Camino de Invierno
14 km, 85 m up and 86 m down, through 2 places, 2 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from O Barco de Valdeorras. 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.
Leave O Barco on the river walk. After passing the cafés, parks, and playgrounds, cross a small wooden footbridge over a tributary (not the river itself). After the sanitary plant, a mojón takes you off the path. At the roundabout, turn left. Walk straight, cross the tracks, and continue on an access road parallel to the highway all the way into Arcos.
The albergue of Xagoaza is not in O Barco but rather 3.5 km north of town. Contact Gloria at 639 921 679 to arrange your stay.
Continue on the camino following the N-120 and train tracks, parallel to the river all the way to 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 circling birds of prey. At the dam, cross the railway tracks and go left on the N-536. At the intersection with the N-120, a sign points left into A Rúa.
On the descent into town, Panadería/Cafetería Peyma has been recommended for breakfast. At the entrance to A Rúa, an arrow points right for the camino. Going straight takes you into the town center.
Leave A Rúa by climbing Calle Currelada to the church of Our Lady of Fátima (look for the slate-roofed twin towers). Head for the N-120 — arrows take you right and beneath the highway. Upon leaving the tunnel, make an immediate left.
There are now 7 km of asphalt walking on the OU-933 (becoming the LU-933 as you cross into Lugo province). There's virtually no traffic. On a clear day, the walk above the Río Sil is exceptionally beautiful.
From A Rúa to Quiroga there are not many services. Carry extra water and food. Fountains have been reported just past Alvaredos, at Montefurado, and two in Bendilló.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 271 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 14.1 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.