Camino del Norte
12 km, 433 m up and 208 m down, through 3 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 Lourenzá. 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.
There are no services between here and Mondoñedo. From the municipal albergue, the camino leaves town along a well marked but narrow and cobbled path uphill. The path climbs to the top of this monte and joins the N-634 as it passes through the hamlet of Arroxo (just a few houses). Here it reaches the highest point along this stretch and ahead you can see the elevated A-8. Keep on the N-634 to pass underneath it and downhill to the roundabout junction where you keep to your left and abandon the N-634. A short distance ahead the camino leaves the road for a path on your right. Along it you will pass the Mondoñedo cemetery and the hamlets of San Pedro, O Reguengo, and San Paio before returning to the main road into Mondoñedo.
A hamlet of a few houses where the camino joins the N-634 at the highest point of this stretch. The A-8 is visible ahead. No services.
The route from Mondoñedo to Gontán is a confusing affair. Two routes exist, both starting at the Cathedral, and the Galician authorities have muddied things by renaming the old route as complementaria (supplementary) and…
The camino beyond Mondoñedo is a confusing enterprise. The albergue in Lourenzá does their best to inform pilgrims but their opinions are biased and you are encouraged to consider all options, and to not give up if you can’t find the right starting point for your desired route to Gontán and then Abadin.Part of the confusion arises from the newly installed stone markers in Galicia. When they were installed the routes were re-examined by planners and several changes and additions were made. In this case, the old camino route was re-named the complementaria route, and a second route was added as the official route. This business of creating complementaria routes has led to much confusion because in some localities (Arzúa is the nearest example) the name was applied to a route (for historical reasons) which for decades has been the only option; causing many pilgrims to waste time looking for an official route which does not exist.In the case of Mondoñedo to Gontán, there are two options and both begin at the Cathedral.Option 1: The Old Camino now known as the COMPLEMENTARIA ROUTE - 15.7This route remains the preferred one by several of the hospitaleros in these parts. It is also the longer of the two options, and follows a paved road up and over the mountain. There are minimal services along the way so pack accordingly.With your back to the front of the Cathedral, turn left and exit the square. Just outside the square you will see the Fonte Vella (old fountain), turn right and at the next junction take the left most option up the Calle de la Rigueira. At the top of the hill the camino turns sharply left and follows the road through several hamlets, the first of which is Maariz.Option 2: The Official Route / La ruta principal - 11.9Though shorter, this route is both more challenging and more scenic. It can also be difficult to locate.With your back to the front of the Cathedral, look for the pharmacy that is at the top of the stairs opposite you towards the right. The camino leave town on that road so climb up the stairs and turn left up the Rúa Lence Santar. Turn right on the first side street, and follow it as it curves to the left. When it reaches a small plaza with a fountain, keep to the right. At the next intersection, turn left onto the LU-130 (the first wide road since the Cathedral). Follow the road uphill to the park, turning right at the end of the park to pass the Iglesia dos Remedios. Turn left, again uphill, after the church. This is the N-634 and you don’t follow it for long. Turn right downhill onto the LU-P-3106 in the direction of Zoñan. This road will take you through the hamlets of Rego de Cas and Cesuras. At the end of Cesuras it turns left uphill towards Infesta. A short distance ahead, after crossing the N-634, the road turns to trail and you begin the steepest part of the climb.
The camino follows the road to Lousada.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 172 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 12 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.