Northern Way from Ribadeo

Route for Pilgrims

Day 1: Arrival at Ribadeo and accomodation

You will arrive in Ribadeo on your own or if you wish, we can arrange your transfer to Ribadeo from any airport or station you arrive at. From here, depending on your arrival time, you can visit different points of interest in the area, such as the Moreno Tower or the Chapel of San Francisco.

Day 2: Stage Ribadeo – Lourenzá

You will wake up in your accommodation in Ribadeo, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Lourenzá. This stage of almost thirty kilometres is affordable for most pilgrims, highlighting only the steep slopes in A Ponte Arante and the one that gives access to Lourenzá. Although there are some intermediate hostels where you can make stops, we recommend that you continue on to Lourenzá and enjoy its excellent cultural heritage.

Once in Lourenzá, you can visit its well-known Pazo de Tovar or the Monastery of San Salvador, as well as other tourist attractions such as the Church of Santa María or the Museum of Sacred Art.

Day 3: Stage Lourenzá – Abadín

You will wake up in the accommodation in Lourenzá, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Abadín. Unlike yesterday, today you will not pass through so many towns and small villages, but instead you will reach one of the seven ancient capitals of the Kingdom of Galicia: Mondoñedo. You will have to walk up many times, but the landscapes will be amazing. Once you get to Puerto de Xesta you will enjoy the views. On arrival at Abadín, the final point of the stage, you can visit the church of Santa María and prepare for the last stage of the journey to Villalba.

Day 4: Stage Abadín – Villalba

You will wake up in the accommodation in Abadín, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Villalba. This stage is marked by its flat profile, as we can deduce from the area where you are: Terra Chá (flat land in Spanish). You will walk through endless green meadows full of livestock but always close to the national road, whose presence facilitates the existence of numerous establishments along the stage.

Once you have arrived in Villalba, you will have time to visit all the monuments in the town, including places such as the Church of Santa María, the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology and the Tower of the Andrade family, proof of the legacy left by the Andrade family in the town.

Day 5: Stage Villalba – Baamonde

You will wake up in your accommodation in Villalba, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Baamonde. Once again, the flat terrain makes this stage much easier, where you will alternate between dense forests and large meadows, as well as crossing a couple of tributaries of the river Ladra or villages such as San Xoán de Alba or Pedrouzos.

Once you have arrived in Baamonde, you will have time to visit all the monuments in the town, including places such as its famous thousand-year-old chestnut tree, the Víctor Corral House-Museum and the Camarasa Tower.

Day 6: Stage Baamonde – Miraz

You will wake up in your accommodation in Baamonde, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Miraz. In today’s stage you will follow the course of the river Parga until you cross it and then you will arrive at Miraz, previously passing through places such as San Breixo or Carballedo, in Santa Leocadia.

Once you have arrived in Miraz, you will have time to rest from the stage or visit places such as the church or the tower for which this small town is known.

Day 7: Stage Miraz – Sobrado dos Monxes

You will wake up in the accommodation in Miraz, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Sobrado dos Monxes. Say goodbye to the amiable walk in Terra Chá and say hello to A Coruña. Again you will pass through countless villages, many of them almost depopulated over the years due to the rural exodus. This will mark today’s journey, so you won’t find many places to stock up, just the solitude and tranquillity of the Galician countryside until you reach your destination.

Once you have reached Sobrado dos Monxes, you will have time to rest from the stage or visit places such as its impressive Cistercian monastery or the Roman camp of Ciadella.

Day 8: Stage Sobrado dos Monxes – Arzúa

You will wake up in the accommodation in Sobrado dos Monxes, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Arzúa. Although there are still three more stages to reach the city of Santiago de Compostela, this is the last of the Northern Way as in Arzúa you will join the mass of pilgrims coming from St. Jean Pied de Port or Roncesvalles, following the French Way. Therefore make the most of this last stage, the tranquillity of the Atlantic forests, the quiet country roads and the excellent gastronomy of the area.

Once you have arrived in Arzúa, you will have time to rest from the stage or visit places such as the Pazo de Brandeso or the various museums in the town, such as the Honey Museum or the Cheese Promotion Centre.

Day 9: Stage Arzúa – O Pedrouzo

You will wake up in the accommodation in Arzúa, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to O Pedrouzo. We are just 40 km away from The Obradoiro Sq.and we have several options to move forward. We highly recommend you to rest in O Pedrouzo as you can find here all facilities. This way you can walk a small stroll to the final destination. In the two last stages you will have to hike over calm roads with no houses around. That entails a problem: Crossing the road by non-safe spots

Once arriving in O Pedrouzo, you could visit many historic spots linked to noble descents and honourlable families Religious architecture is present in this village as well . The St Eulalia de Arca is a clear example.

Day 10: Stage O Pedrouzo – Santiago de Compostela

You will wake up in the accommodation in O Pedrouzo, where a good energetic breakfast is included to start the day with your batteries fully charged, and you will begin the hike to Santiago de Compostela. This is the most magical stage of your walk, your legs won’t feel tired and your backpack will be lighter than the previous days. In a nutshell, this stage is short, easy with gentle slopes

Day 11: Santiago de Compostela

Breakfast in your Accommodation A day off to visit all those monuments that, besides the Cathedral, have made this town so special. After breakfast our services will be finished.