Vía de la Plata
8.9 km, 152 m up and 122 m down, through 1 place. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from O Pereiro. 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.
A handful of houses in the valley between Vilavella and O Canizo. No services. The walking through here is up and down -- welcome to Galicia.
Small hamlet on the approach to La Gudina. No services. You're getting close to the first proper Galician town now.
From the albergue, pass back under the railway bridge and head back towards the N-525 but turn right onto the Rua Mayor before you get there. A few hundred metres ahead the camino splits -- the route below follows the Laza option (straight).
The way to Campobecerros begins with a climb almost entirely along a quiet paved road with excellent views all around. It passes through Venda do Espino (4.5 km), Venda da Teresa (3.2 km), Venda da Capela (2.3 km), and Venda do Bolano (3.2 km) before descending steeply into Campobecerros.
Withdraw cash here. The next two stages have only basic services and no ATMs.
There is a variant of the Camino Sanabres which turns south and passes via Verin and Xinzo de Limia. Mind the arrows to keep to the route described below.
The path splits here and rejoins before La Gudiña. Both ways are below, because the question is which to take, and that is not a question two separate pages can answer.
The camino follows the road to Porto Camba (3.3 km) and then picks up a trail to the hamlet of As Eiras.
The road begins again in As Eiras and the camino follows along it to Laza. Take your time here and enjoy the views -- the valley opens up ahead and the walking is gentle.
Between Laza and Soutelo Verde the camino follows the road, a mostly flat walk along the valley. It leaves the road to the left to pass through Soutelo (bar) (3.3 km). It returns to the road and then turns right onto a rural track to Tamicelas (3.2 km). From Tamicelas it begins the climb to Albergueria.
Rural walking, on the road and off again in several places, with a descent into Vilar de Barrio.
Paved walking along the road through the hamlets of Boveda (2.2 km), Vilar do Gomareite (bar) (0.9 km), Bobadela a Pinta (5.3 km), Padroso (bar) (1.1 km), Cima de Vila (1.7 km), and Quintela (1.4 km). As you enter Xunqueira de Ambia on a back road the albergue is one of the first buildings on your right.
After passing the church the camino turns right to follow the road towards Salgueiros, but quickly leaves the road to follow a side road and track down to the Rio Arnoia (0.9 km). It then climbs up to A Pousa along another track which turns off from the road shortly after crossing the river.
The river crossing marks the transition from the Xunqueira valley toward the long approach to Ourense.
Between A Pousa and Ourense the camino is almost entirely along paved roads. It passes through the hamlets of Salgueiros (bar) (1.6 km), Veirada (1.6 km), Ousende (0.9 km), Panelas (bar, shop) (0.9 km), Venda do Rio (2.1 km), Pereiras (bar, shop) (0.5 km), A Castellana (bar) (2.3 km), and Reboredo (bar, shop, pharmacy) (2.2 km) before reaching Ourense's nearest suburb of Seixalbo.
From Seixalbo and the Capela Santa Adega, the camino descends towards Ourense, either along the main road or a side road. It eventually reaches a large car dealership. Stop.
The official camino from here follows the road more or less straight into the centre of Ourense. To your left is an alternate route to follow the river into the city -- the Paseo Fluvial, which is recommended if you want a quieter, more scenic entrance.
Just beyond the Río Miño the camino splits into two routes. The arrows here leave a bit to be desired -- there's only one fading set painted on the sidewalk to indicate the split.
Here's how to find the way: once over the Ponte Vella keep to the right side of the road and head uphill. You'll pass four streets (Rúas Ribeira de Canedo, Mercado, Ramón y Cajal, and Vicente Risco). As you near the fifth, a much larger intersection, watch the ground for arrows. From this junction, the camino either continues straight (the LEFT route) or turns right (the RIGHT route). Both merge in Casas Novas.
RIGHT ROUTE - 18.9 km: From the right turn at the split, this route follows the N-525 uphill for about 1 km. At the gas station, the camino veers right and begins to climb steeply up to Cudeiro. This is the more traditional route and offers good views back over Ourense.
LEFT ROUTE - 17.6 km: From the split, continue straight up the hill keeping to the right side. The road passes the train station (on your right, bar) and follows the road to Quinitela.
Just beyond the río the camino again splits. Here again the arrows leave a bit to be desired, there is only one set of arrows to indicate the split. They are painted on the sidewalk and are fading.Here is how to find the way:Once over the Río Miño keep to the right side of the road and head uphill. You will pass 4 streets: Rúas Ribeira de Canedo, Mercado, Ramón y Cajal, and Vicente Risco). As you near the fifth (a much larger intersection) keep an eye to the ground for the arrows. From this junction, the camino either continues straight (the LEFT route) or it turns right (the RIGHT route). Both routes merge in Casas Novas.RIGHT ROUTE - 18.9kmFrom the right-hand turn at the split, this route follows the N-525 uphill for about 1km. Follow on the right side of the road to see the arrows. At the gas station, the camino veers right and begins to climb steeply up to Cudeiro.LEFT ROUTE - 17.6kmFrom the split continue straight up the hill, and keep to the right-hand side. The road passes the train station (on your right, bar) and follows the road to Quinitela.
After crossing over the main road through Cudeiro the camino continues to climb, though more gently now. It passes several hamlets along the way and eventually returns to the N-525 (which wound around the mountain). It crosses the road and shortly after turns right to enter Tamallancos via a back road.
From Tamallancos the camino follows loosely the N-525 to Casas Novas, but seldom directly on it. It passes through the hamlets of Bouzas (bar) (0.7 km), Sobreira (bar) (3.7 km), and Viduedo (bar, shop) (1.5 km).
The camino continues through rolling Galician countryside, alternating between forest tracks and quiet country lanes. Cea is not far ahead.
The camino crosses the main road in Cea and heads uphill towards a sporting facility. Around the back side of the building, the camino splits into two distinct routes. The choice here is more consequential than the split leaving Ourense. The two options merge in Castro Dozón.
OSEIRA ROUTE - 18.4 km from split: The right route is the official camino and is longer than the Piñor variant. It passes through the village of Oseira with its massive monastery and albergue. It's better waymarked and more scenic. Turn right at the split. The paved road gives way to a track through the forest. About halfway to Pielas the camino rejoins a paved road.
PIÑOR ROUTE - 14.8 km: Shorter and more direct to Castro Dozón, but without an albergue along the way. Take care along the latter half as the waymarks can be difficult to find. It follows mostly rural tracks and country lanes through the hamlets of Porto de Souto (1 km), Cotelas (bar) (1 km), Piñor (bar, pharmacy) (1.6 km), Fontelo (0.8 km), Arenteiro (bar) (0.7 km), and O Reino (1.4 km). After O Reino the camino rejoins the N-525 and passes through Carballeda. At the far end of town, just before the exit sign, the camino turns left towards the motorway, passes beneath it, and begins the climb up to Castro Dozón.
The camino follows the road out of Pielas, downhill to Oseira.
The way out of Oseira is not along the road (though cyclists may prefer it for the gentler grade) but rather up a steep track adjacent to the road near the restaurants.
The camino passes the hamlets of Vilarello (2 km), O Outeiro (2.5 km), Carballediña (1.5 km), and A Gouxa (bar) (0.4 km) before nearing the motorway and Castro Dozón.
From Castro Dozón the camino resumes its on-again-off-again dance with the N-525. It does so for about 4.5 km before veering left off the N-525 and descending through the hamlets of Puxallos (1.5 km) and Pontenoufe (2.3 km). From there it climbs back up to the motorway, passing A Xesta (1.6 km) along the way to Estación de Lalín.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 62 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 8.7 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.