Information about stage 26: Stage from Triacastela to Sarria
| STAGE 26 |
KM 18.3 |
TIME 04H 15′ |
Itinerary
By San Xil:
- Km 0. Triacastela (All Services)
Those who have spent the night in the public shelter must cross Triacastela along the central street until they leave the town. The Camino forks and you have to choose one of the itineraries. On the left, along the LU-633, the route progresses to Samos and its Benedictine monastery and from there it continues to Sarria. On the right, the itinerary starts at San Xil , 6.5 kilometers shorter, although it exceeds a drop of 238 meters in the first 5.5 kilometers. At the exit of Triacastela we turn right and cross the LU-633. To the right, slightly above, the detour to San Xil begins . We take it and, after a short stretch, we leave the road to the right to continue along a paved track. Later we take a path that leads to A Balsa .
- km 2.2. A Raft (Hostel)
On a steeper slope we continue surrounded by leafy oaks until we come out again on the road, just at the height of the Fonte dos Lameiros (Km 3.3) . A good asphalt slope leaves us at the height of San Xil . The town is on the left and a soft drink machine at the foot of the road is all that is offered in these places (Km 3.9) . The itinerary continues its ascent along the road, at first on a false level and later hardens, until the vicinity of Alto de Riocabo (Km 5.5) . At the top we leave the road to enjoy the most beautiful section of the stage. Closed corridors of chestnut, oak, and birch trees escort us. The descent to Montán – a village that is barely touched – is dangerous since the floor is made up of stone slabs.
- km 7.8. Montan
We continue the descent to the village of Fontearcuda , where the Jacobean milestone announces the 121.5 kilometres.
- km 8.5. fontearcuda
The Path goes down from Fontearcuda to the road and it is crossed (pay attention to the signs because you have to look for the milestone) to take a path that avoids the long detour of the road that passes through Zoo . We cross a stream and continue along the path that comes back to the road. The dense patches of oaks and chestnuts give way to meadows. By asphalt we finally arrive at Furela , where we can recover our strength in the bar located at the foot of the road.
- km 10.4. Furela (Bar)
We cross through the town and cross the road next to the sign announcing the entrance to the Town Hall of Sarria (Km 10.7) . One kilometer remains to reach Pintín , which also offers a bar and restaurant.
- km 11.7. Pintin (Bar)
The Way continues alongside the LU-5602 road and a kilometer later it crosses it to briefly enter a wooded section that cuts a long curve. We go back down to the road and shortly pass by the Calvor public shelter . The parish of the same name is behind the hostel, on the left.
- km 13.1. Calvor (Hostel)
Five hundred meters later we cut off briefly from the LU-5602 to enter Aguiada .
- km 13.6. Aguiada (Bar)
After the town we return to the arms of the highway along a parallel path. The Camino leaves a Paloma y Leña hostel surrounded by a garden on the right (Km 14.3) and continues along the path, leaving aside the Airexe crossroads. To the left of the road is the parish of San Mamede do Camiño (14.9) . With views of Sarria, the dirt track continues to progress at the foot of the LU-5602 through small slides. We pass the 114 km marker for Carballal and the junction for Ferreiros, which we pass on the right. We immediately arrive next to the Vila de Sarria campsite , with 12 bunk beds for pilgrims located in a couple of tents (see observations section), and we leave Mendros on the right. Thus we enter Sarria , running into the first hostel. Not surprisingly, this capital of Concello boasts the largest number of hostels on the French Way and is the place chosen by many walkers to start the pilgrimage, since it is at the ideal distance to get the Compostela. The José Sánchez street leaves us at the foot of the Calvo Sotelo street, which we cross to continue straight ahead along the Peregrino street. We cross the Sarria river by a bridge and cross at Benigno Quiroga to turn next to the Pilgrim Library . A stairway goes up to the entrance of the rúa Mayor , which should change its name to the “rúa de los Albergues”, since there are more than 5 people, including the public.
- km 18.3. Sarria (All Services)
For Samos: For this itinerary the distance traveled is 24.7 kilometers. We will not see the Jacobean milestones that mark the distance of half a kilometer by half a kilometer on this itinerary, populated however by the characteristic yellow arrows. The route accompanies the flow of the Sarria River, also known as the Oribio River, as it forms on the slopes of this mountain in the Triacastela Council. You have to take the fork to the left. It leaves Triacastela to finally come to the LU-633 road. This, through favorable terrain, reaches San Cristovo do Real (Km 3.8), a parish of the Council of Samos already documented in the year 1175. In this parish is the Pazo de Lusío from the year 1551 and the Casa Forte , shelter of the Xunta inaugurated in 2010. From San Cristovo, a path that accompanies the river on the right progresses to Renche , another parish of Samos also documented in 1175. (Km5.5). On the other side of the LU-633 is Vigo. From Renche, once again through beautiful landscapes next to the Sarria or Oribio fertile plain, you progress to the immediate Lastres, a village in Reche, and you reach Freituxe (Km 7.3). Then we go up and down to the parish of San Martiño do Real with a rural Romanesque style church (Km 8.4). At the exit of this population we return to the LU-633 and cross it to go to Samos , capital of the Concello where the famous Benedictine monastery is located and which has all the services (Km 9.8). After Samos, we return to the road company to Teiguín (Km 11.7), a village in the parish of Santa Uxía de Pascais , which we later climb (Km 12.8). In Teiguín we have already said goodbye to the road company and from the parish of Santa Uxía de Pascais we return to the nearby sound of the river to, first by paths and later by tracks and paved sections, reach the tiny villages of Gorolfe, Veiga ( does not pass through Reiriz, which is located on a hill) and Sivil , a place belonging to the parish of Santiago de Extrasiz and the last entity of the Council of Samos. By the way, between Veiga and Sivil you cross the river Sarria by a medieval bridge with a chapel at the entrance . We access the Sarria Council through the village of Perros , belonging to the parish of Calvor and showing a pazo with a tower linked to the Monseiro, González, Losada and Sarmiento families. From here we cross the LU-5602 to finally reach Aguiada , a town where we connect with the itinerary that comes from San Xil (Km 20). From here to the rúa Mayor de Sarria there are 4.7 kilometers left.
Difficulties
That all the difficulties that we find in our pilgrimage are like assessing whether it is better to go through Samos or San Xil, both options are recommended. Through San Xil, perhaps the stage will be short until Sarria and it can be extended to Barbadelo if our strength allows us to do so.For the rest, there is no greater difficulty than being careful, especially for the option of Samos when walking on the shoulder of the road.
Observations
The first thing we have to decide at this stage is where to get to Sarria, through Samos or through San Xil. Samos is 25 kilometers and San Xil 18, and both options are recommended for their landscapes. For Samos, the majesty of the monastery and for San Xil its native forests are enough reasons for either of the two options to be good.If our option is to take Samos at the Triacastela exit, we must turn left along the shoulder of the LU-633 road in the direction of Samos, and if instead our option is San Xil at the Triacastela exit, we must cross the LU -633 to take a local road towards San Xil. Both on one side and on the other it is perfectly signposted.Sarria is the preferred place for pilgrims to complete the last hundred kilometers and thus be able to obtain the Compostela, a certificate issued by the church to pilgrims who have completed at least the last hundred kilometers of the journey on foot. From Sarria it is “obligatory” to stamp the credential at least twice at each stage, once in the middle of the stage anywhere, and once at the end of it so as not to have problems when requesting it at the pilgrim’s office.
What to see, what to do
- SAMOS: Capital of the Council of the same name and place of the famous Benedictine monastery of Samos , one of the oldest in Spain and a cultural symbol of Galicia . Its origins go back to the 6th century in the middle of the Swabian kingdom and its foundation was in charge of San Martín Dumiense who dedicated it to the martyrs of Antioch San Julián and Santa Basilisa. A Visigothic tombstone confirms its antiquity, although few medieval remains remain. The current imposing and rich architectural ensemble comes almost entirely from the 16th to the 18th centuries. The church is a noble neoclassical building; between the church and the convent is the Cloister of Feijoo , presided over by the illustrious Benedictine polygraph. Attached to it is the refined Cloister of the Nereids(16th century). Away from the monastery is the Mozarabic chapel of El Ciprés , in allusion to the impressive and ancient conifer located next to it. It is also known as the Chapel of the Savior and dates back to the 9th or 10th century. It was declared a national monument in 1944. Samos has hostels, several bars, cafes, a pharmacy, a health center and at least a couple of hostels for pilgrims .
- CALVOR: The Camino passes close to your hostel but does not enter the town. Calvor is located on an old fort whose defenses can still be seen. The parish church of Santo Estevo or San Esteban was preceded by a monastery founded by the presbyter Adrián in the 8th century and a Visigothic church. The current church, restored, still retains some elements from that time such as a capital. It keeps a Romanesque carving of the Virgin with the Child.
- SARRIA: Sarria is a hive of pilgrims. Those who arrive on pilgrimage from other points plus those who join in Sarria itself, since those who travel at least the last 100 kilometers on foot win the Compostela. According to our distances, 115.3 kilometers remain from here to Santiago. The data collected at the Pilgrim’s Office on rúa do Vilar show that in 2012 40,734 pilgrims began their pilgrimage in Sarria, 21% of those who traveled the Camino de Santiago in any of its variants that year. In the rúa Mayor are the parish church of Santa Mariña , inaugurated in 1885 and the church of El Salvador, transitional Romanesque with several covers from the 13th century. After the viewpoint, at the exit of the stage towards Portomarín, you can see the Magdalena convent , whose origins date back to the 13th century with the foundation of a hospital. The Mercedarian Fathers have run this convent, mainly of Gothic and Renaissance construction, since 1896. Credentials are issued both in the church of Santa Mariña and in the convent of La Magdalena.