From Ribadeo to Lourenzá

This is the first stage that runs entirely through Galician lands. From here, we will begin to advance in a south-westerly direction, until we reach the longed-for goal: Santiago de Compostela. During this stage, we leave the historic town of Ribadeo, to go into the interior of the Galicia of Lugo, by the hand of the council of Lourenxá, famous for its beans.

We start our journey on the North road through Galician lands from Ponte dos Santos. We will leave the town of Ribadeo through San Lázaro street, entering into rural sections and forest paths, which separate us from the town of Lourenzá. The first landmark we will come across is the small church of Ove. Shortly after leaving Ribadeo, we will have to face the first hard point of the stage, the ascent to Ponte de Arante. It is worth mentioning that the ascent and subsequent path are made by a stretch of dirt track, which sometimes, if it rains a lot, can flood. For these reasons some pilgrims decide to continue along the local road.

We continue along the dirt track straight on, until we reach an asphalted track and pass Fonte do Valín, Cubelas and Vilela.

From here, we continue along an uphill track until we reach Celeiros, where we will have the opportunity to contemplate landscapes of immense green meadows dedicated to livestock farming, one of the most important economic activities in the area. Afterwards we will cross the place of Vilar, arriving shortly after to Ponte de Arante, where we will have the opportunity to visit the church of Nosa Señora das Virtudes, which commemorates the battle of Arante against the French in 1809.

After resting for a while, we resume our walk along an ascending cobbled track that will take us to the village of Barreiros. After having climbed up, now it is our turn to go down, and we will do it towards Villamartín Pequeño. Later we will pass through the villages of Villamartín Grande, Gondán and San Xusto.

Once we have passed San Xusto, we will start the last climb of the stage towards Vilanova de Lourenzá. We will cross the Calvario mountain until we come across the church of Santa María de Lourenzá and we will descend towards Lourenzá, entering the village through the Ponte da Pedra.

To consider

The signposting in Asturias and Galicia is different. In Galicia, the open part of the scallop indicates the way to follow, in Asturias it is just the other way around. This is why from the moment we leave Ribadeo we are going to see the a new symbology of the road until we get to Lourenzá, and onwards.

Places of interest

• Monastery of San Salvador - Lourenzá
• Church of Santa María - Lourenzá
• Museum of Sacred Art - Lourenzá
• Parish Church of San Xurxo - Lourenzá
• Church of San Tomé - Lourenzá

Typical dishes

• Beans from Lourenzá
• Tripe
• Pot
• Galician stew
• Ribeira Sacra red wines