Camino Portugués
15.5 km, 213 m up and 213 m down, through 3 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 Mougás. 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.
The camino from Mougas to As Mariñas follows the now familiar pattern of following the bike/hike path as it parallels the road, occasionally departing from it.
Along the way you will pass the O Muino campsite on your left, the defunct OMAR3 restaurant, and the Mougas Campsite (and Albergue Solidario) on your left.
The camino takes a right turn off of the main road before arriving to As Mariñas and the Hotel Talaso. The arrows are not very generous here so keep an eye open for the turnoff; if you get to the hotel you've gone too far. The climb ahead is both steep and beautiful but not terribly high in altitude. It is at times a bit of a scramble in parts, in part because of the rocky terrain as well as mucky from mountain streams. It will take you to the small village of Baredo.
A short distance before arriving to As Mariñas the camino splits into two routes. The trail turns off the main road in favor of a hiking trail that bypasses the winding shoreline road. Directions for the trail are given below, and following the road along the coast is as easy as that, all the way to Baiona.
Arrows will lead you through and out of Baredo, across a small river (the low point) and then back uphill for a short distance to the asphalt road and turn left, passing the Os da Ponte restaurant. Follow it to the first road on your right and veer uphill, you'll be sharing the camino with another hiking trail indicated by red and white bars. This road will come to a small intersection, and here the camino turns sharply right and uphill. Where it meets the road again, turn left sharply back in the direction of Baiona. The next big junction is with a larger road, and the camino turns left to cross a tall bridge over the AG57 highway. Once on the other side it leaves the larger road to the right (near a play park and picnic area and cruceiro), turn there and keep to the right. Here the arrows improve and you wind your way, always downhill, to the first major roundabout in many kilometers. Turn right at the roundabout and then take the next left, passing counterclockwise around the football field which is on your left. At the far corner of the field, turn right and into the pedestrian zone. Ahead is the Plaza Santa Liberata, and two beautiful churches. At the end of the second church, Santa Maria de Baiona (sello available), turn left down the steps and at the bottom turn right, and then immediately left again. You are in the Old Town, and are making your towards the waterfront but not quite to it, the camino proper keeps to the pedestrian area.
The camino leaves Baiona along the Rúa Ventura Misa, the old town road that is set inland from the main road which follows the coast. It is possible to follow the main road out of town and all the way to Ramallosa.
The arrows are abundant and will take you past and over a pair of small rivers, first the Río da Baíña and then the Río da Groba. It makes the crossing to Ramallosa along an ancient stone now-pedestrian bridge adjacent to the main road. Once over it turns right then left again.
Sabaris is a small parish between Baiona and Ramallosa with limited services. The camino passes through on its way to the Ponte Romana that crosses into Ramallosa.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 575 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 15.5 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.