Camino del Norte ‧ Stage 28
Northern Way
On foot
34 stages
Information
About this stage
The stretch of the Northern Way that runs through Galicia starts at the medieval town of Ribadeo, right at the border between the region of Asturias and the Galician province of Lugo. Its economic activity has always been linked to its estuary, which is also the entrance to Galicia from the north-eastern part of the Iberian peninsula. This first stage of nearly 30 kilometres is feasible for most pilgrims, highlighting just the climbs from A Ponte Arante and the one before Lourenzá. Despite the existence of some hostels along the stage, we recommend to reach Lourenzá and enjoy its rich cultural heritage, such as Castillo de Tovar.
Recommendation Pilgrim
The first part of the stage could be a little bit complicated because the indications aren’t good enough, you just have to pay attention and be careful.
You will also have to walk for approximately 15 kilometers with no services, so we recommend you to buy all the needed stuff before starting. Some parts are complicated to cyclist and people with reduced mobility so it is better for them to go through the LU-133.
Distance and elevation
Stage profile
Route
Itinerary
Km 0 ‧ Ribadeo
We start at Plaza de España and take San Francisco street, followed by Avenida de Asturias and, then, Diputación street to the right. We will leave Ribadeo for good by San Lázaro street, next to a football pitch, going deeper into the countryside and towards the parish church of Ove. This temple hosted the Order of Malta for many years, as its location at the foot of the trail made it easier for them to help pilgrims.
We now face the first challenge of the day: the climb to A Ponte de Arante along a forest track. Given it is a dirt track, some parts may be flooded after rainy periods. We keep going, now along a paved track where, a little farther ahead, we will take a diversion to the left by Valín fountain, well-known for the quality of its water. We soon reach Cubelas parish, from where we will start ascending again, turning to the left half way through our climb. There, we cross the road and reach the hamlet of Vilela.
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Km 6,3 ‧ Villela
A little farther ahead, by a junction, several signposts will indicate the existence of a hostel, a country cottage and a tavern. It should be noted that we will not find any more accommodation or restaurant services until Lourenzá. Uphill again, we will get closer to the hamlet of Celeiros, full of fields and cattle.
Later, after the place of Vilar, we take a dirt path to the right until we reach San Vicente de Cubelas church. We continue downhill until A Ponte de Arante, home to Nosa Señora das Virtudes church (Our Lady of Virtues).
From here, we face the second climb of the day, along a stony path and later a paved track. After reaching the top, within Barreiros municipality, we start going down towards Villamartín Pequeño, where we can finally refill our water bottles in the fountain.
Km 18,6 ‧ Villamartín Grande
It is time to ascend again, this time towards Villamartín Grande. Then, we cross a local road and start descending towards Gondán.
Km 20,9 ‧ Gondán
We continue going down amongst little hamlets all the way to San Xusto de Cabarcos, where we can finally take a little rest and a snack at A Curva bar. We leave this small village by a dirt track to the left, right next to a well, and face our last big climb of the day, which will take us to Lourenzá along a series of dirt and gravel forest tracks.
We are just about an hour away from Santa María de Lourenzá church across mount Calvario. We keep on descending until we reach a football pitch, where we take a bend to the right to continue along a narrow and steep path that comes out onto the main road, leading into the village. We cross Ponte da Pedra bridge over the river Baos and find ourselves right in Lourenzá, where we should not miss the chance to visit the stunning Benedictine monastery of San Salvador.
We should also take the time to visit Santa María church, whose façade was part of a test project for the construction of the Obradoiro façade in Santiago.
Km 28,4 ‧ Lourenzá
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