Hi!
I plan to walk the Ruta Padre Sarmiento starting 06 September (flying to Porto and bussing to Pontevedra). Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.
Cheers and buen camino.
Camino Portuguese / Variant Espiritual and the Ruta de Padre Sarmiento.
If you wish to walk the Ruta de Padre Sarmiento and also to obtain the Compostela, do read this !
As the Ruta de Padre Sarmiento is not, at least at the moment, an officially recognised route, and despite being over 190kms in distance, should you commence walking at Pontevedra, your walk will NOT qualify to receive a Compestela.
At the minimum there is a need to commence at Tui and to walk the stages between Tui and Pontevedra, which is a total distance of about 55kms. This will then allow the Credencial to reflect that you walked on the Camino Portuguese between Tui and Santiago, and qualify for the Compestela.
And so to the walk.
On departing Pontevedra, follow the usual route taken by all peregrino heading north on the Camino Portuguese, which is well indicated. At the point where the Camino divides and the possibility for taking the Variant Espiritual, turn left as indicated. The sign indicating the turn is very prominent and would be hard to not see.
In turning left and stepping on to the Variant Espiritual, the majority of the peregrinos walking on the Camino Portuguese will be left behind, as the majority will continue to walk on the ‘regular’ Camino.
From this divide where the walk turns left it is both the Variant Espiritual and the Ruta de Padre Sarmiento.
The Camino will pass Poio, where there is the Monasterio de Poio (Hospedería Mosteiro Mercedrio de Poio).
This is a convenient stop should you wish it to not have too arduous a first day, as well as being in a beautiful place with a wonderful ‘energy’. In the grounds there is also to be found the longest ‘hórreo’ that I have seen in Galicia, and at over 33 metres long is almost certainly the longest that you will ever see.
There are also plenty of opportunities to eat within a reasonable distance from the Monastery, including in Comborro, a very picturesque fishing village which is now moderately touristic.
It is in Combarro that the turn away from the Variant Espiritual to the Ruta de Padre Sarmiento is to be found - see the attached. For those walking on the Variant Espiritual, the Camino continues upwards with the turn that veers to the right, while for those choosing the Ruta de Padre Sarmiento, the turn is to the left and past the former fisherman’s houses and small ‘hórreo’ along the route, the majority of which are now given over to restaurants and shops providing the usual tourist offerings.
Nonetheless, the area is extraordinarily picturesque.
The stages from this point will be a personal choice connected with how much time is available as well as your budget. There is a need to take into account that between Pontevedra and Vilanova de Arousa, all overnight accommodation will be at hotels / private hostel / Airbnb or camping. There are no Albergue !
While there are no Albergue, should the route be walked outside of the peak tourist season, it is almost certainly the case that overnight accommodation will not be ridiculously expensive. There are also excellent eating opportunities for almost the entire route.
The final overnight along the road before we rejoined the Variant Espiritual was on the island of Arousa, waking early so as to arrive at Vilanova de Arousa in time to take the Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) [Tours Rias Baixas contact phone 00 34 680 733 990 or
www.toursriasbaixas.com/es/contact] that would take us, long with eight other Peregrino’s, to Pontecesures, which is just outside Padron. This journey up the Rio Ulla qualifies as being part of the Camino, and certainly would be of interest to those who like to have a distinct stamp in the Credencial, as well as quite an exhilarating ride on the river.
From Padrón, the Camino is the last stretch for most of the various strands of the different routes coming up from Portugal. It is consequently a quite busy stretch of Camino, though if you are seeking something of a refuge from the masses, strongly suggest diverting from Padrón to Herbón, about 6kms away, where there is the stunning Monasterio de Herbón, which provides the warmest of welcomes to peregrinos, and a great Camino experience for the body, mind and soul.
Hope that the above helps, and also refer to the following for more information
https://www.rutapadresarmiento.com/
http://www.osalnes.com/en/discover/activities/the-route-of-father-sarmiento
https://www.caminodesantiago.gal/en/make-plans/the-ways/the-mar-de-arousa-and-rio-ulla-route
along the river from Vilanova de Arousa
https://www.labarcadelperegrino.com/home.html
naviera@bahiasub.com
www.osalnes.com
