Camino Portugués
19.2 km, 267 m up and 284 m down, through 5 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 Villadesuso. 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 Hotel Glasgow is the first building in town, and just beyond it is a Repsol station. Just beyond that the camino crosses the main road and turns right uphill. At then end of this short road it jogs right then left again to keep on the path that is marked for bicycles. Follow this path across a river, and then take the first right uphill and away from the main road. Where this uphill climb ends, turn left. Follow this road, eyes to your left to enjoy the view and so that you can spot the turn off to the left, marked only by a yellow and a red arrow on the road itself. It merges with another path and then reaches an intersection, where a left turn takes you back down in the direction of the main road. Just a few meters short of the main road turn right on a narrow lane parallel to it, saving you a few meters of the road and keeping you on the marked bike path which eventually returns to the road, crosses the road, and continues along it. Cross the bridge into Mougas and turn left towards the sea on the first road.
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.
The arrow through Ramallosa take you uphill in the direction of Nigrán, and at the top of the short hill is the Albergue Pazo de Pias. Turn right at the albergue.
The camino here is well indicated by arrows, and follows along a bramble of winding side streets as it makes its way uphill. At the end of a paved holloway it emerges to a small roundabout and turns left along a sidewalk and towards an elevated crossing of the highway. Avoid the urge to make a surface crossing, to your right is a highway tollbooth and drivers in the area are frequently distracted in their search for spare coins.
Turn left after crossing (effectively you have done nothing more than cross straight over the intersection) and when you get to the second roundabout the camino continues straight; the road narrows here and the town of Nigrán (set off from the camino) is to your left.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 716 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 18 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.