The Camino Francés

Sarria now holds the record for the most albergues in one town. Don’t be alarmed by the swell of pilgrims that appear overnight once you reach this point; the closest city to the minimum 100km point set by the church to be eligible to receive the Compostela Certificate. The effect can be dramatic during the high season and if you have been on the road for a few weeks it can be a challenge to adapt to the change.

If you have arrived early and plan to stay the night, consider the local pool as a place to pamper your feet a bit.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants along the Rúa Maior, where the bulk of the albergues are centered. To get to the grocery shopping though, you have to make your way to the main road where options abound.

The Rúa Maior evolved as a market street during the Middle Ages, due primarily to the pilgrim traffic; and this hasn’t changed. As you walk through town take a moment to admire the well-preserved coats of arms on several of the houses that line the street.

The Iglesia de Santa Maria is an unspectacular example of modern church building, but it does sit atop its 12th century predecessor. The Iglesia de San Salvador is recently restored and is located at the top of the Rúa Maior. Beyond it are the Convento de la Magdalena and the remains of the old Castle. The convent has roots in the 12th century and currently operates as a hospice and a primary school. The Castle is more recent, from the 15th century, and like most castles in Galicia, it is in poor shape. Only one tower remains, the rest was destroyed during the Irmandiña uprisings of 1467 (see below). It was rebuilt, but those efforts also fell into ruin. The remnants have been re-used to pave several of Sarria’s sidewalks.

Vilei is often mismarked as Barbadelo on the map and in guidebooks. They are distinct hamlets, less than 1km apart. It has grown into quite a pilgrim stop from the abandoned hamlet it once was. It now counts two albergues and a trinket shop and is a pleasant place to stay if you find Sarria to be overcrowded. It is also the first coffee since Sarria.

As the name implies, Ferreiros was once home to a notable blacksmithing trade. More recently it was another center for small dairy production, and that industry has given way to supporting pilgrims.

At the bottom of the hill from Ferreiros, there is a bar and a church/cemetery.

Not much in town apart from the well-kept albergue/bar Casa do Rego.

Another bar-and-albergue-only kind of town, run by some fellows from Valencia and the most promising place to find paella on the menu.

The small shop/cafe here wins the award for flair. It is run by an artist who hand paints camino shells and other souvenir items. Rock and roll sello.

Portomarín holds the distinction of being the newest oldest town along the camino. The Portomarín we see today is a transplanted version of the original town that originally settled in the valley below. Most of the town is new construction, but the church and a few smaller buildings were relocated stone by stone. Close inspection of the Iglesia de San Juan shows that the stones were numbered to avoid head scratching later.

The río Miño was dammed in 1956, forming the Embalse de Belasar which sits beneath the bridge. The water level varies by season, and when it is at its lowest it is possible to walk among the piles of stone that were once the original town.

The Iglesia of San Juan (also known as the Iglesia of San Nicolás) is an imposing fortress in the center of town. It is the largest single-nave Romanesque church in Galicia. The Ayuntamiento building in the main square was once the Casa del Conde from the 16th century. The Iglesia de Santa María (also known as La Virgen de las Nieves) is the chapel that you passed under at the top of the stairs going into town; the local people believe that it will protect them from drowning.

Hórreo: If you pronounce this word like OREO you are pretty close. Hórreos are commonplace in northern Spain, from the smallest of hamlets to the largest of private estates. They vary in design from region to region and in Galicia they tend to stretch out lengthwise. They function as corn-cribs, with slatted walls that allow for circulation and a foundation designed to prevent rodents from climbing up. They range in length from 2m to 35m.

Gonzar is notable for the number of cows kept there, far more than the human population.

The bar O Cruceiro opens at 6 am, and there is a wonderful fountain in the picnic area. The small chapel here has a stamp, which is given by its blind caretaker with a bit of help from you.

The land in this area is poor for farming as the soil is rich with quartz and feldspar. The ridge that you are walking towards is the watershed between the río Miño (behind you, which empties into the Atlantic near Guarda) and the río Ulla (ahead of you, and which empties into the Atlantic near Padron). The area is covered thickly with broom.

You will pass through A Prebisa and Lameiros, no services.

‌Detour to Vilar de Donas and La Iglesia de El Salvador

After passing the bar of Portos, turn right along a gravel road. There is a fork at 500m, keep left and continue strait over the N-547. To the church and back is 4.5km.

Guided tours are offered by a local, and in some cases even when the church is otherwise closed. The official hours are:

Winter (November through March): 12-17:30  closed Mondays

Summer (April through October): 11-14 & 16-20  closed Mondays

The church was given to the Order of Santiago under the pretext that Galician members of the order be buried there. The frescoes in the apse depict the parable of the 10 virgins and is in remarkable condition given that it dates from the early 15th century.

‘Brea’ is Gallego for road, and is a very common name for a small village.

Palas is bisected by a pair of large roads which twist and turn through town. After coming down the staircase, and with the municipal albergue on your left, the road to the right leads to a grocery and back to Portomarin. Straight on to bars and restaurants and albergues and the road out of town.

You have now entered eucalyptus territory, and although there are patches of old oak forests to be found this non-indigenous species has taken over the landscape and has become a symbol of Galicia.

With several bars and one casa rural, Coto sits along a small stretch of the old road.

Leboreiro is one of the more charming hamlets along this stretch of road. It is sparsely populated but well maintained. The small Romanesque Iglesia de Santa María de las Nieves has a nice tympanum. Also of note is the first cabaceiro, a small woven structure with a thatched roof that serves the same function as an hórreo.

In addition to the Iglesia de San Juan, with its uncommon crucifix, Furelos has a bridge and a bar. Both are impressive, the former for dating back to the Romans, and the latter for the tortillas.

Although it has been on the menu as far back as O Cebreiro, Pulpo (octopus) doesn’t seem to garnish much attention until Melide. Despite its apparent disconnect with the sea, Melide’s thriving Thursday market meant that shipping pulpo was a profitable enterprise. It is served today as it was then: on a wooden plate, garnished only with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and a shake of paprika. It is eaten with a rather crude looking toothpick, alongside heavy Galician bread and a bowl of the local Ribeiro wine.

One of the better places to try it is Pulpería a Garnacha, the last door on your left before you get to the main road in Melide.

The melindre is another of Melide’s favorite  foods, and if you like dry and flavorless it can be your favorite too. It resembles a glazed donut and is sold from dozens of identical booths during festivals.

Melide, long the crossroads between territories, is also the meeting point of the various camino routes which come from the north, including the part of the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo. Because of this, and the proximity to Santiago, the road become a great deal more congested.

The first building in Boente on your left is the Bar de los Alemanes, and this is the best bar in town. Further down the hill, the camino crosses the main road (caution) where two albergues and a few bars are located.

You can get a sello in the Iglesia de Santiago de Boente, and curiously enough the entrance that most pilgrims use leads directly to the sacristy. A collection of hundreds of prayer cards from around the world adorn the walls, and if the priest is not there to stamp your credencial he leaves it out for you to take matters into your own hands.

A bar near the river with a large patio for celebrating a successful walk. The river here is quite cold and the perfect place to dip your feet.

There is now an albergue in the upper part of Ribadiso. It is located at the top of the climb and before you get to Arzua.

Arzúa is a pleasant town with almost enough beds for pilgrims. If you find everything to be full and don’t feel like splurging on one of the many hotels in the area, the Polideportivo (sports hall) is often used to house pilgrims. Between here and O Pedrouzo lie a string of very small Galician hamlets of little note. The locals in these parts enjoy telling you, without the slightest tone of irony or sarcasm, that ‘no hay vacas in Galicia’ (there are no cows in Galicia). Hold that thought in your head while you slosh through a soggy trail on an otherwise sunny day.

There is a pair of bars in Salceda, and a restaurant (La Esquipa) that is thick with pilgrims every day but Monday when it is closed.

Unfortunately, there is little to say about this modernized town. When it comes to charm, or monuments, or outrageous legends, it comes up short. During the busier periods along the camino the town feels overrun with pilgrims; most of whom are excited to have finished their penultimate day of walking.

Two bars, one on either side of a dangerous crossing.

Monte de Gozo, or ‘Mount Joy’, was once the first place that pilgrims could get a glimpse of the Cathedral spires. A new stand of trees blocks the view now. It is a large gathering place for pilgrims, who flock to the over-sized monument commemorating the pilgrimage that Pope John Paul II made here in 1993. The modest Capilla de San Marcos has the last stamp and a small kiosk selling cold drinks.