Distance to Santiago: 51 Km

Distance for stage: 51 Km

Estimated Time: 5-6 hours

Minimum height: 250 m

Maximum height: 470 m

Route Difficulty: Medium

Places of public interest: Melide, Lavacolla, Monte do Gozo, Santiago de Compostela

Itinerary map: To see the whole journey on Google Maps click here 

Click to enlarge

In this stage is very memorable the combination of sensations that are experienced when approaching the end of the pilgrimage, even more than the difficulties that are suffered or the places where you go through. The excitement of knowing that the Jacobean goal will be achieved gives us the strength to face the continuous changes of slope and road surfaceas well as the last climb of the French Way in O Monte do Gozo.

After leaving Melide, it is spent most of the time by paths and corredoiras in the mount. From Salceda (Km 25) the N-547 is interposed all the time in the route, crossing it several times and the road follows its course in some sections. From Salceda there is not much left, we border the airport and from Lavacolla (Km 42) we do not return to any mount or dirt path. We go up to O Monte do Gozo (Km 48) by asphalt and from there we go down to the valley where is located the Jacobean Cathedral: the apostle’s “Camp of the Stars” (Campus Stellae).

Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Picture given by Mario Sánchez Prada on Flickr under the following conditions)

PROFILE AND STAGE’S MAIN ROUTES

This stage begins by running along long stretches of forest tracks between trees, with stops in small villages. The N-547 will be always close, crossing occasionally, but from Salceda (Km 25) it will interpose more and more in our way. From Salceda to O Amenal (Km 36,7) the road crosses about ten times on our route, five of them without a safe pedestrian crossing; so, extreme caution must be exercised. Even so, in many sections among crosses we will continue our way among trees, which brings the sensation of rural tranquility.

After passing O Amenal (Km 36,7) we start the ascent towards the airport fence, which we border by the north to continue towards Lavacolla (Km 42). From Lavacolla we take the last ramp of the French Way: the ascent to O Monte do Gozo (Km 48), the first place from which we will see the towers of the cathedral.

In addition to this range there are others that we will have to face in the journey: from Castañeda (Km 8) to the upper pass of the N-547 and the one that is between O Amenal (Km 36,7) and Cimadevila (Km 37 ), which continues until reaching the airport – but ends more narrowly. Anyway, the highest ramp – along with the ascent to O Monte do Gozo – will be the one we will find at the exit of Ribadiso de Abaixo (Km 11), which has an average slope of 8% that will take us to shoulder of the road.

Although these are the strongest differences in the level, we cannot forget that we are still in Galicia, which means that its topography changes permanently and its roads are the “legbreaking” prototype route. From here and up to A Peroxa (Km 17,3) the road will be especially a succession of ups and downs, which may be more or less pronounced.

A Peroxa (Picture given by Alexander Schimmeck on Flickr under the following conditions)

Anyway, the main difficulty we could encounter with is, without doubt, the mud. Many of the tracks that we travel are made of a very soft road surface, reason why when it rains they become a quagmire. Uncomfortable for walkers, it can be a torture for us. The truth is that if you do this route in rainy season you could only take the N-547, since there are no secondary or county roads that follow our route. Going for the national one would be a shame, because you won’t go through almost any Jacobean locality and you would lose the last rural immersion of the French Way. So, our recommendation from Tournride for this stage is to go by the pedestrian path during the entire route..

From Lavacolla we will only be traveling by asphalt – or cobbled path – to the cathedral. Until then, most of the roads will be dirt when going among mounts or gravel when they join small populations.

We must also take into account that at this stage many streams, brooks and rivers cross each other. Galicia is green because of its large amount of water! In general we will not have problem to cross them and we will only have to bring out our abilities when passing on Raido River (Km 2,5), almost to the exit of Santa Maria de Melide. A narrow granite walkway, in which you must pass in Indian file, helps to save the flow.

Finally, the entrance to Santiago can be a bit confusing, since it is quite the urban zone that we must cross. At the exit of O Monte do Gozo (Km 48), take the N-634 after avoiding stairs. By the left-hand sidewalk, or on the right-hand shoulder, we enter Santiago through the San Lázaro neighborhood, crossing several roundabouts and, in the third, we turn obliquely to the left. Already at the entrance to the Concheiros street, we continue straight on the pedestrian street of San Pedro and after a crosswalk we finally enter the monumental area of Compostela… We are at our end of the Camino!

PRACTICAL ADVICES

– Itinerary Recommendation: In this stage there are no county or secondary roads that follow the course of the route. The only options are to go on the N-547 or follow the pedestrian route. In Tournride we recommend to follow the Jacobean signage by the pedestrian route.

– In rainy season we can find the main difficulty of this section: mud. Many forest tracks are composed by a very soft road surface and therefore we will multiply our effort to advance, we will have to use short gear!

– The first 17 km to A Peroxa are a real “legbreaking” section. From there the road surface will be changing, but the variations will be generally less abrupt.

– Beware of crossings of the N-547 with footpaths, sometimes they are a bit dangerous. In the map of stage we mark with signs the crossings in which we must exercise extreme caution.

– In Santiago de Compostela there are three offices that you cannot miss:

1) The Pilgrim’s Office. Next to the Obradoiro square, in Carretas street nº33, is the reception office for the pilgrim. Here your credential will be sealed for the last time and they will give you the Compostela for free, the document with your name and surnames – in Latin – that certifies the fulfillment of the Jacobean pilgrimage. There is also the option of obtaining a Certificate of Distance (3 €), which shows where and when you have traveled, as well as the kilometers traveled. Here they sell tubes to save the papers (€ 2), but you will also find them in many of the souvenir shops of the city, generally at a much lower price.

Office hours: Open every day except 25th December and 1st January. From 1st November to 31st March from 10.00 to 19.00h. In Easter and the rest of the year from 8.00 to 21.00h.

2) The Tournride office. If you come to our office after picking up your credentials, which is 5 minutes from the cathedral, we will pick up your bicycle so that you do not have to worry about it anymore and we will give you the luggage that we have been keeping, if you have decided to use our luggage delivery service. Besides … we always like you to spend your time to tell us about your experience!

We wait for you in Laverde Ruiz street no. 5, from Monday to Friday we open from 10.00 to 14.00 and from 16.30 to 19.30; although if you come on weekend one of us will come to the office to serve youWe only ask you to tell us the time you will come, so that we do not have to be waiting in the office on holidays. You can write the day before to info@tournride.com or call us on +34 981 936 616 during the week. You can also press the option for Tournride Full Assistance on that number.

3) The tourist office. Although, as always, in Tournride we propose a walk to know the city that is end of stage and goal of pilgrimage, it never hurts to know more. The Galicia’s Tourist Office is located at Rúa do Vilar 30-32 and on the same street, but at number 63, there is the tourist office of the City Council of Santiago de Compostela.

– To leave Santiago there are multiple connection options, given the large number of tourists it receives, its strategic location and its condition of capital of the community. Renting bicycles with Tournride facilitates the logistics of your departure, since you will not have to worry about the packaging or the extra cost of sending your own bikes back home. So, carrying on only your suitcase, you can go from Santiago…

By plane.The airport of Lavacolla increasingly receives direct flights, both to different parts of Spain (Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, Madrid, etc.) and other parts of the world (Dublin, Geneva, London, etc.). In the page of Aena  you can see them all. In Galicia there is also an airport in A Coruña and in Vigo, cities that are located less than 45 minutes by train and where you can find many more connections. In addition, for international flights it may be a good option to check the connections of O Porto (Portugal), airport, since sometimes flights can be found at a good price and from Santiago you can go directly to the airport by bus with Alsa.

By bus. From the bus station of Santiago, to the north of the city, there are connections with the rest of Galician cities or Spain, also there are some with other parts of Europe.

By train. The train station is not far from the center and on the Renfe website you can see all the destination options that are offered, which are many of them!

DETAILED ITINERARY AND HISTORIC-ARTISTIC PATRIMONY

Today will be a day to record in our memory … We will know the cathedral of Santiago! In addition to the Temple and the old city of Compostela, both World Heritage, we will have the opportunity to immerse ourselves for the last time in our way in the Galician countryside, passing among native trees and others coming from the antipodes – like the eucalyptus.

We will also visit religious heritage, some of them with very curious and representative remains as in the church of Santa Maria at the exit of Melide.

And, besides the historical and artistic heritage, we will make our mouth water with the gastronomic; especially in Arzúa. Here we can try another product with a Designation of Origin in Galicia, the Arzúa-Ulloa cheese, which matches perfectly with the locally produced honey or with the delicious homemade quince.

As we approach Santiago we will enter an increasingly urban environment, culminating with the first sight of the towers of the cathedral in O Monte do Gozo.

But above all, today will be a day of mixed emotions; in which we will realize how they face the joy of arriving in Santiago with the sadness of reaching the last point – not the end – of our Way.

Camino de Santiago from Melide (Picture given by Miriam Mezzera on Flickr under the following conditions)

FROM ARZÚA TO SALCEDA IN A CONSTANTLY “UP AND DOWN”

The departure of Melide is simple, nothing has to do with others that we have already spent in big cities. From the central roundabout of the town we must head north, following the indications of the “Museo Terra de Melide”. Passing to the left side of the street we head towards the Concello. After passing the town hall we turn successively to the left and to the right and climb a small but intense ramp in the Main street. The arrows point to a dirt and gravel path with a lot of vegetation on both sides, which leaves us on the N-547.

After crossing the road multiple signs indicate the way to the church of Santa María de Melide (Km 1,1). This village has always been configured as a distinct entity of Melide, although today practically seems to be part of the main town. The church that appears to the right of the road is of a Romanic origin and is full of small details that deserve our attention.

Most of the building elements of the church of Santa María de Melide are decorated. In the archivolts we see chequered or small rectangles, as well as geometric motifs or some forms reminiscent of ancient Celtic symbols -triskeles, swastikas, spirals, etc.-. The chapiters are also full of carved pieces, we can see lions and beasts – whose meaning of protection and threat we talked about in
the previous stage– and plant forms.

Church of Santa Maria de Melide (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

Inside the church there are two exceptional elements: a Romanic altar, decorated with small arches under which paint of different colors is preserved; and a metal grid from the 12th century which is kept in the modern sacristy of the temple.

And you maybe wonder… A grid? What value can a grid have? Well, although you may think that the value of the grid of Santa Maria lies in the artistic aspects of the beautiful spirals that form it, its greatest value is historical and sociological, since if we place it in its time, it tells us things about medieval society and his way of seeing life.

In the High Middle Ages (up to the 12th century) the church was the most important social gathering place. The temple represented in itself the social hierarchy and, therefore, each person had its space delimited according to gender, estates and progress in the fulfillment of the sacraments. The most sacred part was the apse, facing east, the place where the sun rises and represents the light and the divine. In this area only the priests could be, those who had “united” for their whole life to God. In the naves, the richest were in front and often separated women and men. At the foot of the church, on the entrance gateway, were those who had not been baptized yet – that’s why the baptismal font was there, without being baptized you could not step on the naves.

Therefore, walking from the entrance of the church to the apse was a representation of the path to God. Each sacrament allowed you to enter into a different part and also marked all the important moments of life, from birth (baptism) to death (extreme unction). In fact, in the absence of ID or passport, the social register was the books of the parishes!

The fact of being baptized or not left you inside or outside the social life, and it also prevent you to access to some jobs or being able to live in certain areas – Jews, for example, lived in different neighborhoods. The place where you sat at Mass indicated at what point in your life and society you were. To emphasize this many times, the spaces were delimited physically with bars or wooden structures. They were also used to “hide” to the congregation some of the most sacred moments, such as transubstantiation. In fact, in the Orthodox Church this is still done, separating spaces with large wooden structures with icons icons (religious paintings). In the Catholic Church the separation of spaces began to blur in Gothic, when light entered the temple and its philosophical conception changed completely. The separating elements were removed, proof of the social changes that followed with the emergence of cities and the bourgeoisie. Most of these grids or structures, which witnessed what it was like to live in a society of estates, were lost. But not this grid of Santa Maria, which is the only one that remains in all Galicia.

After this curious visit we leave the Santa Maria cobbled and we follow a footpath of gravel that in a few meters penetrates in a dense forest. We follow this dirt track in a continuous up and down among oaks, chestnut trees, pines and eucalyptus. As we proceed towards Santiago – and especially if we follow later to Muxia or Fisterra – we will realize how the eucalyptus, tree of Australian origin, is displacing the native Galician species.

This, in general, is due to this way of dividing the field in smallholdings – inherited among all the children – that is own of Galicia. Since the 1980s, many people who lived in the city inherited pieces of forest and ceded the exploitation rights of their land to Galician pulp and paper mills. Eucalyptus is an extra-fast growing tree that works well for paper chemistry, but which dries the soil a lot and expands and colonizes the surrounding soil. Little by little the eucalyptus has been displacing the Atlantic and riverside species, typical of Galicia, which need much more water and have a much slower growth, such as oak or chestnut.

Today many see eucalyptus as a plague and one of the biggest Galician environmental problems, while others support it as an economic engine and enhancer of the industry. The truth is that, although the Galician government continues to extend authorization to the pulp and wood industries to continue working, eucalyptus plantations are being extended in some Galician areas.

Path among eucalyptus trees in the province of A Coruña (Picture given by Roi Arias on Flickr under the following conditions)

Among trees we cross a stream by a simple walkway of granite and reach the maximum level of stage (470 m) in the area of Parabispo. We left the forest to touch the shoulder of the N-547 in Raído (Km 3.5) and we entered again among the trees. In a continuous up and down we cross another section of forest until Boente (Km 5.7), town divided in two by the national highway.

Before crossing the road we will see a cruceiro and a fountain, called “de la Saleta”, , of which they say that its water has beneficial properties for health. On the other side of the national road is the church of Santiago, with Romanic origins but tremendously reformed in the 19th century – there is only one window and two chapiters of the 12th century. The image of Pilgrim Santiago that is conserved in the greater altarpiece draws attention.

We leave behind Boente along its cobbled street until we reach a path that, once again, is covered by the thick leaves of the trees. On this “legbreaking” road we cross the N-547 by a tunnel, we continue by mountain and soon we take a path that begins to gain height parallel to the national highway. In the upper part it is deviated to the left to enter Castañeda (Km 7,9).

The medieval pilgrims brought to Castañeda a stone they had collected in Triacastela, to be processed in their furnaces and to help the construction of the temple of the apostle. Leaving the village you by descend a path among pastures, first by asphalt and then by dirt road after a junction with another track. The profile is favorable until we cross a stream and begin an ascent to a superior path to the N-547.

After passing the national road the profile is again downhill until entering Ribadiso da Baixo (Km 11). As it explains its name, this small locality is in the riverside of the Iso river, crossed by a simple bridge of a single arch, in which the vegetation has colonized the space of the stone.

Ribadiso (Picture given by Hans-Jakob Weinz on Flickr under the following conditions)

A single street configures the town, with the services – bars and shelters – on both sides. The public hostel of the locality is located in the border of the river, just after crossing the bridge, and occupies the space of an old rehabilitated hospital.

At the exit of Ribadiso the street begins to rise until becoming a ramp quite powerful that ends in a tunnel under the N-547. A paved track then follows the course of the road and ends up becoming a path parallel to the left side of the national road, which leads directly to Arzúa (Km 14).

In Arzúa, pilgrims coming from Irún along the Northern Way, a route that was used in the Middle Ages when they were still recovering territory to the Arabs and many of the areas through which the French route passed was on the battle line.

Arzúa is a town that, despite its millennial history linked to the Camino de Santiago, does not retain many old buildings. Most of the buildings are modern, even its parochial church of Santiago is of the middle of S. XX – of the temple. The two carvings of the apostle like pilgrim and like matamoros draw attention, it is an iconography of which we have already spoken previously. The chapel of the Magdalena is the only medieval rest that we can find. It was part of an old convent of S. XIV.

Although it does not have a great artistic heritage, Arzúa can become the ideal rest stop. After touring these first 14 km of route we will be very grateful to sit and taste the local cheese, which can be eaten bathed by the honey that is also produced in this area.

Arzúa-Ulloa Cheese (Picture given by Roger Casas-Alatriste on Flickr under the following conditions)

Galicia has four Protected Denominations of Origin of cheeses, although of course in the community many more types are elaborated. O Cebreiro already had an opportunity to try it when entering the territory and now in this area we can try the Arzúa-Ulloa, a fatty cow cheese that is generally consumed little cured, quite fresh. In Galicia it is often said “that it is scattered” throughout the plate, since if you cut it does not stand its form and it extends outwards. In addition to these D.O.P., the other two Galician cheeses are Tetilla and San Simón, the latter is smoked.

FROM ARZÚA TO PEDROUZO, TWO MODERN LOCALITIES WITH THE N-547 AS THE MAIN ROAD

After this delicious stop we leave Arzúa leaving its main road to the left, along the cobbled street of Cima do Lugar. In a favorable profile this street will end up becoming a gravel path that will take us to a zone called As Barrosas forest, because when it rains a great amount of mud is formed … So in the rainy season we must shorten gear!

We passed a chapel dedicated to St. Lazarus, an advocacy that we have already seen on the Way in other remote places, as many people with infectious diseases wandered hoping to heal and were attended in lazaretos.

After crossing a river, we began to climb this humid forest track until we returned to asphalt at the entrance of Pregontoño (Km 16,2), a small rural town where we can see the 18th century chapel dedicated to San Paio, with a enormous external portico almost the size of the temple itself. By asphalt we go through a tunnel under the N-547 and follow a straight path between meadows that takes us to A Peroxa (Km 17,3).

From A Peroxa we return to a forest track with profile, in general, favorable. Many of the trees – more and more of them, eucalyptus – from this area are decorated by the pilgrims, who fill them with papers with messages in all languages.

After crossing a creek we climbed up to a small town called Taberna Vella. Just after passing it, a great bridge takes us to pass on the pharaonic works of the highway A-54, a route whose intention is to communicate Lugo with Santiago, opening a little the communication of the interior of Galicia with the Atlantic side – although it takes many years in construction by successive postponements and delays.

After crossing the works we enter the town of A Calzada (Km 19,8), which is on the border between the concello of Arzúa and O Pino. At the exit of the village the asphalt becomes gravel and then again on a forest trail between mountains, although in general the profile is simple – and will continue to be until O Amenal (Km 36,7).

We enter the hamlet of Calle (Km 21,8), of a paved road surface, whose name comes from Latin callis meaning “path”, so that its toponymy probably reveals its ancient relationship with the Camino de Santiago. In the main path of the town we find an original granary, placed like a bow on the road.. We passed below it and when we left the village we met some milladoiros -stone cairn that are left as an offering.

We continue through forest tracks between the picturesque rural surroundings, a route to enjoy. The only problem we can find, again, is the mud in the rainy season. We arrive at Boavista (Km 23,2) and, shortly after, the right side of the N-547 at A Salceda (Km 25) from where the dynamics of the stage will change a lot: the national road will cross permanently in our way and the immersion in the peaceful rural environment will not be so intense as until now.

FROM SALCEDA TO SANTIAGO AIRPORT: WE ENTER THE NEARBY OF COMPOSTELA

The Jacobean signs lead us to leave Salceda along a gravel path on the right shoulder, where we begin to ascend slightly. We passed a plaque to a Belgian pilgrim who died and almost touched Compostela, along with others who have been leaving reminders in his honor, and in just 1 km we must cross the national road at a crossroads level, so that much caution is recommended.

We entered a path between eucalyptus trees and reached O Xen (Km 26,3) and As Ras (Km 27), small towns formed by a group of houses.

We cross the national road again, although this time we do have the option to do it through a lower tunnel. Already on the right shoulder, we leave a gravel track that takes us to A Brea (Km 27,6), a locality in which there are accommodation options.

The path leads us back to the right side of the national road, which we must cross in a slightly dangerous way to pass to a sidewalk on the left shoulder, where we find benches and a place to shelter in case of rain. We continue along a gravel path on the left shoulder until we reach O Empalme (Km 29,3), where we must change the side of the road at a dangerous junction. The cars here tend to go slower but the point coincides with a change of gradient.

After the crossing we arrive at a path that alternates gravel and dirt and that gets inside trees, passing near the right shoulder of the road but to a different quota. Downhill we go to a tunnel under the N-547 that takes us to Santa Irene (Km 30,3). Here we can see the chapel of Santa Irene, a simple construction of the S. XVIII that gains a lot of charm thanks to all the oaks that surround it, some of great size. Near the chapel there is a fountain which is said to always keep young to the ones who wash with their water regularly. Too bad we could not take it home!

Santa Irene Chapel (Picture given by walter on Flickr under the following conditions)

We must cross the N-547 without a safe pedestrian path to go to the right shoulder, where we find a rest area with a large fountain that has a carved scallop. After traveling a bit along the shoulder we enter a path between eucalyptus trees, that leads us to a step below the road, after which we follow by gravel to A Rúa (Km 31.7).

A Rúa is a small locality of a single street – which means its own name – with enough charm, it gives much tranquility.It has accommodation in which to spend the night and places to rest in a quiet rural environment, being very close to Pedrouzo, where we will find all services.

To get to O Pedrouzo (Km 33) we just have to climb to the left shoulder of the N-547, as the road crosses the village by the middle. In this town is where most of the walkers decide to spend their last night of pilgrimage, although it will take us a few to travel the distance that remains …In just 18 km we will be in Santiago! In O Pedrouzo we will find all the services that we need and can be a good place to rest or to take something to drink and to eat and to enjoy it in O Monte do Gozo, that is only 15 km and will offer us an unbeatable view.

After following the road, which is the main road of O Pedrouzo, we crossed the other side in a pedestrian crossing and climbed a street with a quite remarkable slope until arriving at the facilities of a school. There we turn left and we go through a forest track to San Antón (Km 34), a small town where we go down a paved track of only 100 m.

We enter a track that alternates with gravel and asphalt among carballos (oaks). During 1 km, we travel peacefully while the sun sinks between the thick treetops, until we leave in the daylight on a path between cultivated farms that, after turning left and right, leaves us in O Amenal (Km 36,7), located on both sides of the national road. We saved the way by a lower step and we entered the last section of the forest that we make in our pilgrimage. More than a pleasant picturesque walk will become a test of effort, as it is traveled in permanent vertical slope, with an average of 5% up to Cimadevila and 3% in the next kilometer and a half.

After reaching the highest level of 363 m the terrain is leveled and sometimes it has slightly descents. We reached the eastern edge of the airport, which was built in the middle of the paths that used to lead to Santiago. That is why we must get around it, surrounded by its northern part on dirt paths next to the metal fence of the airfield, where many pilgrims hang crosses or memories. This part of the road usually gets very muddy when it rains, which can be a great setback for us. We pass next to a large landmark that along with the Jacobeans symbols announces the entrance to Santiago.

LAST SECTION TO THE CATHEDRAL, ASCENDING TO O MONTE DO GOZO AND GOING DOWN BY THE URBAN AREA UNTIL THE CENTER OF COMPOSTELA

On the western side of the airport we will go to San Paio (Km 40,6), a small town with a church in the center and we leave by a gravel path between trees, which ends descending to cross the SC-21 tunnel.

After the crossing of the SC-21 a miliary tells us to continue along a gravel path and then descend by asphalt to Lavacolla (Km 42), a town whose name is related to a Jacobean tradition. According to the Codex Calixtino, the pilgrims washed in the Sionlla river of the town, to arrive clean to Santiago. His name would come from “lava-collus”, that is, “washing the neck”.

This tradition of cleaning before entering Santiago and the cathedral had an important symbolism, but also an obvious hygienic burden. It was about leaving behind all the dirt, which symbolically represents sins, to enter “clean” to see the apostle and receive full indulgence, but also … Imagine how medieval pilgrims could smell after months of walking and sleeping in outdoors! In fact, before the door of the cathedral the pilgrims stripped and washed again in the so-called “Fountain of Paradise”, also burning their clothes before the so-called “cruz dos farrapos” –farrapo is “old clothes” in Galician. Already clean and with new clothes, they entered in to see the Apostle, having won Heaven. After the visit many of them slept in the cathedral and yet the atmosphere had to be overwhelming enough to design the botafumeiro… a censer that can burn up to 40 kg of incense!

Camino before Lavacolla (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

In Lavacolla we passed in front of a beautiful music stage, a construction that in the Galicia of the end of the XIX century was a true center of social relations. Given the rainy climatology, these structures half urban furniture – half buildings, allowed to enjoy music and dance in any situation, with a perfect visibility of the orchestra.

To leave Lavacolla we cross the N-634 and follow a paved track that, after passing the river, becomes a whole ramp. The slope does not level until Vilamaior (Km 43,3), a small town that we crossed from east to west to continue, always by asphalt, to Santiago.

Already by flat terrain we pass before the headquarters of the Galician television (TVG) and the territorial center of TVE and we climbed a street in slight positive slope to enter San Marcos (Km 47,2). On leaving San Marcos we will find on our right with the chapel of San Marcos and a great monument dedicated to John Paul II … We are in Monte do Gozo!

Monte do Gozo (Picture given by Isidro Cea on Flickr under the following conditions)

Monte do Gozo (Km 48) was called “San Marcos” in the past, because here the bishop of Santiago ordered in the 12th century to build a chapel to this saint. Legend has it that the chapel was actually built by St. Mark himself, because when he was traveling to Santiago, almost reaching the goal, he asked a German how much he had left to arrive and he lied to him, telling him that thousands of kilometers were missing. He did so because, according to tradition, whoever came first to the top and saw the cathedral was the “king” of the pilgrimage; he did not want St. Mark to take away his honor. The saint, discouraged, decided that he was not able to follow and was built in that place a chapel.

In that chapel people stopped praying until the S. XVIII, when it was abandoned – what we see today is a new construction. The mount became known more and more with the name of “o gozo” by the emotion that invades to the pilgrims when seeing for the first time the towers of the cathedral under his feet,in the valley in which is Compostela.

Next to the chapel is a path that leads to a large esplanade with a monument that was built in 1989, when Pope John Paul II went to Santiago to preside over the World Youth Days. Hundreds of pilgrims traveled to Compostela and built large facilities in this mountain to welcome the events. Today they are still maintained and have a large amphitheater – here have played artists like the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen – a hotel, cafes, etc. In the viewpoint of the hill, from which we see the cathedral for the first time, there are two unmistakable sculptures by the artist José María Acuña López – the same one who portrayed a medieval walker in the upper San Roque – of pilgrims looking towards Compostela with his hand right raised.

We return to the asphalted street from which we came and descend to a point where a sign indicates a few stairs leading to a sidewalk on the N-634. We can avoid the stairs following the track to the right, since in a few meters it also ends in the road.

We arrive at a roundabout at the entrance to the neighborhood of San Lázaro, where red metal letters form the word “Santiago de Compostela” on one side of the roundabout, although the normal sign of entrance to the town, full of stickers of pilgrims, does not stop having its charm.

we can choose to go by the right side with the cars or by the curb of the left. At first the sidewalks are wide, but then they will narrow and become more and more uncomfortable.

We continue straight ahead and,two roundabouts further, we turn obliquely to the left to follow a street that ends in a grocery storeat the junction with the N-550. We must cross to the other side and continue along Concheiros Street, named after because it was once the neighborhood outside the wall where artisans made shells of scallop – usually made of brass – used as a symbol of the completion of the pilgrimage.

Today the street engages with the one of San Pedro, a neighborhood that was next to one of the seven doors of the wall. In fact, the street, today pedestrian and full of small commerce, ends at the junction of Puerta del Caminowhere the wall was with the entrance through which all the pilgrims passed. On the ground we see an inscription in different languages that says “Europe made pilgrimage to Compostela”, in reference to how this route helped to forge the links of the European identity.

After crossing the pedestrian path we enter the cobblestone of the old city of Santiago, which since 1985 is a World Heritage place. Within it are preserved a multitude of Romanic, Gothic and Baroque monuments between houses with galleries, porticos or small balconies.

Climbing the street of Casas Reais we will arrive at the Plaza de Cervantes, which has a fountain in the middle and a side with porticos. Here was formerly the city council of Santiago, until in the S. XX moved to the imposing neoclassical building that stands in front of the cathedral in the Obradoiro square.

We follow the line with porticos in the square and we go down the street until we find to our left, finally, with the door of Azabachería of the cathedral of Santiago. Here was the aforementioned Fountain of Paradise, and through this door – which does not retain its original decoration – all the pilgrims entered to see the apostle. Today many prefer to follow the stairs to the Obradoiro square and see the imposing facade in the open space before entering the temple. We can walk along the stairs going along the side of San Martín Pinario, an old monastery that now houses multiple uses and is the second largest religious group in Spain – after the Escorial.

Already in the Obradoiro square we can, finally, get off the bike and enjoy that mixture of joy and sadness that is felt at the end of the pilgrimage. We will forget the effort performed in the hundreds of kilometers that we have traveled, as soon as we get off the bike, but the experiences and moments that our Camino has given us will remain engraved in our memory …From now on a part of us always wants to go back to Compostela!

Distance to Santiago: 111 km

Distance for stage: 60 km

Estimated Time: 6 hours

Minimum height: 360 m

Maximum height: 730 m

Route Difficulty: Medium – High

Places of public interest: Portomarín, Palas de Rei, Melide

Itinerary map: To see the whole journey on Google Maps click here

Click to enlarge

This stage has three very different parts. The section from Sarria to Portomarín (km 22) will bring out our technical skills, as it runs along paths and corridors that, especially in the rainy season, are muddy and flood with the nearby streams.

After crossing the Miño and entering Portomarín, the dynamic changes completely, since up to Palas de Rei (km 47) the Jacobean path goes always around the LU-633 or by a paved road that has practically no traffic. We can advance much faster and the distance between populations will be a little higher.

From Palas to Melide (km 60) we alternate sections along the N-547 with others by forest, which will again complicate our path but give us a great view of the surroundings.

In general, it is a changing stage and “legbreaking”, but that allows in each one of its differentiated sections to know different aspects of the Galician culture; like its popular architecture -such as its granaries or cruceiros-, its lifestyle in the rural environment and a great artistic historical patrimony – Romanic churches, castles or castles – and some of its great villas, all with a great Jacobean history.

We hope you enjoy this immersion in the rural!

From Sarria to Melide (Picture given by tunante80 on Flickr under the following conditions)

PROFILE AND STAGE’S MAIN ROUTES

From Sarria to Portomarín the road does not pass through the localities of Santiago, so if we want to visit them we can only do it by going through the pedestrian path, which alternates corredoiras or narrow paved paths between forests and cattle farms. In general it can be said that it is cyclable, in spite of being legbreaking, , since it continuously changes of slope and that in very concrete points the road surface can be complicated enough. The options in each section are as follows:

– From Sarria to Portomarín (km 22): Either go by the pedestrian path or follow the LU-633, which turns south to the exit of Sarria and does not return to cross the Jacobean route to Portomarín. It does not pass through any locality but it passes through Paradela, one of the largest villas in the area.

– From Portomarín to O Hospital (km 33,8): The pedestrian path runs parallel to the LU-633, so we can choose dirt/gravel road or the shoulder of the road. They only separate after passing Gonzar, where the yellow arrows indicate paths to pass through Castromaior and the remains of his old Celtic castro.

– From O Hospital to Palas de Rei (km 47): After passing O Hospital you have to cross a road junction by an overpass. All the national ones deviate from our route, but we take a paved trail – made for the pilgrims – in which the walkers have their own sidewalk and in which there is almost no car traffic. We will comfortably go through it until shortly before Pallas, where it ends in the N-547.

– From Palas to Melide (km 60): You can go on the N-547 but after passing Palas we will turn north until shortly before entering the end of stage, without passing through the localities of the Camino. If we follow the Jacobean indications we will enter the forest in most of the route, with some sections of complicated road – mud or rock that can be slippery – and others with paved trail.

In general, it is more logical to do all this stage by the pedestrian path, following the Jacobean indications. For this it is necessary to have good mountain bikes buenas bicis de montaña, since the road surface and slope are very changing. Even so, in the map in PDF and in the GoogleMaps  Google Maps we mark the points of conflict and we suggest you recommended detours, especially in the rainy season.

Strait between Sarria and Portomarín (Picture given by Dani Latorre on Flickr under the following conditions)

As for the profile, we summarize here the general trend of each section, although there will be permanent jumps and slope changes that will turn this stage into a perfect example of the route legbreaking.

During the first 8.5 kilometers, from Sarria to Peruscallo, the profile is ascent, being especially hard the first steep of less than 1 km with an average slope of 10%. From Peruscallo it “levels” for 6 km, , until Couto, where begins a descent that becomes much more pronounced from A Parrocha. We arrive thus to the side of the Miño river, minimum height of the stage (360 m). We cross the bridge to see Portomarín and from there to Ventas de Narón (710 m height) there are 13 km of climb, with average slopes of 2-5%, although with continuous jumps and a final section of climb to Castromaior in which the slope is more demanding. From Ventas de Narón to Melide are missing 27 km in which the profile is of continuous changes of slope, although there will be more descents than ascent ramps.

As for the layout of the pedestrian path at this stage, it can be said that it is a continuous succession of towns or, rather, small towns formed by the conjunction of three or more livestock houses. Among them is a multitude of small paths and corredoirasalternating continuously different types of road surfaces. It crosses different streams and bridges, some by old constructions and of good factory and others by small improvised catwalks. It is a path that will reconnect us with nature and may be more demanding than others we have done before, but that will bring us a lot of emotions. We will not get bored in any moment!

Paved road between O Hospital and Palas ((Picture given by Dani Latorre on Flickr under the following conditions)

PRACTICAL ADVICES

– As in O Cebreiro, from Sarria there is not enough distance to Santiago so that we the cyclists get the Compostela. Even so, the pilgrimage is not a matter of certificates and therefore we tell you, as always, how you can reach Sarria if you want to start pedaling there.

Since many pilgrims who go on foot start in Sarria this locality has good communications, although many of them are linked by Lugo. We can reach Lugo by bus from many points of the peninsula, especially through the connections offered by Alsa and, from there; take one of the routes that Monbús makes every 1-2 hours to Sarria.

There is also an average of 6-8 trains arriving in Sarria from Lugo every day. If we want to go direct, from Barcelona and Madrid arrive from one up to three trains a day.

In addition, you know that in Tournride we leave you the bike during the day before the start of your trip in the accommodation that you decide in O Cebreiro. We can also take your spare luggage so that it waits for you at the end of your road, so you will not have to carry unnecessary weight!

– This is a legbreaking stage, it is necessary to constantly adjust plates and sprockets to not force the rhythm all the time. The landscape compensates for the effort.

– We will permanently find populations. Not all have services, but you will not have too much trouble to supply yourself with water or food, so you do not need to carry unnecessary weight.

– In winter or in times of heavy rain, in Tournride we recommend avoiding some sections of the pedestrian path, because the road surface is too muddy and complicated. Sections we recommend avoiding:

1) Peruscallo section (km 9,2) – Lavandeira (km 10,5) – A Brea (km 11,4). It runs along a narrow path of stone / soil / grass in the course of a stream. If there is a large influx of people or it has rained, you will have to stop all the time taking care not to fall into the water. We propose a detour before Peruscallo that runs a little to the south by dirt and asphalt road.

2) As Rozas section (km 14,5) – Moimentos (km 16). The road goes through a corredoira that when it rains becomes a pool of mud with many stones. You can avoid it by following the paved path and then by the LU-4203..

3) Portomarín section (km 22) – junction with LU-633 (km 24). At the exit of Portomarín the signs indicate the crossing of the river to go during 2 km by a path of complicated road surface, narrow and with great stones. Especially if it has rained, we recommend going for the LU-633.

DETAILED ITINERARY AND HISTORIC-ARTISTIC PATRIMONY

At this stage we will discover the natural surroundings of Lugo and we will enter, after passing Palas de Rei, in the province where the great house of the apostle is located: A Coruña. Along these 60 km we propose you to open your eyes to interpret everything that the rural landscape, with its special configuration and constructions, tells us about the traditional Galician culture. Among dozens of small towns – we will pass through more than 60 localities – we will see the mosaic of fincas divided by marcos, in which the neighbors work the field in a sustainable way and take care of the frisonas and rubias gallegas; the cows of the community. We will learn the symbolic importance of the hórreos and we will cross corredoiras among centenarian carballos.

Immersed in this impressive environment, a clash of green chlorophyll and blue sky on the horizon, we will find continually with wonderful jewels of rural romanic, surrounded by cemeteries full of colorful flowers. And this stage is part of the Ribeira Sacra, an area that besides being a geological and natural wonder also boasts the highest concentration of romanic art on the continent.

Can we ask for more?

River Miño in Portomarín (Picture given by 6MPasos on Flickr under the following  conditions)

FROM SARRIA TO BARBADELO: MEDIEVAL BRIDGES AND BEASTS CARVED IN STONE

We leave Sarria following the course of its street Mayor, where yesterday we discovered many of the main monuments of the town in our cultural tour of end of stage. As we commented, this street was the first that arose in this town that was born to attend the pilgrims, so it has the main services around. We pass through theConcello (City Hall) and climb to the small Romanic-Gothic chapel of Salvador, where the yellow arrows indicate that we turn right.

Following the street we take a last look at Sarria from the viewpoint of the Prison, which offers us an unbeatable view of the surroundings. From here we continue to the Monastery de la Magdalena and leave Sarria down the hill that appears in front of the convent.

The slope leaves us on a paved road that, in only 200 meters leads to a bridge. A Ponte da Áspera was built in medieval times, when Vilanova de Sarria emerged, to help the pilgrims leave the village across the River Celeiro. The current factory retains much of the old one, with three arches of half point in granite ashlar and the upper part of masonry in slate slabs, among which an enormous amount of weeds and vegetation is drained – what gives a very picturesque touch but difficult the conservation of the monument.

Ponte da Áspera (Picture given by Miguel Pereiro on Flickr under the following conditions)

The bridge takes us to a dirt path with some stones that circulates by the side of the tracks of the train. In about 500 meters the path crosses the rails, which will surely force us to get off the bike.

After crossing the tracks of the train we find ourselves immersed in a huge carballeira (oak forest), where we must face the most demanding ascent of the whole day: a ramp of 600 meters with an average slope of 10%, with road surface with loose stones. The great roots of the trees, which arise from the earth claiming their space, will also dull our way. If it has rained, the rise will be more complicated, as they form pools and the road surface is muddy.

After a vertiginous final curve the trees disappear and we can return to glimpse the sky on our head, previously hidden behind the great leaves of the carballos. We cross by a dirt path between pastures, by which we reach As Paredes and Vilei (km 3,7). In Vilei we will find all the services, so it can become a good place for those who have not eating anything, to have a good breakfast. Surely the initial ramp has whetted our appetite!

We leave Vilei by a paved path on a slight vertical slope that, at 450 meters, turns at a practically straight right angle. At this point there is a path that leads to the church of Santiago de Barbadelo, declared a “Good of Cultural Interest”.

The Santiago’s church is a jewel of the romanic among great forests and grassy areas. It is part of the immense romanic rural patrimony that Galicia possesses. In fact, the greatest concentration of romanic architecture all over Europe is very close to where we are, in the Ribeira Sacra. To understand why it is here, precisely, we have to go back to 7th century, when many monks settled in the canyons of Miño and Sil in search of an ascetic and contemplative life in an impregnable natural place. They formed communities that grew and, during the Romanic boom in the 12th and 13th centuries, they built huge monasteries and churches that still marvel the visitor.

Ermita in the Ribeira Sacra, in the Cañón del Sil ((Picture given by Óscar on Flickr under the following conditions)

During today’s route we will have the opportunity to see many examples of Romanic architecture that, like this church in Barbadelo, have endured impassively the passage of centuries, despite the fact that historical development or little attention to its conservation have threatened them – and still continue to do so – to destroy many of them.

Originally the church of Barbadelo was part of a monastery dependent on Samos, of which today only remains ruins. The church was made in the 12th century but currently it is not in its original form, since in the 18th century the apse was changed. Among the more remarkable parts of the temple are: its tower – which some people think was made as a lantern to guide the pilgrims – and, above all, its curious iconography.

From its Romanic beginnings what is best preserved is the north wall and the western facade – the main one -, which still show their original decoration carved on chapiters and constructive elements.

In the Middle Ages there existed a sort of anthropomorphic or fantastic beings, full of negative meanings and related to the darkest part of the human being, with the Earthly baseness. Their relationship formed the bestiary, which included basilisks, centaurs, or dragons. In the churches they often put themselves as a “reminder” – or, rather, a threat – of how important it was to follow God’s way in life to be rewarded with paradise afterwards. That is why in this church of Santiago we see, for example, a dragon in the chapiter of the north gate and the main gate. The dragons were the most well-known enemies of the Good and in this time they did not imagine them exactly like today, but their body was similar to the one of a serpent – animal that is related to the sin-.

It is necessary to take into account that, although today we see these images and understand them as a representation of evil, for medieval society these animals really existed . Many appeared in the Bible, the book that for them represented all the Truth – in capital letters – and others animals were said to exist but lived in distant parts of the East. They were a real threat to what they thought they might have to face, hence an iconography so effective to control social life in the peasantry by the Church.

There are also animals or beasts that were considered protective, like the eagle or the lion, which were related to the strength and the nobility. These animals were also carved in the entrances to the temples, as guardians, warning that it was going from a profane to a sacred place. In the north gate of the church of Barbadelo, faced with the dragons, we also find a fierce lion.

North gate of the church of Santiago de Barbadelo (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

AMONG GRANARIES WE CROSS THE JACOBEAN KILOMETER NUMBER 100

After this curious visit we continue our way, by a paved road that takes us to Rente in less than 1 km and, a few meters, crosses the LU-5709 in Mercado da Serra, where there is a tavern on the road. The name of the town derives from a great trade fair that was made in the same place in the Middle Ages, which is said that attracted even Santiago’s hoteliers to buy and sell products.

After crossing the road we follow a dirt road among trees and, after turning left, we find a precarious stream crossing. Slabs were placed so that the walkers could pass over the water, but it will be difficult for us to pass without getting wet, even more so in the rainy season when the terrain is muddy!

In half a kilometer we cross another road, this time the LU-633 and by a paved track that goes straight ahead we passed by A Pena (km 8.5) and then by Peruscallo (km 9,2). In this area there are many granaries built on the track, a construction that usually draws much attention to foreigners.

The granary is a storage structure elevated from the ground, conceived to save the grain. In Galicia they began to acquire much importance starting from the conquest of America, when two aliments came that revolutionized the life of the peasants: the potato and the corn. These aliments can last a long time until they are consumed, but they need to be in a suitable place, without excessive moisture, ventilated and safeguarded from animals or rodents. The Galician rural houses did not have such a site and that is why the granaries were built.

Granary ((Picture given by Javier Pais on Flickr under the following conditions)

The granaries always have three parts. The feet (pés or pies, in Galician) raise a top box where food is stored, to avoid soil moisture. The box is not closed, but usually has grilles to run the air and ventilate the interior. The round piece that lies between the legs and the box, like a large stone disc, is called tornarrato. Translated becomes “reverse mouse”, a name that clearly explains its function. To go up to the box and pick up food were used either an auxiliary stairs or an endless staircase, to prevent the mice from reaching the food.

The construction of the granaries became increasingly important since the sixteenth century and ended up developing a whole social symbolism around them. The reasoning is very simple: if there is a place that serves to save food, the bigger and beautiful, the easier it will be for people to realize that someone is rich and has large food reserves – with the subtlety that this Rich person does not have to tell you anything, you just take it for granted. The same was true of the chimneys, whose number in a house suggested how many rooms were heated, so that they were crenellated and decorated at the top to attract attention. The granaries, for their part, went from being made of wood to granite ashlar masonry, decorated with the Christian cross and, in many cases, becoming enormous. Generally the largest were of nobles or belonged to monasteries. In Galicia there are some of them that are more than 35 meters long!

Carnota’s Granary, one of the longest in Galicia (Picture given by juantiagues on Flickr under the following conditions)

In addition, according to the culture and climatology of the different zones of Galicia, the granaries acquired a different form. In the area of the Ancares and Courel are round, wooden and thatch roof, as the pallozas. In the rest of Galicia there are L-shaped, which mix stone and wood, with pairs or trios of feet, etc. On our way we will see many different forms of hórreo, so from Tournride we recommend that you open your eyes to discover this curious form of popular Galician architecture. In Asturias and parts of northern Portugal there are also granaries, but the place in which they are most concentrated is, without a doubt, Galicia.

When we leave Peruscallo we enter a corredoira that, after a few meters, narrows to become a path that runs alongside a stream. At some sections the road surface has a lot of stones and in others it’s a dirt road, but in general it is very narrow. At times when there is a large influx of pilgrims, crossing by here can be eternal, since we will have to ask for permission to go ahead or stop continuously. That is why in Tournride we propose an alternative on our stage map You can deviate to the left before entering Peruscallo and make all this section by a paved and dirt track further to the south, returning to the route Jacobean in A Brea. If we go here, we can also visit two rather well preserved Romanic temples: the church of Santa María de Belante and the church of San Miguel de Biville.

Church of San Miguel de Biville (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

If we go by the proper Jacobean route we will pass by Lavandeira and we will continue alternating sections of corredoiras with sidewalks parallel to the stream until arriving at A Brea. In this town we will see a milestone that indicates that they are only 100 km to Santiago, but this milestone is false. We will see the real 100 km’s milestone a little later, on a paved track between A Brea and Morgade. This place is symbolically important because from here the Church considers that a hiker or rider has pilgrimed as such to Santiago and can obtain the Compostela.

WE CROSS THE MUNICIPALITY OF PARADELA: WE DRINK FROM DEMONIAC SOURCES, WE KNOW THE RIBEIRA SACRA WINE AND WE UNDERSTAND THE GALICIAN RURAL LANDSCAPE

After this section of track we arrive at Morgade (km 12), where there is a nice bar serving meals. A white painting with the Pelegrín – the 1993’s Xacobeo mascot – tells us that we should leave the locality by a path, next to which there is a fountain. Legend has it that this Fountain of the Devil or Fonte do Demo ceased to flow water if someone who was free from sin came to drink, because it was ruled by the devil and the devil only gave drink to sinners.

The corredoira by which we leave Morgade narrows and is invaded in some parts by a stream, sprinkled with stone slabs to aid the passage. All quite precarious for cyclists, so we must have patience and get grounded if necessary.

This difficult section is short, about 800 meters, after which we arrive at Ferreiros (km 13.1). This town is called so because in the old days there were many ferrerías (smithies) in which Jacobean artisans arranged the horses’ horseshoes and also repaired the footwear of the pilgrims. The town is a sort of boundary between the municipality of Sarria and Paradela.

The municipality of Paradela runs along the eastern shore of the Miño. We will continue for about 9 km by it in a westerly direction, until reaching the river side and crossing it entering the municipality of Chantada by Portomarín.

These two areas next to the Miño are part of the Ribeira Sacra (“sacred shore”), that area where we told you that communities of monks were settled and in which there is the highest concentration of Romanic throughout Europe. When they arrived there the monks began to produce wine in terraces on the slopes of the river’s canyons, as the Romans had done before. This wine is still produced today under the D.O. Ribeira Sacra and its producers are known as the “heroic winemakers” for the hardness of cultivation and harvesting of the vineyards in lands with slopes of more than 60%.

Vineyards in the canyons of the Ribeira Sacra ((Picture given by Santi Villamarín on Flickr under the following conditions)

We will have the opportunity to see these canyons in Portomarín, but for now we have to leave Ferreiros descending a steep slope along a paved track of 300 m. We arrived at the church of Santa Maria de Ferreiros, a simple but very well preserved Romanic temple that was moved stone by stone from a nearby point to place it in the margin of the French Way, because they wanted it to function like a pilgrims hospital. The bulrush with the bells is baroque.

To get to the church you have to cross a path by the local cemetery. In Galicia the union of the church with the cemetery is the most normal in the rural area. This configuration is a legacy of medieval times, when the church was the most important social gathering place and, after Mass, people stayed in the vicinity of the temple, honoring their dead and caring for their burial. Then the taverns appeared and customs changed a little!

Entrance to the church of Santa María de Ferreiros (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

After passing the church, the yellow arrows indicate the detour to a dirt path with rocks that descends a little abruptly and then go up again at the end until A Pena. Through the paved track where we go we can also reach the town and the road surface is more favorable.

Once in A Pena (km 14), we continue along an paved track until As Rozas (14.5), where the track is lost to the south and a few milestones with the yellow arrows indicate that we are in a corredoira between the trees.

The corredoira 1.5 km long corredoira that runs from As Rozas to Moimentos is impracticable during rainy season. The soil becomes a quagmire in which large stones are embedded. Walkers avoid it by going through a higher meadow, but it will be harder for us to avoid it. That is why in Tournride we suggest you, if it has rained, that you continue straight down the paved road and turn on the first turning to the right, to get to Moimentos by the LU-4203.

From Moimentos (km 16) to Vilachá we will go through paths that alternate continuously the road surface such as dirt, gravel or asphalt road in a soft descent profile, with some jumps. We will pass by Mercadoiro (km 16,8), A Parrocha (km 18,7) and finally by Vilachá (km 20).

Circling along this section we can appreciate the large number of small farms we passed through, many of forest, others of pasture and some cultivated as an orchard. They are divided by low stone walls or even sometimes limited only by sticks nailed to the ground, which in Galicia are called marcos –– although this method is the least used because they have traditionally been the object of a neighborhood dispute, since they mysteriously moved “alone” at night, suddenly losing ground to an owner in favor of the neighbor. Nothing has to do with these small plots with the huge cereal farms that we found in Castile or the large plantations of vegetables and wine from Navarra and La Rioja.

This land division indicates another of the Galician social characteristics: the agrarian minifundismo. Traditionally in Galicia there existed – and still exists – a great attachment to land ownership, which was divided among all the children at the death of the owner, instead of being inherited by the first-born, as it happened in other parts of Spain. If we add the population dispersion, reflected in the number of towns we are going through, we understand the mosaic of small plots before us.

This fragmentation complicates the mechanization of agrarian activity, preventing industrialization, but also fosters a much more sustainable type of agriculture at the environmental and social levels. The soil is taken care of much more and the product is less exposed to contaminants.

Cow breed “Rubia gallega” (Picture given by IES Manuel García Barros on Flickr under the following conditions)

Even so, we will also realize that what we see most in this area are not orchards, but the farms are occupied by calm cows that watch us pass from their peaceful pastures. Formerly livestock was a complement to agriculture – cows were used to pull cars or use their fertilizer – but gradually became a more profitable activity and ended up displacing agriculture. The two races we will see the most are black and white, called “Frisonas” and that give milk and also the “Rubia gallega”, whose meat is marketed under the Protected Geographical Indication “Ternera Gallega”.

At this point we are in Vilachá (km 20), from where we begin a quite abrupt descent by asphalt that ends up leaving us on the banks of the Miño river. A bridge rises above its great volume and, on the opposite shore; we see the town of Portomarín, located at a higher elevation on the side of the canyons of the best known Galician river.

Milestone in Portomarín (Picture given by David Hunkins on Flickr under the following conditions)

FROM PORTOMARÍN TO CASTROMAIOR, OR WHAT IS THE SAME, FROM GREAT ENGINEERING WORKS OF 20th CENTURY TO CASTREÑA ARCHITECTURE OF 6th CENTURY B.C.

The river Miño is the longest river in Galicia and, from its union with the Sil up to its mouth in the Atlantic Ocean, the most abundant. The great length of kilometers through it flows has made that, since the birth of the pilgrimage it is necessary to cross it.

This need to overcome the flow made the Romans in 2nd century AD., decided to build a primitive bridge at the point where we are now. When the pilgrimage to Santiago arose, Doña Urraca ordered in the 11th century to build a larger bridge in the same place, to help the Jacobean walkers.

That bridge survived the passing of the centuries until one day in 1963, Franco ordered to build what is still today the largest reservoir Galicia: the Belesar reservoir, from which a great amount of hydroelectric energy is obtained. A concrete wall 135 meters high and 350 meters long contained the river Miño 32 km south of Portomarín, creating a gigantic reservoir that flooded everything that used to be on the banks of the river. The Castros of pre-Roman culture, vineyards, mills, wineries and entire villages now lie beneath the Miño waters.

Belesar Reservoir (Picture given by El Jim on Flickr under the following conditions)

In Portomarín, which at that time was a town with an important medieval patrimony on the banks of the river, the neighbors decided to move to a higher elevation on the west bank, taking with them – stone by stone marked with patience – their most important monuments. That is the Portomarín that we see today, that after crossing the modern bridge receives us with an arch where stairs have been installed, which is nothing more than a section of the old medieval bridge. But, some days, we can also see the old Portomarín, in the form of stone structures that protrude from the water claiming the natural space that was taken from them.

The old village of Portomarín before being transferred (Picture given by MPereiro on Flickr under the following conditions)

In the upper part of the town we find the church of San Nicolás, a Romanic temple promoted by the order of San Juan, armed knights who protected the pilgrims. It is one of the most important Romanic monuments of Galicia, with a very special configuration by the height of its thick walls with battlements in the upper part; A robustness that contrasts with the delicacy of the sculpture in its gates and its imposing rosette.

At first the temple was located near the old bridge, in the first Portomarín. Hence the appearance of military fort, it was a meeting place of an order that defended the bridge and the pilgrims. When the town was flooded by the construction of the reservoir, the stones were marked with red ink one by one and moved to the top of the village, also undertaking a restoration of the church. Even today you can see the red marks on the stones, next to the stonecutters that carved the ashlars in the 12th century.

Church of San Nicolás (Picture given by HombreDHojalata on Flickr under the following conditions)

After the visit to Portomarín, we left the village by the same Avenue Chantada by which we enter to it. The road diverges to the right, but a vertical Jacobean sign indicates that we cross the bridge over the river to enter a path that crosses the road again in 2 km. In this section the road surface is very irregular, with many jumps and loose stones, so it is worth considering the possibility of going directly on the LU-633 without crossing the river.

From the junction of the path to the road -2 km after leaving Portomarín- to Hospital da Cruz (km 34), the pedestrian path runs parallel to the LU-633 in the form of a dirt track. After going ahead 3 km we arrive to Toxibó (km 27) and in three more to Gonzar (km 30), where we can see the church of Santa Maria de Gonzar, in baroque style. On the main altar of the church is the tomb of a woman who, according to local legend, spent about 30 years without eating anything.

After Gonzar crosses the Jacobean path, he moves away from the side of the road to Castromaior. We recommend to follow the pedestrian path, since after passing the town we will pass through a very special place of the French Way, one of the best preserved castros of Galicia.

On a paved track and dark ground we began to gain slope and, in 600 meters, crowned the hill of Castromaior. To our right we have a breathtaking view of the surroundings and, to our left, one of the most important archaeological sites of the peninsula, which was inhabited since 6th century B. C. to the 1st century AD. It had a complex urban configuration, with a circular enclosure walled in the top of the hill. Around it, on platforms bounded by walls and moats, were other settlements. Since nothing was built in this place since its abandonment, everything was buried under the hill in a good state of conservation.

Views from Castro Maior (Picture given by bulb_socket on Flickr under the following conditions)

Although for many centuries it was thought that the arrival of the Romans to Galicia had ended in a violent and fulminating way with the culture of Celtic roots that lived in this territory –finding the maximum expression of this oppression in the mythical battle of Monte Medulio, which included the suicide of the last Galician warriors before the need to surrender to the conqueror, the archaeological reality shows that when the Romans arrived in the 2nd century B. C., there was a cultural synergy, as well as a religious syncretism. This settlement was inhabited for more than two centuries after the conquest and there were others that were populated until the 3rd century or 4th century AD., so the lifestyle was maintained prior to the Roman invasion.

The descent of the hill leaves us again in the course of the LU-633 and, in just 1.5 km we arrive at Hospital da Cruz. Named in this way because it once housed a place of attention for the pilgrim, today it is at the junction with the N-540, which we must cross by an overpass.

WE UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN MEANING OF THE CRUCEIROS AND ARRIVE TO PALAS DE REI

During the next 11 km, from Hospital da Cruz to A Brea, where the N-547 intersects, we will drive permanently along a paved road with few traffic, in which pilgrims on foot have their own sidewalk space in the Shoulder. The profile will continue to rise, as it had been doing from Portomarín, to Vendas de Narón. From there it will be downhill with jumps.

After crossing the N-540 we face a last paved slope and we arrive at Vendas de Narón (km 35,3), from where we begin to descend to reach A Prebisa (km 37,3). After passing A Prebisa we see on the left side of the road a wall with stairs and, at the top, the most famous Cruceiro of the French Way: the Cruceiro de Lameiro.

Crucero de Lameiro (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

The cruceiro is, along with the granary, one of the most typical manifestations of popular architecture of Galicia. Its origin comes from the pre-Roman times, from that Castroite culture that was polytheistic and lived in towns like the one we have just been in Castromaior. For the Castro culture the roads and their crosses were very important places. They believed that once you died, your soul wandered along the roads and that, at their intersections, there were a series of gods who could “buy” it. For this reason, the relatives of the deceased performed at the crossroads a series of rituals, leaving also offerings to the gods. Sometimes these offerings were stones, which gave rise to the denominated milladoiros – accumulations of stones-, like the one that we saw in the Iron Cross of Foncebadón.

When the Romans conquered this territory, there was a syncretism that fused the gods of both cultures. Rituals at crossroads continued to be made, but instead of asking Lugh (Celtic) for protection, Mercury (Roman) was spoken. In addition, the Romans saw the crossings of roads as representations between the ordered (logos) and nature as chaos, so they were symbolically very important. That is why in many Roman mills found in what was Gallaecia there are inscriptions dedicated to those gods of the roads, called vials. In fact, among the 36 mills that were found with epigraphy of vials lares, throughout the territory of the Roman Empire, 28 were found in this area. It’s almost 77%!

Cruceiro de O Hío, in baroque style and one of the most famous in Galicia  (Picture given by Jose Luis Cernadas on Flickr under the following conditions)

When Christianity was established as an official religion, the traditions that had been perpetuated for centuries did not change overnight – history has shown that the popular tradition is not changed by decree!. For consternation of the Church, the people continued to go to the crosses to do their “pagan” rituals. There were only two options, to prohibit and punish or, as was done, to adopt a solution that today can remind the contrary formulation of political catastrophe: “If we want everything to change, we need it to continue as it is. ” Pagan points were Christianized with a cross and the rituals were still allowed, but little by little they left to dedicate themselves or their children to Mercury, to pray for the Virgin or Jesus.

Today it is estimated that in Galicia there are more than 12,000 cruceiros. Generally they are formed by a base, a column and a cross at the top. Most of the time is carved Jesus on the cross. In fishermen’s villages, the Virgin is also often placed on the side of the cross looking at the sea, because she is the protector of the sailors.

Although the majority of the cruceiros are from the 18th to the 20th century, there are some that belong to the 14th century and others that constitute a true work of art, with multiple representations. The cruceiro of Lameiros, which we see next to A Prebisa, dates from 1670 and shows Jesus crucified at the top. The wear of the stone has erased much of the sculptural detail, but on the other side of the cross was surely either the Virgin or a representation of motherhood. At the base were carved elements of the Passion of Christ: pincers, nails, a ladder, the crown of thorns and, finally, a skull with bones representing the eternal triumph over death. Next to the cruceiro there is an old cemetery of pilgrims.

After passing the cross we arrive at Ligonde (km 38,5), which is a larger population than the previous ones. After that, the paved track makes a double curve a little abrupt and the yellow arrows indicate to cut through an inner path to the curve. This shortcut is a steep ramp of 100 m and the road surface is somewhat irregular. In Tournride we recommend going down the road if it has rained.

After the curve we cross a stream and arrive at Airexe (km 39,4) and, by the same track, to Portos (km 41). We enter the municipality of Palas de Rei, where we will follow Lestedo (km 42), Os Valos (42.6) and A Brea (km 44). At A Brea you cross the N-547, which passes through Palas de Rei. The Jacobean road runs a little more than 1 km along a path on the left shoulder of the road and then it diverts to enter Palas further south, by an uncomfortable track with many stones for cyclists which then becomes gravel.

Once in Palas de Rei (km 47) we can decide to make a last stop before starting the last 13 km to Melide. This locality was the last stop that Aymeric Picaud reflected in its Codex Calixtino before arriving at Santiago and it is said that its name comes from the Visigothic era, since the “palace” of the Visigoth king Witiza was here. With the arrival of the Jacobean pilgrimage, the village began to become more important and became during the Medieval and Modern Age in an important place for the nobility, who built great fortresses and pazos (palaces) in the area.

Pambre Castle, in Palas de Rei (Picture given by amaianos on Flickr under the following conditions)

In fact, in the vicinity of Palas de Rei is the Pambre castle, one of the few castles that survived the Irmandiño Revolt of 1467 in which Galician peasants rose up against their masters and destroyed their castles. It was built in the fourteenth century and one of its functions was to serve as a point to preserve security on the Camino de Santiago. It has a huge tower of three floors, surrounded by a thick wall with four towers at the sides. Although it was about to become ruins, in the last years a great investment has been made to restore it and today it is possible to visit it – although the visit schedule  varies according to the time. Going by bike we will arrive in half an hour (8.5 km) to the castle, in favorable way. In the map of stage we mark you where is the castle.

In Palas there is also another great example of Romanic architecture, which adds to the long list of those we have seen today, the church of Vilar de Donas. It is said that it could be part of a monastic group founded by women and later related more to the Order of Santiago. Some of his most important knights are buried here.

Church of Vilar de Donas (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

We leave Palas by an uncomfortable track with many stones, which may force us to rise from the saddle to safeguard the integrity of our buttocks. After crossing the N-547 by a crosswalk we continue along an paved track near the road, which leads again to the road after a few meters. From there the pedestrian path runs along a sidewalk or some paved track near the road that is shortly diverted to enter to the Carballal village. At the exit, the Jacobean signs indicate the crossing of the national road to pass to a gravel path on the left shoulder, which after a few meters leaves the national road to enter into the forest.

If from Carballal we continue by the N-547 we will go direct to O Coto (km 55,5), the provincial limit between Lugo and Coruña. In case it has rained we will avoid a section that can be quite cumbersome due to its road surface is muddy or natural stone (quite slippery), but which is one of the most beautiful of this stage.

San Xulián do Camiño Church (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

The paths lead first to San Xulián do Camiño (km 50), where you can see a Romanic church with a single nave and a large semicircular apse without divisions. By the asphalt we cross the Pambre river and then we enter to Pontecampaña (km 51), from where begins a nice section in which we follow paths between trees and sections of natural rocks, which we must face with patience since we may have to get off to prevent falls.

We will arrive at Casanova (km 52) and shortly afterwards to Porto de Bois, from where the path joins the small road LU-4001 to go to O Coto, where also the N-547 passes. At this point we change from province to enter to the last one that we will visit in the Camino de Santiago, A Coruña.

The footpath again distances itself from the national road to pass through Leboreiro, a village mentioned in the Codex Calixtino with the name Campus Leporaruis (“Hill of hares”). It has a great Jacobean tradition and in the 12th century it had a hospital for pilgrims. From the nucleus, it draws the attention its church, dedicated to X, and the cabazo that is conserved in front of it.

A cabazo is a granary – depending on the area of Galicia the granaries have different names, such as piorno, cabana o paneira– less elaborated. Since they are made with wicker and straw, there are not many nowadays that are too old and this one is an exception –although it’s rehabilitated-.

Church Santa María in Leboreiro  (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martinez on Flickr under the following conditions)

The church of Santa María de Leboreiro is of Romanic-Gothic transition. On the main gate there is a carving of the Virgin holding the Child, which is related to a legend of the locality. It is said that the sculpture of the Virgin that is kept inside the temple was found by a miracle in a nearby fountain, reason why this church was constructed to safeguard it. Every night the sculpture moved to other places and returned to the fountain where it had been found, until a local sculptor carved this image in the tympanum of the door and the sculpture of the Virgin remained forever in its place. If you have the opportunity to enter to the church, in Tournride we recommend you to do it, since in addition to the carving, you can see the impressive colorful murals that are preserved in the north wall.

After leaving Leboreiro you pass by Disicabo and then enter to an industrial estate that belongs to Melide, where it has been tried to make the route more pleasant to the pilgrims building a park with trees in their honor – although the image is still not completely inspiring -.

After crossing the industrial estate, the road and the pedestrian path separate each other again to visit the last village of this stage, the picturesque village of Furelos (km 58.5) on the banks of the homonymous river. The road up there is by mountain that, as in previous sections, will be a big quagmire if it has rained that day.

The entrance to Furelos is made by a medieval dromedary bridge, with four large arches. It is the largest and the best preserved of the Middle Ages on the French Way in Galicia. After crossing it, the village is crossed by its main cobblestone street, which passes next to a church dedicated to San Juan. Although its origin is medieval, it is clear that it has enough later additions.

After passing Furelos it’s very little to reach our end of stage. We just have to follow a track that intercalates gravel and asphalt to reach Melide, where we can enjoy a good portion of pulpo á feira and rest for the great emotion that awaits us tomorrow: the arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

Furelos’ Medieval bridge (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martinez on Flickr under the following conditions)

Distance to Santiago: 150 km

Distance for stage: San Xil Via 40 km / Samos Via 46 km

Estimated time: 5 – 7 hours

Minimum height: 450

Maximum height: 1339 m

Route difficulty: Median

Places of public interest: Triacastela, Samos, Sarria

Itinerary map: To see the whole journey on Google Maps click here 

Click to enlarge

In this stage, we notice a big change regarding the community. We leave Castilla and León behind and we get into Galicia: “Legbreaking” ways, a huge number of small towns and immersion in the green rural area. You won’t find large cities until you get to Santiago, but today we will end up in Sarria, where we will find all the services we need.

Today’s route is characterized by starting with a pronounced descent from O Cebreiro, alternate with two jumps with small-slopes shape. From el Alto do Poio the profile will be in a continuous descent until Triacastela.

In Triacastela we must choose an itinerary, because we have two variants. The traditional way, which is shorter and more direct (although with a complicated profile), is the one from San Xil, to the North. The South variant is 6, 5 km longer, but the detour is worth it because we can visit the monastery of Samos, one of the most monumental monastic complexes of Galicia.

In the next lines we tell you in a very detailed way all about this stage… Tournride wishes you buen camino!

French Way in Galicia ((Picture given by tunante80 on Flickr under the following conditions)

GENERAL PROFILE AND JOURNEY OF THE STAGE

This stage has a first common route, from O Cebreiro to Triacastela. In Triacastela the way forks and connects again in 5, 5 km before arriving to Sarria, in Aguiada.

To Triacastela, we can choose to use the pedestrian paths or follow the course of the LU-633. The road can be chosen once we are in O Cebreiro (in the septentrional part of town) and leads us directly, passing by all the towns of the stage. The profile is more constant by the pedestrian paths, with fewer jumps. Even so, since we go out of O Cebreiro we have to ascend first to el Alto San Roque and then to the one from Poio (1339 m, maximum height of the French Way in Galicia). From el Alto de Poio we descend until Triacastela, first softly and then with slopes up to 17%.

If we go from O Cebreiro to Triacastela on bike by pedestrian paths, we surely will have to get off the bike and push it through at some point of the road, especially in the two first ascents to the heights. The surface is really stony in a lot of the points of the paths, whether it’s ascending or descending.

The pedestrian itinerary goes out of the paved way next to the municipal shelter. This leads us to a narrow path that later flows into a wide forest track and in a few meters, into the LU-633, in order to enter to Liñares (3, 2 km). By a parallel path to the highway we continue moving forward until arriving to el Alto de San Roque and later until Hospital de la Condesa (5,7 km).A few meters after, passing by Hospital de la Condesa, the route splits up one more time from the LU-633 in order to pass by Padornelo and ascend to el Alto de Poio, but in Tournride we recommend you to continue this part by road. The final ascending slope has a medium inclination of 13% and is made up by big loose stones.

From el Alto de Poio (8, 5 km) the pedestrian path is made of stone, it’s not really that wide and goes through the LU-633 in parallel. After passing by Fonfría (12 km) the road and the path split up right before getting to O Biduedo. The Jacobean ways that connect O Biduedo (14, 3 km), Filloval (17, 3 km), Ramil and Triacastela (21, 1 km) have a land surface, and sometimes it has stones, but they’re completely bicycles.

Corredoira from Ramil to Triacastela ((Picture given by Gus Taf on Flickr under the following conditions)

In Triacastela, the way forks until getting to Aguiada: we can go by San Xil (14 km of route) or by Samos (20, 5 km of route). The way by San Xil has a more complicated profile than the one by Samos, and at the first half we don’t have any option to circulate by road, we have to do it by paths. The route forks at the end of the main street of Triacastela, indicated by two signs.

• The route by San Xil changes course to the North, by a concrete track that goes out of the LU-633 indicating “San Xil” and that it takes us to A Balsa with a medium slope of 8%. The stretch from there to San Xil (25, 8 km) it’s travelled by paths with a complicated surface with several jumps, although we can avoid this by following the previous concrete track. From San Xil the slope gets soft until el Alto de Riocabo, the highest height of this alternative way (890 m).

From this point, the way gets into the forest and it has a permanent descent, first with a slope of 4% until Montán (28,9 km) and then a little bit more constant but with marked jumps passing by Fontearcuda (29,6 km), Furela (31,5 km) and Pintín (32,8 km). The first part between el Alto de Riocabo and Montán is done by a road where we have to be extremely careful, because there’s a big stone stretch that creates natural stairs. We can avoid this by following the road until the crossroad with the LU-5602 that goes directly to Sarria passing by all the towns from this stage.

• We take the route by Samos by turning to the left in Triacastela and it has a very simple profile (the maximum height is 592 m). The LU-633 continues the majority of its itinerary passing by all its towns until Teiguín, following town to Samos. In Teiguín, the road goes to the West, directly to Sarria, but the pedestrian way leaves the road behind to connect with the North of the San Xil road.

In the first part of the route, from Triacastela to San Cristovo (24, 9 km), pilgrims on foot join us by the shoulder of the LU-633. Before entering to San Cristovo the path splits up from the road and connects again in Renche (26, 6 km). Once again, it forks at the exit of town and passes by Freituxe (28, 4 km) and San Martiño do Real (29, 5 km). If we go by road we will not pass by Freituxe. San Martiño is not that far away from Samos, which we leave behind by the LU-633. After passing by Teiguín a Jacobean sign leads us to a concrete track in a slope that goes out to the right of the road. If we take it, we will pass by Pascais (33, 9 km), Sivil (39, 8 km) and Calvor until flowing into Aguiada, where we can follow the LU-5602 until arriving to Sarria. If we want to shorten the way it’s better to follow the LU-633 from Teiguín until Sarria, avoiding the detour.

Stretch of the Way by San Xil (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

As you see, this stage gives a lot of opportunities on the itinerary, because we can choose all the time between going by the pedestrian way or by the road and besides we have two more routes that we can choose almost at the end of the stage, with connections between them or directly to Sarria. Choosing one way is a personal decision and any of them will be a good memory for us, because every single one of them goes through an amazing natural environment. The road is also one of the most beautiful ones from the inside of the community, and one of its stretches is the highest one of all the road networks in Galicia.

Due to how many times you ask for some advices on which route to take, we leave you the route that here in Tournride we advise you to follow in order to combine security with visits to Jacobean towns with the most patrimony, always giving priority to the pedestrian ways. If the weather condition is bad or there’s an excessive pilgrims’ affluence, we recommend you to go by road with the appropriate security signs:

1. O Cebreiro – Alto do Poio: LU-633
2. Alto do Poio – Triacastela: pedestrian route increasing precaution
3. Triacastela – Sarria:

• Route by San Xil. Follow the pedestrian way to A Balsa. Road from there to Montán. From Montán to Sarria, go by pedestrian paths.
• Route by Samos. Use the pedestrian paths. From Teiguín it gets easier following the LU-633, but the Jacobean way that connects with Aguiada is totally bicycle.

PRACTICAL ADVICES

• A lot of pilgrims on foot start their way in O Cebreiro, although not many cyclists do it because the whole journey does not represent the minimum distance to get the Compostela (you must cover 200 km minimum). Even so, each one of them must decide what to do according to their time and appetence so, as always, we leave you the information about how to get to O Cebreiro.

In this case, there are not buses (not even train or airplanes!) that go directly to O Cebreiro. The best thing to do is going to Piedrafita do Cebreiro, which Alsa can offer you many connections from Lugo and Santiago. It is also connected to large cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, although with less frequency. Once we are in Piedrafita we don’t have any other option but taking a taxi or walk to the town, it’s about 3,5 km and the taxi price can be about 10€.

Besides, you already know that in Tournride we leave your bikes during the previous day at the beginning of your trip in the lodging that you chose back in O Cebreiro. Also, we can also take your extra bagage to wait for you at the end your road, so you won’t have to carry with extra weight!

• Be careful with getting lost from Triacastela to Samos. There are not that many vertical Jacobean signs, you will mostly find yellow arrows. There are times that those arrows can be a little modified with the purpose of making pilgrims pass by some private stores. Besides, in this area they have trail running races and there are blue arrows marked on the trees to guide contestants, please remember that our arrows are only the yellows ones, we follow the roots of Valiña! If you look a little into our stage map before going out, or print our stage map on PDF, you won’t have any trouble.
• If you go by pedestrian ways, you must be extra careful with the road crossroads, there are too many!
• As we advised you in the previous stage, you have to pay attention to the weather, it changes a lot and can make you choose another specific itinerary, especially when it’s really windy, rainy or with snow. If it’s raining or snowing or with excessive affluence of pilgrims in Tournride we advise to make the entire route by the LU-633.
• In Galicia you will find some small towns every few meters, so it’s not really necessary to carry with extra food or drinks. Even so, some of the towns from this stage (especially the ones from the San Xil route) do not welcome pilgrims on their stores or shops, because they’re completely rural. So that’s why in many of them you won’t find any kind of service.
• If you choose the variant to Samos because you want to visit the monastery, we recommend you to look firstly the day before, the visit schedules, because they have too many.

DETAILED ITINERARY AND HISTORIC-ARTISTIC PATRIMONY

Just like in the previous stage, this part of the French Way joins together a huge landscape and natural interest with the stop at some monumental enclaves with huge patrimonial importance, such as the monastery of Samos. Meanwhile, we will pass by dozens of small rural enclaves, a habitable configuration very typical from Galicia; where in the rural part they live “close but separated”. No wonder in Galicia there are 39% of the town centers of Spain, although only 5,8% of the country’s population live there!

The first part of the stage, until Fonfría, we will travel it by the highest part of the road of Galicia that goes through los Ancares . This natural and political border that we have crossed in the previous stage has been declared Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. It preserves its nature in its entire splendor and due to the complicated land configuration, it has always been in an isolation situation, which has favored the preservation of the traditions and popular architecture. We could see this already back in O Cebreiro, with its pallozas and granite and slate houses, but today it’ll be more noticeable because we see more towns in the distance and go through some of them.

After, we go to Sarria by the North limit of la Sierra do Courel, one of the most important natural protected areas of Galicia. It covers more than 21000 hectares, full with valleys between mountains with a Mediterranean and Atlantic forest. Dozens of species live there, a lot of them also protected. There are wolves (but don’t worry, they run away from humans) and real eagles and owls, although they’re hard to find each time. Before, there were grizzly bears, even though today their habitat in Galicia is reduced to only Los Ancares.

Welcome to the apostle land!

Ancares (Picture given by Oscar Gende Villar on Flickr under the following conditions)

FROM O CEBREIRO TO TRIACASTELA, THE PERFECT MOUNTAIN STRETCH

We leave O Cebreiro behind and, by path or road; we arrive in less than 3 km until Liñares, first town of the stage. With less than 70 people which most of them work on agriculture and on livestock production, this town welcomes pilgrims with its church dedicated to San Esteban (Santo Estevo in Galician) which people believe was founded in the VIII century. In the past, this parish depended of the important monastery of Santa María do Cebreiro, to whom they provided linen, that’s where its current name comes from.

The pedestrian way crosses at the exit of Liñares and follows a stone path until getting to el Alto de San Roque first, and el Alto de Poio later. It’s a legbreaking road, with continuous ascents and descents. Also we can go by the LU-633.

El Alto de San Roque (1275 m of height) is marked with an outstanding bronze statue. The Galician sculptor Jose María Acuña made it in 1993 and tried to reflect the hardness of the way that pilgrims must travel by those ports. Dressed up with medieval Jacobean clothing, he’s holding his hat with one hand so the wind won’t take it away, while he supports himself on his walking stick to continue ascending. The surroundings views from this point are very impressive.

Statue of Santiago (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

From this point, the descent is a little steep by pedestrian paths, although by road we can descend in a softer way. We pass by Hospital de la Condesa (km 5, 7), called like this because in the past it had a hospital dedicated to serve pilgrims, maybe sponsored by some aristocrat.

From Hospital de la Condesa, the pedestrian way goes through a gravel path parallel to the right shoulder of the road and splits up from it 800 meters after, in a detour to the right. This detour takes us to Padornelo and from there to Alto de Poio, where it passes by the LU-633 again. In this stretch of the ascent to Alto de Poio we recommend doing it by road because of how stony the surface is and how heavy the final slope can be, only 300 m long but very inclined.

El Alto de Poio is, with its 1339 meters of height, the highest point that we will step in during the entire journey through Galicia. This offers a very impressive view of the entire surrounding mountains.

From el Alto de Poio to Fonfría there are 4 km that pedestrians walk by the left shoulder of the road. We cover them quickly because the profile is practically flat.

Fonfría (km 12) is a small town which name derives from “fonte fría” (“Cold fountain”, in Galician), in reference to the spring water. In this case, we still see a fountain at the entrance of town and runs water from the Reñadoiro Mountains.  

After covering 1 km from Fonfría we enter to the municipality of Triacastela and the first town that we visit in this part is O Biduedo (km 14, 3), where a simple chapel dedicated to San Pedro is located at. In the Lugo area, a lot of birches come up (“bidueiros” in Galician) in the river’s shore, which in the past this town had a lot of them, that’s where the town’s name comes from.

From O Biduedo the road’s line and the pedestrian way go apart, so the second one will go into the mountain. The majority of stretch is bicycle, although there will be moments where the surface is composed of stone chips, so we recommend you to have caution.

This mountain was the setting, in the Middle Age, of a very symbolic tradition, which it’s told in the Códice Calixtino. People say that in the eleventh stage, which went from Villafranca del Bierzo to Triacastela (Aymeric was riding a horse, covering long distances), pilgrims must choose a stone from these mountains of Triacastela and carry it with them until getting to Castañeda, where they passed by their final stage, which went from Palas to Compostela. They should leave it in Castañeda, in the lime ovens of the town, where they used to prepare the mortar in order to build the cathedral. Just like this, every pilgrim could contribute in a small way, to raise La Casa de Santiago.

Mountains views of Triacastela (Picture given by Rocío Guerrero on Flickr under the following conditions)

We pass by the small town of O Filloval (km 17,3) or O Fillobal, or however we want to call it, because this town’s name can be written with “b” or “v” or with the article or not… No one really is clear about the correct way to write it, not even in Galician not even in Spanish! After dealing with this confusing orthographic point, the way crosses with the LU-633 in order to cross Pasantes, to the other side of the road. Right before entering into Triacastela we pass by Ramil, a small rural enclave that keeps a natural treasure: a big hundred-year-old chestnut. We don’t know the exact age of this tree, but we believe it may have around 800 years of age!

Chesnut of Ramil ((Picture given by Gus Taf on Flickr under the following conditions)

In Ramil we are practically located at the entrance of the urban center of Triacastela, where we get to by a land path between trees and grass areas. Once we are in Triacastela, we will realize that in this Jacobean village, the impact of the Camino de Santiago and its pilgrims’ affluence is really strong, especially if we visit from June to September.

This affluence is not really new, because pilgrimage was already rising up in the XII and XIII centuries, Triacastela had already more pilgrims than visitors. In fact, people say that in the Códice Calixtino a lot of caterings from Compostela got closer to Triacastela in order to convince pilgrims to stay in their inns when they arrive to Santiago. They promised them to be the best and saved a bed in exchange of payment, but a lot of times when pilgrims arrive they saw that the lodging was completely bad and didn’t fill their expectations and that they charged extra money for this.

Fraud attempts were not allowed, there was even a prison for pilgrims. They locked up people who pretended to be walkers to take advantage of people’s good will and get alms, food or a free bed. This old building today is almost in completely ruins and we can see it before entering to Plaza Mayor.

Triacastela owes its name supposedly to the existence of three forts or castles in this area (Historians do not agree on this one). There are some people who say the place name derives from the fact that it was a pass to Castilla.

Monument to the pilgrim in Triacastela ((Picture given by Rocío Guerrero on Flickr under the following conditions)

What’s clear is that it has a big Jacobean tradition, which is reflected in its urbanism, because its main street coincides with the Way trace and its name leaves no doubts, because it’s called rúa do Peregrino and rúa Santiago. Besides, its parish church is dedicated to the apostle and people believe that probably the old pilgrims hospital would had been connected with it. The temple’s Romantic apse is still preserved, although the rest is baroque (C. XVIII) and in its major altarpiece there’s a huge image of Santiago dressed up as a pilgrim. In the tower there’s a shield engraved with three castle’s towers, which created the theory that the town’s name derives from this fact.

Triacastela is a good place to rest and have a drink on the several stores from the hotels that we can find. Later, we should go straight through the Mayor street and choose which route to take in order to get to Sarria.

Church of Triacastela (Picture given by Alejandro Moreno Calvo on Flickr under the following  conditions)

FROM TRIACASTELA TO SARRIA BY SAN XIL

The route of Triacastela to Samos was born centuries ago by the influence of the imposing monastery that is located there, but the one of San Xil was born by the use of common sense. On bike the distances logic is not the one that weights the most, but we can really tell when we walk 5 km! Especially when we move in hard orographic just like the Galician one!

By San Xil we take less to get there and, just like the Samos road, we go through a spectacular landscape. The profile of this route is more complicated than the one from Samos, because there’s a higher physical effort on the initial slopes until el Alto de Riocabo and more technical capacity on the descent (if we travel by the pedestrian paths).

To choose this route we have to abandon Triacastela turning to the right at the end of the main street. After crossing the rod we take a concrete track with yellow arrows and signs indicating “San Xil”. This part of the way is simple and takes us to A Balsa in about 2 km, the first town on this route.

A Balsa is a small rural town where there’s a chapel dedicated to Nuestra Señora de las Nieves. Our visit will become a prelude to what come next to Sarria: colorful towns with a really small size that keeps its rural and traditional essence at its maximum, not being used to take advantage of pilgrims visitors.

From A Balsa to San Xil the pedestrian way is complicated: with jumps and stone and land surfaces that get muddy if it has been raining (very usual in this area). If you want to avoid this part you can go out of A Balsa and continue by the road. By the pedestrian way the nature vision is wilder, but on road the views are also wonderful and we can enjoy them a little bit more.

Way from Triacastela to San Xil (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

San Xil (km 25, 8) is a small town without services, but its place name indicates that probably it had a marked Jacobean past. The saint, to whom the town is dedicated, is very important in France, especially in the places where the Santiago route passes by, so probably that’s why the connection between the place and pilgrimage comes from the past.

The ascent from San Xil to el Alto de Riocabo is covered by road. It’s not really that hard, but maybe the effort we made in the previous stage has left some kind of damage and it will take us longer and harder to get there than the usual. El Alto de Riocabo will mark a change on the route’s dynamic because the descent starts there until getting to Sarria. The pedestrian way gets into the forest by “corredoiras”, land and stone ways between big oaks or “carballos”, as natives would say.

Some parts of this descent are quite complicated, including the stretch with big stones that are placed together as if they were stairs. With the rain, it gets a little slippery and due to the fact that it descends we must put in practice our best technique abilities. If we are not capable of doing it, the best thing to do is to avoid the detour in el Alto de Riocabo and continue by the concrete track. We will flow into the LU-5602 and from there we can follow the road until Sarria or changing course to the pedestrian way in any of the several crossroads between both.

Views from the ascent of Alto de Riocabo (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following conditions)

The following town where we can arrive, whether it’s by path or by road, is Montán. The way doesn’t really enter to this small rural town and from here until Sarria, the paths are much more bicycle than the one that have guided us from Triacastela.

If we want, we can change course to the town in order to see the church of Santa María de Montán. The temple is Romantic, simply made of masonry and slate, with an entrance portico where a small window opens over it. In the inside, the ship’s height stands out, which by the way it looks lower from the outside. The major altarpiece is Neoclassic (C. XIX)

Leaving Montán behind, we continue pedaling on a light descent to Fontearcuda (km 29, 6) and, from there; a land path takes us to cross the LU-5602 and a river. After, we pedal 700 meters more between fields and we flow into the road again.

The road passes by the middle of Furela (31,5km) only 500 meters later, and after passing it by, we enter already to Sarria municipality. In this small town without services, there’s a simple chapel dedicated to San Roque, white painted on the outside and with a bell gable on the main cover. After bordering the chapel, the path crosses again the road and The Way keeps going parallel to the road, and little by little it gets apart until entering to Pintín.

From Pintín (km 23, 8) to Aguiada we go firstly by concrete and later by a path located within the forest. The surface can turn a little bit complicated, because it’s stony and if it rains it can get muddy. If this is not the case, we can always go through the LU-5602. In Aguiada (km 34, 7) we reunite again with pilgrims that have been doing the Way by the route of Samos and we will travel the next 5 km with them until getting to Sarria.

Aguiada is a small town with less than 50 people, that has the pilgrims services and a small rural chapel dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

From Aguiada, el Camino goes permanently connected to the LU-5602, so for us it will be much comfortable going by the shoulder.

Stretch of San Xil Way (Picture given by Fresco Tours on Flickr under the following  conditions)

Some pilgrims in the Middle Age (considering how difficult it was back then to cover each kilometer!) even decided to increase their distance of their Way just with the purpose of passing by the wonderful monastic enclave of Samos, this place must’ve had something really special!

A lot of pilgrims on foot decide to go by the route of San Xil to avoid in the maximum the concrete stretches, because this route has a lot of them. For us, this can be in our favor, because we can go by road without much traffic after covering the hard stage on the previous day, whose profile is simpler than the one of San Xil. Besides, the journey by concrete blocks our view of the amazing natural landscape that surrounds us during the whole route: hundred year-old trees typical of the riverbank Atlantic forest: such as oaks, chestnuts, birches.

In order to go by this route we must turn to the left at the end of the main street of Triacastela, passing by the City Council and la Plaza de la Diputación. Later, the arrows will indicate us to go back to the LU-633. The first 4 km until San Cristovo do Real are covered by road, in a light negative slope.

In this stretch by concrete, the fact that some road’s parts fit in between high vertical stone walls may attract our attention. We are going over el Desfiladero de Penapartida, this is a place that, according to the legend, was built during the pilgrimage of the Virgin to Compostela. When she got to this area she found a huge rock blocking her way, so she called two angels that descended from heaven bringing with them a big lightning that split the rock in two, creating this natural environment that centuries later was taken to build the road.

From the road, a detour to the right takes us to a gravel path in a strong slope where we enter to the village of San Cristovo. This small village with less than 35 people seems to have been stopped in time, because it preserves a lot of its popular architecture (although some examples are in a better state preservation than the others). Its parish church (C. XVII) becomes important thanks to its major altarpiece, a churrigueresque jewel hidden in the Galician rural. The Oribio River passes by the middle of the town and its shores are full with big trees. In order to go out of town we must cross the flow by a bridge and, after, we immerse ourselves in the forest by corredoiras and big tracks between trees.

During the next 5, 5 km from San Cristovo to San Martiño do Real, the way goes all over the whole nature. Even though there are some parts with a lot of jumps and some parts have the surface a little bit unstable. The only exception when we don’t make this time perfectly on bike is when it rains a lot.

Going out the village of San Cristovo we pass by a public shelter Casa de Lusío, which is located at an old country house from the XVI century, whose last owner gave this Benedictine community of Samos up. This, at the same time, gave it up to the Xunta de Galicia that started to restore it in 2007 in order to get back its function that it had in the past, hostelry. In the actuality, the old rooms of the residency are full of bunk beds and rest areas for pilgrims, being restored in a modern way but sticking to its original configuration, just like its constructive elements, for example its external arches, its shield (marked with eight scallops) or its big conical chimney located at the same spot where the kitchen was before. The old country house is bordered by a 15 hectares farm, where there are stables, a mil, a smithy or a chapel.

Casa Forte Lusío (Picture given by Xacobeo on Flickr under the following conditions)

The shelter also counts with some areas dedicated to exhibitions and museums. The main idea was to install a permanent exhibition in there about Vicente Vázquez Queipo de Llano, a mathematician, physician and politic that was born in this country house in 1804. The most popular thing about his legacy was his development on the logarithm tables that are still used in the actuality; he even received a prize from The International Exposition of Paris in 1867.

We cover less than 2 km in order to get to Renche by ways covered with leaves from the top of the trees, where the light finds a way to draw fanciful shapes that let loose our imagination and transports us to a fantastic world (not for nothing”El bosque animado” was inspired on this Galician forest).

Path on the forest that lead to Samos (Picture given by Luca Terzaroli on Flickr under the following conditions)

Renche (km 26, 6) is located in the actuality at the border of the LU-633 and it’s a small rural town that the Pope granted to the monastery of Samos in the XVI century, with the condition that monks should go there every day with food and wine for pilgrims. The church is dedicated to the apostle, although its biggest attraction is, without doubt, the wonderful natural environment, where we immerse ourselves when we go out of the town in order to cover another 2 km until Freituxe.

In this stretch from Renche to Freituxe the surface and the profile change a lot, because there are some land, stone or gravel slides. We get to Freituxe (km 28, 4) by ascending. We won’t find that many services in this town and, after passing it by, the most complicated part of this route is waiting for us, especially because of the surface, where there are big loose stones. It’s important to be extra careful and, if we want to avoid it, we don’t have any other option than going directly by road from Renche to San Martiño without passing by Freituxe. Although in this case, it would be such a shame to miss this beautiful natural environment.

In San Martiño do Real (km 29, 5) we are one more time at the border of the LU-633. We are getting closer to Samos each time, but maybe you deserve a stop at the church dedicated to San Martín in this town, if you are interested in the rural Romanticism. Just like the one from Montán in the San Xil route, the materials are simple, made of masonry and slate and it doesn’t have a lot of decoration. It also has a portico at the entrance, which it’s a reflection of the weather’s hardness on the area, where it’s necessary to find a shelter where to protect ourselves in case of rain or snow.

At the exit of the town, the pedestrian way crosses the road by a lower tunnel and, after a sign and yellow arrows indicate the crossroad (without pedestrian pass) of the LU-5601. By a path between trees, with an irregular surface and legbreaking profile, we arrive to Samos.

Before entering to Samos, the Way takes us to a higher height, where we can appreciate spectacular views of the monastery, before arriving to the actual destination.. From there we go down in a pronounced way until getting the urban center. If we go by road we enter to town by the North and the views are not really that good.

Views of the monastery of Samos at the entrance of the town (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

Once we are in Samos (km 31), we will find all the services and we can make a stop to enjoy the wonderful monastery, that has almost 1500 years of being a monastic room, only interrupted during a short period of time from the XIX century.The monastery of San Julián de Samos had a lot of political, social and spiritual influence on its nearest surroundings and in larger scale. Some important intellectual people and kings used to stay in there, some of them were connected to pilgrimage.

The origins of this monastery go back to the VI century, when San Martín de Dumio promoted the settlement of a monks group in this unexplored place between mountains. San Martín Dumiense was a bishop and theologian who was born in Hungary and, after visiting los Santos Lugares in the East, he even became bishop of Braga. The influence was that big that it even got to change the official Swabian religion from Arianism to Catholicism and encouraged the humble people to leave aside the cults inherited from the Roman Times and get closer to Christians. The monasteries founded under their orders, were controlled under the rules with Hispanic-Visigoth origins, like the one developed by San Fructuoso a century ago in El Bierzo, or the one San Isidoro wrote in Sevilla. Over the centuries the church decided to unify the rules, eliminating these types of rules to change all of them for the Benedictine of Cluny, a process that ended in the XII century.

This change took place in Samos in the X century, when they eliminated the San Fructuoso Rule for the “ora et labora” Benedictine. Given the connection between The Cluniac Reforms with el Camino de Santiago and with the Crown, the monastery gained each time more importance. In the C. XVI its biggest moment of magnificence arrived, in that century, eight soon-to-be bishops and big religious intellectuals came out of its walls. One of them was Father Benito Feijoó, who promoted the illustration in Spain and he was one of the first people who wrote essays in the peninsula, including some of the controversial ones such as “En defensa de las mujeres”, that claimed for equality in a century when the situation was really far away from being equal.

Courtyard dedicated to Father Feijoó in the monastery of Samos (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

In the XIX century, the peace and intellectuality environment of the monastery changed drastically when it became a hospital where injured people were taken care of during the Independence War. Later, with the Confiscation, they had to leave the building but the monks could occupy the place again 24 years later.

Since then, this magnificent complex has been occupied by monks who continue “praying and working”, including offering service to pilgrims for hostelry located at the monastery. Due to this being a historic-artistic monument, there is a schedule for tourist visitsthat we recommend checking up the day before in order to organize the arrival of Samos when it’s open.

Cover of the church San Xulián of Samos (Picture given by Emilio on Flickr under the following conditions)

Despite its old origins, the majority of what we see today come from the Renaissance and Neoclassicism times (C. XV-XVII), from “the gold times” of the monastery. It’s curious the fact that, although everything was made in a monumental way and with big dimensions, they still wanted to pretend sobriety. That’s why there is not a lot of decoration. From the complex, mainly four parts stand out: its church, the cloisters, the library and the so called Chapel of Cypress.

The Church’s facade is missing two towers that they never got to be built, that’s why it looks a little “squat”. It has an external stair that we should keep in our memory, because it will remind us of the cathedral from Compostela.

In the inside of the monastery there are four cloisters, which one of them is the biggest of Spain. It’s dedicated to Father Feijoó and, in its center, a huge sculpture made by the artist Francisco Asorey, who was one of the sculpture’s renovators from the XX century; represented the habits while holding big books.

Cloister of Nereids in the monastery of Samos (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

The other cloister is the one from “las Nereidas” (The Nereids), known like this because a baroque fountain in its center represent four mythological nymphs holding a coup. You’re telling an anecdote by saying that some stonemason from the XVI century decided to fool visitors, carving in a hieroglyph the phrase “What are you looking at, fool?” in one of the arches’ key.

The Chapel of Cypress is separated a little from the complex. It’s much older (C. IX) and its name comes from the hundred-year-old tree raised up monumentally right next to one of its walls. The cypress is marked with a characteristic black mark, as a result of a lightning that fell directly into it during a storm. The chapel certainly, in its beginnings, could have been a monastic cell.

Chapel of Cypress near the monastery of Samos (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

After leaving Samos the arrows of the Way guide us to continue by the road’s shoulder and, after, by a path between the Sarria River and the LU-633. The path gets wide open in some points to create recreation areas next to the river; this is a very nice place to rest for a while if we haven’t done it before in Samos.

Short after 1 km of Samos we will see to our right Teiguín (km 32, 8), a small town located at the right shoulder of the road. After passing it by, a vertical Jacobean sign indicates a detour directing to a slope to the left that abandons the LU-633 in order to get into the forest.

Following the detour we connect again with pilgrims of the San Xil route in Aguiada, alternating land stretches with concrete ones while we follow the course of Sarria. If you prefer going a little bit more direct you can follow the LU-633. In 9 km you will get to the end of the stage, alternating ascents and descents with no too many jumps.

If we take the detour we will begin a quite strong ascent by concrete until Pascais (km 33,9) and, from there we will descend a little until we see a small stream where is located the church of Santalla or Santa Eulalia de Pascais, another example of a Romantic hidden construction, in the Galician rural. From all of the things done in the XII century, they still preserve the apse, the North wall and one of the doors; the rest is baroque. What really attracts attention is the quality of its major altarpiece, so if you have the chance we will encourage you to see it.

We border the church by a “corredoira” between trees we get to Gorolfe, where we connect again to a concrete track that takes us to cross the Sarria River. After crossing it we continue alternating path and concrete in order to pass by Sivil (km 39, 8), from where we will be very closet o Calvor and join the rest of pilgrims in Aguiada (km 41, 5).

From Aguiada we have, just like in the other route, 5, 5 km left to get to Sarria. We can cover them by the pedestrian way, which the majority of it is connected to the road or we can pedal directly by the LU-5602.

Distance to Santiago: 202 km

Distance for stage: 52 km

Estimated time: 5 – 7 hours

Minimum height: 480 m

Maximum height: 1302 m

Route difficulty: Muy alta

Places of public interest: Cacabelos, Villafranca del Bierzo, O Cebreiro

Itinerary map: To see the whole journey on Google Maps click here 

Click to enlarge

This stage has two very different parts. The first one includes from Ponferrada’s exit to Las Herrerías (km 44) and here the pedestrian route can be perfectly travelled on bike. We cross el valle del Bierzo by wide land paths, regional highways or concrete paths. We can also travel by highway, by the LE-713 until Villafranca del Bierzo and then by the N-VI and the NA-006A until Las Herrerías.

The second part begins in Las Herrerías, we have to shift our gears For those who didn’t go across the Pyrinnees, the descent by bike to O Cebreiro will be, without doubt, the hardest slope part you will have to deal with during the entire French Way. There are different signs for cyclists because of how hard some paths can turn. The only time when we recommend going on the traditional way is if you’re an experimented cyclist. In general, it’s much better to do the whole journey on the road, firstly by the CV-125/1 until La Laguna and later by a asphalt track that crosses the border by a higher height than the pedestrian way.

Let’s shift gears and take it easy… Today we cross los Ancares!

Los Ancares ((Picture given by Anlopelope on Flickr under the folllowing conditions)

PROFILE AND STAGE’S MAIN ROUTE

The exit at Ponferrada can turn a little bit long, like it tends to happen in cities. That’s why in Tournride, we propose a simpler variation on the road. Simply, we must cross el puente del Castillo (Castillo Bridge) and take the second exit in the Plaza Portales roundabout. Following the Asturias Avenue straightly, we will cross five roundabouts more and we will pass under the N-VI. In the roundabout, after the lower pass we turn left and that’s how we will get to Columbrianos. If you prefer going by the traditional Jacobean way, you must follow the green trace in our stage map.

Once we are in Columbrianos, we must turn to the left by a street that goes out obliquely right before the pedestrian pass crossing the highway in the midpoint of town.

We keep on moving forward by asphalt tracks until we get to Camponaraya (km 7). Moving straight by the highway that traverses the town, we will pass by some industrial ships and, after crossing a roundabout placed there; we must take a concrete way to the left, leading to the end of the highway, next to the location of a wine cellar.

In a really light slope we continue moving through that concrete way, leaving a resting area behind to our left. We cross the A-6 by an upper pass and, after we go through a nice stretch of nearly 3 km by a wide land track between vineyards.

That’s how we arrive to Cacabelos (km 16), that we cross from East to West in order to go out by the stone bridge over the Cúa River. The bridge takes us directly to the LE-713, which we will follow in a light slope until getting to Pieros, small town located at the right of the highway.

We continue going by the LE-713 after exiting Pieros and in about 2 km, the road is filled up with mixed signs. Some of them actually indicate there’s a fork to our right and the others suggest us to go straight. They are two different options to get to Villafranca del Bierzo:

• If we continue going to our right we keep on moving in a slope by a asphalt way during 300 meters, so we can change later to a wide land path to the left. This profile is quite stretched out, with some little “jumps” though we arrive to Valtuille de Arriba and, from there, we go back in a southwest direction by land and gravel paths until arriving to Villafranca del Bierzo.

• If we go straight we will go through the LE-713 during 2 km in a negative slope, until arriving to a detour exiting to the right in a path form (pay attention in order to see it, it has no indication sign!). After 1, 5 km by this path we will get to the junction point of both ways that enter to Villafranca del Bierzo.

Both options can totally be travelled on bike. The first one changes the highway to a more natural landscape, but the profile is not that homogenous and it has a land surface. By highway, we make 2 km in a tick until the detour, due to how low is the height we don’t even have to pedal that much.

Viñedos del Bierzo (Picture given by malditofriki on Flickr under the following conditions)

In Villafranca del Bierzo (km 24) the stage’s dynamic changes a lot. The profile continues on being very reasonable until getting to Las Herrerías (km 44) but we don’t go through secondary ways or paths anymore, except we go through the N-VI. The pedestrian way goes by a small path to the left of the asphalt road, but we can go by the shoulder. The N-VI doesn’t have much traffic nowadays, because the A-6 is the most circulated way..

In fact, the A-6 also will join us during the entire journey until the ascent of Los Ancares. We will cross it several times underneath its huge viaduct. We pass by four populations on our road by the N-VI: Pereje (km 29), Trabadelo (33,5) and La Portela de Valcarce (38). After passing by the big service station of La Portela de Valcarce we take the detour exiting to the left of the N-VI which indicates the location of “Vega de Valcarce”. We leave to our right the national highway and we take the regional one (N-006A) that passes by right at the edge of the Valcarce River.

Following the N-006A we pass by Ambasmestas (km 39) and Vega de Valcarce (40,5). The regional highway flows into the N-VI again and it’s there where we enter to Ruitelán (42,5). After crossing Ruitelán we continue moving for 200 meters more by the national highway, but after a couple of curves we can see already the signs indicating the detour to the left by the CV-125/1, where we can enter to Las Herrerías.

Let the good part begins! Let’s put up our biggest pinion and the smallest chain rings and we prepare ourselves to deal with the hardest part of the French Way, along with el cruce de los Pirineos (Los Pirineos crossroad). One thing is certain, the whole landscape of the stage will be forever in your memory, it’s a natural environment that shows off different shades in each time of the year.

Ascent to O Cebreiro (Picture given by Miguel Vicente Martínez Juan on Flickr under the following conditions)

By the CV-125/1, a good asphalt track, we start ascending from Las Herrerías with slopes around 10%. In 2 km we will arrive to a point where we will see a painted track indicating the different signs for pedestrians and cyclists. We must keep on going straight without taking the land path. Our journey is longer but with better surface and, you may not believe it, but it has less pronounced slopes than the pedestrian one.

Following the highway, with slopes between 7 and 25%, we get to a point where the highway forks. Here we must choose if we want to keep forward by entering to La Faba (km 47,5) or changing course to the right in order to go directly to La Laguna (km 50). Keep on mind that if we decide to go to La Faba later we must use the pedestrian path to get to La Laguna, it’s more bicycle than the first one but narrower, with a stony surface and mid slopes of an average of 15%. Only icons like John Tomac can go up the entire road without getting off the bike!

Once we are in La Laguna de Castilla we say goodbye to Castilla and León, since this is the last town we will visit in this community. Maybe that’s why they have marked it on its toponymy!

At the exit of La Laguna the Jacobean signs indicate that we must follow a path going out to the left of the asphalt track. Pedestrians go through the last 900 ascending meters by this track until getting to the provincial border with Galicia, marked by a big milestone with the Way’s insignia. As far as it goes, the path is really wide, but the surface is complicated. It’s way easier for the itinerary to keep straight by the asphalt track. If we want to see the border’s milestone we can leave our bikes and use a small 100 meters road to descend the path and actually get to see it, and going up again right after.

After passing this point, we are at only 1 km away from the end of our stage: O Cebreiro. This lovely and traditional town welcomes us by offering the best reconstructive soup in the world. If Popeye would have known about the “caldo gallego” he would have never tried spinach, ever!

Palloza in O Cebreiro (Picture given by Jim Anzalone on Flickr under the following conditions)

PRACTICAL ADVICES

• Ponferrada is the starting point of the way for many cyclists; it’s the minimal distance to cover to get the Compostela! If you decide starting your way in Ponferrada, we help you getting there:

1. Bus: Ponferrada is pass point of the A-6; the freeway connects Galicia with Madrid. It’s a very important point of vehicular traffic, so we won’t have any trouble on going by bus. To see all Ponferrada’s connections you can look up Checkmybus, although the company that offers more schedules and itineraries is Alsa.
2. Train: Train: There are several train connections, because it’s a very important railway junction. If we want a higher speed we have to go to León, but you won’t have any trouble on finding a good route. The best thing to do is look up Renfe webpage.

There isn’t any airport in Ponferrada, the nearest one is located in León, Do not forget you can also use companies such as Blablacar
to share a car.

Besides, you already know that in Tournride we leave your bikes, the previous day at the beginning of your trip, in your lodging back in Ponferrada (or in the SEUR office, it’s here here but you must remember it’s close during weekends). We can also take your left bagage so it will be waiting for you at the end of your way, so you won’t have to carry with extra weight!

• The pedestrian exit of Ponferrada can be a little complicated (green route in our Tournride map). We recommend following the itinerary we have designed in order to make it simpler and that we have included in the red route.

• A Jacobean path starts in Ponferrada and that has been officially declared El Camino de Invierno (The Winter Way) in 2016.. Due to how hard the weather conditions are in the area of Os Ancares and de Lugo, this itinerary is an option to enter to Galicia when it’s really snowing. It goes in a south direction and enters by Ourense, going through the wonderful area of la Ribeira Sacra. It connects with the Vía de la Plata (that starts in Sevilla) in A Laxe, very close from Santiago de Compostela.
• If you do this route in summer, keep on mind that from Las Herrerías you won’t find any type of service until arriving to La Laguna de Castilla, because probably you won’t pass by La Faba. It’s very important to take water with you during the ascent!
• This stage is travelled the majority of time by national or regional highways. This helps us to keep a good speed without any type of danger, because they don’t have that much vehicular traffic. Even though, we always recommend taking the appropriate safety signs and taking the preventive measures needed.

• Here’s a summary of the recommendations to climb up the O Cebreiro on bike: 1) 1) Pay attention to the itinerary for cyclists that we have marked on the mapwhich it’s different from the pedestrian one.

You must ascend really slowly; there isn’t a steep slope where we can go slow so if we force it too much at the beginning, the end may turn really agonizing. If we maintain a constant ascent, we will arrive without any trouble.

• O Cebreiro is a very small place for the end of the stage. Even though it has a lot of services for pilgrims, you may find a lot of people in summer. If this is the case, you must know that in Liñares (3 km more following the same way) there’s a shelter. It doesn’t have many squares, so if you want to make sure you can go up to Piedrafita do Cebreiro. It doesn’t belong exactly to the French Way but it has way more services and it’s located in only about 3, 5 km more.

DETAILED ITINERARY AND HISTORIC-ARTISTIC PATRIMONY

In this stage we will combine the journey by natural landscape of extreme beauty such as El Valle del Bierzo and the ascent to Os Ancares, with a town pass with a lot of charm and Jacobean patrimony, such as Cacabelos or Villafranca del Bierzo, “the little Compostela”.

Meanwhile, we will also visit several rural villages where people, gastronomy and popular architecture will start to change gradually, leaving the Castilian roots behind, in order to be more similar to whatever Galicia holds for us.

We end up in O Cebreiro, a town where, according to the legend, the Santo Grial is guarded, a very important symbol placed in the Galicia flag. In O Cebreiro we will surely find a place to rest between its big pallozas and wonderful landscapes… Everyone wants to enjoy the sunsets and sunrises!

Welcome to Galicia, we are only 150 km away from Santiago!

Iglesia de Santa Maria la Real en O Cebreiro (Church of Santa Maria la Real in O Cebreiro (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

FROM PONFERRADA TO CACABELOS… BRIDGE BY BRIDGE, WE LET OURSELVES GO BY THE CURRENT!

In order to leave Ponferrada we have two options. The easiest one is going by Puente del Castillo and once we are at the roundabout we take the second exit to continue going forward during 5 roundabouts more. After passing under the N-VI we see another roundabout and, turning around it to the left, we enter already to Columbrianos.

This is not the traditional route and, therefore, it doesn’t have the proper signs. In Tournride we propose this way because we know that exiting a large city can be a little confusing on bike. But, if you prefer the exactly Jacobean way, we also show you how to do it.

The traditional exit goes across the Puente de la Puebla and later changes course to the right by the Av. Huertas del Sacramento street, that ends up in a roundabout. We turn to the right and we cross the next roundabout, leaving to our right the Museo de la Energía (Museum of Energy).

The also called “La Fábrica de la Luz” (“The Light Factory”), Museo de la Energía is rather an educational and scientific space about the energy production. It’s located at the building where the first thermal power plant was built in all Spain. Years later, a research proved that during the opening ceremony in 1949, an attempt of murder took place with the purpose of killing Franco. In the 70’s the plant shut down and another one was built called Compostilla II, right next to the Sil and so close to first one which is still running today.

Museo de la Energía (Museo de la Energía (Picture given by Ene.Museo on Flickr under the following conditions)

We leave the museum to the right, and we turn left around the roundabout so we enter to Compostilla. Although we can see signs of previous habitat, it actually came up out of the houses construction by Endesa for the thermal power plant workers. The name derives from Compostela, which proves it’s a Jacobean pass. A parish church is located at the town’s center that was built during the XX century and it’s surrounded by a park.

Going out already from Compostilla by the Cabo de Finisterre street, we cross the N-VI by an underground pass and later we change course to the left in order to get to Columbrianos. In the Real Street we will join pilgrims that have decided going out on bike from Ponferrada by the simpler route that we proposed in Tournride.

Columbrianos is a location with near 1400 people dedicated mainly to agriculture, especially flowers, wine and lettuces. The way doesn’t cover the entire locality, but actually changes course to its urban center to keep going to the west by the San Blas Street.

By a concrete track between cultivation lands we pass by Fuentes Nuevas and, in only a few meters, we get to the main Street of Camponaraya (which connects to the LE-713).

Camponaraya is the result of the two different towns union: Campo and Naraya, the latter being the oldest. They got united in XV century, when Naraya already had pilgrims’ hospitals. Following the main street we cross a roundabout and in the next one, we must take a concrete street that goes out by the left, right next to a wine cellar. We go up in a medium slope until getting to an upper crossroad of the A-6 and we flow into a comfortable land track quite wide, among vineyards.

The environment’s change is really nice, we leave the traffic behind and we go all over really nice vineyards from Bierzo. The way can go up and down several times, but it’s soft. We cross the highway with caution and by a concrete track we enter to Cacabelos.

Cacabelos ((Picture given by Rufino Lasaosa on Flickr under the following conditions)

Cacabelos (km 16) is one of the biggest centers we will visit today. We leave to our right the headquarters of Consejo Regulador de la D.O. of El Bierzo and going by the Santa María Street we enter to the monumental enclave, which by the way its neuralgic center is located at the right of the Cúa River.

Even though there are few remains proving that there were some kinds of settlements from Paleolithic times at the river’s shore, the foundation of Cacabelos that we know today has Roman origins. It was called Bergidum Flavium, although after the Empire defeat and the disappearance of the Visogoth kingdom, the territory was almost uninhabited. In the X century the town was mentioned for the first time with the name of Cacabelos, although the origin of its toponymy is not clear yet.

Cacabelos has the historic curiosity that from the XII until the XIX century it was under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela. Before that position belonged to the diocese of Astorga, but in 1108 Diego Gelmírez, archbishop of Santiago and big promoter of the cathedral, ordered to build the church of Santa María en Cacabelos, which made the bishop of Astorga angry because he was messing with his territory. At the end, the king admitted that Gelmírez was right… At that moment the archbishop of Compostela had a lot of power!

The church of Santa María is still standing and is located right next to plaza mayor, at the town’s center. It still has the Romantic apse, but the rest is from C. XVI though. The tower, quite impressive in the middle of the facade, is from the XX century but it was built according to the Romantic shapes.

At the exact Santa María Street we will also pass by the chapel of San Roque. The temple was dedicated to this Saint in the XVI century due to the big epidemic disease that Cacabelos suffered at that time, because apparently this saint had protective properties of the disease. The temple includes the Museo parroquial de Cacabelos, which exhibits sacred art from XVIII century.

The pedestrian Street flows into the bridge over the Cúa River. There are proofs indicating that in the medieval times there was already a bridge located at the same place, which made Cacabelos an obligatory pass in Camino de Santiago.

After crossing it we keep forward and we leave the municipal shelter to our right. It has a curious configuration because it is organized in two-people rooms at the yard of the church of la Virgen de las Angustias, surrounding completely the temple.

We leave Cacabelos behind following the LE-713 in a positive slope. We have passed the first 16 km of the stage between the Ponferrada Bridge and the one of Cacabelos, between vineyards already we will go to Villafranca and, later, the Valcarce River’s shore will guide us directly to the border with Galicia… We are almost there, pilgrims!

Puente de Cacabelos(Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Flickr under the following conditions)

FROM CACABELOS TO VILLAFRANCA DEL BIERZO, “THE LITTLE COMPOSTELA”

After 2 km uphill, we get to Pieros, a little town located at the highway’s right. Going out town, only 200 m after, we see a detour to the right and several painted signs in the highway.

Due to how the traditional way follows the course of the LE-713, which for walkers can be quite uncomfortable and dangerous, this alternative way has come up. It gets lost to the North, passing by Valtuille de Arriba, and later it connects again to the traditional way before entering to Villafranca.

Both ways are completely bicycle; the distance difference to cover is only 1, 5 km. The one going through the detour is longer and, therefore a little harder. It continues uphill during a few meters and then it goes through land and gravel paths in a profile full of intermittent and soft leaps. The highway one is much simpler, because after the detour the LE-713 course continues downhill during 2 km, in order to take a path to the right where it connects with the alternative way.

A few meters after joining both ways, the land path turns into a concrete track that we take to enter to Villafranca del Bierzo. This places owes its birth and development to El Camino de Santiago and its proximity to Galicia (which was part of it for a long time), this makes its traditions and popular celebrations leave the Leon roots behind and get more familiar with the ones from Galicia.

Since la orden de Cluny (The Cluniac Reforms) created a monastery in the XI century between these mountains with the purpose of helping pilgrims, other ones started to do it too and the place ended up having a lot of hospitals and services: drugstores, temples, leprous hospitals, stores, etc. In fact, here were settled a lot of Frank traders and businessmen that’s where its name comes from: “villa francorum”. The Monks of Cluny also were the ones who started planting wine in this area, which it’s a characteristic and distinguishable product of Bierzo.

By just entering to this town, we see at our left the church of Santiago. Since XII century, this temple has the privilege to be the only one, along with the cathedral of Santiago that can grant the Jubilee. Sick pilgrims who don’t get to arrive to Santiago, they will get forgiveness here and their pilgrimage will be considered finished, that’s why they call Villafranca “the Little Compostela.”

Church of Santiago in Villafranca ((Picture given by Javier Perez en Flickr under the following conditions)

The church is dedicated to the apostle and its architecture is simple: a single ship covered with a cannon vault and complete with a semicircular apse that only opens up in three bays. This simplicity contrasts the huge sculpture’s quality of its covers, especially the one of la Puerta del Perdón (The Forgiveness Door). Just like the one from the cathedral of Compostela, this door only opens two jubilee years for sick pilgrims who go across it. One thing is certain, it’s necessary to have covered 150 km as a minimum to get the indulgence.

Following straight by the pavement street, with an uncomfortable surface for cyclists, we find the front of Castillo del Bierzo. This quadrangular construction, mainly made of masonry, was built in the XVI century and was conceived as a fortified palace, actually. It has four towers, where the family’s blazons are sculpted.

Following by the highway we border the castle and we turn right. Right after, a sign indicates the detour to a pedestrian slope that takes us to the historical center of the town.

By this pavement street we pass by the front of the City Council of Bierzo and the Convento de los Padres Paúles. This religious people came to this convent in 1899 (before it was inhabited by Jesuits) but 7 years ago they abandoned the building due to the lack of demand for their seminarian studies. Since then, it is carried by the City Council of Villafranca. The Museo de Ciencias Naturales is located at one of its sections, which has dry specimens of different species, mainly birds. A part of the building runs also as a shelter for pilgrims.

We continue by the Alameda Baja street, leaving the nice gardens of the avenue to our right. After taking the curve to the left we see the la Colegiata de Santa María de Cluniaco. This monumental building is the result of the extension superposition from the XII century, when the Cluny monks settled down in this valley between mountains to found an attention place for pilgrims, which was the ground of Villafranca del Bierzo.

La Orden de Cluny, that took place in France, created a monastery net in order to foment pilgrimage and help walkers on their trip to Santiago, with the consent and support of the crown. The net of big centers that they created, turned Jacobean pilgrimage into what it is today and they worked as diffusing centers of the romantic, getting for the first time that an architectonic style was used in the entire Europe.

There’s nothing left from this initial Romanic Factory in this convent, because in the XIV century, pilgrimage entered in a deterioration moment and the place was abandoned. Two centuries later it was decided to turn the monastery into a collegiate church, rebuilding it entirely. Therefore, the monumental building that we see today is from the Renaissance times, being really noticeable the variety of the coverings used in the different spaces of the temple.

Leaving la Colegiata behind, we keep on moving by the Street and we go across the bridge over the Burbia River, going out already of Villafranca del Bierzo.

WE FOLLOW THE N-VI TO THE SHORE OF VALCARCE AND WE ARRIVE TO AT LOS ANCARES FEET EN LAS HERRERÍAS

At the exit of Villafranca the pedestrian way follows the course of the N-VI by a concrete path. For us it will be much comfortable to follow by the highway shoulder. We will cover the kilometers quickly, besides the profile is very simple! Since the freeway was built, the national highway doesn’t have that much traffic and goes through the big mountain slopes of Bierzo, quite a green sea. In autumn we can see how trees are painted with different colors, from yellow to red and green… A true show of nature!

At the exit of Villafranca the highway becomes a curve to the left to connect with the N-VI. Right in the junction point, to the right, the artist Raquel Montero developed at the end of 2016 her artistic intervention “El bosque azul”. In an area that has been burned during 2015, she painted the dark trees with a strong blue color in order to turn a desolate landscape into something magical.

Once at the N-VI, we continue by the right apse during 3 km to get to Pereje, a small town that has a bar functioning. In order to enter to town we must change course to the entrance, if not we will pass it by.

We continue during another 4, 5 km to get to Trabadelo, a town with nearly 400 people. If we hear someone talking, we will realize of how close we are from the border, because a lot of them speak Galician. This part of Bierzo has its story very connected to Galician, which you will really notice each time we get closer to the independent community of the apostle.

At the exit of Trabadelo you must have caution, because once we pass under the viaduct of the A-6 we have to take a land path that takes us back to the N-VI. If we go too fast we will pass over the detour!

Pereje ((Picture given by Bill Bereza on Flickr under the following conditions)

Once we are again at the national highway, we cross again the viaduct of the A-6 and pass by the front of the service station of Valcarce. This is a mythical stop place for truck and regular drivers on their way from Galicia the Spain’s center, it has opened 24 hours a day for years for everyone who has stopped there. At the lower part it has a store selling typical products of Bierzo, where we can buy true delicacies…

After passing by the service station we see at the left of the N-VI La Portela de Valcarce. This town is called like this because in the past it used to function as some kind of “door” that used to be opened or closed to travelers with the purpose of making them pay (or not) a tax for the owners of those lands. Alfonso VI ended up deleting these prices, seeing that there were a lot of abuses, because this point was a key to the communication of northeast with the rest of the peninsula.

We go back to the N-VI and, a few meters after, we must pay attention. We have to abandon the N-VI, taking the detour to the left which indicates “Vega de Valcarce”.

We change the national way to the regional one. By the N-006A, a highway less transited that follows the course of the Valcarce River, we continue until Ruitelán passing by several Jacobean towns.

The first one we visit is Ambasmestas, a relaxing settlement that has a pickle factory and a very old cheese factory, from the end of the XIX century. Then, we keep on moving until Vega de Valcarce. This town will be the biggest one we will find until the end of our stage. If we haven’t bought anything to eat or we don’t have enough water, we recommend you to stop at some of those stores in order to buy something.

Vega de Valcarce ((Picture given by calafellvalo on Flickr under the followingconditions)

The town of Vega de Valcarce is flanked by two castles, being the one of Serracín the most important one. It’s in a higher height, between mountains that come up at the shore of the Valcare River. The names come from the count who held it, his name was Sarracino. It was surely built up in the X century, even though the majority of what is left today is from the XIV and is not entirely preserved.

In Vega de Valcarce there’s also an old mill in the river, which has been restored not that long ago. It’s from the XIX century and has a single floor. It still preserves the machinery that used to move thanks to the water current running under the building.

We go out of Vega de Valcarce and we go by the concrete track until flowing into the N-VI. In a few meters away we will get to Ruitelán which has the highway as a main street. The church of San Juan is located in this street, with an initial construction in the XIII century but restored in the XVIII.

The most special thing about the church of San Juan is the chapel of San Froilán, to the right of the main. According to the legend, this saint finished his religious studies in the IX century and had a spiritual crisis. He decided to retire to a cave in the mountains of Bierzo in order to live as a hermit and, as a matter of fact, people believe that the location of the chapel in the actuality is where his natural cave was before. After a long period of isolation, San Froilán decided to prove his conecction to God filling his mouth with hot embers. Seeing that he didn’t get burned, he decided to finish his retirement and dedicated a lot of years to preach by the whole area of Bierzo and Galicia.

We leave Ruitelán behind by the N-VI and, in about 900 meters, the highway becomes a really pronounced curve to the right. Before arriving, we must abandon the national way by a concrete track that shows up to our left, following the river shore. In less than 500 meters we get to las Herrerías… This is our starting point to ascend O Cebreiro!

LET’S GET INTO LOS ANCARES…. WE HAVE TO ASCEND O CEBREIRO ON BIKE

Las Herrerías is a nice town, with a long configuration, that is located at the foot of the mountains, at the left shore of the das Lamas River. We enter to the town crossing the river by a bridge with Roman origin of a single arch that has been restored not that long ago. Las Herrerías owes its development and its not-so original name to its smith tradition. In the past there were four forges in this place that used to work with metals from the nearest mountains, which made the place an important focal point for commerce. In fact, one of them has been preserved with all its tools in a building named A Casa do Ferreiro.

At the exit of Las Herrerías we notice how the slope increases in a reasonable way. We start ascending now! The surface joins us as well; it’s a good concrete track (CV-125/1). At the exit of town, the track forks in two and we must follow by the right, directing to “La Faba”. One kilometer later, the pedestrian way and the bike one gets divided, with different painted signs on the ground.

We must continue by the concrete track that will keep increasing the slope. There are no steep slopes or high plateau on the ascent. It’s constant until getting to la Faba, the inclination is the only thing that varies, with parts between 7% and 25% of slope. The best thing to do is to adjust pinions and chain rings and try to keep on a slow speed but constant in the ascent. If we force too much the first kilometers, maybe at the end we will have to get off the bike.

Subida a O Cebreiro ((Fotografía cedida por Miguel Vicente Martínez Juan en Flickr bajo las siguientes conditions)

Not that many cars go across this highway, so the traffic shouldn’t get in our way. We go up during 2 km, until a detour appears in a pronounced way to our right. The signs on the concrete recommend the cyclists to turn right in order to go directly to La Laguna without stopping at la Faba, and here in Tournride we advise you to do the same.

If you avoid the recommendations and keep going forward, a pronounced curve will take you to La Faba and, from there, the only way of going out is following the pedestrian paths or going back to us until the same point of the detour. The pedestrian path is inclined and with a dangerous and also very wide surface, so we will surely have to get off the bike and push it through.

If we take the pronounced detour to the right, we keep going up by the track CV-125/1. The slope gets slow softly, but the fatigue that we already have also inclines the balance to its way. In about 3, 5 km we arrive to Laguna de Castilla, last town of this community. We are at 1165 meters of height and we only have 2, 5 km left to get to O Cebreiro and entering to Lugo. If we want, we can enjoy the wonderful views in this small town of only 25 people.

Just by going out of la Laguna, a Jacobean milestone indicates the detour to a land and stony path that appears to the left. Although this time we don’t find different signs, we recommend going through the concrete track. The land track marking the border crossroad has a very bad surface, with big stones, and even though it’s way wider than the others, it doesn’t have any kind of handrails to avoid falls through the hillside of the mountain. If we continue on highway we will follow the same itinerary in a parallel way, but in a higher height.

After a couple of kilometers we get to the border. On the track there’s no signs at all, but there’s a small path that takes us to the pedestrian way, where there’s a huge milestone marking the provincial limit with the symbols of El Camino. If you want, you can get off your bikes to see it.

Only a few meters after, we finally enter to O Cebreiro. We will realize at this point of the radical change on landscapes, architectures and people that we have experimented in only one stage… Welcome to Galicia!

Distance to Santiago: 256 km

Distance for stage: 54 km

Estimated Time: 5 – 6 hours

Minimum height: 510 m

Maximum height: 1052 m

Route Difficulty: High

Places of public interest: Castrillo de los Polvazares, Rabanal del Camino, Cruz de Ferro, Molinaseca, Ponferrada

Itinerary map:To see the whole journey on Google Maps click here  

Click to enlarge

This stage has a higher difficulty than the others, but you get to admire spectacular landscapes as a reward and visit one of the milestones of the French Way: la Cruz de Ferro (1502 m). The LE-142 will be our route practically for the entire stage, having the pedestrian road parallel to it in a lot of sections. Due to how dangerous the paths can turn in some points, we recommend you avoiding the Jacobean signs and continue by highway. We will analyze in detail each segment on the general journey of the stage.

At Astorga’s exit, the positive slope will be permanent but soft, especially during the first 20 KM. When we reach Rabanal del Camino the descent gets a little harder until we arrive to Cruz de Ferro. It’s about 8, 6 Km with mid slopes between 4 and 5,5%.

From Astorga to Manjarín, the pedestrian paths are kind of reasonable for cyclists, although sometimes it is necessary to get off the bike. But from Manjarín to Molinaseca we strongly recommend you going along the road. Specially the previous segments to the entrance of Acebo de San Miguel and in Molinaseca, they are very dangerous.

By road, we can enjoy some amazing views and we only must be careful with traffic, because we can find some curves and two-way roads. The descent is heavy, between 3, 5 and 14%.

If we take the proper instructions, there’s no stage on the French Way that we could start with an upsetting feeling due to how dangerous they could be. This is one of the most special stages of the Way because it takes us to natural and spectacular environments and, we only have to take some alternatives itineraries in specific points.

We will give you more details about the journey on the following text. And as always, in Tournride, we wish you the best of The Way.

Sunrise in la Cruz de Ferro (Picture given by Gus Taf on Flickr under the following conditions)

PROFILE AND STAGE’S MAIN ROUTES

We go out Astorga by the San Pedro Street that leads us to a roundabout where we cross the N-VI and we take the highway that will share the entire journey with us during the whole stage: the LE-142. By its shoulder or concrete track parallel to it, we cross the A-6 by an upper pass in 1, 7 Km and in only about 1, 5 Km later, we get to Murias de Rechivaldo.

At the entrance of Murias de Rechivaldo, the Jacobean path turns to left and we lose the LE-142 in front of us. The path is a firm wide track, so we can go whatever side we prefer. We simply have to keep on mind that if you only go by the road you will pass by Castrillo de los Polvazares, an odd street-house town declared as a Historic-Artistic Site in 1980. It is considered as one of the most beautiful places of Maragatería.

Since the LE-142 crossroad with the exit’s path of Murias de Rechivaldo until Rabanal del Camino, the route can be done by a small regional concrete road or by the gravel path parallel to it. The profile keeps on being very simple, with an almost imperceptible descent, because the normal slope will never be more than 3%.

At the exit of Rabanal, the Jacobean path leaves the LE-142 behind by the left and crosses it again by the road 1 Km after. We recommend doing this part by road because at the end of the way you will find some stairs and the surface is very rocky.

From here on, the slope gets harder with an average of 5%. Following the road, we arrive first to Foncebadón (km 26th). When we see the town’s welcome sign, the Jacobean signs indicate leaving the road behind in order to enter to town. In this case, the tracks crossing Foncebadón and traversing 1, 2 Km surrounded by mountains, are wide and they can be travelled perfectly by bike.

Once again on road, we continue ascending during 600 m in order to get to the mythical Cruz de Ferro, where following the Jacobean tradition we must leave underneath a stone that we have carried during our entire pilgrimage.

Cruz de Ferro (Picture given by Rubén Ojeda on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

From the Cruz de Ferro to Manjarín, where it’s located la Encomienda Templaria of Tomás, one of the most famous characters of the French Way, only 2,3 are covered by the shoulder or by land path to their right.

After passing by Manjarín, we must take one of the most intense descents of the whole French Way. It takes around 17,5 Km to Molinaseca. The pedestrian way follows the route of the LE-142, but changes course in some wide parts where we can get lost among the mountains. Although there are cyclists that tend to follow these Jacobean paths, in Tournride, we strongly recommend pilgrims travelling by bike to do this part of the stage by road. Even though you may be really experienced cyclists with high technical capacity, in some moments, you will have to share paths with pilgrims travelling on foot, which might cause accidents. Some paths are narrow, with rocky surface, strong slope and a lot of times are close to precipices’ borders… What a package!

The LE-142 goes through the middle of El Acebo de San Miguel and keeps descending by negative slopes with an average close to 9% until passing by the North of Riego de Ambrós and arriving to Molinaseca (km 45,7 of stage). The ride through this road can be a magnificent experience, because of how spectacular the views are.

Sunset in Acebo. Picture given by Jorge Gañán

Once we get to Molinaseca we cross the Meruelo River by the town’s beautiful stone bridge and later we follow the road’s course or the parallel path, until we get to Ponferrada. At the entrance of Ponferrada the pedestrian way goes by a very wide sidewalk.

Getting to the center of Ponferrada is very simple, because the way will lead us directly to the Castle’s great avenue and, just when we see the bridge crossing the Sil River we turn to the right in order to pass by the city’s majestic castle, and we end up at Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

In general, this stage is complicated but is actually one of the most remembered by pilgrims by bike. We simply recommend extremely caution while descending from Manjarín to Molinaseca and taking the refractory and lighting devices necessaries in case the weather is on bad conditions and prevents us to see clearly, so we can avoid hard-times with cars when we pass by the LE-142.

Shadow of a pilgrim in El Acebo. Fotografía cedida por Jorge Gañán

PRACTICAL ADVICES

If you start your journey in Astorga we help you getting there:

1. By bus: Astorga is the center of a good junction of roads (A-6, AP-71, N-VI). Alsa is connected to the North of the peninsula and also with Eastern and Southern capitals. Eurolines (http://www.eurolines.es/es/ ) also runs in Astorga and communicates with European capitals.
2. By train: Astorga has direct connections with Galicia (Ferrol, A Coruña y Vigo), Madrid, Barcelona, Basque Country  (Bilbao, Irun) and other cities from Castile and Leon with the regional connections. For more information visit the Renfe’s webpage.  http://www.renfe.com/

Please remember that in Tournride we leave your bikes in your lodging in León or Astorga if that’s where you started , and we can take your extra baggage in order for you to find it at the end of your Camino.

In order to get the credential in Astorga the easiest option is going to the shelter from the Asociación del Camino de Santiago de Astorga (http://www.caminodesantiagoastorga.com/index.php?modulo=30 ), where they can give you one. It’s really close to the center, right next to Plaza Mayor.

• Regarding the itinerary, from Tournride we recommend you choosing the road road from Rabanal to Foncebadón and also the part going from Manjarín to Molinaseca. During the rest of the transit, you can choose the itinerary you prefer.
• Be careful with bad weather, we recommend you to always keep yourselves informed about weather forecasting. The part between Rabanal del Camino and Manjarín is especially known by its cold mountain weather, with a lot of snow, wind and huge storms.
• There are a lot of towns with all the services, you won’t have to carry with all those supplies, unless it’s summer and the weather is really hot.
• Today, more than ever, it’s important to carry your saddlebag well-adjusted in order to keep your bike steady as possible.
• In less than 5 Km from Astorga we get to Castrillo de los Polvazares. The regular road doesn’t go that way, but we take a simple and short detour. This town is ideal for breakfast, because we will take a lot of time getting to the destination, it has all the services and a very special charm about it.

DETAILED ITINERARY AND HISTORIC-ARTISTIC PATRIMONY

Today’s stage is a transition one. We go out of Maragatería’s district from the capital and we continue flatly until arriving to Rabanal del Camino, going all over some small old muleteer towns where the popular architecture is well preserved. From there on, everything changes, the profiles gets hard and the landscapes turn into green, that’s when we know we’re entering to El Bierzo, Leon’s wastelands will only be part of our memory now!

Travelling through Leon’s mounts, we will pass by one of the most recognizable points from the French Way: Cruz de Ferro. We will start right after a dizzy descent in which all the spectacular views from our surroundings will be our best company and we will pass by some small towns as lovely as El Acebo de San Miguel.

After going across the magnificent medieval bridge of Molinaseca, we will be only a stone throw away of the end of the stage: Ponferrada, where we recommend a relaxing promenade so you can take advantage of your entire stay on the Bierzo’s capital.

¡Buen camino!

View from León’s mountains before climbing down to Molinaseca. Picture given by Jorge Gañán.

WE EXIT ASTORGA WITH AN EASY PROFILE (AT LEAST FOR NOW) WE MOVE FORWARD TO RABANAL DEL CAMINO

This exit from Astorga is much simpler than the ones from the previous cities, like Pamplona, Burgos or León. From the cathedral of Astorga, we must take the Portería street, which goes out right in the front. Turning to the first right, we follow the San Pedro Street until we see a curve at the left and that makes us crossing the N-VI by a pedestrian pass. At the front, we see the LE-142, where we can go out of Astorga.

Before crossing the A-6 by an upper pass, we pass by near the detour to Valdeviejas. Right after, we have the view of the chapel of Ecce Homo. This monument has a sign hanging on the door saying “La Fe, fuente de salud” (Faith, a health source), in several languages. This makes reference to an old legend that takes place on the chapel.

On the inside of the chapel, before there was a well where pilgrims used to satiate their thirst. People say that a pilgrim’s child fell into it and seeing how the well was getting even fuller of water, she begged for help to Ecce Homo until her child could go out of it. Because of this miracle they changed the temple’s abdication that was before dedicated to San Roque.

The Ecce Homo is the suffering Jesus that was submitted to different tortures before being crucified. When Poncio Pilatos showed him to the crowd after torturing him, some texts say that he screamed “¡Ecce Homo!” (“¡Here’s the man!”). When people want to stand out God’s humanity this is the way they represent it, like a suffering man.

Cruz de Ferro (Picture given by Rubén Ojeda on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

After crossing the A-6 by an elevated pass, we go through the road’s shoulder or by the parallel walking strait and we arrive to Murias de Rechivaldo (km 3,5).

After visiting Maragatería’s capital, Astorga, we will pass now by different towns of the district in our way to Foncebadón. This town, just like Castrillo de los Polvazares (which we can visit if we continue in less than 2 Km the LE-142 to the North) is an old muleteer population. The commercial traders used to live here who transported merchandise from the peninsula’s ports to the inside of the country. A lot of them have been well preserved, especially Castrillo, which is declared as a Historic-Artistic Site and it’s considered the most charming town of Maragatería. The stone pavement from the XVII century is well preserved in a good estate inside the place, which was built in that moment with the purpose of making the pass easier for mule drivers.

The buildings of Murias y Castrillo follow the same patterns of the popular houses from Maragatería. They’re made of stone masonry, with the door and window frames painted and double-leaf large gates, that were built with the purpose of allowing mule drivers to keep their carriages safe.

 Castrillo de los Polvazares (Picture given by Juantiagues on Flickr under the following conditions)

In Tournride we encourage you to visit Castrillo de los Polvazares, a town with a lot of charm which is located just a stone throw away by bike. In Murias de Rechivaldo, the most impressive place is the church of San Esteban that has a bell gable with some kind of portico with stairs, where a lot of time the storks make their nests.

If we pass by the Castle of Polvazares we must return to the LE-142 and in just about 1, 3 km we change course to the right so we can go by the LE-6304. Three parallel tracks come up where we can travel through: the road LE-6304 (two-way track), gravel track (a pedestrian track for pilgrims) and an agricultural track with reddish land. We can go through whatever way we find more convenient, in an almost flat profile we get to Santa Catalina de Somoza in only 2 km.

Santa Catalina de Somoza is another population of old mule drivers with a similar popular architecture. Besides, it has a great Jacobean tradition, that takes place on its urban configuration with the way as main street and is be the backbone of the population.

One of the biggest characters and experts on this French Way is native from Santa Catalina de Somoza, named Bienvenido Merino. He has about 30 years doing hand-made souvenirs for pilgrims that he carves in wood while he has a conversation with anyone who wishes, talking about Jacobean stories. He met some of the most famous pilgrims, like Paulo Coelho, whom he invited something to drink inside his house. When the Brazilian writer published, months after, his novel “The pilgrim of Compostela”, Bienvenido received a copy by mail. Besides, in some book’s editions the cover picture is the blue door from Bienvenido’s house; with the scallop shells he sells hanging up the door.

Bienvenido’s house’s door in Catalina de Somoza

Following the course of LE-6304 in 4 km we reach El Ganso, small town from Maragatería. After crossing it, in about 4 Km we pass by a crossroad leading to Rabanal Viejo. Just a few meters away from this point, we can find one of the most known trees of the French Way, the “Roble del Peregrino” (The Pilgrim’s Oak), which has been there for a dozen of years until in 2013 a storm striped it off its place. We do not lie when we mention in our stage advices that weather can be bad!

Right after, at the road’s left, there is the chapel of la Vera Cruz, from the XVIII century which in the actuality is located next to the cemetery. After passing by close to it, we arrive to Rabanal del Camino (km 20).

As a reference of its name, Rabanal del Camino has been a pilgrim’s pass for centuries and in the actuality, with the rise of the French Way, has been restored and turned into a very welcoming place. The popular architecture follows the Maragatería’s conditions and some of the hotel places take up these ancient dwellings with big central yards.

Templars had a lot of history in Ranabal del Camino who took advantage of the situation in order to use it as a prior basis to its neuralgic center of Ponferrada. They tried to protect pilgrims in a better way, because at the top of the León’s mountains there were a lot of thieves and wild animals. The parish church of the town is witness of the Templar presence. Dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, was promoted by this organization in the XII century and it’s a clearly example of the fewest Romantic temples that are located in Leon.

Because of the situation and services, this became an important Jacobean center in the Middle Age. Aymeric Pycaud used it as an overnight stay place in his IX stage, as we mentions in his Codex Calixtinus; and people say that Philip II spent the night on one of the houses on “la Calle Real” (“Real Street”, that’s where its name comes from) when he made pilgrimage on his way to Compostela.

In order to see the old part of Rabanal del Camino we have to change course to the LE-142, because the road goes all over the town from the South, in a lower height. The first way leads us directly to Calle Real.

Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Rabañal del Camino (Picture given by Rubén Ojeda on Wikimedia under the following  conditions)

WE CROWN MONTE IRAGO AT LA CRUZ DE FERRO AND WE START OUR DESCENT TO MANJARÍN

At the exit of Rabanal del Camino, the landscape and profile change, the first turns greener and the second steep. Even so, the descent is not really hard, unless the weather is really windy or rainy.

The pedestrian way goes from the right to the left of the road, in different heights. The best thing on this part is to use the right shoulder of the LE-142, because the way can be quite narrow and the surface is not really good.

To enter to Foncebadón we do have to change course to the left because of gravel track that shows up after the welcoming sign to enter to town, if not, we can border it by the North. The exit path that connects again with the road is not advisable, even though you can ride your bike through it.

 Foncebadón’s view in Winter (Picture given by Jorge Gañán on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

Still today, when we visit Foncebadón, we can really see how this city center, like a true Phoenix, is trying to rise from the ashes. The population appeared on the XI century when a hermit named Gaucelmo, settled down there and built a pilgrim’s hospital and a church. This area was dangerous, because of the bad weather conditions and the road’s insecurity. Thanks to the help he offered to walkers, Alfonso VI gave him these lands’ possession. As the centuries passed, the center grew thanks to the muleteer commerce and Jacobean flow, but with industrialization and pilgrimage’s decline, it got really hard to keep living in a place like Foncebadón. Due to this, in the 60’s everyone moved out and left the town uninhabited.

Pilgrims who made the way during the 70’s and 80’s, say that this was not a nice place to stay in, because there were dogs taking advantage of the still standing houses to find shelter and attack pilgrims to get their food. We really understand now why medieval pilgrims used to take their stick as an inseparable tool! In the actuality, with the French Way’s rise, there are reestablished houses and Foncebadón gets its life back by offering services for pilgrims, becoming in a nicer place each time.

Once we leave Foncebadón behind, we go up by the LE-142 during 2 km with an inclination average of 4% until arriving to Cruz de Ferro, one of the most outstanding landmarks of the French Way at the top of El Monte Irago. From there we will have some impressive views of the surroundings.

It is said that Cruz de Ferro was placed there in the XI century by Gaucelmo, the Foncebadón’s hermitwho placed it over a big wooden pole so people can see it from faraway and guide pilgrims through the last part of the ascent to Montes de León. Today, this cross is at the Museo de los Caminos in Astorga, which is headquarters of the Palacio Gaudí, the one we talked about on the previous stage. That one we see today is an exact copy standing over a big pole of 5 m high surrounded by thousands of stones that pilgrims take from every part of the world since the beginning of their way just with the purpose of leaving it here.

Foncebadón, picture given by Paul Quayle

ctually, Cruz de Ferro is a cruise, cruceiro in Galician; this is a monument that we will see in each route since the entrance in Galicia. The tradition of raise cruceiros has Celtics roots, they used to believe that dead people’s souls wander around the ways and that’s why their families left offerings for them there. A lot of times these offerings were stones and the places where there were too many already, were called milladoiros. With the Roman conquest, this traditions lived on and, in fact, in Galicia’s and Asturias’s area there are a lot of miliaries with inscriptions of Lares Viales (Gods of roads, like Mercury ) sculptured on them. When Christianism became oficial, these rites from Caminos crossroads also lived on and, in order to remove its pagan connotations, they built Latin crosses right in the same spots.

La Cruz de Ferro can be considered, hence, a cruceiro with a huge milladoiro around; that due to the stone collection, it’s a proof of how crowded can be the Jacobean paths. The strength transmitted by the image of so many stones and hopes put in that cross all over the centuries, make this landmark a very special place.

After having Cruz de Ferro as a reward, we prefer to continue by road, in a light descent until getting to Manjarín. In the past, right here there was a town that had a hospital for pilgrims, but today we only have the house’s foundations left, that we will see to both sides of the road.

On foot we can find only one of the most unmistakable shelters of the way, la Encomienda Templaria de Manjarín, managed by Tomás Rodríguez. Feeling himself part of the Templar tradition, he has been settled for years on this part, offering assistance support in exchange of milk with cookies and water. Just few years ago it didn’t have any electricity or water, even though they installed two solar panels.

 Manjarín (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

WE IMMERSE OURSELVES IN EL BIERZO, NATURAL PARADISE WHERE WE GO DOWN TO MOLINASECA

After passing by Manjarín we start one of the most difficult descents of the way that we must do by road. We are officially in El Bierzo and the impressive views of the surroundings stay with us during the entire journey. Who would imagine that only 30 Km behind we were crossing steppes and moors from Leon!!

The arrival to Acebo de San Miguel is especiallly inclined, a small town with an overwhelming charm which will be the first place we will visit to.

El Acebo is located at the hillside of the mountain and with the road as the main street. Little stone houses with black roof offering spectacular views, welcome us with different services such as pools, bars and restaurants.

At the exit of Acebo there is a monument made of iron with the shape of a bike united to a stick. It makes reference to Heinrich Krause, a German pilgrim who in 1988 fell off a cliff with his bike right in this place when he was heading to Santiago by the traditional Jacobean paths.

The walkers salute us from the left shoulder of the road until we change course by a path that goes over the LE-142, first by the right and then by the left. We leave the signs behind and continue through the concrete until arriving to Riego de Ambrós. The road borders Berzio by the North and in a higher height.

In Riego de Ambrós we can visit the chapel of San Sebastián, with its close fountain and the parish of Santa María Magdalena which has a nice altarpiece from the XVIII century. Pilgrims on foot leave the settlement behind by a stone path and slate chips. This way’s part is impossible for cyclists, so if we enter to Riego de Ambrós the best way to do it is going back to the LE-142 so we continue with our normal road.

Riego de Ambrós (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

After 5 Km descending we reach Molinaseca, which it’s most famous monument is the Stone Bridge over the Meruelo River. A lot of walkers, after the heavy descent from Bierzo’s mountains, find in this refreshing water the comfort their tired feet needed.

JRight after passing by the entrance of Molinaseca, we can see the chapel of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias located at one side of the road. People say that a chapel was already there back in the XI century, even though what we see today was built between the XVI and XX century. Its headquarters is well supported on the mountain that, in fact, it’s part of it. The high belfry located at the western facade’s center had to be built in 1931as a counterbalance, because the mountain’s force could destroy the temple.

Following the road we get to the Stone Bridge, commonly known as “Puente de los Peregrinos”. People believe its origin is from the Roman times, but it’s not proven. There are medieval sources that indicate its existence since the XII century. In the actuality it has seven arches from different dates and sides, because it was object of different expansions.

Once we go across the bridge we immerse ourselves in all of the activities on Calle Real of Molinaseca where we will find all the services that we need. The streets finish at the LE-142 again. We’re almost arriving to Ponferrada, but for those who rather stop in the small towns and enjoy the countryside’s peace, Molinaseca can be a great option.

Puente de Molinaseca (Picture given by José Antonio Gil Martínez on Wikimedia under the following  conditions)

LAST KILOMETERS TO PONFERRADA

Going out of Molinaseca we continue going through the LE-142, in a much simpler profile, almost flat. In 5 km we go across the bridge over the Boeza River and, after, the Jacobean signs indicate taking a detour to the left in order to take a way and flow into el Castillo Avenue, right at Ponferrada’s urban center. Getting to the same avenue we need to follow the road without taking the detour, so it is just a matter of taste (the road is total appropriate for cyclists).

Continuing going through el Castillo Avenue we reach the bridge over the Sil River and, to our right, it appears before us the monumental Castillo Templario of Ponferrada.

If we cross the bridge we immerse ourselves in the most modern area of the city and, if we stay on this side, we can appreciate the castle and la Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

Welcome to Ponferrada!

Castle of Ponferrada (Picture given by Alejandro Bolado on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

Ponferrada is a city divided on two by the magnificent Sil River. On the eastern shore the monumental area is located, where the majority of the architectonic medieval cultural patrimony of the city is, as well as the different museums. On the western border there is the most modern part of the city, modified and organized as an urban expansion district, where the industrial, hotel and office area are.

The size and the monumental character of the places of public interest turn the capital Bierzio into a perfect ending for the stage. We propose a 12 minutes’ walk in which less than 1 Km you will find all the clues you need to get to know this wonderful enclave and understanding how it has become what it is today. You can see here the promenade map.

We can’t wait for you to enjoy the Bierzo capital, a natural region bordering the Sil River, where everything that is part of its certificate of origin becomes synonymous of quality and good work.

Are you willing to get to know better Ponferrada?

Panoramic View of Ponferrada (Picture given by José Luis Filpo Cabana on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

It all started with the “pons-ferrata”, an iron bridge for Jacobean pilgrims.

Even though there are traces indicating that on the shores of Sil there was some kind of settlement from Iron Times and Roman Times, there isn’t any document or source that would confirm it.

However, there are documents stating clearly how in 1082 the bishop of Astorga orders to build a bridge over the Sil River with the purpose of making the pilgrim’s crossroad easier. On the bridge they placed some iron chains as an impediment for the pass if you didn’t pay the respective toll, so that’s why they named it “pons-ferrata” (Iron Bridge). Some other researchers believe that the name, in fact, comes from the iron reinforcement that was placed on the bridge’s structure. In the western shore, after crossing the bridge, a small town was built up during the next century, around a church dedicated to San Pedro.

The other side of the river was uninhabited until Ferdinand II, in the second half of XII century, builds a small fortress over a promontory right on the Sil shore. On its surroundings, another settlement started growing and, in 1178, the King gave that part of the territory’s power to la Orden del Temple (Temple’s Order).

As we already mentioned, the mountain’s crossroads of León was a dangerous part of the way because of its hard weather conditions, the variety on its lands and the amount of thieves hiding between the wide vegetation. The Templars, the ones on charge of protecting pilgrims, made their fortress much bigger so they could have a total control and vigilance over the area. In 1211 Ferdinand II’s successor, Alfonso IX, decided giving the city to the Master of la Orden del Temple in Ponferrada, so they got the complete power.

Like everything that goes around Templars, his mandate in pons-ferrata is full of miracle legends and impossible feats. People attribute to them, for example, the sculpture’s discovery of la Virgen del Bierzo (la “morenica”) at holm oak’s trunk.

During the following centuries, they built around the city a lot of walls and the Templars built up an important power in that area. But as we already know from the previous stages, he Templar supremacy ended up being a total disgrace. Seen by monarchy and the main church of Roma as a threat to its authority, a complete mess between kings and popes ended up by abolishing la Orden del Temple in 1312, by force of murdering and expropriation.

Once the Templar knights disappeared, the biggest beneficiaries in Ponferrada were the big aristocratic families that were nearby the area: Castile and Galicia. In Leon’s area, los Osorio that, as we see in the previous stage, held the power of Astorga, having for a short period of time the power of Porferrada’s fortress. In Galicia, the family of The Counts of Lemos, settled in Monforte, also controlled the castle during some periods of the XV and XVI century.

The several fights over power between the Count of Lemos and his son at the beginning of XVI century ended up with a huge battle on the castle. The Catholic Kings took advantage of the situation and the instability to decree that the fortress was part of their property. They placed a chief magistrate in Ponferrada so he could take control on his name, and the organization of the city remained that way until XIX century, when they city grew a lot on the inside and outside of the walls.

Already in the XX century, the major city changed entirely thanks to the arrival of industrialization. The nearest coal and iron mines were exploited with heavy machinery and in 1949, a thermal power plant was open in the city.

In the actuality around 64 000 people lived in Ponferrada, that each day welcome–as it has been done for years- pilgrims who cross the Sil in order to continue with their way to Compostela.

Now that you know Ponferrada’s story… Are you willing to get to know its most important monuments?

Barrio antiguo de Ponferrada (Picture given by Gabriel Fernández on Flickr under the following conditions)

We start on the neuralgic center: el castillo templario

As a result of historical expansions, the castle that we can visit today in Ponferrada takes up the entire place as eight soccer fields. So, we can visit for a while! Putting aside the size, the thing that impresses the most of this monument is its exceptional state of preservation.

We explain you how to get there because it’s impossible to pass by Ponferrada without vising it. It has over 8000 m2, with double and triple defensive walls: towers with different shapes, barbicans (holes that shoot cannons) and gigantic walls; all of this surrounding a huge internal yard

The castle, actually, is the union of two big projects. The first castle has its base on the construction made by Templars in C.XIII with the support of the things already made by Ferdinand II before. When the Orden del Temple was abolished, Mr. De Osorio constructed the so-called “Castillo Viejo” (“Old Castle”) in one available spot, afterwards, the Count of Lemos expanded it in a way that he made a fortress-palace named “Castillo Nuevo” (“New Castle”).The Northern part, hence, is the only part left from the first constructions in C.XII.

The entire polygonal facility of the castle was bordered by a trench, except for the part heading to the river’s shore. After passing by the main door, made of masonry and flanked by two big fortified towers, we enter to the yard, and from there we can appreciate the huge Torre de homenaje, main structure of the castle.

From the second half of XIX century on, the monument started to get worse, people even used some of its stones to build blocks and use its yard as a grazing field. In 1924, they declared it as a Historic Artistic National Monument and, therefore, it’s now protected in a special way. They began like this, a reconstruction process that has finished with the building’s transformation into a museum. The ticket costs about 6€ and on Mondays it’s closed. The rest of the days it’s open from 10.00 to 18.00 with a lunch-break from 14.00 to 16.00. For more information you can see the webpage of el ayuntamiento.

Let’s have a museum tour and know Bierzo’s patron saint

In front of the entrance of castillo de Ponferrada is located the temple of San Andrés. It’s relatively new (C. XVII) inside of it a Christ figure is kept, that was before placed in one of the castle’s chapel, so that’s why its name is Cristo de la Fortaleza. It only has a main nave and its headquarters raises a baroque altarpiece with 6 alcove figures, in addition to the Christ one.

Following the pedestrian street Gil y Damasco, that borders the castle, we will see to our left the tourist office of Ponferrada and to our right el Museo de la Radio. The reason why there’s such a specific thematic museum in here is because this is the city that where Luis del Olmo was born, one of the country’s radio announcers with the longest career and who presented the oldest program of Spain’s radio history: “Protagonistas” had more than 12000 radio emissions. In this ancient building from the XVII century, known as “Casa de los Escudos”, his receiver collection is exhibited in a space that exposes fashion and all the uses that have been followed by the radio throughout the history. For more information about schedules and prices go to the webpage of the museum.

Main Facade of Museo de la Radio (Picture given by Alejandro Bolado on Wikimedia under the following  conditions)

We continue our walk going up by the Gil y Carrasco Street that comes up right in front of the museum’s facade. We enter then to plaza de la Virgen de la Encina, where the homonymous church is located.

La Virgen de la Encina is the patron saint of Bierzo’s district since 1908. There are different legends about how this saint image was found, the majority making reference to Templars.. One of them mentions that the Virgin’s image was brought by San Toribio in the V century, when he made pilgrimage to Jerusalem (we mentioned his story on the previous stage). When he became bishop of Astorga he kept the image in the city and in C.IX, before the Muslim attack, the bishop at the moment took it out of the city and hid it in a holm oak of some forest. Six centuries later, Templars decided to expand their castle and needed a lot of wood for its construction. On September 8th of some year, on a Virgin’s day, they went looking for her and by cutting a holm oak’s trunk the complete image appeared before them, without any scratching.

The Virgin’s image is exhibited on its basilica’s headboard, in a niche before the major altarpiece. The sculpture we see is from C.XVI, the same century when the temple was built. In the past there was a church built at the end of the XII century, but due to how small it was, they decided to demolish it in order to build this new one. The current temple’s construction was tempestuous because in a lot of moments, they needed to stop due to epidemic diseases, administrative problems, among others. It almost took two centuries to finish it, so even though as a whole is very peaceful, there are different influences on it, from Late Gothic, initial Renaissance, Classicism, and somehow Galician Baroque.

Basilica of la Virgen de la Encina (Picture given by Zarateman on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

We go through Reloj Street and stop at el Museo del Bierzo and la Torre del reloj

We continue along Reloj Street and stop at Museo del Bierzo and the Torre del reloj.

Once we go out la plaza de la Virgen de la Encina by the North, we enter to el Reloj street. Almost at its end, before reaching Plaza del Ayuntamient, we can see to our right el Museo del Bierzo.

Even though they decided to make this project in 1966, its construction didn’t start until 1984 and was finished 12 years later. The building where it’s held, was the one where the chief magistrate of the city, mayor appointed by the King, lived during a few years since C. XVI. The main purpose of the museum is exposing the Ponferrada’s history and, to a greater extent, the history of Bierzo’s region. There are pieces from the Paleolithic period until the XX century. In the afternoon it’s only open from 16.00 to 18.00, so if you would like to visit but you don’t have enough time in the afternoon; you can enter the next day from 10.00 in the morning.

After passing in front of the museum we will cross under an arch where la Torre del Reloj is risen over. Actually, the arch is the only door left from the medieval walls that bordered the entire Ponferrada’s perimeter. Above them, two bodies were built from the XVI century, the first one with Phillip II’s shield and the one above with the clock on its upper part. The third body that we see today, with a bell, was made the following century.

Torre del Reloj (Picture given by Lancastermerrin on Wikimedia under the following conditions)

At el Museo del Bierzo the clock’s original mechanism is kept, the one from XVI century. Unfortunately, it’s not possible going up the tower, where we assume the views would be fantastic.

After crossing the old door of the medieval wall, we will get to Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Either in the proper church or in the surrounding streets we can find a lot of hotels where we can taste the best of Bierzo’s gastronomy: roast peppers, wine, chestnuts, cherries, etc. As a formal plate you can’t miss el botillo, pork marinate meat stuffed and smoked. They eat it cooked and with potatoes, legumes or vegetables. This is a perfect delicacy to give enough energy!

If you’re not really that hungry and you prefer keep walking a little bit, in Tournride we offer you to go to the bridge’s town and take a walk by the Sil River’s shore. To get there you have to go out Plaza del Ayuntamiento by Sta. Beatriz de Silva Street and go down after by la Calzada street. We get directly to the bridge, where in the past people supposed that it was located the pons-ferrata that gave the city’s name. After crossing it, we see the Plaza de San Pedro, where was located the church that was place of the first medieval settlement of the area, few centuries ago.

We recommend you passing by the Eastern shore of Sil River until crossing over el Castillo bridge and finishing at the starting point of our walk.

Tomorrow we will make a huge advance in our pilgrimage… We will finally enter to Galicia! We are getting closer to the end each time; from Tournride we hope you enjoy your experience to the best. In order to do so, we will keep guiding you in your French Way by bike.

¡Buen Camino, pilgrims!