this stage captures the trade-off nicely. The Primitivo, which runs from Oviedo in Asturias, is hillier, quieter and often called the original Camino. Around Melide it merges with the Frances, so you get a few days of the sociable, well-served classic route before Santiago de Compostela. The 15-mile day described here is a fairly typical stage length, doable for most reasonably fit walkers, and the arrival in Melide makes a natural lunch stop — even if you skip the octopus pizza in favour of the traditional pulpo a la gallega served on wooden plates all over town.