The french way of St James

Day before the start of the way of Saint James (km. 0)

Sarria will be your starting point. You can take the opportunity to visit the centre of the village, which has a lot of charm. This town stands out for its great cultural value and for being the start point for many pilgrims on the French Way of Saint James. We recommend you to try the Galician gastronomy in the main street of the village, the Rúa Maior, to get your batteries flowing in a picturesque area with a good atmosphere.

Santa Mariña Church - Castle and Fortress - La Magdalena Monastery

It is a small town, but Sarria has different points that are worth visiting. This is the case of the Church of Santa Mariña, the Castle and Fortress or the Monastery of La Magdalena. They are very close to each other (less than 10 minutes) and you can see them during the afternoon.

Sarria - As paredes (km. 2,9)

The first day of walking begins. This stage is simple and passes through many resting points, and without great unevenness. In the morning you will meet a large number of pilgrims but do not worry, during the day the concentration of people will be reduced and everything will become calm. In this section we will cross the Sarria river and pass by small meadows and private gardens. We will cross the Áspera bridge, a 1,300 yards (1.2km) medieval construction and a 2,400 yards (2.2km) wooden footbridge over a stream until we reach the village of As Paredes.

As Paredes - Leiman (km. 8,2)

During this section you will find different services. We will pass through Vilei, where there is a rest area with vending machines and a point where you can stamp your credential. We will continue along an asphalted track to the parish of Barbadelo and then continue for 3.3 miles (5.3km) to Rente. On the way, we will leave behind the Serra Market (km. 6), the Marzán Mill (km. 7.3) and after crossing a water pond, we will arrive at Leiman.

Leiman - Ferreiros (km. 13,1)

We will leave Leiman behind to reach Peruscallo situated at km 9.2 of the day. At this point, we will leave the road behind to take a road to Cortiñas (km 10) and Lavandeira (km 10.5). Surrounded by stone walls we will arrive at Brea (km 11.5). Here you will find two stones that indicate that it is 100 km to Santiago. Watch out! The first one is false (you will recognize it because it is full of graffiti). After the real indication, we will arrive to Morgade (km. 12) and following the road, to Ferreiros (km. 13.1).

Ferreiros - Mercadoiro ( km. 16,8)

From Ferreiros we will go along a paved road to the neighbouring village, Mirallos (km 13.6). Here you can visit the Church of Santa Maria. Afterwards, we will continue on the same road to A Pena and then to Couto (km. 14,7) and Rozas (km.15). We will take a path among pines and oaks to reach Moimentos (km. 16.4) and in a few minutes we will have reached Mercadoiro.

Mercadoiro - Portomarín (km 20,8). Final stage

From Mercadoiro, the next village is Moutrás. From there we will arrive at Parrocha (km. 18.7) and Vilachá (km. 20). After a steep descent, we will arrive at the Miño river and after crossing a bridge of 383 yards (350 metres), we will arrive at the last point of the day, Portomarín.

Portomarín - Gonzar (km. 8)

Get your strength up at breakfast, because the first few days are the hardest and after the first one, you'll be tired all over. Don't get discouraged! The first point of this stage will be Mount San Antonio (km. 1). After a one kilometre climb, we will cross pines and meadows until the road descends again and we will continue by road until we reach Toxibo (km. 4.8). Following the walk we will reach a picnic area (km. 7.3) and from there we will set off for Gonzar.

Gonzar - Ventas de Narón (km. 13,3)

We will ascend through a path that leads to Castromaior, from where a hard climb of 2,300 feet (700m) awaits us. In the middle of the path, you will find a detour that leads to a pre-Roman fort that we recommend you visit. On the way up, you will come to another path parallel to the LU-633 road (km 10) which you will follow until you take another road towards Ventas. Go along the hard shoulder for 6.2 miles (10km) until you reach Ventas de Narón.

Ventas de Narón - Portos (km. 19,4)

After crossing the town and a slight climb, we will find the Ligonde mountain range that divides the Miño and Ulla river basins (km. 13.8). Afterwards, there is a stretch of a kilometre and a half downhill to Previsa (km. 15.3) and a little further on, we will find the famous Lameiros cross (km. 16), an emblematic point on the way. We will quickly arrive at Ligonde, and then take a path that will take us to the bridge over the Airexe River (km.17). After reaching Airexe (km. 17.4), we will continue along the hard shoulder until we reach Portos, the first village in the Palas de Rei council.

Portos - Palas de Rei (km.24,8). Final stage

From Portos, the detour to Vilar de Donas is very easy to find. Here you can visit the monastery of Vilar de Donas and then, return to the crossroads to go to Lestedo (km. 20). After one kilometre uphill you will reach Os Valos (km.20,9). From this small village, the road to A Mamurria (km. 21.5) is downhill so it will be easier. Then, comes A Brea (km. 22) and after leaving the asphalt we will arrive first at Avenostre (km. 22.4), then at O Rosario (km. 23.4) and shortly after Palas de Rei.

Palas de rei - San Xulián do Camiño (km. 3,4)

This day's stage is a bit complicatedSan Xulián do Camiño. In this section, you will find the Roxán River, a path surrounded by oaks and eucalyptus trees, a water raft and even a sculpture of some pilgrims dancing.

San Xulián do Camiño - O Coto (km. 8,5)

In San Xulián do Camiño, you can visit a very particular example of traditional washing places. From here, we will start a great descent to the Pambre River where you will find El Castillo. This stretch is surrounded by vegetation and is spectacular. We will arrive at Mato, Casanova and continue along an asphalted road until we find a path that will take us to Vilar in Porto de Bois (km. 7.2). We will cross the river and reach the last village of Lugo, Campanilla (km. 8) to continue to the first village of A Coruña, O Coto.

O Coto - Melide (km. 14,8)

After leaving O Coto, we will arrive via an asphalt road to Laboreiro where you can visit a cabazo (a structure used to store corn), the church of Santa María and the Nursing Home. Afterwards, we will cross the Seco River (km. 9.5) and next to the road we will reach the Furelos River which, after crossing a medieval bridge, awaits us in the village of San Xoan. We will take the San Pedro street to follow the French Way of Saint James to .

Melide - Boente (km. 20,5)

Take advantage of this opportunity to visit the urban area of Melide, where traditional pulperías (octopus stores) and worthwhile architectural buildings await you. Leave Melide behind by the main street and cross the road in the direction of San Martiño. After passing the houses of Carballal, we will cross meadows until we reach the Catasol River (km. 17.2) and continue to Raido. In this section everything occurs very fast. We will arrive at Parabispo, pass by the Valverde stream, cross Peroza and enter Boente.

Boente - Arzúa (km. 28,5). Final stage

This stretch is a combination of ups and downs so in Boente we recommend you to go to Fonte A Saleta to refresh yourself. From the church of Santiago we will descend to the Boente river and head to Punta Brea. Here we will have a hard climb up to Figueiroa and Castañeda (km. 22.7) Afterwards, we will go down again to the Ribeira stream (km. 23,3) and we will ascend again leaving aside the detour to Doroña. We'll go back down to the Iso river during 1.2 miles (2km) making it to the village of Ribadiso da Baixo (km. 25.8). After crossing a medieval bridge and taking a detour, we will begin the avenue of Lugo until Arzúa.

Arzúa - Taberna Vella (km. 5,2)

Arzúa is a magical place and a meeting point for pilgrims where you can share experiences. After leaving this beautiful place, we will begin today's stage on a rural path on the way to As Barrosas (km. 0.9). From there, we will descend to the Brandeso River and then go up to the Preguntoño village (km. 2.2). The next point is A Peroza (km. 3.3) where the eucalyptus landscape will be more and more present. We will go down to the Ladrón stream (km. 3.9) to reach Taberna Vella.

Taberna Vella - A Brea (km. 13,6)

After Taberna Vella, comes Calzada (km. 5.8) and O Pino, the last town hall before Santiago de Compostela. From here, we will go to San Breixo de Ferreiros. We continue to the village A Calle (km. 7.8), Boavista (km. 9.3) and Salceda (km. 11.1). The road continues to Oxén (km. 12.5) and Ras (km. 13.1) until we reach A Brea.

A Brea - O Pedrouzo (km. 19,3) Final stage

After A Brea, very soon appears A Rabiña. We will pass by a picnic area and a windmill until we reach O Empalme (km. 15.3). Then, we will take a downhill road, isolated from the noise, and surrounded by eucalyptus trees, we will arrive at A Rúa. Then, we will take the side of the road to our present destination: O Pedrouzo. There you can visit the church of Santa Eulalia de Arca.

O Pedrouzo - Cimadevilla (km. 4)

The last day of the French Way of Saint James begins. After leaving O Pedrouzo behind, we will immerse ourselves in a eucalyptus forest as far as , a village in Arca (km. 1.3). Afterwards, another wooded section awaits us, which will lead us to the town of . We will continue along an asphalted road and past the Brandelos River (km. 3.7) and after a steep but brief climb, we will reach Cimadevilla.

Cimadevilla - Lavacolla (km. 9,5)

From now on, the urban part begins. After Cimadevilla, the climb continues for a kilometer and a half, come on! A stone monument, the pumpkin and the scallop will announce the entrance to Santiago (km.6,3), there is not much left! We will have to go around the airport (km. 6.7), go through the village of San Paio (km. 7.7), A Esquipa and Lavacolla (km. 9.5).

Lavacolla - Monte de Gozo (km. 15,2)

We will pass by the parish church of San Pelayo and reach the Sionlla River where pilgrims take the opportunity to wash and refresh themselves before entering Santiago de Compostela (km 10). We will follow the road to Villamaior (km. 11) and arrive at the San Marcos urbanization (km. 14.8) which precedes Monte do Gozo. We will take a detour to climb the largest monument of the entire Way of Saint James from where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city of Santiago and its cathedral.

Monte Do Gozo - Santiago de Compostela (km. 19,4)

End of stage and end of the French Way of Saint James We will take the Jacobean path again and following the long San Lázaro street (km. 16.7) we will arrive at the Galician Congress and Exhibition Centre. These are the last kilometers to reach our desired goal. From this point, you will only have to cover 1.2 miles (2km) and you will have reached the Cathedral of Santiago. It is time to meet again with pilgrims you have met on the way and enjoy this moment, because you have made it!

Santiago de Compostela

Now that you are a true pilgrim, it is worth enjoying a day in the city. You can take the opportunity to go to the Pilgrim Mass at 12 p.m. and to stamp your credential to obtain your certificate. There are many types of trips, but what you’ve experienced during these 62 miles (100 kilometres) is something unique that will fill you with emotion and satisfaction. Are you ready for the next stage of the way of St James?