Distance for stage: <\/b><\/span>51 Km<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Estimated Time:<\/b><\/span> 5-<\/span>6 hours<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Minimum height: <\/b><\/span>250 <\/span>m<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Maximum height:<\/b><\/span> 470 <\/span>m<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Route Difficulty:<\/b><\/span> Medium<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Places of public interest:<\/b><\/span> Melide, Lavacolla, Monte do Gozo, Santiago de Compostela<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Itinerary map:<\/b><\/span> To see the whole journey on Google Maps click here<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n 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. <\/span>The excitement of knowing that the Jacobean goal will be achieved gives us the strength to face the continuous changes of slope and road surface<\/b>as well as the last climb of the French Way in O Monte do Gozo.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n After leaving Melide, it is spent most of the time by paths and <\/span>corredoiras<\/span><\/i> 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” (<\/span>Campus Stellae<\/span><\/i>). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/b>, crossing occasionally, but <\/span>from Salceda (Km 25) it will interpose more and more in our way.<\/b> From Salceda to O Amenal (Km 36,7) the road crosses about ten times on our route, <\/span>five of them without a safe pedestrian crossing<\/b>; 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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). <\/span>From Lavacolla we take the last ramp of the French Way: the ascent to O Monte do Gozo (Km 48)<\/b>, the first place from which we will see the towers of the cathedral.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to this range there are others that we will have to face in the journey<\/b>: from Casta\u00f1eda (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. <\/span>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)<\/b>, which has an average slope of 8% that will take us to shoulder of the road.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/span> 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.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, the main difficulty we could encounter with is, without doubt, the mud<\/b>. 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.<\/span> 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. <\/b>Going for the national one would be a shame, because you won\u2019t go through almost any Jacobean locality and you would lose the last rural immersion of the French Way. So, <\/span>our recommendation from Tournride for this stage is to go by the pedestrian path during the entire route.<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n From Lavacolla we will only be traveling by asphalt<\/b> – or cobbled path – to the cathedral. <\/span>Until then, most of the roads will be dirt<\/b> when going among mounts<\/span> or gravel <\/b>when they join small populations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We must also take into account that at this stage many streams, brooks and rivers cross each other. <\/b>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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the entrance to Santiago can be a bit confusing, since it is quite the urban zone that we must cross<\/b>. 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 L\u00e1zaro 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… <\/span>We are at our end of the Camino!<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n – <\/span>Itinerary Recommendation<\/b>: 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. <\/span>In Tournride we recommend to follow the Jacobean signage by the pedestrian route.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n – In rainy season we can find the <\/span>main difficulty of this section: mud<\/b>. 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 <\/span>short gear<\/b>!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n – <\/span>The first 17 km to A Peroxa are a real “legbreaking” section<\/b>. From there the road surface will be changing, but the variations will be generally less abrupt.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n – <\/span>Beware of crossings of the N-547 with footpaths, sometimes they are a bit dangerous<\/b>. In the map of stage we mark with signs the crossings in which we must exercise extreme caution.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n –<\/span> In Santiago de Compostela there are three offices that you cannot miss:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) The Pilgrim’s Office<\/b>. Next to the Obradoiro square, in Carretas street n\u00ba33<\/span>, is the reception office for the pilgrim<\/a>. Here your credential will be sealed for the last time and <\/span>they will give you the Compostela for free<\/span>, 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 <\/span>Certificate of Distance <\/span>(3 \u20ac), which shows where and when you have traveled, as well as the kilometers traveled. Here they sell tubes to save the papers (\u20ac 2), but you will also find them in many of the souvenir shops of the city, generally at a much lower price.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) The Tournride office<\/b>. If you come to our office after picking up your credentials, which <\/span>is 5 minutes from the cathedral<\/span>, we will <\/span>pick up your bicycle<\/span> so that you do not have to worry about it anymore and <\/span>we will give you the luggage that we have been keeping<\/span>, if you have decided to use our luggage delivery service<\/a>. Besides … we always like you to spend your time to tell us about your experience!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n We wait for you in Laverde Ruiz street no. 5<\/a><\/span>, 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 you<\/span>We 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3)<\/b> The tourist office<\/b>. 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\u2019s Tourist Office<\/a> is located at R\u00faa do Vilar 30-32<\/span> and on the same street, but at number 63, there is the tourist office of the City Council of Santiago de Compostela.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n – <\/span>To leave Santiago there are multiple connection options<\/b>, given the large number of tourists it receives, its strategic location and its condition of capital of the community. <\/span>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<\/b> back home. So, carrying on only your suitcase, you can go from Santiago…<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n By plane.<\/span>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<\/a> <\/span> you can see them all. In Galicia there is also an airport in A Coru\u00f1a<\/a><\/span> and in Vigo<\/a><\/span>, 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<\/a><\/span> (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.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n By bus.<\/span> From the bus station of Santiago, to the north of the city, there are connections with the rest of Galician cities<\/a> or Spain<\/a>, also there are some with other parts of Europe.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n By train<\/span>. The train station is not far from the center and on the Renfe<\/a> website you can see all the destination options that are offered, which are many of them!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Today will be a day to record in our memory … We will know the cathedral of Santiago! <\/span>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<\/b>, passing among native trees and others coming from the antipodes – like the eucalyptus.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n And, besides the historical and artistic heritage, we will make our mouth water with the gastronomic<\/b>; especially in Arz\u00faa. Here <\/span>we can try another product with a Designation of Origin in Galicia, the Arz\u00faa-Ulloa cheese<\/b>, which matches perfectly with the locally produced honey or with the delicious homemade quince.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n But above all, <\/span>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 \u2013 of our Way<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n The departure of Melide is simple, nothing has to do with others that <\/span>we have already spent in big cities. <\/span>From the central roundabout of the town we must head north, following the indications of the “Museo Terra de Melide”.<\/b> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n After crossing the road multiple signs indicate the way to the church of Santa Mar\u00eda de Melide (Km 1,1)<\/b>. <\/span>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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the building elements of the church of Santa Mar\u00eda de Melide are decorated<\/b>. 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 Inside the church there are two exceptional elements: a Romanic altar<\/b>, decorated with small arches under which paint of different colors is preserved;<\/span> and a metal grid from the 12th century<\/b> which is kept in the modern sacristy of the temple.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n And you maybe wonder… A grid? What value can a grid have? <\/span>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<\/b>, since if we place it in its time, it tells us things about medieval society and his way of seeing life.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/b>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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, walking from the entrance of the church to the apse was a representation of the path to God<\/b>. 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!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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 <\/span>many times, the spaces were delimited physically with bars or wooden structures.<\/b> 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 <\/span>icons<\/span><\/i> 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.<\/span> 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.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/span>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.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n This, in general, is due to this way of dividing the field in smallholdings – inherited among all the children – that is own of Galicia.<\/b> 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. <\/span>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.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n 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. <\/b>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.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Melide](\"https:\/\/www.tournride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/E14-Melide-Santiago.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"catedral-santiago-de-compostela\"](\"https:\/\/www.tournride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/catedral-santiago-de-compostela.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
PROFILE AND STAGE\u2019S MAIN ROUTES<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"a-peroxa\"](\"https:\/\/www.tournride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/a-peroxa.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
PRACTICAL ADVICES<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
DETAILED ITINERARY AND HISTORIC-ARTISTIC PATRIMONY<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"camino-santiago-melide\"](\"https:\/\/www.tournride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/camino-santiago-melide.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
FROM ARZ\u00daA TO SALCEDA IN A CONSTANTLY “UP AND DOWN” <\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
the previous stage<\/a><\/span>– and plant forms.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"iglesia-de-santa-maria\"](\"https:\/\/www.tournride.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/iglesia-de-santa-maria.jpg\" "\\"\\"")