Camino Sanabrés: Stage 9

• In case we have spent the night before in Xinzo de Limia, we will have to return to the already known national 525 to set course for Sandiás, about six kilometers away. After crossing this town, we continue by road to the places of Novaíño and Piñeira de Arcos. From here, we will continue along the national road but also following the steps of the nearby Rías Baixas highway. At approximately Valverde, on the other side of the highway, we will turn to the west, bordering the nucleus of Vilaboa and approaching Allariz. To get to the town centre, turn left at a roundabout on the Xunqueira road. We have already covered some twenty kilometres, so anyone who wishes can divide the stage into two parts and spend the night in one of its establishments. From here, we still have another twenty kilometres to Ourense, following the national road at all times and joining our Way with the rest of the pilgrims that we left in A Gudiña in the place of Seixalbo, on the outskirts of the capital of Ourense.
• If we come by the traditional variant, we leave Xunqueira de Ambía by the access road, turning off just before reaching the monastery. We descend to a fountain and then return to the previous road to visit the collegiate church of Santa María la Real, a typical representation of Galician Romanesque architecture from the 13th century. From here, we must continue along Calle Capitán Cortés and a few metres further on we turn right, entering a path that will lead us directly to the River Arnoia. We crossed this tributary of the Miño and, later on, we also crossed the road, continuing straight on until the OU-102. We continue along this regional road to Outorelo and A Pousa, the perfect place to have a break and breakfast. The next towns we will pass through are Salgueiros and Gaspar, where we will momentarily leave the road and continue along A Veirada and Ousende, the village we access after crossing the railway tracks. After almost nine kilometres of route, we continue crossing small villages such as Pereiras, where, if we have not stopped previously, we can stop now to eat something. After a few kilometres, we will enter the municipality of San Cibrao das Viñas and the next industrial estate of San Cibrao. Just as you enter this industrial area and, after you have located the first roundabout, you should always continue straight ahead until you turn right at the next roundabout. Right there, turn right to continue towards Reboredo. In this area, we will find almost any type of service that we need, so after having been supplied we will continue to face the ascent to the Alto do Cumial. Just as we arrive at the top, we must cross the road again to leave it a few metres to the right and thus link up with the train tracks. We cross them through an underpass and turn right again towards Seixalbo, a town declared to be of Ethnographic Value and the prelude to the city of Ourense. When you reach the height of a beautiful seventeenth-century cross, turn right onto Calle Mayor and Calle de Eirexa to the left, passing in front of the church of San Breixo, whose main building dates back to the twentieth century but which houses much older elements that have lasted over the years. So, in a few meters, we will approach the city of Ourense, along Zamora Avenue and the steep slope of Nosa Señora da Saiza until we reach the pilgrims’ hostel. This building was converted into a hostel after many years of welcoming a Franciscan order and in its surroundings we will find a multitude of hotels and restaurants. After leaving our backpacks, we can dedicate ourselves to visit this wonderful city, being its cathedral of San Martiño, declared Historical Artistic Monument and built in the XII century. In addition, we can go to the famous thermal baths of As Burgas, where we can relax in its gardens or, directly, in its waters at almost seventy degrees of temperature.

Bear in mind

As in most cases, access to the big cities will have to be through a monotonous industrial estate. Apart from this small inconvenience, the rest of the stage passes through secondary roads and the OU-102, this section being quite well indicated by yellow arrows and markers This stage does not pose any additional difficulties for cyclists or people with reduced mobility.