Wendy Werneth
Pilgrim
- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2020
In July/August 2024, I walked the Camiño de Taverneiro, which is a 130-kilometre route through Galicia. It is an historical route but has only recently been rediscovered and waymarked, and, since I've seen very little information about it on this forum, I thought I would share my experience here.
The Taverneiro is a beautiful Camino that passes through some stretches of wild, rugged scenery, in addition to picturesque villages and the occasional town. It does not pass through any cities, and it feels very rural most of the way. There are some stretches of road walking, but this was on very quiet roads, and the Amigos do Camiño de Ignacio Taverneiro -- the association promoting the Camino -- is working to divert these stretches to dirt/stone paths where possible.
Pilgrims are very much a novelty on this route, and the locals were incredibly welcoming and hospitable. I'm sure that what I will remember most about this Camino are the wonderful local people I met along the way. That said, there is very little pilgrim traffic, so you should walk this Camino only if you are comfortable with not meeting any other pilgrims.
The starting point of the Taverneiro is the town of Salvaterra de Miño, which has an impressive fortress and, as you might expect, sits on the shores of the Miño River. I actually started in Monção, Portugal, a half-hour walk south on the other side of the river, because I did not find any accommodation in Salvaterra. Monção is quite lovely, so I recommend taking some time to explore it while you're in the area, regardless of where you end up sleeping.
This lack of accommodation was a recurring theme and was definitely the biggest challenge when planning this Camino. It should be a bit easier/less expensive outside of the July/August peak tourist season, but even then there aren't that many options, so I definitely recommend booking all accommodation in advance. In the end, everything worked out fine, thanks in part to the help I received from very hospitable locals, and on average I only paid 25 euros per night on my six-day Camino.
In the village of Codeseda, 41 kilometres from Santiago, the Taverneiro connects with the Camiño da Geira e dos Arrieiros, In fact, Carlos da Barreira, who is from Codeseda and was instrumental in getting the Geira off the ground, is also the president of the association promoting the Taverneiro.
I won't go into too many details about the logistics, as you can find that information on the association's website, which is available only in Galego but can easily be translated with the help of a web browser. There is a paperback guidebook, which is currently also only in Galego, though there are plans to translate it to other languages once it has been updated, as the Camino is a work in progress and some things are still in flux. I have volunteered to translate it to English once it's ready.
@jungleboy and I will also be releasing an episode about the Taverneiro on the Spirit of the Camino podcast, where I will talk more about the highlights and offer some planning tips, so keep an eye out for that wherever you listen to podcasts. We have already recorded the episode, but it may be a few weeks before it's available, as @jungleboy is currently travelling, and he handles all the editing and other technical aspects of the podcast.
One thing I forgot to mention when recording the podcast is the availability of water. Generally, there were plenty of fountains, but there was one remote stretch just after Ponte Caldelas when I very nearly ran out of water. Granted, it got up to an unusually hot 33 degrees Celsius that day, so in cooler conditions it probably wouldn't be an issue.
In summary, I highly recommend this route for intrepid, experienced pilgrims looking for a new Camino, and I'm happy to answer any questions about it here. Also, don't hesitate to contact Carlos da Barreira through the contact details provided on the website. I've no doubt that he will go out of his way to help any pilgrim who wants to walk the Taverneiro.
Bo Camiño!
The Taverneiro is a beautiful Camino that passes through some stretches of wild, rugged scenery, in addition to picturesque villages and the occasional town. It does not pass through any cities, and it feels very rural most of the way. There are some stretches of road walking, but this was on very quiet roads, and the Amigos do Camiño de Ignacio Taverneiro -- the association promoting the Camino -- is working to divert these stretches to dirt/stone paths where possible.
Pilgrims are very much a novelty on this route, and the locals were incredibly welcoming and hospitable. I'm sure that what I will remember most about this Camino are the wonderful local people I met along the way. That said, there is very little pilgrim traffic, so you should walk this Camino only if you are comfortable with not meeting any other pilgrims.
The starting point of the Taverneiro is the town of Salvaterra de Miño, which has an impressive fortress and, as you might expect, sits on the shores of the Miño River. I actually started in Monção, Portugal, a half-hour walk south on the other side of the river, because I did not find any accommodation in Salvaterra. Monção is quite lovely, so I recommend taking some time to explore it while you're in the area, regardless of where you end up sleeping.
This lack of accommodation was a recurring theme and was definitely the biggest challenge when planning this Camino. It should be a bit easier/less expensive outside of the July/August peak tourist season, but even then there aren't that many options, so I definitely recommend booking all accommodation in advance. In the end, everything worked out fine, thanks in part to the help I received from very hospitable locals, and on average I only paid 25 euros per night on my six-day Camino.
In the village of Codeseda, 41 kilometres from Santiago, the Taverneiro connects with the Camiño da Geira e dos Arrieiros, In fact, Carlos da Barreira, who is from Codeseda and was instrumental in getting the Geira off the ground, is also the president of the association promoting the Taverneiro.
I won't go into too many details about the logistics, as you can find that information on the association's website, which is available only in Galego but can easily be translated with the help of a web browser. There is a paperback guidebook, which is currently also only in Galego, though there are plans to translate it to other languages once it has been updated, as the Camino is a work in progress and some things are still in flux. I have volunteered to translate it to English once it's ready.
@jungleboy and I will also be releasing an episode about the Taverneiro on the Spirit of the Camino podcast, where I will talk more about the highlights and offer some planning tips, so keep an eye out for that wherever you listen to podcasts. We have already recorded the episode, but it may be a few weeks before it's available, as @jungleboy is currently travelling, and he handles all the editing and other technical aspects of the podcast.
One thing I forgot to mention when recording the podcast is the availability of water. Generally, there were plenty of fountains, but there was one remote stretch just after Ponte Caldelas when I very nearly ran out of water. Granted, it got up to an unusually hot 33 degrees Celsius that day, so in cooler conditions it probably wouldn't be an issue.
In summary, I highly recommend this route for intrepid, experienced pilgrims looking for a new Camino, and I'm happy to answer any questions about it here. Also, don't hesitate to contact Carlos da Barreira through the contact details provided on the website. I've no doubt that he will go out of his way to help any pilgrim who wants to walk the Taverneiro.
Bo Camiño!
, Wendy), but are also true trailblazers and adventurers of little known caminos. I am neither of those things, so this very interesting sounding route is definitely beyond my comfort zone.
