Vía de la Plata
13.1 km, 147 m up and 263 m down, through 12 places, 5 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Hospital de la Cruz. 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.
When leaving Hospital de la Cruz it is important to pay close attention to the traffic. The camino crosses a large roundabout, goes over the highway, and then turns left. At this point, you are actually walking along the highway on-ramp, though only for a short distance. It turns right and continues the upward march towards Ventas de Narón.
Ventas de Narón is a small village with a couple of bars and a monument to a battle between Charlemagne's forces and the Moors — though the historical accuracy of Charlemagne ever reaching this far into Galicia is doubtf…
The Alto de Ligonde is a modest summit on the route between Portomarín and Palas de Rei. A cruceiro (stone cross) marks the top. The views across the rolling Galician landscape are pleasant. No services.
A tiny hamlet after the Alto de Ligonde. No services.
A hamlet on the descent from Ligonde. No services.
Ligonde has a small albergue and may have a bar operating. A medieval cemetery next to the church is a reminder of the village's historical connection to the pilgrim route.
A small hamlet with a bar and an albergue. The Iglesia de Santiago has a simple Romanesque form.
A hamlet with a bar between Eirexe and the detour to Vilar de Donas.
You will pass through Os Valos and Mamurria, no services.
A hamlet on the approach to Palas de Rei. No services.
A hamlet near Palas de Rei. No services.
From here the camino passes through more forests and nears the road at Rosario.
Along the descent from here you will pass Os Chacotes, a recreational area with a log-cabin style hotel and sports facilities. At the entrance to Palas de Rei is the Iglesia de San Tirso, where a stamp is available. From there it is down a set of stairs into town.
You have now entered eucalyptus territory, and although there are patches of old oak forests to be found this non-indigenous species has taken over the landscape and has become a symbol of Galicia.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 220 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 13.1 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.