An attractive small town you enter over the Romanesque Puente de Peregrinos. Below it the river is dammed in the summer to provide excellent swimming. Two shops, including a Supermercado which may not stick to advertised hours (but you are only 8 km from Ponferrada). Farmacia on main road 800 m before the albergues.

On the descent into Molinaseca, on your right just before you reach the bridge you will find the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows). This dates from the 17th century and is usually open with someone stationed to give you a charming stamp. The two latin phrases on the ceiling are “QUAM SPECIOSA ET PULCHRA” meaning “How precious and beautiful” and “VADAM AD MONTEM ISRAEL” meaning “Go up to the mount of Israel”. These are both very apt for the walk through the mountains of Irago you have just completed.

The Roman Bridge or Bridge of Pilgrims as it is also known is believed to have parts of 3 of the 7 arches of the bridge dating back to Roman times. Whether or not there are parts of the bridge that date back to Roman times, we know at least that part of the current bridge dates back to 1166. The bridge has been modified and extended over the centuries to deal with the changes in the course of the River Meruelo, the latest of these in 1980.

One of my most vivid memories of the Camino is spending several hours diving into the ice-cold waters of the River Meruelo on an extremely hot July day. The municipality has created a zoned off area for swimming in the river just by the bridge with steps on the side to help you get out of the water. Be warned the water is ice cold and finding somewhere to change can be challenging but none the less, this is one of my favourite experiences of the whole Camino.

Molinaseca literally translates to dry mill and this appears to relate to its medieval role in providing milling services to the local monastery. Although its growth from around the 12th century was mainly due to its prominent position on the Camino. There is evidence that it had also been an important town for the Romans due to it being on the route to the Galician coast and because of the gold mines in the Irago mountains. Today again this pretty town serves as a popular overnight stay on the Camino.

Upon leaving Molinaseca you will come across a granite monument to you as a pilgrim. The statue of a pilgrim is set in a triangular fountain. In front of the statue is a 1.2m granite monolith which was a gift from the Japanese island of Shikoku as a reminder of the Shikoku Pilgrimage which is also known as the Japanese Camino. The Shikoku Pilgrimage or Henro is a 1200km walking pilgrimage around the island of Shikoku visiting 88 Budhist temples along the way.