The Camino de Invierno

As you come back close to the RR tracks (having completed the upside down U), you then will make a relatively sharp right turn to go up a hill to cross the tracks. At that spot, there is frequently a loud barking dog on a chain that takes him to the very edge of the owner’s property (reported still there but greatly chilled out in June 2019) and if you are startled, you may continue straight rather than take the required sharp right turn. As you ascend after the turn, you will see arrows. The Camino weaves a bit, until you cross over the RR tracks (thus putting you between the tracks and the river), only to cross back over them about a km later.

From here, the Camino keeps to the right bank of the río Sil, paralleling the RENFE railroad tracks. This is the Camino so favored in winter, with a riverine microclimate that offers sunny exposures and avoids freezing temperatures and ice. There are two recently installed picnic tables with nice views over the river separated by a few kms.

At this point the Camino stays on the “land side” rather than the “river side” of the tracks, although in earlier years the Camino took you on the side closer to the river. You may see arrows on the other side of the tracks if you are looking closely, but you should ignore them.

On the way from Pumares into Sobradelo, you will be walking for quite a long time on a high path that has shale cliffs and wildflowers on the right side, and a very long way down to tree tops, railroad tracks, and the río Sil on the left side. It is a wide path, though, and is not likely to cause anxiety to any but those with very extreme issues with heights. You will pass a pile of ruins, the village of Nogueiras, along the way.

The arrows may disappear coming into Sobradelo. Enter town on Camino Regueiros de Aguas.

No matter which branch of the Calle de Éntoma you have taken, you will ascend and reach the OU-0801 road, which takes you out of Sobradelo. This road does go all the way to O Barco, but the Camino will take you off the highway onto more scenic trails through the forest.

After a few km on the side of the road, a Camino marker takes you off the road and then into Éntoma.

As you leave the hamlet, the Camino takes you up through a forest with pine trees, a few chestnut trees, some cherry trees, some vineyards.

You soon arrive in O Barco’s outskirts and back on the OU-0801. From here, it is at least a half hour into the center, with development stretched along the highway.

As you are coming into town, keep an eye out for two blue Camino signs (one on each side of the road) as well as a mojón indicating the narrow tunnel to your left, under the train tracks. After the tunnel, enter the slate mill and turn right, where you follow a gravel track. O Barco is near enough, up a sharp climb and over the top of another train tunnel.

Leave O Barco on the river walk. After you pass the cafés, parks, and playgrounds, you will come to a small wooden footbridge with two freshly painted arrows. This bridge does not take you across the river itself; it takes you over a small tributary emptying into the river. The path is wide and covered in gravel, so it is obviously a path used by townspeople. After passing the sanitary plant, a mojón takes you off the path. At the roundabout, turn left . Keep walking straight and cross the tracks. You will stay parallel to the highway, on an access road, all the way into Arcos.

This route was the actual Camino route until a couple of years ago, before the riverside route was marked. Take it only if you plan to spend the night at the very highly recommended albergue in Xagoaza. I am not sure if the route is still marked through the town of O Barco, but it is easy to get to. Make your way to the railroad underpass at the end of Calle Eulogio Fernández, where you will see a blue Camino sign pointing your way west. At the roundabout just past the Repsol gas station turn left onto Rúa Estrada. At the modern Iglesia de San Tirso, turn right. Then keep straight, and go through a narrow tunnel. Up ahead there is a marker pointing up to the hamlet of Xagoaza. Pay attention, because a 2016 pilgrim reported that there are no arrows to indicate the turn. You will return to this spot to continue on the Camino.

Albergue Xagoaza (Hospitalera, Gloria, tel. 639 921 679). This albergue is several km outside of O Barco, and 1.4 km off the Camino. The hospitalera may provide meals if needed, but it is a good idea to bring your own food from O Barco, just in case. Reported quite nice by many pilgrims. Two rooms with 5 bunks each, large dining room with fireplace, two PCs and Wifi, completely furnished kitchen with stove, oven, fridge, and washing machine. Clean bathrooms and lots of outside space. 6€

Coming down from the Albergue you will join the camino at a point where it becomes an earthen path. This path may or may not be overgrown (pilgrims at different times of year had different reports), but you should continue straight ahead. You will arrive back on the road, having gone around a nicely renovated home.

When you come to a metal sign with the words “Asociación de Desenvolvemento Valdeorras”, you have a choice. You can either go straight on the road or turn left. If you turn, you will soon come to a faint arrow on the ground, which turns off the road onto a dirt track. This is just before a gravel pit of some kind. When you get to the top of the pit, you will come into a clearing with a lot of grape vines. Turn left and keep on into Arcos, with the grape vines on your right.

If you have decided to go straight at the earlier mentioned metal sign (recommended), it takes you to a paved street, where the arrows take you right for several hundred meters (this option was described by some pilgrims as “easy but boring”). Either way you will arrive in Arcos.

Keep on the camino which follows the N-120 and train tracks, following parallel to the river all the way to Vilamartin.

From Vilamartín, the Camino continues along the riverside, past the dam and spillway of the Embalse de Santiago, with views over vineyards, bee boxes, quarries, and tree farms, and a skyful of circling birds of prey. At the dam, you cross over the railroad tracks and go left. Walk on the sparsely used N-536. At the intersection with N-120, sign points left into A Rúa.

On the long slog from the hilltop to the center of town, one pilgrim reported a fantastic and very inexpensive breakfast in Panadería/Cafetería Peyma.

Coming into A Rúa, there is an arrow to the right for the Camino if you don’t plan to stop in A Rúa. Going straight takes you into the town center, with its stores, bars, Casa de Cultura, etc. If you go into town and plan to continue walking, it is easy to get back on the Camino. Just turn right at the ayuntamiento, which is located on the main street.

It is a fair distance from the town entrance to the town center or to the albergue, about 20 minutes by most counts.

Leave A Rúa by climbing up Calle Currelada to the church of Our Lady of Fátima (look for the slate-roofed twin towers. Contrary to local tales, the church was not designed by Gaudi!) and head for the N-120 road. Arrows take you to the right and lead beneath the highway. Upon leaving the tunnel, make an immediate left (arrows were reported faint, but seem to have been much improved).

There are now 7 km of asphalt walking (with very walkable soft shoulders) on the OU-933. The name of the road changes to LU-933 as you cross from the province of Ourense to Lugo. There is virtually no traffic. It is a walk of exceptional beauty above the río Sil, if you are lucky enough to walk on a clear day.

Follow along the river, keeping an eye out for the many bee-keeping complexes that have populated this valley for two millennia. Around a bend in the road the Camino enters Montefurado.

Using the Train to Create Short Stages.

If your intention is to divide the approximately 40 km between O Barco and Quiroga, and if you also want to stop in A Rúa (a mere 14 km from O Barco), here is one way to divide the two stages more evenly:

Day 1: walk from O Barco to A Rúa (14 km). Check into your accommodation and drop your pack. Walk on to Montefurado and then catch the 18.14 train back to A Rúa (just 10 minutes). This would give you plenty of time for a visit with the delightful Casimiro. The train back to A Rúa leaves from the middle platform, but one peregrina on the wrong platform reported that the train patiently waited for her to get to the right track.

Day 2: As you walked to Montefurado the day before, now catch the 10.03 train from A Rúa, get off at Montefurado (just 9 minutes), and continue on to Quiroga.

These two stages would be roughly the same distance.

Now that the apartments in Soldón are available, it would also make sense to walk from O Barco or A Rúa to Soldón in one day, although the next day’s stage from Soldón to Quiroga would be pretty short.

A waymarked trail leads out of Montefurado along a green path upward. If bad weather makes a mess of the path, you can find the car access from Montefurado to the LU-933, which also takes you uphill to the village of Hermidón. As of 2019, a large portion of the walk to Bendilló has been taken off-road and now goes through nice forested areas.

As you enter Bendilló, you will see a community olive-press, and the Ermita das Farrapas. At this point, you are still 1.5 km from the church in town. Turn right here and go up through Bendilló. Go through town and then down steeply on a dirt track towards the national highway N-120.

When you reach the highway, the arrows point you up a steep hill alongside the road. If you ignore that arrow, and merely cross and walk along the highway, you will enter Soldón at an earlier point. If you do follow the arrows up the short steep hill, you will avoid highway walking. When you descend to the highway near Soldón, you can either backtrack a little to your left (where you will see older arrows that will take you into Soldón) or cross the highway as the newer arrows instruct. The arrows will then take you along the road for a little longer and then into Soldón.

Cross the bridge over the river, then turn left and keep straight on.

At the next fork, go right and up to the highway (going left will take you down to the river and the railroad tracks). This road takes you to the N-120, where you will walk on the left grassy shoulder for a short while.

A marker takes you off towards Sequeiros to the left. At the next fork, stay up and right (do not go left and down to the river unless you want to see the center of the little town, which is mainly deserted with a few fixer uppers). Soon after the first house you pass as you enter the outskirts of Sequeiros, you will turn right under the N-120 in a tunnel. (You will miss this turn if you have gone down to the river and walked through town, so backtracking may be needed). The Camino is paralleling the N-120 at this point.

In a short distance, you will go over a bridge with a metal rail on the left. At the fork, stay up and right (do not go left and down). Go up to the plaza of the castle of Torrenovas. The Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem built it and ran several pilgrim hospitals in the 14th century, probably attracted by the strategic lookout over the río Sil. In the plaza with the castle in front of you and the ermita behind you, turn right. This turn is counter-intuitive because you can see Quiroga in front of you. There is a very nice shady bench in front of a renovated house.

When you turn right, there will be old houses on your right. Before that row of houses ends, a Camino sign takes you left onto a grass path. It is a lovely walk on grass down and around a small stream, through green thickets. Turn left on a logging path, and then, when you reach the paved road, go left again.

Keep going straight through several intersections. This takes you through the hamlet of Caspedro. At the end of the hamlet, go to the right of the little church, then straight through another group of houses. Finally, you will emerge on the LU-933 and go straight into town.

Leave Quiroga following the waymarks westward along the main street. Cross under the N-120 and follow the country lane (LU-933) paralleling the river. The arrows take you across the river on a bridge (keep going straight if you don’t want to go through the little village of San Clodio with its bar that opens very early). If you cross the bridge, you go through San Clodio, where Quiroga’s train station is located, and through its small commercial area. You then go back over the river on another bridge and continue on the right side of the river.

Continue along the N-120 for several km. Cross the highway at the mojón.

The path rises over the little town of Noceda. You will be on a grassy shoulder along the LU-933.

After an ascent from Noceda, an arrow takes you off onto a dirt track, to the right. It is well marked and easy to follow. At the top, the Camino merges with the PR-G141, a local hiking trail that is marked with yellow and white signs. There is a lovely descent through an old growth forest (note, this may be undergoing loggin) and along pretty streams.

At the intersection of about five dirt roads, you see a chapel straight ahead. The Camino mojón and PR trail markers go past the Capela dos Remedios (Chapel of the Remedies). Soon after, the PR trail diverges from the Camino. PR goes to the left, while the Camino keeps going straight. There is a sign and also an arrow. Keep straight down to a small hamlet, Carballo do Lor. A sign points off-Camino to a fountain/lavadoiro (a lavadoiro is an old outdoor clothes-washing place) about 30 meters to the right before you start going down.

The Camino now coincides with another hiking trail, the GR-8, which is well marked with red and white blazes. Turn left at signs pointing to the very tiny hamlet of Trampillo, where a young farmer has remained indifferent to the pleas of many pilgrims that he remove his angry dogs. The dogs are chained to the house and leave ample room for pilgrims to pass, but it can be intimidating.

You enter the beautiful little place off Barxa do Lor with a bridge (Roman? Medieval?) over the river. Good Camino marking. This is the end of the first ascent and descent of the day.

The Bridge at Barxa do Lor is mentioned in a document from 1566, which again seems to confirm the route’s Camino bona fides. It involves a discussion by the village residents about the cost of repairing the bridge. The letter explains that the bridge’s arch had fallen and was causing harm to the pilgrims passing through. It also notes that pilgrims are exempt from the toll to cross the bridge. The document also mentions the importance of the route as an alternative to Santiago during the winter time when snow covers the mountains of O Cebreiro. Just as the Invierno defenders have always asserted!!

The second ascent of this stage now begins. After the first hamlet, the red wooden sign for another trail goes off the paved road to the right. If you plan to stay on the camino, keep climbing on the paved road (you will see an arrow on the street soon). If you stay on the Camino, ascend to a fork in the road with a cell tower in the middle. As the descent begins, a mojón takes you off to the left (while the main logging road keeps going up).

As you cross a paved road before entering Castroncelos, you will see the sigh pointing to Salcedo. After Castroncelos, stay on the main road, past the turn off for Piñeros. Arrive in Vilarmao at a farm, turn right towards Reguengo. This takes you into the town of A Pobra do Brollón. There are two cafés on the main road, which is named after the fascist leader José Antonio Primo de Rivera. The town of Pobra marks the end of the second up and down, only one more to go before Monforte de Lemos.

To leave A Pobra, the mojón taking you out of town is right next to the big Guardia Civil (national police) building, with its motto “Todo por la Patria” (everything for the homeland). You are soon on a beautiful green track, which comes out to the road paralleling the river – turn right and walk along the river.

You emerge at the first houses of Cereixa, go over bridge and through this little hamlet Cross the paved road, and go towards the crucifix and the church. The Camino then goes to the right towards Rairos. There is one more short ascent before Monforte.

The way is well marked and takes you through yet another pine forest. The descent is on a very wide dirt road, which in 2019 had signs that heavy earth-moving had taken place, perhaps in preparation for logging. When you cross a channel, you will be on a much more pleasant dirt road, and will descend into Reigada, which is the last hamlet before Monforte. From there into Monforte the way is well marked, on agricultural roads and tracks.

The last stretch before entering town is on a dirt path which seems to always be waterlogged, even in dry times. Reports in the press describe efforts to re-route the Camino at this spot, but as of summer 2019, nothing had changed. If the dirt path is just too muddy (some report mud and muck almost up to the knees), go back to the road, turn left and take that road into town. This will take you on the older route and past the train section, so you may see faded arrows.

When the Camino takes you over the railroad tracks, you will be on the Rúa Escultor Francisco Moure in central Monforte, where there are many bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. The Camino leaves Monforte on the Puente Romano, where there is a hotel and pensión. There are few if any arrows in town until you reach the Puente Romano.

The last section into the city of Monforte has been re-routed. When I first walked in 2008, the arrows took you past the RR station. That is a kind of scruffy area of town and no longer on the Camino, though you may still see arrows. Intown lodging options are likely a better choice. If you have trouble finding the arrows, just ask for how to get to the Puente Romano, Roman Bridge. That’s in central Monforte and is where the Camino crosses the river to leave town.

Between these two towns, the only accommodation is in casas rurales. They include: the Michelin-listed La Rectoral de Castillon http://www.rectoraldecastillon.com/ Tel. 982 455 415, which is about 10 km from Monforte; Torre Vilarino http://www.torrevilarino.com/ , Tel. 982 45 22 60, which is another 4 km beyond that; and Penelope’s place in Castrotañe. Be sure to phone ahead and reserve if you plan to stay at any of these places. The owners of La Rectoral have been happy to pick up pilgrims from points on the Camino. These casas rurales provide a good and less taxing first-day option if your pilgrimage begins at Monforte.

Leaving Monforte, cross the Roman bridge, and make a quick left at the monastery of the Clarisas. Go right at the old town hall plaza – you will see a shell on the pavement. Follow Rúa Abeledos right out to the edge of town, passing by an unmarked but friendly bread bakery on the left. Where two roads come into Abeledos from the left (Rúa O Savinao and Poeta Manuel María), take the latter road. Walk between the church of San Antonio and the backside of the Gadis supermarket, and come to the roundabout with a hórreo (a Galician granary). Take a left to reach another roundabout, with a statue of a pilgrim pointing towards A Vide. Pass the 24 hour Repsol gas station on the right. This next stretch is one of the few on asphalt with no soft shoulder.

The camino is very well marked leaving A Vide, and off-road alternatives have been closed. Stay on an asphalt road that takes you to the Pazo O Reguengo, passing through Broza. This is another asphalt stretch, about 2.5 km., but with the noble old pazo (farm complex) there to provide a landmark.

This will take you to the hamlet of Castrotañe.

Shortly after the estate’s walls end, a moon indicates a left turn onto a paved road. This goes through a little hamlet of a few houses, named San Lourenzo. When the road ends, the Camino goes into the fields for an extremely short distance. You emerge in Castrotañe, where an English woman, Penelope, has a casa rural and offers rooms to pilgrims at reasonable prices. One pilgrim stayed here in 2015 and paid 20€ for room and kitchen access. Penelope also took her into town for shopping. Information on Penelope’s place: https://www.galiciaholidayrentals.com/to-find-us.html Tel. 677 120 321 OR 982 17 16 32 or via email at penelope@galiciaholidayrentals.com.

The path continues on to the small hamlet of Piñeiro, with its welcoming fountain.

IF the path from San Lourenzo is overgrown or muddy, you can remain on the paved road, the LU-P-4112 and in a few minutes you will arrive in Piñeiro, where you can pick up the Camino again at the water fountain.

At the fountain of Piñeiro, the water is sweet, delicious, and welcome. This is a great picnic spot. If you plan to stay at La Rectoral de Castillón casa rural (a splendid option at a good price) this is the place to phone Rosa, the proprietor, and ask for a ride. The inn is very nearby, but walking directions are unclear. She can return you to the fountain in the morning, or set you down at a place along the road if there is too much mud.

From Piñeiro onward to Camiño Grande, the mojones take you on a lovely walk through fields and green tunnels, with stone walls on either side.

From the mojón in Camiño Grande, you enter a new concello of O Savinao. Then at a cross-roads with numerous signs, the Camino goes on the LU-P-5807 straight ahead to Fión. You will see the road marker for km 0, indicating that this is the start of that road. There is a turn for Escairón to the right (you don’t take it, unless you plan to take the alternative route described below). At this point there is also an option to take a 400 meter detour to the left to another Casa Rural, the Torre Vilariño.

The Camino stays on the side of the road (virtually no traffic) and passes through a number of small hamlets – Fontela, Vilaravides, Vilatinosa, A Madredauga, Sobrado, O Cerdeiro, A Vendanova, Outeiro, Montecelo, and finally Diomondi. You will actually enter the “parroquia” of Diomondi about 2 km before arriving at the church itself.

[ALTERNATIVE:

Splitting the Monforte to Chantada stage with a detour to Escairón. The town of Escairón is about four kilometers from the crossroads described above (where you go left to the Torre Vilariño and straight ahead to stay on the Camino). But if you know you are going to sleep in Escairón, and don’t mind getting slightly off the Camino, you can go there straight from Monforte de Lemos. Cross the Puente Romano and keep going straight on Rúa Chantada until you get to the roundabout with a hórreo (old stone Galician granary). Keep going straight, you will be on the LU-617, which is the road that goes straight into Escairón. There are a few bars on the way, and at least one restaurant. Google maps shows this as almost 14 km.

A Pobra do Brollón is about 26 km from Escairón, which is a do-able stage for most. The next day from Escairón to Chantada would be approximately 17 km.

In Escairón the 2** Hotel O Ruso is recommended. Large modern room, 37 € includes individual room, main meal, and breakfast. Tel. 982 452 134. Excellent tapas bars include O Noso Lar, El Candíl and Avenida. Stamp available in Casa de Concello and Hotel.

The next day, continue on the LU-617. Turn left by the cheese factory, onto LU-P-5806. There is a sign indicating you are 4 km from Diomondi church, and when you arrive there you will be back on the Camino, and ready to start the descent to Belesar.

END OF ALTERNATIVE.]

At the shelter, the Camino leaves the road and turns to the left, beginning to descend the many switchbacks of the codos (elbows) of Belesar, a 2.5 km stretch of steep, broken pavement with remnants of the old Roman Road. The 17th century chronicler of his route home from Santiago on the Invierno noted that the bridge and path were named after a Roman Captain named Belisario, apparently in charge of the construction of the bridge.

The path zig-zags from the forest into the vineyards, down to the river itself. This descent can be hard on the knees; hiking poles would help a lot. The path down to the river is marked with the GR red and white blazes. Don’t worry about the lack of arrows.

After crossing the río Miño, begin a steep ascent, which takes you on and off the road several times.

After passing the wineries, the camino takes you down to a small river and a mill and then up the hill back on the road for a while, when you get to the third winery, the Camino goes off road to the right. This trail may be muddy and overgrown, but when you emerge, you will be in San Pedro de Líncora.

From San Pedro to Chantada is mostly downhill and on the side of the road. Cross the río Asma, and the Camino continues into the old part of Chantada.

The path crosses over a mountain and past the landmark Hermitage of Monte Faro. On this stretch are several beautiful petos de las ánimas, medieval crossroads shrines with striking sculpted images of the souls in purgatory. The little slot was there so the faithful could make monetary offerings on behalf of those souls.

Leave Chantada from Praza Santa Ana along Alferez Baanante, heading towards Centulle. You are actually walking on the in-town portion of the LU-1809 highway. Just past the first peto de ánimas, a mojón takes you off the road. Continue through the little hamlet of Centulle. You will eventually be back on the LU-1809. Follow the arrows to the right.

After that right turn, about a hundred meters or so down the road, go left, and walk on the service road of the main Chantada-Lalín highway. You will stay on the service road for a few km. Pass over a paved road or two, and after you go under the road bridge, turn left. Go through the hamlet of Boan.

Enter Lucenza and keep straight on. Before the end of this hamlet, take the path to the right. At the stop sign, cross a paved road, follow the mojón onto a composite road on the left. At the next stop, cross the road and keep straight on. The next hamlet you pass through is Vilaseco.

Continue to the little town of Penasillás.

The next five km steadily ascend to the Monte Faro. Eventually you reach an asphalt road with a monolith. Continue on this road.

One of the Amigos groups has an alternative route for those who wish to avoid the ascent, or at least some of it. From Penasillás you can take a series of secondary roads that pass through Mouricios, Ferreiros, Mundín, San Vicente.

According to one GPS calculation, this alternative has 180m of ascent, compared to the Camino’s 420m. You would then reconnect with the Camino at the intersection of the PO-533 and CG-2.1. One pilgrim was happy he took the detour, but most have enjoyed the opportunity to see Monte Faro and have stressed that the ascent is not bad at all. The long slog beneath the windmills may not be everyone’s cup of tea, however.

After several km walking on paths and unpaved roads after Penasillás, the Camino merges with a paved road. If you plan to go up to the Alto and its ermita, look for stone steps on the left. These steps take you off the Camino and ascend on the grass past the crosses representing the Stations of the Cross. In a few minutes, you will be at the high point, a huge field with its ermita, lookout tower, and cruceiro. One pilgrim in 2017 enjoyed going to the lookout tower for a nice conversation with the fire ranger there.

To rejoin the Camino, you have two options. One would be to backtrack down the stairs and rejoin the Camino at the exact spot that you left it. Another is to go to the cruceiro (decorated standing crucifix, located within sight of the ermita). From the cruceiro, you descend a hill and turn right at the bottom. This takes you past an overgrown picnic area, which is on the Camino.

If you do not wish to ascend to the Ermita on the Monte Faro, simply continue straight at the turnoff with the Stations of the Cross. You will pass the picnic area on your right. Shortly thereafter, you come to a T-junction, and a waymarker takes you to the right, so you are essentially hugging the picnic area on your right. If you have taken the descent from Monte Faro that leaves from the crucifix, you will rejoin the Camino at this T-junction, continuing straight to rejoin the Camino just before the picnic area.

The marked Camino leaves the tarmac to the right beyond the picnic area, and parallels windmills on a limestone access road with lovely views back to Chantada. At this point, you will see a beaten up old street marker, pointing to Rodeiro to the left. There is a clear yellow X (indicating that you should NOT go this way). Even if you are interested in the “road option” to Rodeiro, this is not the most direct route. You should wait till a later point, when the Camino crosses the PO-533, which is the direct road option to Rodeiro. Several pilgrims followed this first road sign to “Rodeiro” and learned that it is the “back road route” and weaves around, crossing with lots of unmarked roads. They got lost many times.

After a few km walking through the other-worldly windmill farm with its constant flap flap flap and motor rumblings, the path meets pavement again. At this point the Camino turns left, and crosses a bridge over the PO-533, which is the highway from Lalín to Chantada. Here you pick up yellow arrows again. Going left will take you along the highway, going right is the official camino route through farmland and hamlets. This is the spot for those who wish to save a few km and go directly to Rodeiro on the side of the road. It is not pretty, but not at all dangerous, since you can walk along an access road the whole way. I have not taken this route, but on the map it looks like a straight shot into Rodeiro.

6.0 km Crossing of the CG-2.1 and PO-533.

If you stay on the Camino, granite waymarkers will take the Camino off to your left. One is the standard mojón with the tile scallop shell. The other is larger, placed there by the “Concello de Rodeiro” and indicates that you are on the Camiño de Inverno. This pretty path passes El Pazo de Camba. That old estate is usually closed, but two 2016 pilgrims happened upon it during preparation for a baptism in the small church, the 1st in 25 years. They were treated to a visit. After walking by the estate, the Camino passes through a field and out to the LU-P-1809. Arrows then take you off the road before the contiguous hamlets of A Feira ( as a bar that serves a good menu del día, O Recanto) and Leboro, but if you remain on the road, you will come to the Mesón Lamazares. (And continuing on, the LU-P-1809 will take you into Rodeiro).

Leave Rodeiro on the PO-5330, the main road west, for about 2km. A mojón stands along the road across from a rabbit-processing factory, COGAL, directing you to the right onto a paved road towards Puente Limpio. It soon becomes a dirt path and meanders over a wide valley with stone quarries, trout-fishing streams, and sunken lanes that sometimes turn to mud or streams. Mojones direct you from Penebosa to Puza to Penela, notable for an enormous granite monument the farmer has dedicated to the former Spanish king Juan Carlos. From here travel on to Eirexe, where the Camino crosses a 12th century bridge. The little town lies just beneath a huge strip mine.

Next comes a long stretch on a dirt road, which goes through agricultural fields and some forests. At approximately 19km from Rodeiro, the Camino enters the hamlet of Palmaz and soon takes you onto the PO-933 into Lalín de Arriba. The arrows take you right in front of the church from the 10th century (the keeper of the keys lives close by and is very happy to open the church up if you can find her). The date 980 is carved into a stone window sill. Arrows then take you through the town of Lalín.

The Camino leaves Lalín on the Pontiñas River walk. The path (with both a paved and unpaved option) is accessible at various points throughout the town. If you are unsure, just ask; everyone knows where it is. The name in Spanish is Paseo Fluvial.

To get to the river walk from the town church, walk down with the church behind you, on the street Rúa Colón. You will come to a plaza with a monolithic monument to Joaquín Loriga, an early 20th century aviator. Go past that square, continue behind the plaza, down hill, till you come to a big playground at the edge of the town. You will be able to join the river walk there, take it to your left. It’s a very nice walk.

When the mojón takes you off the river walk, you will start to ascend. Turn left at a little ermita (arrow on the adjacent shed/garage) and continue on that back road. You emerge onto the road that traverses the industrial park in front of the Hotel Torre do Deza. Continuing straight ahead, you will come to a gravel road that takes you to a tunnel under the super highway and enter A Laxe.

Shortly after leaving A Laxe, you will pass the Pazo de Bendoiro, a restored manor house with its spa treatments and swimming pool.  Beautiful but pricey, single room with breakfast reported 63 € in 2019.

The camino takes you into the woods and ascends to a lovely old bridge, originally Roman but with much rebuilding.  The bridge is hidden in the forest and inaccessible to cars. A bit further on, the Romanesque church at Taboada has a carving of Samson over the doorway.  You have to cross the busy highway to get there, but it is worth it, just a stone’s throw from the Camino. Volunteers keep the church open for pilgrim visits; 8:30h -15;10h, closed Tuesday.

The last 40km to Santiago is through pleasant Galician farmland. It is close enough now that the proximity to the roads and major highway interchanges means lots of crossings. The way from here is well marked and easy to follow.

Cross to the right side of the road as early as is convenient, at the end of town the camino veers right and trying to cross at that point is dangerous.

From Dornelas the camino descends to the Río Ulla, passing through San Miguel de Castro (5km) along the way.

The camino follows briefly a section of the N-525 as it leaves Ponte Ulla; this section can be a bit dangerous so keep an eye open for the two times it leaves the road. The first is to your left, so you’ll need to cross the road. The second is to your right which means you will have to cross back. 500m separate the two crossings. If these crossings sound unnecessarily dangerous to you, you are not alone.

After the second crossing, the camino returns to safer side roads as it climbs to Outeiro.

From Outeiro the camino passes through Lestedo (3.7km), A Susana (bar, pharmacy) (3.4km), Aldrei (3.1km), and Santa Lucía (bar) (2.3km).

The camino enters Santiago from a neighborhood called Sar, named for the modest river that flows through it. It is here that you will find the Colegiata de Santa María a Real, a 12th-century construction that is well worth a short visit. It is to your left just after crossing the river. From the church, the camino continues along the same road, and eventually steeply uphill to the old town. 

At the top of the hill, the arrows are a bit hard to find. There is nothing more to do than to cross the road and head into the old town via the last standing gate, the Puerta de Mazarelos. Continue through it and keep on going straight (against traffic). You will pass a statue to Alfonso II at the highest point (geographically speaking) of Santiago, and here keep on going straight where the road narrows considerably. At the next crossroads, turn left steeply downhill. At the bottom stands the Cathedral.

The rest of the way is through the suburbs of Santiago, which display a mixture of modern construction and old stone houses, many of which are beautiful. The Camino crosses the railroad tracks very close to the spot where the RENFE train derailed in July 2013, killing 79 people and injuring many more. The fence has become a make-shift memorial, with many touching remembrances, photos and prayers.