Camino de Invierno
28.6 km, 357 m up and 515 m down, through 7 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 Rodeiro. 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 Rodeiro on the PO-5330 heading west for about 2 km. A mojón stands across from the COGAL rabbit-processing factory, directing you right onto a paved road toward 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.
Mojones direct you from Penerbosa to Puza to A Penela — notable for an enormous granite monument a local farmer dedicated to former King Juan Carlos. From A Penela, continue to A Eirexe, where the camino crosses a 12th-century bridge beneath a large strip mine.
A long stretch on a dirt road follows, through agricultural fields and forest. At approximately 19 km from Rodeiro, the camino enters Palmaz and takes you onto the PO-933 into Lalín de Arriba. The arrows lead past a church dating from the 10th century (the date 980 is carved into a stone window sill). The keeper of the keys lives nearby and is happy to open it if you can find her. From there, arrows continue into Lalín.
There are no services on the camino between here and Lalín. Carry plenty of water and food. Some pilgrims stay on the highway, which has a few bars and is a few kilometers shorter — it's not pretty but safe, as you'll always be on an access road. The camino, however, follows beautiful back roads through the Galician heartland with several hamlets but no services except the occasional fountain.
Penerbosa is a tiny hamlet on the dirt paths west of Rodeiro. No services. The camino passes through on its way over the wide valley of stone quarries and trout streams.
A Penela is a small hamlet between Rodeiro and Lalín. Notable for an enormous granite monument a local farmer has dedicated to former King Juan Carlos. No services.
At the end of town where the camino meets the road, there's an official arrow pointing left — it's wrong. Locals sometimes smear it with dirt as a warning, and the man who lives nearby has been known to shout the correct way. Follow the road downhill instead.
A Eirexe is a small hamlet where the camino crosses a 12th-century bridge. The village sits beneath a large strip mine. No services.
Laxas is a small hamlet on the dirt roads between A Eirexe and Palmaz. No services.
Palmaz is the last hamlet before reaching Lalín. No services. The camino arrives here after about 19 km of walking from Rodeiro and joins the PO-933 for the final stretch into Lalín de Arriba.
The camino leaves Lalín on the Pontiñas River walk (Paseo Fluvial) — a pleasant paved-and-unpaved path accessible at various points through town. Everyone knows where it is, so just ask.
From the town church, walk down Rúa Colón, past the plaza with the monument to the aviator Joaquín Loriga, and continue downhill to a large playground at the town's edge. Join the river walk there, heading left.
When a mojón takes you off the river walk, you'll start to ascend. Turn left at a small ermita (arrow on the adjacent shed) and continue on a back road. You'll emerge at the road through the industrial park near the Hotel Torre do Deza. Continue straight on a gravel road to a tunnel under the highway, then enter A Laxe.
Bergazos is the industrial-park area between Lalín and A Laxe. No services of interest to pilgrims.
The arrows through this industrial area are not well maintained, and the path can be overgrown. At the Hotel Torre de Deza, keep to the left and follow the paved pedestrian walk lined with streetlights. It takes you to the end of the industrial area before sending you off to the right.
Shortly after leaving A Laxe you pass the Pazo de Bendoiro. The camino takes you into the woods and ascends to a lovely old bridge, originally Roman but much rebuilt. The bridge is hidden in the forest and inaccessible to cars -- one of those quiet surprises the camino keeps in reserve.
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's worth it. Volunteers keep the church open for pilgrim visits (8:30-15:00, closed Tuesdays).
From A Laxe, the camino is well marked and well trodden all the way to Santiago. The joining of the Invierno route means more waymarks, more pilgrims, and generally better infrastructure for the remaining distance.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 632 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 23 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.