Information on stage 31: Stage from Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela
| STAGE 31 |
KM 20,0 |
TIME 04H 30′ |
Itinerary
- Km 0. O Pedrouzo (All Services)
Twenty kilometers only compared to the 755.3 already covered since our first day on the other side of the Pyrenees. Far, far away, although only several weeks have passed, the Navarrese forests, the Riojan vines, the vast Castilian plateau remain. Even the mountains of León and the mythical O Cebreiro, which we crossed seven days ago. Santiago, the Plaza del Obradoiro and the cathedral, before which we will surely be moved, are located right next door. Taking the public hostel as a reference, we walk through the town on the side of the national highway and turn right onto Rúa do Concello, where the Town Hall is located . We advance forward for half a kilometer and when we arrive next to the school and the sports courts, we turn ninety degrees on the left. Following a dirt track covered with fallen leaves, we enter a eucalyptus forest, which we leave behind to enter San Antón, a village in the parish of Arca. The place takes its name from a chapel devastated by a fire (Km 1.3) . Another forest awaits us at the exit of San Antón. Native oaks and reforested eucalyptus, in bulk, now accompany us to the nucleus of Amenal , in the parish of San Miguel de Pereira. We access by paved track and passing the Brandelos river we cross the N-547 by a low pass (Km 3.7) , which is followed by a steep slope that goes up to Cimadevila , the last nucleus of the Concello de O Pino.
- Km 4. Cimadevilla
The climb continues for over a kilometer and a half but becomes much more accessible. Once we have reached the level, we head to the foot of the A-54 and N-634. We are no longer surprised to see the separation fence full of small crosses. It is part of the idiosyncrasy of the pilgrimage. A monolith carved with the staff, the gourd and the scallop announces the entrance to the municipality of Santiago (Km 6.3) . We go around the perimeter of the airport , leaving several rows of beacons on the left (Km 6.7) , and after crossing a secondary road we enter San Paio , a village in the Sabugueira parish.
- Km 7,7. San Paio (Bar)
We go around Casa Quian, we face a short slope on a paved track and we take the track to the right, which descends. After saving the variant below, we continue descending through several nuclei of the Sabugueira parish: A Esquipa and Lavacolla .
- km 9.5. Lavacolla (Hostel. Bar. Shop. Pharmacy)
After a hairpin bend we pass by the parish church of San Pelayo, which is inscribed with the year of its construction: 1840. We then cross the N-634a (Labacolla hostel) and take the detour to Villamaior. In barely a hundred meters we crossed the Sionlla river, covered in eggs and known as the Lavacolla stream, a place where pilgrims took off their dirty clothes and washed in view of their next arrival in Santiago (Km 10) . By paved track we begin a comfortable climb that will end in the long-awaited Monte do Gozo. We first cross Villamaior (Km 11) , pass by the TVG center (Km 12.7) and turn 90 degrees to the left to do the same next to the RTVE territorial center (Km 13.5) . We turn ninety degrees to the right and continue until the San Marcos urbanization , before Monte do Gozo .
- km 14.8. San Marcos (Bar. Shop)
Instead of continuing straight ahead, we turn left to go up to the monument erected in the Jacobean year of 1993, the same year that the nearby pilgrim hostel was inaugurated, the largest on the entire Camino, capable of accommodating up to 300 people. a normal year and up to 800 a Xacobeo. From this point we get the first panoramic view of Santiago and its cathedral.
- km 15.2. Monte do Gozo (Hostel. Bar. Shop. ATM)
We return to the Camino, leaving aside the access to the cafeteria and dining rooms, and go down to a flight of stairs. Immediately afterwards we cross the highway and the tracks by a bridge and we progress straight ahead along the long San Lázaro street (Km 16.7) , where the Galician Congress and Exhibition Center and the San Lázaro pilgrims’ hostel are located, where you can sleep more than one night. We link up with Rúa do Valiño (Km 17.7) and continue straight on Rúa das Fontiñas and Rúa dos Concheiros , where we cross Avenida de Lugo. Then the rúa de San Pedro (Km 19) , which ends at the intersection with traffic lights on the rúa de Aller Ulloa. Through the place where the Porta do Camiño is located, we enter the historic quarter through the street of Casas Reais , which goes up to the plaza de Cervantes . Rua da Acibechería takes us to plaza da Inmaculada , where the monastery of San Martín Pinario is located . Finally we enter under the Arch of the Palace through a pasadizo, where street musicians gather to play, to access the Plaza del Obradoiro, where the adventure ends. As we take off our backpack, we discover every detail of the western façade and head towards the very center of the square. It’s hard not to get excited. Arriving in Santiago de Compostela as a pilgrim is an unparalleled experience and I believe that no matter how many trips we have made around the world, few are comparable to this one.
- Km 20. Santiago de Compostela (All Services)
Difficulties
Few or none. At this point in the pilgrimage, neither blisters, tendonitis, or any muscle or mental pain (for those who have them) can stop the pilgrim in his desire to reach the Obradoiro and give the Saint a hug.
Observations
- After going up the steps of the Cathedral, embracing the Saint and descending to his tomb, the vast majority go to the Pilgrim’s Office . It is at rúa das Carretas 33, a street next to the Hostal de los Reyes Católicos. To collect the Compostela it is necessary to collect a ticket with a QR code that allows you to check the status of the queue in real time. (Note: at times of great influx, the collection of the Compostela cannot be guaranteed on the same day). Once our turn comes, we will fill out a small form, they will put the Santiago stamp on our credential and they will give us, if we want it, the Compostela (free) and the also optional Distance Certificate, where the day and the starting point of the pilgrimage appear, the kilometers covered, as well as the day of arrival and the route along which the pilgrimage has been taken (3 euros) . In recent years, the Pilgrim’s Office recommends stamping the credential in Galicia a couple of times a day, in between and at the end of the stage, but if it is not done, nothing happens, nobody who travels at least the last hundred is denied the Compostela. Hours are every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Telephone: 981 56 88 46.
- Currently, the left luggage service is carried out in the Post Office, in Rúa do Franco, near the Cathedral.
- In the hostels of Santiago de Compostela the stay of more than one night is allowed.
- You cannot enter the Cathedral with a backpack. The Pilgrim mass is daily at 12 noon, the time to access the Basilica is every day from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. In order to visit the Portico de la Gloria, it is essential to arrange a visit at the following link: https://visitas.catedraldesantiago.es/es-ES/informacion-recinto/2/portico-gloria
- Seeing the Botafumeiro work is only possible during solemn masses or if someone or some group pays for it.
- Now all that remains is to celebrate the “end” of the pilgrimage as each one sees fit, and for almost the majority of the pilgrims the beginning of the next one.
- At Consumer EROSKI we hope and hope that you have had a very Good Camino and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking us in your backpack to the tomb of the Apostle.
What to see, what to do
- SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA:From the great complex that Monte do Gozo has become, you can finally see Santiago de Compostela and the baroque towers of its cathedral. Santiago, the goal of all the Jacobean routes, is a large city of 95,000 inhabitants that combines modern spaces with the mysterious, religious, romantic and cosmopolitan halo of the Plaza del Obradoiro. The happy traveler discovers a city of stones darkened by the passage of time and the persistent rain. Old streets with the smell of ribeiro and octopus spread throughout the Old Town. The cathedral represents the culmination of the Camino and the apostle rests in it, which causes hundreds of thousands of people to undertake a journey full of fatigue and experiences that will become memories for a lifetime. Monuments are not lacking in Santiago de Compostela. The precious and excellentPortico de La Gloria , a Romanesque work erected by Master Mateo and completed in 1188. It is a filigree set of three arches, with the central one endowed with a mullion, of varied iconography rescued from the Apocalypse of San Juan. The western façade of the cathedral, baroque and erected between 1738 and 1749 by the architect Fernando de Casas y Novoa. The Holy Door , with reliefs by Maesto Mateo and which is only opened during the Holy Years. The Hostal de los Reyes Católicos , today a Parador de Turismo; the Benedictine monastery of San Martín Pinario ; the pazo de Raxoi, seat of the Town Hall, etc.