Camino Portugués
27.9 km, 40 m up and 290 m down, through 9 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 Armenteira. 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.
From Armenteira the camino joins a popular (among locals) trail known as the Ruta de la Piedra y del Agua. It follows along a creek, with trails on both sides, as it descends to sea level. Along the way, it passes several dozen abandoned water mills. Note that although you can safely and easily follow both sides of the river, it is the right-hand side that keeps you closer to the mills and the water.
The riverside walk is interrupted by a large highway and associated roundabouts, but no sooner than you pass them do you return to the trail.
As you approach Puente Arnelas you need to follow the arrows that lead you up a steel and wood walkway under the belly of the bridge. At the top, turn right to get up to the road level and follow it into the small village. A short ways on the camino joins the broad Río Umia.
The camino ahead includes a small climb up through the town of Gombra. It also follows the road for a short stretch before turning left into the small village of Mouzas. There are a few more hamlets along this stretch before the camino arrives at a large crossing of the PO-549. Here there is a pair of bars, including the happy for hamburgers Mississippi Bar. Cross the road towards Cores.
A small village on a brief climb. No services. The camino passes through and returns to the road before turning left into Mouzas.
A hamlet. No services. The camino passes through to a crossing of the PO-549, where a pair of bars await — including the eccentrically named Mississippi Bar.
Just beyond Cores the camino arrives at last to the sea, and the last 3km are along sandy paths with beaches on your left and beach bars on your right. The camino keeps close to the water and arrives at Vilanova by way of a large bridge.
THE BOAT. Everything you need to know about the boat to Pontecesures is impossible to print here. The schedule varies with the tide, the number of passengers, and the whims of the captain and the hospitalero at the albergue (he who makes the arrangements). The matter is complicated by the fact that the same captain helms two boats of different sizes and capabilities and there is a daily calculation to maximize profit. Unfortunately, this means that there is little that you can do to plan it days in advance, and more or less need to turn up at the albergue and arrange things with the hospitalero.THE ROAD. The alternative to the boat is a predominantly roadside walk along a path that roughly mirrors the coastline but doesn’t provide for much contact with it. The arrows are lacking in certain areas and the accommodation along this stretch should only be relied upon during peak Summer months and with a reservation.
The arrows go under the road and over the bridge and across the Río Sar to Aduana. Here it runs all the way into Padrón.
Take a look at the elevation profile for an idea of what these last 24km will be like, many pilgrims underestimate the elevation changes which increase as you near Santiago.
Pass through Pazos, Rueiro, Tarrio and Vilar (albergue); none with services.
The path splits here and rejoins before Iria Flavia. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.
To get there simply follow the red arrows marked Herbón. This detour if for anyone wishing to spend the night in the Albergue at the Monastery of Herbón (recommended). From Pontecesures it is 2.7km, with an additional 3km the following morning to bring you to Padrón. In all this detour adds 3.1km to the official route.
Distances are the sum of the town-to-town measurements in my data, not a straight line on a map. Climb and descent come from the altitude of each place listed above, so they under-read where the path goes over a hill between two of them.
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.