Planning for the Geira — GO FOR IT!!!

[peregrina2000]

When I got to Braga on the Torres, I switched over to the Geira. I relied a lot on @jungleboy’s thread to figure out my stages. His thread and the notes about distances that I had copied down from the guidebook (which I did not bring) were really all I needed. Calling a day in advance was all that was necessary.

No albergues, except for the albergue in Caldelas, on the first day from Braga. I had planned to stay there, but as I walked into town, I saw on the left a very pleasant garden with tables in front of the Corredoura Garden hostal. There was a room, so I just took it. I was glad I hadn’t called ahead to the albergue.

One website that has info on the several camino options from Braga, debragaasantiago.com has an over the top warning that they do not recommend walking this camino now because of issues with marking. NONSENSE, at least if you have a GPS. Just as I did on the Torres, I had offline tracks and maps on wikiloc. I had my phone in my waist pack. The app beeps at you if you take a wrong turn. That’s all you need.

This is a great combination to consider with the Torres, but you have to be prepared for no albergues (except Caldelas) and no peregrinos. I spend two weeks in Lisbon every year teaching a course (in English), and I found I had enough Portuguese to interact with people. I had some really wonderful encounters.

My FindPenguins site has more info, but I would be very happy to give opinions, answer questions, etc.

Camino 2022 , Torres and Geira | FindPenguins

About 640 km, starting in Salamanca, heading over to Portugal, and north from Braga to Santiago. I am combining two different caminos, the Camino de Torres and the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

findpenguins.com

It’s a great caminho, I would walk it again happily, but there are no peregrinos. You will find people/walkers/ramblers in the area around the Peneda Geres park, so that’s a nice occasional break from the solitude, but I found I was very happy to just walk with me and my unwinding brain.

Edited to add - here is a link to my 2022 comments on the Torres. I know many people walk them as a combo, but they are different caminos, so I think it’s best to keep each in its own subforum.

 

[The Yukon]

When I got to Braga on the Torres, I switched over to the Geira. I relied a lot on @jungleboy’s thread to figure out my stages. His thread and the notes about distances that I had copied down from the guidebook (which I did not bring) were really all I needed. Calling a day in advance was all that was necessary.

No albergues, except for the albergue in Caldelas, on the first day from Braga. I had planned to stay there, but as I walked into town, I saw on the left a very pleasant garden with tables in front of the Corredoura Garden hostal. There was a room, so I just took it. I was glad I hadn’t called ahead to the albergue.

One website that has info on the several camino options from Braga, debragaasantiago.com has an over the top warning that they do not recommend walking this camino now because of issues with marking. NONSENSE, at least if you have a GPS. Just as I did on the Torres, I had offline tracks and maps on wikiloc. I had my phone in my waist pack. The app beeps at you if you take a wrong turn. That’s all you need.

This is a great combination to consider with the Torres, but you have to be prepared for no albergues (except Caldelas) and no peregrinos. I spend two weeks in Lisbon every year teaching a course (in English), and I found I had enough Portuguese to intereact with people. I had some really wonderful encounters.

My FindPenguins site has more info, but I would be very happy to give opinions, answer questions, etc.

Camino 2022 , Torres and Geira | FindPenguins

About 640 km, starting in Salamanca, heading over to Portugal, and north from Braga to Santiago. I am combining two different caminos, the Camino de Torres and the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

findpenguins.com

It’s a great caminho, I would walk it again happily, but there are no peregrinos. You will find people/walkers/ramblers in the area around the Peneda Geres park, so that’s a nice occasional break from the solitude, but I found I was very happy to just walk with me and my unwinding brain.

What a fabulous walk! There are so many beautiful paths of solitude in Europe, despite a relatively dense population. Sure appreciate you (and jungleboy earlier) for taking us along. There's a December ticket to Lisbon with my name on it and you've put this smile of anticipation on my face with your presentation. Thank you!

 

[Lynn C O'Hara]

When I got to Braga on the Torres, I switched over to the Geira. I relied a lot on @jungleboy’s thread to figure out my stages. His thread and the notes about distances that I had copied down from the guidebook (which I did not bring) were really all I needed. Calling a day in advance was all that was necessary.

No albergues, except for the albergue in Caldelas, on the first day from Braga. I had planned to stay there, but as I walked into town, I saw on the left a very pleasant garden with tables in front of the Corredoura Garden hostal. There was a room, so I just took it. I was glad I hadn’t called ahead to the albergue.

One website that has info on the several camino options from Braga, debragaasantiago.com has an over the top warning that they do not recommend walking this camino now because of issues with marking. NONSENSE, at least if you have a GPS. Just as I did on the Torres, I had offline tracks and maps on wikiloc. I had my phone in my waist pack. The app beeps at you if you take a wrong turn. That’s all you need.

This is a great combination to consider with the Torres, but you have to be prepared for no albergues (except Caldelas) and no peregrinos. I spend two weeks in Lisbon every year teaching a course (in English), and I found I had enough Portuguese to intereact with people. I had some really wonderful encounters.

My FindPenguins site has more info, but I would be very happy to give opinions, answer questions, etc.

Camino 2022 , Torres and Geira | FindPenguins

About 640 km, starting in Salamanca, heading over to Portugal, and north from Braga to Santiago. I am combining two different caminos, the Camino de Torres and the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros.

findpenguins.com

It’s a great caminho, I would walk it again happily, but there are no peregrinos. You will find people/walkers/ramblers in the area around the Peneda Geres park, so that’s a nice occasional break from the solitude, but I found I was very happy to just walk with me and my unwinding brain.

So happy everything worked out well this time! Your photos were wonderful!

 

[HeidiL]

Just a quick question: How hilly is it?

 

[peregrina2000]

Just a quick question: How hilly is it?

Oops, nothing like answering a question 15 months after it is asked. SORRY! I would say it’s on the hilly side. A quick calculation of my wikiloc stages totals 5800 m elevation and that’s in 10 days, so 580 m a day, approximately. Not the toughest, but I think that meets the definition of hilly. I have all my stages on wikiloc, with distances and elevation profile. First stage here.

I am going to add my stages and random info on this thread, because there are a few forum members who are planning to walk the Geira this fall. So stay tuned if you are interested. And again, sorry for the delay. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[jungleboy]

Just a quick question: How hilly is it?

Almost all the locals we met talked about how hilly and difficult it was, but we didn’t find it difficult. @peregrina2000 has given the elevation numbers above, which makes it more hilly than I remembered. But by that point we’d been on camino for about 45 days already, so I guess we were in decent shape when we started the Geira.

 

[AlanSykes]

by that point we’d been on camino for about 45 days already, so I guess we were in decent shape when we started the Geira

I'd only been walking for 37 days when I started the Geira, but also didn't find it over-taxing. There were some energetic climbs, but nothing excessive - I don't think I ever had to use my hands to scramble up or down. Quite spectacularly beautiful and gloriously solitary - I may have to rip up my plans for this autumn's camino and go back there instead.

 

[peregrina2000]

I may have to rip up my plans for this autumn's camino and go back there instead.

So many months for your fan club to wait!

 

[peregrina2000]

I never did a write-up for the forum with distances, accommodations, etc, but I know several forum members are going to start out on the Geira soon, and I thought I’d add my two cents. Since Nick and Wendy were my guiding star, my info might not have much that is different from theirs, but as someone who walks a lot of untraveled caminos, having different perspectives always rounds out the picture in a nice way. So here goes.

Day 1 — Braga to Caldelas (19 km). There is an albergue here, (José at +351 914 893 253) but I saw the beautiful little garden outside the Corredoura Garden Alojamiento — I popped my head inside the door and the slightly crusty owner became quite friendly upon hearing I was a peregrina and offered me a good price in a nice single room. The termas there are extremely interesting and worth wandering around. I was there during covid-masking but even so it was fascinating. I learned about which water spouts had water for kidneys, etc. and I saw that no water would be given out without a prescription! All very interesting.

And to back up a bit — on the way out of Braga, you will pass a 7th C Visigothic chapel, but if you want to visit it, I would recommend the short walk from the center the day before.

The church is São Frutuoso (google tells me hours are 12-3 and 7-10:30 p.m., closed Monday). But the official Braga City website tells me the hours are 2-4:30 from Tuesday to Sunday. (Thanks to @Charrito for the tip that google may not be right). I would definitely recommend checking with the tourism office in Braga when you arrive. My memory is that I definitely went out in the mid-afternoon to visit the church on the day I walked into Braga and ended my Camino Torres.


It was definitely worth a visit, and there is a story involving the remains of the saint, spirited away by (I think) Gelmirez to Santiago, and then returned centuries later.

Edited to add my GPS tracks - I added a lot of pictures to the track as I walked, so I think they are good for checking distance, an approximation of elevation gain, and what the stage looks like.

Braga - Caldelas

Braga - Caldelas Hiking trail in Braga, Braga (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Despite the many warnings I have received, I got on the wrong Caminho leaving town. You’ll be able to see it clearly on my tracks.

www.wikiloc.com

 

[Charrito]

I'd only been walking for 37 days when I started the Geira, but also didn't find it over-taxing. There were some energetic climbs, but nothing excessive - I don't think I ever had to use my hands to scramble up or down. Quite spectacularly beautiful and gloriously solitary - I may have to rip up my plans for this autumn's camino and go back there instead.

View attachment 173289

I was back on the Geira last month (my third time from Braga, and I've done the stages from Ribadavia to Santiago five times). As you say, Alan, it is a stunning walk, particulary in the Geres area.

As far as difficulty is concerned, there are some long stages (with nowhere to stop) and some parts which can be a bit complicated when you have to scramble over rocks and tree roots. If it's rained recently you can easily come across some waterlogged sections.

Sometimes, the downhill parts can be worse. Walking down from Portela do Homem to Os Baños I have twice ended up with problems. Last September I sprained my ankle, and this time I twisted my knee pretty badly.

 

[peregrina2000]

Ok, I am going to try to finish a day-by-day, but it may take me a while!

Day 2 - Caldelas to Campo de Gerês (30)
The camino leaves Caldelas on a lightly traveled road, and when you get to a hamlet and go through the porte cochere of an abandoned estate, BAM, you are on an unpaved road. Lots of Roman Road, milarios, forests, just a very pleasant day. I had a very touching personal encounter with a local woman walking to church. I had already gone past the church, and by my estimate it would be about a 40 minute walk for her each way at her speed. I confess I had a hard time understanding her, but her devotion was very obvious.

Braga - Caldelas

Braga - Caldelas Hiking trail in Braga, Braga (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Despite the many warnings I have received, I got on the wrong Caminho leaving town. You’ll be able to see it clearly on my tracks.

www.wikiloc.com

Albergaria Stop in Campo de Gerês is the only game in town. Fine and they serve dinner.

 

[David Tallan]

Ok, I am going to try to finish a day-by-day, but it may take me a while!

I am confident you will complete it before I start walking this Camino in mid-November.

 

[Charrito]

I never did a write-up for the forum with distances, accommodations, etc, but I know several forum members are going to start out on the Geira soon, and I thought I’d add my two cents. Since Nick and Wendy were my guiding star, my info might not have much that is different from theirs, but as someone who walks a lot of untraveled caminos, having different perspectives always rounds out the picture in a nice way. So here goes.

Day 1 — Braga to Caldelas (19 km). There is an albergue here, (José at +351 914 893 253) but I saw the beautiful little garden outside the Corredoura Garden Alojamiento — I popped my head inside the door and the slightly crusty owner became quite friendly upon hearing I was a peregrina and offered me a good price in a nice single room. The termas there are extremely interesting and worth wandering around. I was there during covid-masking but even so it was fascinating. I learned about which water spouts had water for kidneys, etc. and I saw that no water would be given out without a prescription! All very interesting. And to back up a bit — on the way out of Braga, you will pass a 7th C Visigothic chapel, but if you want to visit it, I would recommend the short walk from the center the day before. The church is São Frutuoso (google tells me hours are 12-3 and 7-10:30 p.m., closed Monday). It was definitely worth a visit, and there is a story involving the remains of the saint, spirited away by (I think) Gelmirez to Santiago, and then returned centuries later.

Edited to add my GPS tracks - I added a lot of pictures to the track as I walked, so I think they are good for checking distance, an approximation of elevation gain, and what the stage looks like.

Braga - Caldelas

Braga - Caldelas Hiking trail in Braga, Braga (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Despite the many warnings I have received, I got on the wrong Caminho leaving town. You’ll be able to see it clearly on my tracks.

www.wikiloc.com

View attachment 173385View attachment 173386View attachment 173393

View attachment 173394 a

A couple of pieces of extra information to add to yours, Laurie.

I would suggest checking out the opening times for the Sao Frutuoso chapel; don't trust Google!

In Caldelas, whether you've stayed in the albergue or in the Corredoura Garden Hotel next door, you have the excellent Café Avenida just up the road for lunch, dinner and/or breakfast. Great value, and they have a lovely terrace.

There are a few more bars and restaurants in the town, as well as the balneario and a nice park. If you need to stock up on provisions for the following day you'll find a couple of small grocery stores too.

 

[peregrina2000]

A couple of pieces of extra information to add to yours, Laurie.

Oh, this is great! How about if we become a tag team? When I post a stage, I will wait to post the next one till you check it out and see if you have any info to add. I think that is a good way to make sure that the information is all in the right place — one of the hard things about using our detailed planning threads (done during Covid) is that there’s a lot of jumping back and forth. Which is fine for those of us who have walked already, but makes it much harder for someone who wants to use our info to plan. And you’ve been there so recently, which is a great benefit for @gracethepilgrim and @David Tallan and any other forum members who might venture out.

And p.s. I edited my post #9 to add what I found about Sao Frutuoso thanks to your tip. The hours are SO different, that I think a good check in the tourist office is the way to go.

 

[Charrito]

Ok, I am going to try to finish a day-by-day, but it may take me a while!

Day 2 - Caldelas to Campo de Gerês (30)
The camino leaves Caldelas on a lightly traveled road, and when you get to a hamlet and go through the porte cochere of an abandoned estate, BAM, you are on an unpaved road. Lots of Roman Road, milarios, forests, just a very pleasant day. I had a very touching personal encounter with a local woman walking to church. I had already gone past the church, and by my estimate it would be about a 40 minute walk for her each way at her speed. I confess I had a hard time understanding her, but her devotion was very obvious.

Braga - Caldelas

Braga - Caldelas Hiking trail in Braga, Braga (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Despite the many warnings I have received, I got on the wrong Caminho leaving town. You’ll be able to see it clearly on my tracks.

www.wikiloc.com

Albergaria Stop in Campo de Gerês is the only game in town. Fine and they serve dinner.

View attachment 173760View attachment 173761View attachment 173762View attachment 173763View attachment 173764View attachment 173765

There's a small bar (the sign says 'Mercearia Cafe') in Paranhos just before you hit the Geira in Santa Cruz. It looks a bit dingy, but it's always open and the lady has a stamp! Very cheap, and if you're going all the way to Campo do Geres it's the only place before Covide.

You do have the alternative to break up the stage and head down to the small town of Terras de Bouro (Pensao Rio Homem), but the following morning you have a nasty steep climb back up to Moimenta to rejoin the Geira.

I love the walk up there; there are stunning views down to the valley way below you. Eventually you come out on the road and then have a short two or three kilometre walk to Covide, with the welcoming María at Café Eiras.

A few possibilities for a meal around Covide before heading up to Campo do Geres: before Café Eiras you'll see a sign down to the Cantinho do Antigamente (great local dishes and fantastic service from Gustavo). After Café Eiras, you can carry on up the road for a few hundred metres and then head left up towards Campo do Geres; you'll come across Restaurante Turismo (upmarket and pricey) and - just in front - Café Bosk (full of locals), with superb value meals. You then rejoin the camino a short while after leaving Café Bosk.

Most pilgrims tend to stay in the Pousada de Juventude, quite a way out to the south-west of the small village, but Albergaria Stop is much more central and very nice (swimming pool!), although more expensive. Great food, and Carla will prepare a picnic bag for you if you're setting off early the following morning.

If you venture into the small village in the evening you can get food in the Adega Regional, and there's a great liitle bar (Chamadouro), with good music, a cozy terrace, and a very friendly welcome from Alayse and Gustavo (the waiter from the cantinho en Covide!), as well as Rita, who runs a travel company and speaks perfect English.

 

[Charrito]

Oh, this is great! How about if we become a tag team? When I post a stage, I will wait to post the next one till you check it out and see if you have any info to add. I think that is a good way to make sure that the information is all in the right place — one of the hard things about using our detailed planning threads (done during Covid) is that there’s a lot of jumping back and forth. Which is fine for those of us who have walked already, but makes it much harder for someone who wants to use our info to plan. And you’ve been there so recently, which is a great benefit for @gracethepilgrim and @David Tallan and any other forum members who might venture out.

And p.s. I edited my post #9 to add what I found about Sao Frutuoso thanks to your tip. The hours are SO different, that I think a good check in the tourist office is the way to go.

That sounds perfect to me, Laurie! I can't remember the last time I was in a tag team! Probably when I was back at school in the 100 metres relay!!

 

[peregrina2000]

To future Geira pilgrims - Charrito is the expert when it comes to keeping track of places of business and people on the Camino. If you want to know where the next café, store, bar, or restaurant on this route is, pay attention to his posts!

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 3 — Campo de Gerês to Lobios (24.5 km).

Surely this day meets the standard of “etapa reina.” The rising sun around the reservoir was beautiful. I sat there for a long while, which is possible because the stage is a gentle one, less than 25 km and about 350 m elevation.

No cars, no people, just water, forests, Roman milestones, and some horses! I remember stopping at a very nice picnic spot near some old mills.

Campo do Geres - Lobios

Campo do Geres - Lobios Hiking trail in Campo do Gerez, Braga (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. 5***** day. Around the reservoir and then alongside the river through a forest. Once in Spain the dissent is largely through a scrub forest, but after Baños it gets...

www.wikiloc.com

I stayed at a little hotel right on the main drag in Lobios - I think the name was Hotel Lusitano Lobios. This little town has bars and supermarkets. A very good place to eat is the bar across the street from the hotel. I met a group of girlfriends from Miami tooling around the area, and spent a nice couple of hours with them for a big meal and lots of gabbing. Based on googlemaps, I think the name is Grill Luma, but I’ve added some pics to see if Charrito’s memory is better than mine. There are more than a few dining options here, so I may have missed a standout, but I was drawn there by the friendly women who insisted I sit and stay. The place was jammed with “locals,” and I had some excellent padrón peppers (which is the standard by which I judge places in Galicia).

 

[jungleboy]

Can I join the thread? I'll paste in the descriptions I wrote for Wise Pilgrim in 2021. They're a bit guidebook-y but hopefully they'll be helpful! There's more flowery prose on the Geira on my live thread.

Day 1 — Braga to Caldelas (19 km).

Braga

Braga is a large, historic town with many sites to explore and it’s worth allowing a day or two for tourism before starting the camino.

Additionally, Henrique Malheiro, one of the co-authors of the Geira guidebook, lives in Braga, is a wealth of information on the route and is happy to share this knowledge with pilgrims before they set out. He can be contacted on: +351 963 934 583.

One site to single out is São Frutuoso, a funerary chapel built in AD 660 by the eponymous bishop of Braga. It was later modified in the high Middle Ages and experts debate whether the dominant architectural features date from the original Visigothic building or the Mozarabic modification. In any case, the remaining original aspects make it the most important pre-Romanesque Christian building in Portugal and it’s a very atmospheric place to visit. São Frutuoso is on the camino about 25 minutes’ walk from the Braga cathedral, but it’s only open 2pm-4:30pm Tue-Sun so it’s best visited the day before setting out.

Way-finding directly after São Frutuoso can be tricky because there are two sets of yellow arrows - one for the Geira and one for the continuation of the Camino Torres towards Ponte de Lima. To continue on the Geira, look for the purple CMR (Caminho Minhoto Ribeiro) arrows complementing the yellow arrows for the Geira, both of which head towards the IKEA. Way-finding to Caldelas is otherwise straightforward, with arrows pointing the way.

Caldelas

There is a 16-bed albergue behind the post office near the entrance to the village. Call José, who speaks English, in advance on +351 914 893 243 to arrange your stay as there’s no on-site reception. The albergue has a basic kitchen for self-caterers, and there’s a grocery store in town but it’s closed on Sundays.

Leaving Caldelas, turn off the main road at the camino information board, then turn right at the church and continue straight. The exit out of Caldelas is not signed but soon the arrows restart. Apart from a short trail through a lovely forest about 2km out of Caldelas, the camino is asphalt for the 6km to Santa Cruz.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 2 - Caldelas to Campo de Gerês (30)

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz contains the first of many Roman milestones on the Geira. Turn left shortly after the milestone and the asphalt ends, giving way to dirt paths interspersed with Roman stones that continue through beautiful forest all the way to Covide.

About 2.2km after Santa Cruz, there is a fork in the road. The left path is for Terras de Bouro, as indicated by the yellow TB painted on a tree.

This is the official track but if you’re not staying overnight in Terras de Bouro, there’s no reason to take it. The right path has less elevation change, follows the Geira (passing Roman milestones) and is way-marked. After 6.5km, it rejoins the Terras de Bouro route.

Covide

There is a basic store on the right side of the road at the entrance to town and a café a bit further on. As there’s no store in Campo do Gerês except at the camp ground past the village, stock up in Covide if you can.

Campo do Gerês

Campo do Gerês is the gateway to Portugal’s only national park, Peneda-Gerês. It’s a quaint stone village with several accommodation options. There’s an HI youth hostel that offers a 15 per cent pilgrim discount but it’s inconveniently located south of the village and away from food options, and not as cheap as it could be. Albergaria Stop is better located, has a restaurant and doesn’t cost much more than the hostel for a twin/double room.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 3 — Campo de Gerês to Lobios (24.5 km).

We stayed in Os Baños (19km) on day three, but I'll include my info all the way to Lobios here for consistency:

There are no arrows between Campo de Gerês and the border. Walk past the campsite north of town (Parque Cerdeira), and turn right a couple of hundred metres later on a path that soon reaches the dam, with beautiful views. After the first bridge, turn left. Cross the second bridge to admire (and perhaps swim in) some beautiful pools with small waterfalls. To continue on the camino, recross the bridge, go straight on the rocky path for just a few metres until a smaller path becomes visible on the left. Take it and continue north to the border.

Portela do Homem (the Portuguese-Spanish border)

Go straight through the border post, turn right on the main road but after 100 metres or so, turn left off the road (there’s a small arrow), and then right shortly after. Geira signposts and arrows guide the way north towards the Roman baths (Mansio Romana de Aquis Originis), 8.5km from the border.

Os Baños

Shortly after the Roman baths, the camino continues straight while a left turn leads to Os Baños. The town, which has public hot spring rock pools in the Río Caldo that runs through it, contains a restaurant and a bar but no shop. PR As Termas is a camino-friendly budget hotel on the main road between the bar and the restaurant.

Leaving Os Baños, the quickest way is to continue on the road past the restaurant, rejoining the tracks at Vilameá about one kilometre later. The more atmospheric way is to return to the tracks where you left them and walk through the forest on stretches of Roman road and past a moss-covered cruzeiro.

Shortly after Vilameá, take the left (dirt) road at the fork to the mill and bridge. Cross the bridge and soon afterwards take the left fork away from the river and not the right one that follows the course of the river.

The small arrow pointing left is easy to miss while the X for another hiking route complicates matters.

Lobios

Lobios has two small supermarkets: a Spar and an Aliprox. After the modern part of town, there is a more picturesque older section with stone houses and groupings of hórreos.

 

[Charrito]

Welcome to the tag team, @jungleboy! And thanks for your input.

One thing about the albergue in Caldelas. If you've spoken to José Manuel, the president of the Junta UFSCP, he'll make sure that they are expecting you. You can check in at the Correos office (the actual entrance to the albergue is round the back), where you will find Nuno. José Manuel is charming. He was actually born in Canada and speaks fluent English. He works in Braga (a chemical engineer), but lives in Paranhos. He came into Caldelas to meet me a few weeks ago, and we had an extremely convivial chat (over a carafe of the local wine, and a plate of cheese in Café Avenida).

In case anyone is interested, José Manuel has a beautiful casa rural just outside Paranhos and very close to the camino, but I think he only rents it out to groups. Here's the link: https://www.casadeferrapilhe.pt/

 

[Charrito]

The walk from Campo do Geres along the Rio Homem is lovely. There is, as I think @jungleboy is implying, a path down to the shore, but then there's a steep ascent to get back onto the road. Great views.

After 6 or 7 kilometres you'll find quite a few bridges, small rockpools and waterfalls. Stunning. You then have a climb up through a wooded area (a few tricky stretches, especially if it's been raining) until you eventually come out at the top. The Bar Fronteira may be open (fingers crossed!), and they have a nice little mini-museum inside with lots of Roman milestones.

It's then all downhill for a good 7 kilometres towards Os Baños. After spraining my ankle and twisting my knee on two of my caminos, I think that next time I might walk down the road!

I've stayed in Lobios twice (more later), but last month I decided to stop for the night in Os Baños. A good idea, as there was an incredible electrical storm in the afternoon!

It's definitely worth a short detour into Os Baños. Walk past the flash balneario and you'll find Bar Os Cazadores (Marga speaks great English, and they'll make you a bocadillo) in front of the free hot springs pool (the water was scalding when I attempted to soak my legs!).

The Pensión As Termas is comfortable (35 euros for a single room). Just along the road you have the Restaurante Rio Caldo, where I had an enormous and gorgeous merluza a la marineira for lunch. There was no way I could finish it all, but the friendly barman stored it in a tupperware container and told me I could come back to eat it in the evening! I did! He also reserved the half bottle of local wine that I hadn't drunk, and it was waiting for me later with 'reservado' written on the label!

Lobios is another 5 or 6 kilometres further on. If you're staying there the Hotel Lusitano is fine, and they do an excellent menú del día. Just opposite the hotel is the smallish Luma Grill: cheap, huge portions, but it's nearly always packed out with locals. There are a few other bars along the road, all with stamps, and a couple of supermarkets.

There's a massive street market in Lobios on Sundays and the town is packed out.

Last month I stayed in Entrimo instead of Lobios. If you've spent the night in Os Baños, it's a relatively short stage of around 14 or so kilometres, mainly uphill, but it means that the hike up to Castro Laboreiro the following day is less demanding.

The Hotel Entrimeña 2 was a great discovery. A huge suite and a large bathroom. The best thing, though, was the amazing breakfast I had the following morning: ham and cheese, coffee or tea, as much toast as you wanted, fried eggs or an omelette (both if you want!), honey, a selection of fruit, two massive slices of different sponge cakes. I think that was all! Bed and breakfast for just 35 euros, and Esperanza is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.

In Entrimo you have a couple of supermarkets (early closing on Saturdays!) and enough bars. Sandra, in Bar La Entrimeña, will give you two different stamps. In the summer months you have the lovely O Chiringuito bar in the small park, just in front of the Café Bar Porta de Entrimo. Mesón Beny is a marvellous restaurant in a beautiful restored Galician house. A lovely patio and garden round the back, and excellent food.

Check out the Iglesia de Santa María La Real, just outside town. You'll see it (it's huge!) on the way out of Entrimo towards Castro Laboreiro, but it's always been closed when I've passed it.

 

[andycohn]

Thanks for this great thread. Filing it away for the ever-growing bucket list. Echoing @peregrina2000 from another thread -- that the best gps app is the one you're used to - - I note that the Geira shows up on mapy.cz as a dark blue line denoted as GRA. (No knock whatsoever on Wikiloc, just a heads-up for mapy.cz fans).

 

[jungleboy]

Thanks for this great thread.

Time to rename it as some kind of Geira planning thread to better reflect what it has become?

 

[peregrina2000]

I note that the Geira shows up on mapy.cz as a dark blue line denoted as GRA. (No knock whatsoever on Wikiloc, just a heads-up for mapy.cz fans).

I am going to have to get mapy.cz on my phone! I know that some people much prefer to have just one set of tracks available, and this app seems to have a very complete set of camino tracks.

When I walked the Torres/Geira there were what had obviously been some recent changes to the routes. Arrows pointing in several ways, some maybe having been crossed out, etc. I rememnber one spot in particular, maybe coming into Lamego on the Torres, which was very major and involved a total re-routing of a several km stretch. I was very happy to have some recently recorded wikiloc tracks on my phone so that I could make a more intelligent decision on which set of arrows to follow.

I know that the labor-intensivity of my approach is more than some can tolerate. But it’s now a standard part of my night — go to wikiloc and download three or four of the more recently recorded tracks of the stage I am planning to walk the next day. You can have them available for offline use, which is great. This takes a total of 5-10 minutes. Next day, I always try to walk with a set of tracks that has been recorded in the last three months, which is a filter you can put on the wikiloc search option. Then I put the phone in my fanny pack and follow the arrows till there is some confusion or until wikiloc beeps at me. Having several tracks available to flip back and forth between means I can quickly see what is going on. Maybe that’s overkill, but since I am almost always alone on these untraveled caminos, it’s great back-up.

 

[Charrito]

Thanks for this great thread. Filing it away for the ever-growing bucket list. Echoing @peregrina2000 from another thread -- that the best gps app is the one you're used to - - I note that the Geira shows up on mapy.cz as a dark blue line denoted as GRA. (No knock whatsoever on Wikiloc, just a heads-up for mapy.cz fans).

Mapy rules! I never leave the house without it!

 

[Charrito]

I am going to have to get mapy.cz on my phone! I know that some people much prefer to have just one set of tracks available, and this app seems to have a very complete set of camino tracks.

When I walked the Torres/Geira there were what had obviously been some recent changes to the routes. Arrows pointing in several ways, some maybe having been crossed out, etc. I rememnber one spot in particular, maybe coming into Lamego on the Torres, which was very major and involved a total re-routing of a several km stretch. I was very happy to have some recently recorded wikiloc tracks on my phone so that I could make a more intelligent decision on which set of arrows to follow.

I know that the labor-intensivity of my approach is more than some can tolerate. But it’s now a standard part of my night — go to wikiloc and download three or four of the more recently recorded tracks of the stage I am planning to walk the next day. You can have them available for offline use, which is great. This takes a total of 5-10 minutes. Next day, I always try to walk with a set of tracks that has been recorded in the last three months, which is a filter you can put on the wikiloc search option. Then I put the phone in my fanny pack and follow the arrows till there is some confusion or until wikiloc beeps at me. Having several tracks available to flip back and forth between means I can quickly see what is going on. Maybe that’s overkill, but since I am almost always alone on these untraveled caminos, it’s great back-up.

Since I discovered Mapy I have discarded every other app. Forget them and use Mapy. It's perfect.

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Oh wow, Saturday morning and I’ve just discovered the rejuvenation of this thread,
So a general huge thankyou to all who are contributing.

I’ll be tackling the Geira (body and soul/soles still willing) around the end of Sept or start of Oct after walking the Torres from Salamanca to Braga.

The planning stage is such fun. I can see myself updating my growing table of notes with all this additional info.

I hope I’ll have some more nuggets to share when I return
Thanks again everyone

 

[AlanSykes]

I think the stage between Lobios and Castro Laboreiro is possibly the favourite of my 600-odd days on the camino. Just astonishingly beautiful:

Lobios to Castro Laboreiro

Running out of superlatives. Jaw-dropping, breath-taking, mind-bending beauty. The 70km between Candelas and Castro Laboreiro must be amongst the loveliest of anywhere in Europe.

Today started badly, which doesn't usually translate into a 5* day. Drizzle, the first rain to fall on me in Spain since setting off in late September. It was nice to have my first tostada con tomate for breakfast, but sad about the lack of pastéis de nata. The camino moves off the GR which it has been following from the border and which concludes at the visigothic church of Santa Comba de Bamba. Only 16km. Some other day, dv.

Enforced tarmac takes you across the Limia reservoir. Then off road. The cloud was mostly low, with occasional tantalising flashes of sunlight, and the drizzle stopped very soon after setting off. Mostly off tarmac, moving steadily uphill on golden forest tracks, mostly strewn with oak leaves, but a few chestnut, and (very few) pine.

A coffee break after about 8km was welcome. But the greatest pleasure came very suddenly. The woods came to an end and simultaneously the clouds lifted. I found myself on an immense empty boulder-strewn heath with a ring of beautiful jagged mountains emerging from and disappearing into cloud. Underfoot was flowering heather - a surprise to me, as at home mine is all done by early August - as well as gorse and those pretty autumn crocuses.

View attachment 136361

There was no perceptible border with Portugal, except that an old gadgy in an apparently otherwise deserted hamlet said bom día and I noticed my watch had gone back an hour.

The caminho quickly joined the beautiful silvery green rushing noisy waters of the río Castro Laboreiro, a very enjoyable companion. A couple of impressive bridges. One was flat, of huge flagstones crossing at a wide point, and presumably completely underwater during flooding. The other was a glorious soaring mediaeval single arch.

View attachment 136362

And all with the ever-changing surrounding mountains. One peak in particular seemed to get an unfair ration of sun, and turned out to be the Castelo itself of Castro Laboreiro.

A sharp climb takes you finally up to the village - 1 in 7 incline, at one point - but the extra hour changing into Portugal meant I was enjoying some roast kid by 1.30pm. And then a really lovely hour ratching around the deserted castle - mostly cut from the surrounding rock, with a few strategically placed walls to help the natural defenses and apparently deliberately made not to be prominent from a distance. The clouds had dropped down a bit, but the surrounding hills were still spectacular in the ever changing light.

Back over 1000m as well, for the second and last time on this camino/caminho. Not as often as usual - this day last year I was heading up over the 2000m puerta del Reventón in knee-deep snow. Today was different, but just as beautiful, just as satisfying - just as hard work.

What a day. Wow. It can't carry on.

View attachment 136363

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 4 - Lobios to Castro Laboreiro (21 km, 900 m)

I consider myself a very grateful pilgrim — I am often gobsmacked by the natural beauty or historical sites around me and am constantly remembering how much I am indebted to others for being able to do this (both at home and on the Camino). But I don’t think I’ve ever looked back at my pictures and blogs on other caminos and had that same sense of awe rekindled. Looking back on the day’s walk from September 27, 2022 left me with that same sense. This was an absolutely gorgeous, challenging, awe-inspiring day, topped off by a walk up to a castle with a view that other castles may match, but none in recent memory can top. (NB: I wrote this before I saw Alan Sykes’ comment above, honest!)

Lobios to Castro Laboreiro (Caminho da Geira)

Lobios to Castro Laboreiro (Caminho da Geira) Hiking trail in Ríocaldo, Galicia (España). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

The town of Castro Laboreiro is kind of a walking hub, so I met several groups and enjoyed some nice interaction and a meal with others. But I have to say I was so glad that I was not going to be herded off on a bus tomorrow to the start of another guided walk. There are several hotels and places to eat, and a little grocery. I stayed in Miradouro do Castelo and got a cheap pilgrim price, maybe € 27?

I am so envious of those forum members who will be able to walk this route soon! But envious in a good way, what the Spanish language dubs as “envidia sana.”

 

[peregrina2000]

I think the stage between Lobios and Castro Laboreiro is possibly the favourite of my 600-odd days on the camino. Just astonishingly beautiful:

Alan, I wrote my gushy prose in the last post without seeing what you had written. When I flipped over to wikiloc to get my tracks and came back, I saw it. Uncanny.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 4 - Lobios to Castro Laboreiro (21 km, 900 m)

My 'guidebook' entry is below. I'll come back tomorrow with more personal reflections!

After crossing the Limia river soon after Lobios, look behind the petrol station for a hard-to-find trail. There’s a camino sign but it’s hidden from view until you locate the path.

Entrimo

Entrimo has the same two supermarkets as Lobios and several establishments that will stamp credentials (indicated by a sticker on the door). A stone rococo church is the highlight of the town.After recrossing the border back into Portugal, way-marking is poor and GPS tracks are needed. After passing (but not crossing) a medieval bridge and joining a paved road about 3km from Castro Laboreiro, there are two options: the more direct route on the road or a 5.7km alternative on a path, the beginning of which is signposted on the other side of the road.

Castro Laboreiro

There is a mini-market inside the bakery on the main road, the last chance to buy food until Cortegada.

Hotel Castrum Villae is an economical three-star hotel at the end of the village. The included breakfast doesn’t start until 8am but it can be brought to your room the evening before if you want to get an early start.

Restaurante Miradouro do Castelo comes as advertised: the main dining hall has a beautiful view over the castle and mountains.

Considering the location, prices are quite reasonable.

 

[andycohn]

I am going to have to get mapy.cz on my phone! I know that some people much prefer to have just one set of tracks available, and this app seems to have a very complete set of camino tracks.

Forget the Camino! Mapy will undoubtedly show you hiking trails you never even knew existed in the wilds of Champaign.

 

[Charrito]

I posted a lot of practical information about Os Baños, Lobios and Entrimo yesterday, so here I'll deal mainly with the walk up from Entrimo.

Just to reiterate what @jungleboy mentions, it can be hard to find the camino sign by the petrol station after crossing the Rio Limia a couple of kilometres down from Lobios. It's there, honestly!

Stock up on provisions in Entrimo, although you'll find enough fountains further up to replenish your water supply.

Last spring, after serious flooding, a few pilgrims found it impossible to cross the stream near Ferrreiros, and had to head back to the road. It's a lovely walk through the woods until you get to the small village of A Pereira. There's a welcoming 'lavadoiro'/fountain there, and a good place to take a short break. Then you have a short steep climb up what the locals refer to as something like 'La Cuesta de los Gatos', and come out eventually on to an amazing plateau, the famous 'lunar landscape', which takes you to the frontier (there used to be a frontier post here) at Ameijoeira. There's nothing much in the small village, just a few houses and a small church, the Capela do Senhor da Boa Morte.

The first part of the ascent is pretty easy, with bridges and a river. The tough part is after you get to the fantastic medieval bridge, the Ponte de Cava da Velha. Take it slowly and enjoy the wonderful scenery.

If you know where to look you'll find some incredible natural rock formations. There's one that resembles an eagle and another seems to be a huge turtle! Up by the castle, the local council has erected a huge man-made dog!

Castro Laboreiro is basically one street, although there is a nice church, the Igreja de Santa Maria da Visitaçao in one of the back streets.

As @peregrina2000 says, many hikers use it as a starting point for walks around the surrounding area. It can be quite full at weekends, but you'll find many places closed in the off-season and especially on Mondays (a bit like Las Médulas on the Invierno).

I've stayed in the Hotel Miracastro (stunning views of the valley and castle) and the excellent Hotel Castrum Villae. Next time I'm planning on checking out the Just Natur Guest House.

Plenty of places to eat and drink. My favourite is the Tasquinha Castreja, opposite the Castrum Villae hotel.

The café Castrejinha opens very early if you don't want to wait for any sort of breakfast in your hotel. It also has a small grocery store, and you definitely need to stock up for the following day's long haul to Cortegada.

You really must walk up to the castle in the afternoon. There's a good path up there, and then you can just chill out looking back down to where you came from!

​

 

[Charrito]

Something different here, but connected to the stage up to Castro Laboreiro.

On June 22/23, and coinciding with the summer solstice, a group of 22 walked up overnight from Entrimo to Castro Laboreiro and witnessed the sunrise up there in the early morning.

They met up in Entrimo for a group meal in Mesón Beny, finishing off with the typical Galician 'queimada' before setting off.

José Manuel (Braga/Caldelas) organised things and has since published this video (not many images of the actual walk, though). I was seriously contemplating this, but my twisted knee meant that I had to forget it. Any excuse!

2º Convívio dos Amigos Caminho da GEIRA e ARRIEIROS, 22_23 Junho 2024. Entrimo até Castro Laboreiro​

 

[jungleboy]

I think the stage between Lobios and Castro Laboreiro is possibly the favourite of my 600-odd days on the camino. Just astonishingly beautiful:

High praise indeed! I still preferred the previous day but enjoyed this one as well. This is what I had to say at the time:

It wasn’t as glorious a stage as yesterday - few are - but it had its highlights. Among them were an atmospheric forest in the early morning, a collection of hórreos in Lobios, great views of the Limia river, a boulder-strewn mountain plateau before the border and several small, beautiful rivers with little cascades, the clearest water you can possibly imagine, and some with old mills on their banks.

In addition to those offerings, we had two memorable experiences that afternoon. One was an absolutely massive storm, the biggest I've ever been caught in on camino. Fortunately it was close to the end of the stage but it was really something:

After crossing back into Portugal in the mid-afternoon, the thunder started and a torrential downpour soon followed - the first time it has rained on us on the trail for more than three weeks and easily the most rain we’ve been caught in during the seven weeks we’ve been walking. Being drenched was one thing, but the bigger issue was nearby lightning. We soon found shelter in the portico of a chapel (thank God for that!) and watched from there as the rain turned to hail. We waited it out for about 30 minutes (chocolate helped) and then walked on the road for the remaining 3km to Castro Laboreiro.

The second was meeting Jean-Marie, a unique pilgrim and the first we met (and one of only two) the entire way on the Nascente Triple from Tavira to Santiago (the other was an octogenarian Dutch woman):

We met our first pilgrim in 49 days! There’s barely enough space on this forum for me to fully explain this encounter but he was an older, spiritual French gentleman who seemed to have joined the Geira more or less accidentally after starting out on the Portuguese coastal. He didn’t have the GPS tracks or any info about the route really, and appears to only speak French (fortunately we do too). He spent a night outdoors a couple of nights ago in Os Baños because the hotel where we were the only guests last night was inexplicably full. Since he’s a slow walker, we chatted for a bit, gave him the tracks and then went ahead. After that, once we crossed back into Portugal, the way-marking was poor and even with the tracks he got lost several times and in his own words he would have had to sleep outside again if he didn’t have the tracks and if he didn’t call us for help. All in all, it was a very interesting encounter!

 

[Charrito]

Oh wow, Saturday morning and I’ve just discovered the rejuvenation of this thread,
So a general huge thankyou to all who are contributing.

I’ll be tackling the Geira (body and soul/souls still willing) around the end of Sept or start of Oct after walking the Torres from Salamanca to Braga.

The planning stage is such fun. I can see myself updating my growing table of notes with all this additional info.

I hope I’ll have some more nuggets to share when I return
Thanks again everyone

Torres and Geira combined! Great! Make sure you take this photo, Grace. Café Eiras in Covide.

 

[peregrina2000]

After passing (but not crossing) a medieval bridge and joining a paved road about 3km from Castro Laboreiro, there are two options: the more direct route on the road or a 5.7km alternative on a path, the beginning of which is signposted on the other side of the road.

This is a good heads up — I missed this turn-off, but I definitely would have gotten off the road at that point. It was less of a slog than it otherwise might have been, though, because I had had such a refreshing long break and snack at the bridge, which was really a pretty awesome construction!

 

[Charrito]

This is a good heads up — I missed this turn-off, but I definitely would have gotten off the road at that point. It was less of a slog than it otherwise might have been, though, because I had had such a refreshing long break and snack at the bridge, which was really a pretty awesome construction!

 

[peregrina2000]

You really must walk up to the castle in the afternoon. There's a good path up there, and then you can just chill out looking back down to where you came from!

I was just about to move on to the next day when Charrito’s comment made me look back through pictures from the castle of Castro Laboreiro. It was really a stunning view in all directions.




And the view I had from the hotel restaurant. Not a very cozy place, but the food was surprisingly good, in spite of several big groups.

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 5 - Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (30 km, 1300 m DESCENT, 500 m ascent).

Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (Caminho da Geira)

Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (Caminho da Geira) Hiking trail in Vila, Viana do Castelo (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

This is one of the very few days of any camino I’ve walked for which I could not remember any details about the walk or what happened that day, except for the fact that I remembered that the destination is a very sad, dying town that has a beautiful restored spa from the Civil War era on the river. AND that pilgrims are very lucky that the Casa Rural somehow survives in this place. Looking at my FindPenguins to refresh my memory, I saw that I hadn’t written much but did say that it was a “pleasant walk.” By now we are so used to stunning days that a nice walk with views along a pretty river (the Miño/Minho) are just sort of ho-hum run of the mill.

The huge descent didn’t mess with my knees, and if you look at the elevation profile on the wikiloc tracks, you can see it is pretty gentle. My hiking pole broke and after several days trying different workarounds, I just tossed it and walked into Santiago with one pole.

I’m hoping Charrito and Nick have more to say about this stage!

 

[jungleboy]

I’m hoping Charrito and Nick have more to say about this stage!

Mostly what I have to say is that I walked the whole stage in flip flops!

We awoke to thunder this morning and set out in steady rain. To avoid my sponge-shoes becoming soaked immediately, resulting in squelchy feet for 10 hours, I decided to try walking in flip-flops. While they were pretty inadequate and I was slower (and am now sorer) than usual, I was more comfortable than I was late yesterday in soaking shoes, so let’s call it a success!

It was a pretty miserable stage in the rain for us, though we had a big win by getting into the church in your photo above:

The unexpected highlight of the day came 17km in when we optimistically pushed on the side door of the Igrexa da Portela and it surprisingly opened, giving us shelter for lunch while it rained outside. The church is virtually abandoned and it was a dark and eerie place, and an interesting location for PB&J sandwiches!

 

[jungleboy]

Day 5 - Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (30 km, 1300 m DESCENT, 500 m ascent).

Leaving town, take the left immediately after Hotel Castrum Villae. It is about 5km to the border (and another kilometre to Azoreira, the first village on the Galician side) and it’s not well signed.

Azoreira

After Azoreira, the camino follows a paved road to San Amaro.

San Amaro

There’s a café on the camino (San Mauro) that may or may not be open. Almost 3km beyond San Amaro, the Igrexa da Portela is an intriguing, semi-abandoned church (try the side door on the right). Capela de San Xusto is a chapel 2km further on.

After crossing the bridge over the Río Deva, the official tracks lead off the highway to the left for a longer but off-road way into Cortegada. A more direct way is to leave the highway on the right just after the bridge (following a Geira sticker), eventually passing under the road and climbing back up to it for the last 35 minutes into Cortegada.

Cortegada

Casa do Conde offers comfortable rooms with a pilgrim discount. If the door isn’t open, ask at the mini-market next door, which is owned by the same family.

Rockefeller Café is the only place to eat in town. It’s a bar and pool hall type of place but does good pizzas.

 

[Charrito]

Day 5 - Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (30 km, 1300 m DESCENT, 500 m ascent).

Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (Caminho da Geira)

Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada (Caminho da Geira) Hiking trail in Vila, Viana do Castelo (Portugal). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

This is one of the very few days of any camino I’ve walked for which I could not remember any details about the walk or what happened that day, except for the fact that I remembered that the destination is a very sad, dying town that has a beautiful restored spa from the Civil War era on the river. AND that pilgrims are very lucky that the Casa Rural somehow survives in this place. Looking at my FindPenguins to refresh my memory, I saw that I hadn’t written much but did say that it was a “pleasant walk.” By now we are so used to stunning days that a nice walk with views along a pretty river (the Miño/Minho) are just sort of ho-hum run of the mill.

The huge descent didn’t mess with my knees, and if you look at the elevation profile on the wikiloc tracks, you can see it is pretty gentle. My hiking pole broke and after several days trying different workarounds, I just tossed it and walked into Santiago with one pole.

I’m hoping Charrito and Nick have more to say about this stage!

View attachment 174076View attachment 174077View attachment 174078View attachment 174079

I’m out this morning, but will post later.

 

[jungleboy]

This is one of the very few days of any camino I’ve walked for which I could not remember any details about the walk or what happened that day

The thing you must remember from this stage, because I saw your photo at the time, are the bus stop dolls!

 

[Charrito]

OK, here we go!

This is a long stage (28 kms), so - as I mentioned about yesterday's stage - make sure you've stocked up with enough supplies in Castro Laboreiro. Plenty of fountains on the way for water.

If you look at the profile you 'lose' almost 1,000 metres of altitude, but it's certainly not all downhill. There is quite a bit of road walking, but you'll be hard pressed to come across any traffic. Lovely scenery.

There IS a café in San Amaro (San Mauro), and it is definitely open. In Crespos you have the Komo Komo supermarket (just a couple of hundred yards off the camino), and in summer you'll find the cafeteria in the municipal swimming pool in Padrenda open. Off-season, there's a nice picnic area before you get to the Capela de Portela.

After the Capela de Portela, and around the Capela de San Xusto a couple of kilometres further on you'll find that the signposting is not the best. Some idiots (locals or our 'friends' from the Miñoto Ribeiro?) have taken down signs and painted out arrows. If you follow Mapy.cz, though, you'll have no problems.

It gets a bit higggledy-piggledy around the small industrial estate in Trado, but once you get to the river Deva you do have two alternatives: a lovely path alongside the River Miño, with a final steep climb into Cortegada, or up along the road. I've driven up the road and there's quite a lot of traffic, so my recommendation is to turn left after the bridge and enjoy the camino.

Depending on what time you get to Cortegada, it's worth visiting the Balneario Histórico just before the town. Although I've never had a meal there it has excellent reviews, and the views from the terrace look amazing.

I would tend to agree with @peregrina2000 and say that Cortegada is not the most exciting small town in Galicia. The one saving grace about Cortegada is the wonderful Casa do Conde. Jessica and Kike are great hosts, and you'll love their place. A large kitchen if you want to cook (supermarket next door), a well-stocked fridge, where you'll find all you need to prepare your own breakfast the following morning (included in the special pilgrim price), magnificent rooms, a lovely garden . . .

I think you'll find that the Rockefeller Café is closed, but for meals you have the excellent, and cheap, Bar Rivera. They advertise 'platos combinados', but I ate some great lamb chops there last September.

Buen Camino!

 

[peregrina2000]

The thing you must remember from this stage, because I saw your photo at the time, are the bus stop dolls!

I’ll downsize this to thumbnail later, but I just noticed that the dolls have been totally redressed and re-positioned. Even their hair has changed. And they have taken off their covid masks!

I hope the next forum member to walk by them will give us a sartorial update.

 

[Charrito]

I hope the next forum member to walk by them will give us a sartorial update.

I know someone who will be around there this Friday!

 

[peregrina2000]

I hope the next forum member to walk by them will give us a sartorial update.

I know someone who will be around there this Friday!

Ok, then, we expect a picture!!!!

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 6 - Cortegada to Ribadavia (via the lovely pre-romanesque church of San Xes) 19 km, 345 m elevation gain

Easy stage, lots of it along the side of the river. Not much in the way of up or down. My pictures show that there were vineyards, which I hadn’t seen a lot of up till now. There was some rain, and even a short downpour, but I was eager to see the church of San Xes (9th C, Visigothic) and the judería in town, so that kept some pep in my step.

I got to town so early that I thought it made more sense to walk out to see the church first (just a km or two on the edge of town but away from the historic center). As I knew it would be, it was closed, but the rain had let up so I could really enjoy the beautiful window and the slightly eroded carvings of the flight from Egypt.

I was lucky to get the last room in the hotel in the main square, appropriately named the Hotel Plaza. I had a room on the top floor with not much in the way of ventilation, but luckily it was not hot. I had lunch in a kind of foodie but not expensive place, the Birrán, and was lucky to grab a table outdoors under the arches. After lunch, I walked up and down through the judería, past some Romanesque churches, around the castle (only open in mornings, I believe). Good fruit store on the main drag, and then a couple of vinos and tapas in a bar on the main square that is connected with a winery. One of those cozy places with lots of wood barrels and wine bottles lining the walls. It almost felt like a rest day, since I think I spent more time visiting the town than walking the camino, and it was a really nice change-up.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 6 - Cortegada to Ribadavia (via the lovely pre-romanesque church of San Xes) 19 km, 345 m elevation gain

Igrexa de San Bieto do Rabiño is a stone, baroque church about 2km past Cortegada. About 400m past the church, the road takes a right turn while two unmarked parallel paths continue straight. The left of these two paths is the camino.

Ribadavia

Ribadavia is the first historic town on the Geira and it’s worth spending the night even if that requires a rejigging of stages. There are several historic churches, a castle and an old Jewish quarter to explore. If the church of Santiago is closed, the women selling sweets virtually opposite the church at No.11 have the key.

For accommodation, Pension Evencio (also known as Garden Lodge) has budget rooms but it’s a 15-minute walk north of the castle area.

Caracas is a restaurant that also has cheap rooms and is closer to the action.

 

[jungleboy]

(via the lovely pre-romanesque church of San Xes)

We must have missed this as I don't have any memory of it -- something to look out for if we ever walk the Geira again!

This was another rainy stage for us, but we were already sheltered in Ribadavia when the hardest of the rain came and then we were lucky to have some sunshine and blue sky for a brief period in the afternoon.

 

[Charrito]

I would tend to agree with both @peregrina2000 and @jungleboy that it is well worth spending the afternoon/evening in Ribadavia. Churches, the castle, a lovely river walkway, the Jewish quarter . . .

Leaving Cortegada it's uphill (not steep at all) to the Igrexa de San Bieto do Rabiño. Be careful here NOT to follow the Camino Miñoto Ribeiro signs, as they take you up into the hills for a completely unnecessary detour. Instead, if you follow Mapy.cz you'll go down towards the River Miño. It's then a very pleasant walk for some kilometres, passing below Arnoia (a couple of cafés up on the road). Practically everyone stops for a photo on the well-known columpio (swing) by the river.

You can see Ribadavia on the opposite side of the river, but you first need to cross the smaller River Arnoia and then the River Avia. You enter the town through a small arch and you're in the Jewish quarter.

I have never visited the church in San Xes; I see that it's some way out of town, but if you're staying in Ribadavia you'll have plenty of time to stroll there in the afternoon.

Hostal Plaza is very central, while the Garden Lodge is some way out of the centre (convenient for the following day's stage, though). Both are ok.

As the capital of the Ribeiro wine area you'll find that there are plenty of bars in the town. More expensive on the plaza, naturally, but some of the bars there are certainly worth a visit. One of my favourite places, and very popular with the locals, is just down the road from the castle: Bar O Morto, so called due the fact that they used to make coffins on the other side of the road! A place you simply MUST visit is the Taberna Papuxa, down in a side street in the Jewish quarter (you may well need to ask for directions!). It's the oldest tavern in Ribadavia and it's like going back 100 years! Cheap as chips, and great home-made wine. Good plates of food too.

I've eaten in the Restaurante Caracas, but it's basic and not particularly exciting. I've also eaten in O Birrán, what @peregrina2000 describes as a 'foodie' place. O Pucheiro, just up past the castle, is perfect for gluten-free food (pracically the whole menu).

They can be a bit funny in the tourist office on the main square. They only promote the Miñoto Ribeiro camino and claim that they know nothing about the Geira! Crazy! Anyway, I've got plenty of stamps of both caminos, and don't understand the conflict.

 

[peregrina2000]

it’s worth spending the night even if that requires a rejigging of stages.

Yes, totally agree. For some, a 16 km stage seems too short, but you can add 3-4 kms by heading out to San Xes. I know that not everyone is enamored of pre-romanesque/visigothic architecture, but it gives you a chance to walk along the river on the other side from where you entered, and adds a few kms to your daily stage. I went there on my way into town, and still got to the center histórico, the tourist office, and my hotel well before Spanish lunch time. And then I had the afternoon to see the things we all have described.

Then, too, I know there are those who don’t make any adjustments to visit these sites and just want to keep on walking. Those people would probably walk from Cortegada to Berán, which would be a comfortable 25 km stage.

Camiño de Geiras y Arrieiros 7 Etapa Cortegada - Ribadavia-Berán

Camiño de Geiras y Arrieiros 7 Etapa Cortegada - Ribadavia-Berán Hiking trail in Cortegada, Galicia (España). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

We haven’t talked much about the “rivalry” between the Miñoto-Ribeiro and the Geira e dos Arrieiros, which Charrito mentions above — but anyone who walks this route will see conflicting arrows and signs. I just decided I would go with the Geira, had good GPS tracks on my phone, and only got on the wrong camino once - that was when I was leaving Braga, and met another peregrino (my first and only) who was walking the Miñoto. Even though I knew I had to split off at some point, we were chatting away and I missed the turn. I had to turn back a km or two, oh well, it was a short stage to Caldelas anyway!

IMHO, the most sensible thing is for these two factions to come together and promote their caminos as one joint enterprise with alternatives depending on the interests of the peregrinos. The Sureste and Levante used to have a lot of this same rivalry, with arrows crossed out and negativity between the groups, but they learned, I think, that they were much better off coming together, delineating both routes clearly, and letting people choose. Fingers crossed that will work for this route too.

 

[jungleboy]

I know that not everyone is enamored of pre-romanesque/visigothic architecture

They aren’t???!!!

 

[Charrito]

We haven’t talked much about the “rivalry” between the Miñoto-Ribeiro and the Geira e dos Arrieiros, which Charrito mentions above — but anyone who walks this route will see conflicting arrows and signs. I just decided I would go with the Geira, had good GPS tracks on my phone, and only got on the wrong camino once - that was when I was leaving Braga, and met another peregrino (my first and only) who was walking the Miñoto.

It's a real pity that some of the towns after Ribadavia are pro Miñoto Ribeiro and anti Geira. My very good friend Paco, who is a carpenter and lives in the small hamlet of A Mamoa, between Soutelo de Montes and Codeseda, has found his fantastic metal sculptures of the Geira destroyed or stolen. They're a nasty lot, those Miñoto people.

 

[Charrito]

As I sort of intimated yesterday, I'll be heading up there tomorrow. Being retired is an advantage, but it's a logistical nightmare getting to Lobios or Entrimo from my home city of Salamanca. It's looking like a bus to Zamora, train to Ourense, bus to Bande and a connecting bus to Entrimo.

If I come across any new information I'll be sure to post it here.

 

[peregrina2000]

but it's a logistical nightmare getting to Lobios or Entrimo from my home city of Salamanca.

Well, you’re not going to get any pity from me! It may take you a day to get there, but it won’t cost you thousands!

 

[Charrito]

As I'll be travelling most of tomorrow I'll jump the gun and post about the stage after Ribadavia here.

If you've stayed in the Garden Lodge you'll save a good 15 or 20 minutes. You have a very pleasant walk along the river Avia through the Playa Fluvial de A Veronza. After going under the highway viaduct you come to the small village of Sao Cristovo, with a nice little church (cars parked outside always!) and then have a lovely walk up through miles of vineyards. There's a small chapel at the top of the climb (not too steep at all), and then - if you want - you can drop down into the village of Beade, where you'll find Bar Celta. Both the camino and the road will bring you out at the beautiful church of Santa María de Beade.

The camino goes straight on towards Berán, if you've decided to spend the night in Casa Lucita (not particuarly modern, and expensive); my recommendation is to head left down past the church in Beade and go along the road through Bieite. When you reach the 16th century bridge you then find a lovely shaded walkway along the river bank; this takes you to Leiro, which has a few bars and a supermarket.

Head over the river up to the right to the beautiful Monastery of San Cldio (a flash hotel these days, but you can wander in without any problems). There's a place to eat just before the Monastery: Bar Mosteiro, where Héctor will serve you up some hearty plates of fish or meat.

If you walked up to Berán, you'll find the welcoming Bar Chelo at the end of the village.

To get back onto the camino from the monastery just head back down, cross the river and walk up through Ribeira towards Pazos de Arenteiro. There's a half-ruined medieval bridge (Ponte da Cruz) just before Pazos.

Cross the bridge into Pazos and you'll come across Café Bar A Ponte just on the other side. Rita and José Luís are very pilgrim-friendly, and you must try out their home-produced Ribeiro!

The place to stay in Pazos is the pretty Aldea Rural at the top of the village. Ramiro is a charming host, and a top chef, although the prices can be a bit high for some pilgrims. He'll lay on a breakfast hamper if you're planning on leaving early the following day for the 'nasty' hike to Beariz.

After a rest, there's a great little walk from Ramiro's country house to the Pozo dos Fumes: a kilometre and a half along a nicely constructed wooden pathway. Worth a stroll.

Buen camino!

 

[gracethepilgrim]

Well, you’re not going to get any pity from me! It may take you a day to get there, but it won’t cost you thousands!

Yep, try travelling from New Zealand….planes, trains and automobiles

Certainly worth it when you reach the top of a big climb and look back to where you started walking for the day. Such satisfaction and joy .

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 7 - Ribadavia to Feas (29 km, about 700 m up).

My GPS spontaneously paused itself for a few kms, so my tracks have a straight line for a little more than a km. But I noted when I recorded them that it shouldn’t cause a problem - obvious route, but very steep. Other tracks note that the elevation total was over 900, so who knows - just prepared for some elevation. I remember it was a huffer-puffer at the end, and my tracks don’t show that. But I’m sure I followed the right route.

Ribadavia - Feás

Ribadavia - Feás Hiking trail in Ribadavia, Galicia (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. From Salon to Igrexario, wikiloc spontaneously went on pause. But I remember the path as being very obvious. It’s steep!!!

www.wikiloc.com

My morning was very foggy. Arriving at the church, chapel and cruceiros at Santa Maria de Beade, surrounded by vineyards, was a beautiful Baroque moment on a camino. Foggy and ethereal. It was very special. And then came the Romanesque portal at Lebosende. Ah, it was a good day.

I got to Feas after a stiff ascent in the heat and went to the only café/bar in town. It was filled and noisy, with many tables of men playing dominos. I confirmed with the owner that I could return for supper later.

This section has an abundance of accommodation options. (Well, an abundance relative to other stages on the Torres/Geira!). Charrito has already mentioned several — Berán, San Clodio, Aldea Rural in Pazos de Arenteiro. To this, I would add Feas. I stayed in O Forno do Curro and it was LOVELY.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 7 - Ribadavia to Feas (29 km, about 700 m up).

Berán

A local camino association member, Abdón Fernández, lives in Berán, is keen to help pilgrims and has a stamp. He can be reached (in Spanish) on (should the phone number be posted here?).

Just after Berán there is a stone sculpture that serves as the 100km to go marker.

There is some confusion about the trail in a forest about 3km past Berán. Shortly before a quarry, the tracks turn right, but there are three arrows pointing straight. Currently (mid-2021), the straight way is being promoted as the recommended path because the path to the right is overgrown and can be difficult to traverse. To take the straight path, go straight through the quarry and then turn right at the road soon after (there are no arrows at either place). This way rejoins the tracks at the church of San Miguel de Lebosende. If in doubt, contact Abdón for the latest information.

Pazos de Arenteiro

Pazos de Arenteiro is an attractive stone village. Restaurante Aldea Rural (signposted in the village) has rooms in addition to food, and friendly, English-speaking patron Ramiro will sell you some food items if your stocks are running low and allow you to take plums from his tree if they’re in season.

About 2km after Pazos de Arenteiro, below the village of Salon, a steady climb begins towards Feás. It’s the biggest ascent on this camino with an altitude gain of 450m.

Feás

O Forno do Curro is a lovely Casa Rural just outside Feás that has a tiny room just for pilgrims. There are two single beds and a bathroom next door.

Bar Nictrón is where all the action in town takes place, which primarily consists of men playing dominoes.

 

[jungleboy]

I stayed in O Forno do Curro and it was LOVELY.

Did you get a real room or the tiny pilgrim room??

We enjoyed this stage and the 100km to go marker, brand new at the time, was significant for us because we had started nearly 1000km back in Tavira.



We also had some nice interactions with locals on that stage to confirm the welcoming nature of the Geira. I didn't write it in the snippet below but the 'someone' in Berán was Abdón, who knew we would be coming and yelled out, 'Australiano! Americana!' to us as we approached. That was a nice surprise!

Meanwhile our ‘reputation’ is starting to precede us, largely thanks to Henrique and the fact that Wendy joined the Geira Facebook group and posted a few things in Galego. Someone was waiting for us at a bar in Berán this morning with a stamp, and this evening when Wendy called ahead to reserve accommodation, the guy on the other end of the phone said, ‘Eres la chica americana de Facebook?’ We are having some really nice interactions as a result and Wendy has found a few people to speak Galego with (not always a sure thing even in Galicia). We are feeling a deeper connection with this land than ever before so that’s been really wonderful.

 

[Charrito]

Unfortunately, Bar Nictron in Feás closed. If you’re lucky you may well find a lady (not the wonderful Aurora) offering coffee or soft drinks to pilgrims. O Forno casa rural is pretty, but you’re going to be without anywhere to eat in Feás.

I’ll post tomorrow about the stage from Berán or Pazos de Arenteiro to Beariz.

 

[Charrito]

A local camino association member, Abdón Fernández, lives in Berán, is keen to help pilgrims and has a stamp. He can be reached (in Spanish) on (should the phone number be posted here?).

I have Abdón’s phone number. He will certainly look after anyone who contacts him.

 

[jungleboy]

I have Abdón’s phone number. He will certainly look after anyone who contacts him.

I have it too but I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to post it here.

 

[peregrina2000]

Unfortunately, Bar Nictron in Feás closed.

OH NO!!!! It was a very special place for me.

When I arrived in town, about 3, I think, the place was jam packed with men playing dominos. I checked in with the owner, who assured me I could come back and eat whenever I wanted. I know this is an inconvenience for pilgrims on the Geira, but think what it means for the life of the pueblo. Very sad.

I spent some time at the Casa do Forno, lovely shower, lovely patio, fun to talk to the owners. When I got back to the bar for dinner, at about 7:30, the men had left and there was a quiet table of women playing dominos. By the time I finished eating, the women had left and the men were returning!

The dinner, which I remember so well, was one of those basic camino platos combinados that really hit the spot. Everything was fresh, from the garden and the chicken coop, homemade. Tomatoes with mozzarella, three fried eggs on top of a pile of real french fries, and whole grain bread made by the owner herself. It was simple, fresh, and delicious. And the Ribeiro wine from this region, in my unsophisticated opinion, is really good. I don’t think I’ve ever had it or seen it anywhere else, but it is a denominación controlada.

I just wanted to take the time to remember this place and feel grateful for how wonderfully they treated me and how welcoming the townspeople were.

And I thought I’d also add a shout-out for the Ribeiro wine. Though I am by no means a sophisticated consumer of wine, I really liked every red Ribeiro I tried. Especially the one pictured below,.

 

[peregrina2000]

He can be reached (in Spanish) on (should the phone number be posted here?).

Why don’t you just send him a WhatsApp and ask? He has a WhatsApp group of Geira folks, so I assume he’s fine with it, but it’s always good to ask. He was not around the day I went through, but we did have some conversations on WhatsApp and he was very helpful.

 

[peregrina2000]

Did you get a real room or the tiny pilgrim room??

I went for the full size room. I think I remember you had the pilgrim room and thought it was fine.

The bar closure is going to have an impact on pilgrim traffic here, I think, too bad because it is so nice.

 

[Charrito]

OH NO!!!! It was a very special place for me.

Aurora was so welcoming. By all accounts, the owners wanted ro raise the rent by an exorbitant amount, so she decided to close.

I’ve never eaten there, but I’ve certainly knocked back a few beers!!

 

[Charrito]

If you want any info on Ribeiro wines, contact forum member @markauchincloss, who lives near Leiro and is a real expert!

 

[henrythedog]

WRT Nick’s post #20 above:

Albergaria Stop is better located, has a restaurant and doesn’t cost much more than the hostel for a twin/double room

Mrs Htd and I stayed at the ‘Stop’ (which probably took its name from a large STOP Road sign outside - in 1993 whilst on a walking tour of the north of Portugal and the Peneda Geres.

Dinner was a small amount of roast pork followed by as much calda verde as you might want - very traditional.

We bought a bus ticket there which I think I still have as I was impressed by its simplicity and security. Basically a long strip of paper with all the stops along the bus route running vertically down the left and right edge. The vendor - using a ruler - placed it from start point (left) to end point (right) and tore off the surplus ticket.

The surplus was the vendors receipt and the ticket one bought was clearly only capable of being altered by making it shorter and thus valid for a lesser journey.

 

[Charrito]

Ok, then, we expect a picture!!!!

Ok, then, we expect a picture!!!!

 

[Charrito]

View attachment 174424

 

[Charrito]

Yet another change of clothes!

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 8 — Feas to Soutelo (22 km, 750 m)

Feás - Soutelo de Montes

Feás - Soutelo de Montes Hiking trail in Feás, Galicia (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Wonderful almost all off road. First 3-4 km with steady ascent (about 300 m)on asphalt but no traffic, with cushion of pine needles on the side. Lovely descent on wide dirt...

www.wikiloc.com

Having spent the night in Ribadavia, and then Feas the next night, put me out of sync with many Geira walkers, who tend to spend the night in Berán and then Beariz. It’s good to have choices!

I have a clear memory of the beautiful sunrise that morning and a very pleasant forest walk, both before and after Beariz, which made for a day that was largely off-road and shady. Nothing spectacular but very pleasant walking.

But there were two very special interactions that day — the first with the mayor of Beariz, who loves the Camino, promotes it all he can, and insisted on giving me a copy of a book he had edited/written. I had seen the ayuntamiento door open on a Saturday morning, so I poked me head in and he welcomed me and gave me a sello.

I got a room in Hotel Millenium and had a very good meal in Pan de Soutelo (it’s a restaurant, not a panadería).

Then that night in the small grocery store in Soutelo de Montes, I asked the cashier about the bagpipe statue I had seen on the main drag. That was like turning on a switch - she pulled out her phone and started to tell me her story.

It turns out that Soutelo is home to some of Spain’s most renowned bagpipes, but as a child and young adult, she had no interest in them whatsoever. But then, when her adopted boy from Siberia turned 6 or 7, he developed an interest. And that changed her life. He is now in the highly regarded local (regional?) bagpipe band and was even scheduled to play in the St. Patrick’s Day parade in NY in 2020 until covid put an end to those plans. She is now one of the band’s biggest fans and a very discerning bagpipe expert. I wish I had written down her exact words, but my memory the next day was that she said something like — It’s funny that it took someone born thousands of kms from here to make me feel at home in the place of my own birth. It’s hard to put a finger on what it is about this exchange that made it so special and made such an impact on me, but I guess it’s the reaffirmation that love and belonging are both very important parts of the human condition, no matter where we live.

 

[AlanSykes]

I had hoped to stay in Feás, but the accommodation (in November 2022) wasn't open at the time (dueño in hospital, I think). The lovely Aurora at the Bar Nictron in Feás rang ahead to Beariz and booked me in to a really comfortable flat above the Bar Central, on the main drag (fairly low cost, as far as I can remember, and including washing machine).

According to Google Maps, the bar is now closed, so I assume the acogida above it might be as well, which would be really sad - they were exceptionally welcoming, and I was having problems finding accommodation due to an unexpected "bed race" with a group of 18 Brazilians.

 

[VNwalking]

View attachment 174424

Bwahahaha. The hair curlers! Hysterical.

OK, everyone, please stop. This is seriously messing with my tidy list of caminos to be walked.

 

[jungleboy]

Day 8 — Feas to Soutelo (22 km, 750 m)

Not much in my guide for this stage but here it is:

Beariz

There is a pilgrim monument on the camino at Praza de José António. On the main road soon after the monument, Bar Centro is a good place for a rest and a stamp, and there are Geira e dos Arrieiros t-shirts for sale.

Soutelo de Montes

About 2km before Soutelo de Montes, there’s a church of Santiago whose wooden doors contain two carvings of the Order of Santiago cross with a shell in the middle.

For accommodation in Soutelo de Montes, Pension San Roque has budget rooms and a bar/restaurant, while Hotel Restaurante Millenium is a bit fancier.

 

[jungleboy]

Having spent the night in Ribadavia, and then Feas the next night, put me out of sync with many Geira walkers, who tend to spend the night in Berán and then Beariz. It’s good to have choices!

We did the same stages as you; I think it's worth it for Ribadavia. Plus, by 'out of sync with many Geira walkers', you presumably mean walkers over time, not the many who are walking at the same time as you (Alan's Brazilians notwithstanding!)? What I mean is, it's not like you will have a camino family on the Geira and then lose it by doing these stages.

But there were two very special interactions that day

It's great when an otherwise not especially memorable day can turn into one with interactions like this!

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 9 - Soutelo de Montes to A Estrada (33 km, 580 m)

Soutelo de Montes - A Estrada

Soutelo de Montes - A Estrada Hiking trail in Soutelo de Montes, Galicia (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Wonderful meandering through villages connected by dirt trails through forests or fields, untraveled roads, or the occasional slippery rocky water-filled...

www.wikiloc.com

I had planned a short day to the Casa Rural in Codeseda. The owner has been a big supporter of the camino and treats pilgrims well. But the night before when I had WhatsApped to confirm the reservation I had made a few days earlier, he messaged me that he was currently in Málaga and would be arriving back in Codeseda the next day at night. No one else in town had the key, and the thought of hanging around for hours didn’t really appeal, so I told him I would probably keep on walking, but would let him know when I got to Codeseda.

This was a great stage, lots off-road, out in the middle of nowhere, with the occasional weird camino figure of the Xunta’s camino “mascot” for 1993!

When I got to Codeseda, I went to the Café Camiño da Geira, whose owner is also a huge supporter of this camino. A couple of tapas, a couple of cold drinks, and some nice conversation. I got my picture taken and was assigned my number (she keeps track of the yearly totals, but I can’t remember my number, though I think it was in the 800s). I was sorry that I couldn’t stay for what looked like it would be a great meal, but I just can’t get back on the camino and walk after a full meal, so off I went!

I arrived in Estrada and saw that the pedestrian street had a lot of nice looking tapas bars. So I decided not to rush to get a midday meal. There wasn’t a whole lot to see in this town, which still has Franco-era street names (or was it the plaza?). Tapas time was very lively — typical Spanish Sunday afternoon with tons of multi-generational families, kids playing while the parents sat and gabbed. Even thought I wasn’t a part of any of the “action,” I had a Video call with home and got my own family time.



One development of note for Estrada is that Argentinos Burger has won the “best hamburger in Spain” designation. We had a thread about the competition, see here. I haven’t heard that any forum members have made it there, and I assume the lines are always enormous, but it would be fun to get a report - maybe @Charrito?

All in all, one of those low key, pretty, and off-asphalt days!





You may disagree, but I think this is one of the most awful Camino publicity efforts in the Xunta’s history. This figure was all over the Francés when I first walked in 2000. I googled to find out that it was the symbol for Holy Year 1993.



Even the pilgrim statues were masking in those days!

 

[AlanSykes]

After Beariz I had planned to stay in Codeseda too, but the casa rural had been block booked by my Brazilians. Forcarei, a small town just off the Geira (and on the rival Caminho Miñoto Ribeiro), has the very comfortable Pensión Paris. It's a cosy one star, about 25€ back in 2022, and with old fashioned metal radiators which are ideal for drying out sodden trainers - several of the more narrow paths were running streams that November. Also an excellent menú del día, with a very sustaining potaje.

When I got to Codeseda the following day, I was told I was the 946th person to have walked the Geira that year. A very pleasant, welcoming bar, so enthusiastic about the increasing popularity of their camino.

 

[jungleboy]

I had planned a short day to the Casa Rural in Codeseda.

After Beariz I had planned to stay in Codeseda too, but the casa rural had been block booked by my Brazilians.

Such a shame that neither of you were able to stay in Codeseda but it sounds like you both still managed to enjoy some of its famous hospitality. Apart from the day through the national park, staying in Codeseda was the highlight of our Geira. We were the 299th and 300th pilgrims to pass through that year, so they held a celebration for us and we felt incredibly welcomed. This great camino spirit led to Wendy translating the cultural guidebook for the Geira afterwards, and will lead her on another adventure upcoming, to be revealed!

 

[jungleboy]

Day 9 - Soutelo de Montes to A Estrada (33 km, 580 m)

Codeseda

The small village of Codeseda, where pilgrims are welcomed with open arms, is in some ways the ‘hub’ of the Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros, and staying overnight is highly recommended.

Two Casas Rurales, Casa O Avó and Casa O Palomar, are run by English-speaking Francisco (Frank) and are excellent value. Frank is heavily involved with the Geira project in addition to being a friendly and welcoming host. Call him in advance on +34 654 728 266 to arrange your stay.

Virtually next door to Casa O Palomar, the Pub Café Caminho da Geira is the liveliest spot in town and does good meals. Spanish-speaking Mari Carmen goes out of her way to serve pilgrims, including accommodating specific dietary needs.

There is also a grocery store in Codeseda.

A Estrada

A Estrada is on one of the main roads heading out of Santiago and has all services. There is a Froiz supermarket on the main road, a few minutes off the camino.

 

[Charrito]

I'm resting in Ribadavia, so will catch up later with some pieces of information from previous stages before adding my thoughts on Berán/Pazos de Arenteiro, Feás, Beariz, Soutelo de Montes and Codeseda.

 

[Charrito]

Up-to-date info:

1. On the long stage from Castro Laboreiro to Cortegada, Cafe San Mauro is definitely open, and they have a decent list of 'raciones'. As I generally do, I've found a very good alternative, which only adds on about 100 yards to the camino. Take a right just after Café San Mauro and walk along to San Roque de Crespos. Here you'll find two supermarkets, the town hall (stamp available), three bars (one was closed yesterday), a chemist's, and the beautiful church of San Xoan de Crespos. In Bar Plaza, right by the church, I had a lovely glass of home-made Ribeiro wine.

From San Roque de Crespos just head along Rua Argimiro Rodríguez and this will bring you back onto the camino by the swimming pool (summer cafeteria open).

I was speaking to two Portuguese pilgrims last night in Cortegada, and they made a very long detour to Café Bar Tato, the other side of Padrenda.

2. There's a new gastrobar open in Cortegada. It's called Nao Senlleira, and they serve platos combinados, hamburgers and the like.

3. In the evening I had a cold Estrella on the marvellous terrace of the Balneario Histórico. If you're shattered after the long stage it may be too much to go all the way down to the river and then back up again, but take my word for it: it's well worth it!

 

[peregrina2000]

In the evening I had a cold Estrella on the marvellous terrace of the Balneario Histórico.

You are luckier than I was. I walked down, but there was not a human being in sight. But the building is beautiful and obviously very well maintained — though I didn’t get to sit on the café terrace, there was a step down to the water that I was able to sit on. No beer, though.

2. There's a new gastrobar open in Cortegada.

Wow! A gastrobar in Cortegada! I hope they make it.

 

[VNwalking]

You may disagree

No. I agree 1000%.

This is working it's way up my next-Camino-list. It's fighting with the Viejo-Olvidado, but those millaria!...And the whole vibe of this one is very appealing.

 

[Charrito]

No. I agree 1000%.

This is working it's way up my next-Camino-list. It's fighting with the Viejo-Olvidado, but those millaria!...And the whole vibe of this one is very appealing.

I discovered the Camino de Invierno quite a few years ago, and liked it so much that I walked it around 9 times (we met you, if you remember, in Monforte de Lemos).

However, once you walk this camino from Braga you will absolutely love it. History, culture, incredible scenery, wonderful people everywhere . . . .

As the title of this thread says GO FOR IT!

Regards, and Buen Camino!

 

[Charrito]

One development of note for Estrada is that Argentinos Burger has won the “best hamburger in Spain” designation. We had a thread about the competition, see here. I haven’t heard that any forum members have made it there, and I assume the lines are always enormous, but it would be fun to get a report - maybe @Charrito?

Are you calling me a 'foodie', @peregrina2000? I've had a beer there, but - as I'll post later - I have my very own 'go to' place in A Estrada!

 

[Charrito]

Many thanks to @peregrina2000, @jungleboy and @alansykes for the great information that you've posted in this thread about the stages up to Feás, Beariz, Soutelo de Montes, Forcarei, Codeseda and A Estrada.

I'll give you more info a bit later.

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 10 - Estrada to Santiago (33 km, 600 m)

https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/a-estrada-santiago-de-compostela-115298851

Since my Codeseda plans were thwarted and I had to go on to Estrada, it put me in good shape for walking into Santiago instead of stopping at the highly rated Taberna Casa Mella in Rarís. Turns out it was a good thing that wasn’t my plan, because there was a sign on the door saying they were closed!

Leaving A Estrada, I saw the most brightly lit gas station I had ever seen. It was 8 am, still dark in late September, so I guess the lights were a good idea.


The walk was really a nice one, the bridge at Pontevea lived up to the descriptions I had read, and there were several small churches and cruceiros, in that typical Baroque style that is so common on this walk.



I was happy to have two chances to talk with some residents -first, a father-son pair harvesting their grapes, which then they turn into their family’s annual wine consumption. The son told me that his sisters wanted him to stop their father’s participation in this job, but the dad and son were holding firm. Life without activity is not life, the father said.



A bit further on I came upon a bunch of women, all on the ground picking up apples. They told me that apples used for sidra have to fall off the tree before they are ready to be used. (There’s a current forum thread about picking fruit that this observation might be useful for). They invited me to stay and pick with them for a while and then have lunch with them, but I kept on going. One of these caminos, I’m going to start accepting these invitations, which @El Cascayal typically does!



At several points along the walk, I was surprised to see Pico Sacro in the distance. I promised myself I would walk up to the top the next time I walked by, and I’m happy to report that I did it in 2024! Highly recommended for those who love the myths about Reina Lupa and Santiago, but it is almost all asphalt (though on roads with no traffic), so that might not work for some.



I was expecting the entrance into Santiago to be just like the Vdlp/Sanabrés - past the Puente de Sar and then up the steep climb to the Praça Galicia. But it isn’t, and I got very confused. Wikilocs cannot distinguish the level on which you are walking, and I was down at the bottom next to the river, when I should have been up at the top on the roadway. I did a fair amount of wandering along the Sar River, which was very pleasant but I don’t think it was on the Geira! Following my tracks will get you into Santiago, but not in the most direct way! But I finally made it to the familiar Vdlp entrance, and I went to see the Colegiata de Sar (unfortunately the church and museum were closed). And then up to the Obradoiro, and through the Holy Door (which had been held open for a second holy year in 2022).

I did walk on to Muxia from here, but here ends the Geira!

And one p.s. — I had not made reservations in Santiago, because I wasn’t sure when I would arrive, and I wasn’t sure if I’d have time to make it to Muxia. I think I started trying a bit before A Estrada. It was not easy, though I did find places. One night in Santiago before my walk to Muxia and then two nights on the return (in two different hotels). So I think some advance planning is a good idea, even in late September!

 

[Charrito]

Right, here we go! Berán/Pazos de Arenteiro to Beariz:

If you've stayed for the night in Berán, you have around 9 kms before Pazos de Arenteiro. After Pazos you have a gentle couple of kms until you drop down to the river. Then you have the nasty steep ascent that everyone mentions, up to the tiny hamlet of Salón. More uphill through a pleasant wooded area, and you finally come out by the Iglesia de San Miguel de Albarellos. Up the road past the small chapel in Paredes and then down to Feás. As I posted a few days ago, the bar in Feás (a real oasis, as some of you have said) has sadly closed down, but you may well find someone there providing coffee or a cold drink.

The Casa Rural is at the end of the village, but there is now nowhere to eat or drink.

There's a long uphill slog from Feás (stop by the Banco Mirador half way up). The Miñoto Ribeiro veers off to the right at the top of the road, but you need to bear left and you'll eventually come out in Magros. In the summer months you'll find the Bar de Magros down on the road, but it's a bit off the camino.

Now that Pepe Balboa has opened his small albergue in Beariz, you have a place to stay for the night. However, while Bar Centro is closed at the moment, they still have rooms in the annex. I have the telephone number if anyone wants it (and permission to pass it on!). José Manuel, the owners' son, also told me today that they can arrange a meal for pilgrims if you contact them previously. I've eaten with the family a couple of times.

El Mexicano de Beariz is a small restaurant, but it has strange opening times! There is a small supermarket by the Geira monument as you enter Beariz, and a butcher's (selling plenty of other stuff too) opposite the other bar in town, Bar Beariz.

Like @peregrina2000, I also met Manuel Prado, the mayor, and also got a copy of the book! He's a nice guy to have a few drinks with, but you'll probably be sequestered by Pepe Balboa and his wife if you're staying in the albergue!

 

[Charrito]

Beariz to Codeseda:

When you walk up the road out of Beariz you'll find two alternative routes. Most pilgrims take the left-hand one, with a walk up through the woods to the top and then down to the small village of Pardesoa. The other route consists of carrying on up the road and going through the pretty little village of Alvite, which has been lovingly restored after years of abandon. You can then easily get back onto the other route.

From Pardesoa it's a bit of an uphill slog (road) through O Sisto and into Soutelo de Montes, a quite busy little town on the main road from Ourense to Pontevedra.

Soutelo has two places to stay: the San Roque or Millenium. The rooms in the San Roque are not above the bar, but on the second floor of the Millenium.

Plenty of bars and places to eat. Soutelo is renowned for its bread, and you'll almost certainly be given a large pincho of bread and ham. There are eight bars in Soutelo (yes, I've been in most of them!) and you'll have no problem getting a good meal. The place where @peregrina2000 ate is fine, and just opposite you have Kalis Pan de Soutelo, with great pizzas (for the dough they use the local bread; gluten-free and veggie options available). I've also eaten in the San Roque (an unexciting menú del día), in the Millenium (much better menú del día, and great treatment from Rosa and Pepe). On Sundays the pulpera sets up by Os Carteiros at the end of the street. Order your pulpo, grab a table in Os Carteiros, ask for your wine, bread and cachelos (Galician potatoes) and enjoy!

You leave Soutelo down the road and circumvent the small industrial estate. Be careful at the bottom! Do NOT follow the Miñoto Ribeiro signs, unless you intend to spend the night in Forcarei, where @alansykes stopped. A short uphill stretch until you get to the pretty little village of Acivedo. You then have a couple of kms through the woods, and you'll amost certainly find the path waterlogged until you reach A Freixeira, with a nice rest area.

O Cachafeiro has two bars, directly opposite each other! My favourite is the Taberna do Panadeiro, with friendly Ernesto. They both have stamps, by the way.

You now have a nice walk down to the Ponte Gomail, with a great little waterfall. Then there's a long uphill stretch to A Mámoa, where you'll find the lovely metallic sculptures that Paco has made. Practically everyone stops there for a photo and, if you're lucky, Paco and/or Eva will offer you a free cold drink or coffee.

You soon get up to the main road and then you head off downwards towards Sabucedo, where they celebrate the famous 'Rapa das Bestas', where they round up the local wild ponies and cut off their manes. Then across the road to A Portela, past the lovely Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe and the Cruz da Grela (it is claimed that on a clear day you can see the spires of Santiago in the distance, but there's nearly always mist or fog up there!). Then down to the small village of Codeseda, with all services.

I once decided to walk down the main road to Codeseda, but it's not recommendable.

In Codeseda, Fran (now a very close friend of ours; he's stayed with us in Salamanca and we've been up to his house in Poio, Pontevedra) is a marvellous host in either of his beautiful country houses. If he's not there (he lives just outside Pontevedra and works in Ourense), I have the phone number of Rosario, who cleans for him; she'll check you in.

Both houses have swimming pools and kitchens. There's a small supermarket in the street, and a chemist's at the end. Mari Carmen, in the Café Camiño da Geira, is extremely involved in the camino (as is Fran), and will get you to sign her visitors' book. Nice food. There's another bar just opposite, O Panadeiro (with a great daily menú del día) but Mari Carmen and Esther do not get on at all! Crazy!

Buen Camino!

 

[Charrito]

Onwards from Codeseda:

It's a very pleasant walk to A Estrada, especially the last couple of kilometres through a delightful wooded area that brings you out by the back of the bus station.

One place you MUST stop off at is the Bar As Tres Portiñas, right on the camino. In fact, the official camino goes right through the bar (in one door and out of the other; if you ask David where the third door is he'll tell you that it's now blocked off!).

If you decide to stay in A Estrada you have the excellent, pilgrim-friendly Hostal La Bombilla, where Pili and her two sisters will treat you very well. They also serve a fine menú del día. There is also a renovated hotel, A Estrada Rooms, a bit off the camino.

Forget the over-hyped Argentinos Burguer place on the main road! My 'go-to' place for a meal is the fantastic Taberna Navegación, slap bang in the zona de vinos! Juanjo and Vanessa produce excellent daily menus, and ther's a great choice of a la carte dishes if you fancy a bit of a splurge. My favourite is the slow-cooked lamb.

Plenty of bars in the zona de vinos. Say hello to Silvia in O Candil de Silvia! If you mention me (she knows me by my name, but just say that it's the English guy from Salamanca) I'm sure you'll get a free wine!

 

[jungleboy]

Day 10 - Estrada to Santiago (33 km, 600 m)

Ponte Vea

Ponte Vea is named for the handsome medieval bridge that pilgrims cross before entering the village. It’s possible to stay the night at a Casa Rural off the camino, but continuing to Rarís is the better choice.

Rarís

Casa Mella, directly on the camino in Rarís, is run by a welcoming Galego-Brazilian couple and offers both accommodation and a restaurant, making it more convenient than staying in Ponte Vea. It’s a bit pricier than similar standard accommodation elsewhere on the Geira, but the hospitality makes it worthwhile.

 

[Charrito]

From A Estrada to Pontevea (Couso or Rarís):

Like the previous walk from Codeseda, this is also very pleasant. After a couple of kilometres you turn off past the large SBC Petrol Station which @peregrina2000 mentioned. You pass by the Iglesia de San Pedro de Toedo and then head off back into the woods. After 5 or 6 kilometres there is a bar (O Rollo) around 200 metres off the camino. I've told Diego there that he should put a sign up for pilgrims, but you'll easily find it on your map. Anyway, he'll no doubt supply you with a large plate of chorizo or jamón with your drink!

There's now an albergue in the old rectory in Couso. If you're staying there Pedro will generally offer to either take you into Pontevea for a meal or to buy supplies in the Claudio supermarket.

The beautiful medieval bridge over the River Ulla has recently had quite a lot of work done on it. If you stand in the middle you can have one foot in Pontevedra province and the other in A Coruña!

Pontevea is lively, although there's quite a bit of heavy traffic on the road. There are plenty of bars (yes, I've been in most of them!) and some good places for a meal, especially Casa Pernas or A Senra. It's a pity there's nowhere to stay, although there is a spa hotel, Albeitaria, just outside the town.

If you've decided to stay in the Taberna Casa Mella in Rarís you have a few kilometres, all uphill, to get there. Turn left after the Restaurante Lar de Manu, then pass by the Iglesia de San Cristóbal de Reis. You'll find Casa Mella on the left further up the road. Jorge and Iara are a marvellous couple, and they'll put you up in one of the two modern annexes by the bar. One important point here: the bar is only open until 16:00. If you want a meal at lunchtime you need to tell them beforehand. Iara is a great cook and always has fresh dishes for you. Try her pannacotta: it's to die for!

There's nothing much to do in Rarís, but if you feel like a nice stroll in the afternoon you can follow the lovely Ruta dos Muiños (around 4 kms; ask Jorge for info). Jorge also has the keys to the Iglesia de San Miguel, and will give you a guided tour.

Even though the bar closes in the afternoon/evening, you will be invited to sit inside with them for an evening meal. I normally ask for a plate of cheese and a jug of Jorge's delicious Ribeiro, but if you want a hot meal Iara will prepare it for you.

It's not too far to Santiago now!

 

[Charrito]

The last part:

If you've stayed in Rarís you only have around 13 kms to Santiago, but add on another 5 or so kms if you've spent the night in the albergue in Couso.

From Rarís you pass through a couple of small villages (Sestelo and O Sisto) before heading up into the woods. A good uphill stretch through the woods brings you out near Os Tilos. You'll find a bar there (O Viveiro da Póboa; last chance for a stamp?) before heading down to the main road, then up again, then down, around the ring road, over the railway line, through a lovely park and then along the river to the Ponte do Sar, where you join up with the Sanabrés/Via de la Plata, and then have that 'lovely' last slog uphill to get to the old town! I don't see how you could get lost down by the river; it's well signposted (you join up with the Via Mariana).

Buen Camino!

 

[David Tallan]

We must have missed this as I don't have any memory of it -- something to look out for if we ever walk the Geira again!

This was another rainy stage for us, but we were already sheltered in Ribadavia when the hardest of the rain came and then we were lucky to have some sunshine and blue sky for a brief period in the afternoon.

I noticed San Xes is not in the book that Wendy translated. Maybe it is considered too far off the Camino? Laurie suggests it is a ways out of town.