Camino Portugués
14.6 km, 397 m up and 206 m down, through 7 places, 4 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Arcozelo. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.
The camino makes a series of well-signed turns before arriving at the Ponte do Geira. Cross and keep to your left. You will pass under the highway once, over the river on a new bridge, and then back under the highway twice, all before arriving in Arco.
A bridge crossing. The camino continues uphill, passing under the highway multiple times, and over the river on a new bridge before reaching Arco-Revolta.
The camino parallels the road (minor) for a short stretch here, and only turns left when it gets to the colorful Capilla de Codeçal. Immediately opposite the Capilla is a handy and friendly bar. It is a steady uphill climb from here, past Labruja (2.3km) and Bandeira (600m more) and to the Alto da Portela.
A hamlet on the climb from Arco to the alto. No services. Keep climbing.
A hamlet 600 m beyond Labruja. No services. The alto is close.
The alto is at 400m elevation, a healthy climb from Ponte de Lima (5m).It is steadily downhill from here along parts of the old Roman road. You will pass through the small town of Agualonga (no services) shortly before São Roque.
A small village on the descent from the Alto da Portelo. No services. The old Roman road surface survives in sections here.
The camino leaves the road for the forest and passes the Romanesque church of Rubiães and the albergue.
From the municipal albergue, descend to the road and follow it downhill and on the left-hand side. You will pass Ninho – The Pilgrim Nest and then dogleg left.Another Roman bridge is not far ahead. Beyond the bridge the camino returns to the road and crossed directly over it, keeping the bar on your right. It will rejoin and depart the road twice more before arriving in Pecene.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 139 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 14.5 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.