Ponferrada to Sarria

You will be pre-booked into a traditional hotel in the heart of the town. While here, you may wish to visit the Castillo de los Templarios, a castle donated to the Knights Templar Order by King Ferdinand II of León in 1178 to protect pilgrims who passed through on the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela.

Today you will cross the region of Bierzo, a sunken plain nestled within a ring of mountains. It is a fertile land, with an agreeable climate that allows the cultivation of many types of fruit and vegetables. In Villafranca, don’t miss the garden of the ‘Iglesia de Santiago’.

If you would like to cycle at a more relaxed pace, we can arrange to split this section into two days, with a stop over in La Portela de Valcarce overnight.

Prepare for a challenging day with an ascent of 1000m. You will pass through the narrow valley of the river Valcace before tackling the ascent of O Cebreiro. Situated between the ranges of Los Ancares and La Sierra do Courel, this stage involves a steep climb in the course of only a few kilometres.

From O Cebreiro the trail passes through the Sierra de Ranadoiro (Ranadoiro Mountains) and, after crossing the Alto do Poio, it descends into the valley to the village of Triacastela, which gets its name from the three castles that once stood here – none of which exist today.

Of the two Camino options, the ‘San Xil’ Camino offers scenery that will uplift your spirits and encourage you on your way. It has many ‘Corredoiras’ (narrow forest routes) with paved pathways that cut through typical Galician oak woods. If you wish to visit Samos, you will pass through the narrow valley of the river Ouribio, mostly following the main road.

After breakfast we bid you farewell. While in Sarria, it is definitely worth having a look at the town’s main religious sites, Convento de la Magdalena and Iglesia Santa Marina de Sarria.