Pilgrim Walk

October 15th, First stage: Camiña - Oia

Distance 16 Km. Low difficulty. Uneven, flat.

We start in the Portuguese border town of Caminha, walking through the medieval historic center where the Relógio Tower, Igreja Matriz (Parish church of Gothic style with Renaissance details), Chafariz (Renaissance Fountain, first half of the 16th century) and medieval walls stand out dating from the XII Century, with different houses, mansions and emblematic streets. We will cross the mouth of the Miño river by ferry. Once in Spain, we come to the fishing village of A Guarda surrounding Mount Santa Tegra, where there is an important Celtic settlement town dating from the first century BC. to walk along the south coast of Galicia, through a natural landscape of great beauty. On the beaches of Fedorento and Area Grande there are archaeological sites rich in utensils made by ancient settlers. We will cross the lands of O Rosal, famous for their wines, and we will enter the area of Oia where we will visit the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Oia, from the 12th century.

October 16th, Second stage: Mougás - Ramallosa

Distance 16 km. Low difficulty Elevation 100 m.

The route goes from Mougás parallel to the coastal line, steep and rugged, in a northerly direction. The road continues around Cape Silleiro headland entering a more sheltered territory, the beautiful estuary of Vigo, and the town of Baiona. In its long and rich history, Baiona is famous for the arrival of the caravel Pinta at its port in 1493, which made it the first place in Europe to hear about the discovery of America. The town was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1993, and its main points of interest are the chapel of Santa Liberata; the old Romanesque colexiata of Santa María, the Sancti Spiritus hospital; the Ceta and Pombal fountains; and the traditional Galician cross of the Santísima Trindade.

We will go around the fortress on the peninsula of Monterreal. Its 18 hectares are surrounded by three kilometers of crenellated walls built between the eleventh and seventeenth centuries. There are splendid views of the Cies islands from the fortress. The archipelago is a natural jewel that is part of the Maritime-Terrestrial National Park of the Atlantic Islands of Galicia, with paradisical beaches, a great landscape, fauna (especially sea birds) and flora.

We then move towards Sabarís and Santa Cristina where there are several bridges of interest. The new bridge, with three semicircular arches from the 15th century, follows the Camino Real (the Royal Way). The old bridge, from the same period as the previous one, and finally, the Romanesque bridge at Ramallosa. In the center we can see a “cruceiro” cross with a breastplate of souls and an image of San Telmo.