Camino de Invierno
13.4 km, 492 m up and 359 m down, through 5 places, 1 of which has somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from San Paio de Diomondi. 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.
At the shelter, the camino leaves the road and turns left, beginning the descent of the codos (elbows) of Belasar — a 2.5 km stretch of steep, broken pavement with remnants of the old Roman road. The 17th-century chronicler of this route noted that the bridge and path were named after a Roman captain named Belisario, apparently in charge of the original construction.
The path zigzags from forest into terraced vineyards, descending to the river. It's hard on the knees — hiking poles help enormously. The descent is marked with GR red-and-white blazes. Don't worry about the lack of yellow arrows on this stretch.
After crossing the Río Miño, begin a steep ascent that takes you on and off the road several times. You'll pass two winery-restaurants on the way up.
The first is Via Romana, on the right. The caretaker may invite you to look around, rest on the balcony overlooking the river, or have a glass of wine. The second, on the left, is the Mesón Adega do Veiga — a comfortable terrace with fantastic views back down to Belasar. People come from Ourense to eat here, so booking is smart. In low season it's only open on weekends; June through September it's open daily except Tuesdays. It's always closed on the 5th and 21st of the month. Tel. 657 805 731.
After the wineries, the camino drops to a small river and a mill, then climbs again. Back on the road, when you reach the third winery, the camino goes off-road to the right. This trail may be muddy and overgrown, but it emerges 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 quarter of Chantada.
Leave Chantada from Praza Santa Ana along Alférez Baanante, heading toward Centulle. You're on the in-town portion of the LU-1809. Just past the first peto de ánimas (a medieval crossroads shrine with carved images of souls in purgatory — the slot was for monetary offerings on their behalf), a mojón takes you off the road.
Continue through Centulle. You'll return to the LU-1809, then follow arrows right. About a hundred meters down, go left onto the service road of the main Chantada-Lalín highway. Stay on the service road for a few kilometers. After passing under a road bridge, turn left. Go through Boán, then straight through Lucenza. Before the end of Lucenza, take the path right. At the stop sign, cross the road and follow the mojón left. Cross the next road and continue straight to Penasillás.
Centulle is a small hamlet just outside Chantada on the LU-1809. No services. The camino passes through on its way toward the Monte Faro highlands. Look for the petos de ánimas — medieval crossroads shrines with striking…
Boán is a small hamlet between Chantada and Penasillás. No services. The camino passes through after leaving the service road of the main highway.
Lucenza is a small hamlet between Chantada and Penasillás. No services. The camino goes straight through — before the end of the hamlet, take the path to the right.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 338 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 13.5 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.