Stage from La Caridad to Ribadeo

Information about stage 26: Stage from La Caridad to Ribadeo

Itinerary

We will leave La Caridad along the main road, passing by the Town Hall until we find a sign on the right that after a path leads us to cross a stream. If it has grown, it is almost certain that you will have to continue along the regional road in the direction of Valdepares. You still have to cross the national road twice until you reach this population and once more to reach the Franco. From here, along a shady road behind some houses, we meet our beloved N-634 again and over an old bridge we ford the River Porcia, also called the river of the ironworks. On the other side, a sign tells us that we are in the domain of the Tapia de Casariego council. Soon, after going up a cement track, we find the first fork of the day. The hostel inscription, to the right, indicates the direction to Tapia de Casariego . In this coastal town there is a very well-preserved hostel with a kitchen and an excellent viewpoint towards the sea, be careful because it may be temporarily closed, call to confirm. Those who want to spend the night there continue for 4.5 kilometers to the hostel. It should be noted that from Tapia there are another 12.2 kilometers to Ribadeo, following the edge of several sandbanks until reaching Santa Gadea and Penarronda beach. The itinerary continues through Villadún and Rozadela (where the Camino Norte tourist hostel is located), to reach Figueras and the Puente de los Santos. Thus, from La Caridad to Ribadeo via Tapia de Casariego they total 23.5 kilometers. Returning to this first fork, we will detail the route through Brul and Tol. On the left, in the direction of the Camino, we will cross the National. Up to Brul they now wait for about 6 kilometers on a comfortable road, fleeing from the highway and between fields of corn and harvest. Beyond Brul we will exit to the AS-31, through which we will end up entering Tol , where another pilgrims’ hostel is located (temporarily closed, call to confirm) . Following the road we will come across a milestone with the indication Camino that goes to Vegadeo . This route was used in ancient times by pilgrims to cross the river Eo by the stone bridge of Santiago de Abres. It should be noted that this route, recently improved and signposted, does not reach Ribadeo, but after Abres it enters Galicia and heads to Trabada, connecting later in Mondoñedo. From La Caridad to Vegadeo, where the Mar y Montaña pilgrim hostel is, phone 698 40 04 16. This would be the natural stage, then the next day another 23 kilometers would be covered through Abres, Trabada to A Trapa, where there used to be a hostel a donation already disappeared, (as a result of its disappearance making this route practically unfeasible unless you put a kilometer from Vegadeo to Mondoñedo), and then on the third day, after 17 kilometers through Santo Tomé and the pazo de Tobar, it would reach Mondoñedo. Returning to the point where the road to Vegadeo forks, those who choose the Barres and Figueras road always follow the AS-31, arriving first at Barres , where they cross the N-640 and continue along the AS-31 until Figueras . The last effort of the day is to cross the Eo estuary by the modern Los Santos bridge. Asturias says goodbye and Galicia welcomes us. On this side of the bridge, at the bottom right, we will see a small yellow house with nice views. It is the Ribadeo pilgrims’ hostel.

Difficulties

Attention to the variants

Before leaving we must be clear about which of the three options interests us and pay close attention to the different forks.For the rest stage without major difficulty that transits through places with services in which it is always necessary to confirm the availability of the shelters since there are some municipal ones temporarily closed. Note 2022.

Observations

Decision stage, first Ribadeo or Vegadeo, and then if the chosen option is Ribadeo by Tapia or by Tol. The vast majority of pilgrims opt for the Ribadeo and then Tapia options.The Vegadeo variant has a good hostel in this town, and then from there they have to cover a kilometre, 40 kilometers, to Mondoñedo after the disappearance of the donated hostel in A Trapa. At the beginning of the stage in Valdepares there is the possibility of taking a coastal path to the town of Porcia, this would add more than two kilometers to the stage, as at the end of the stage, in Villadun, we can also opt for another stretch of coastal path in this case adding almost 4 kilometers. At this stage, through both Ribadeo and Vegadeo, we leave the Principality of Asturias entering Galicia.

What to see, what to do

• Ribadeo

  Located in the extreme northeast of Galicia, on its border with Asturias, the municipality covers an area of 106 square kilometers and a population of more than 9,000 inhabitants.

• Plaza de España:

  Area repopulated with horse chestnuts, poplars, maples and French-style gardens. Here is the Ribadeo Town Hall , formerly the house of the Marquis of Sargadelos. It is a sober neoclassical palace built at the end of the 18th century. Next to the town hall stands the Torre de los Moreno. It is the house that the Moreno brothers, emigrants in Argentina, had built in 1905. It is eclectic in nature and combines concrete and iron in its construction. The dome is supported by four caryatids. On the other side of the square is the old convent of Santa Clara, founded in the 15th century and later modified. Some parts of the 15th century and the cloister of the 16th century have been preserved.

• On Obispo Veres street, after turning to the right, is the Chapel of the Watchtower, the oldest temple in Ribadeo. Built in the 12th century, it preserves a 14th-century Gothic door. From here there is a wide perspective of the Ría de Ribadeo and the Asturian town of Figueras.