2023 Camino de Santiago - Sarria to Portomarín - Stage 25

Stage 25: Sarria to Portomarín
The stage of change
On this stage, which joins Sarria and Portomarín, we will notice a significant increase in the number of pilgrims who travel the road. For a good percentage of walkers, the rúa Maior de Sarria is the kilometer 0 of their pilgrimage to Compostela.
From now on it will be more difficult to find moments of solitude and tranquility. However, the atmosphere will be much more lively and the stage will become a beautiful walk. The itinerary runs through paths surrounded by forests and small villages that hide monuments such as the famous milestone that marks the last 100 kilometers of the French Way, before reaching Santiago de Compostela. We will also see the Romanesque churches of Ferreiros and Barbadelo, and we will end our stage in Portomarín.
We start the stage with a light breakfast in a small restaurant on the main avenue of the rúa Maior de Sarria and we get going.
The initial section of 2.9 kilometers between Sarria and As Paredes offers an excellent start to the stage. After the Rúa Maior, we pass next to the building of the Preventive Prison, where we could say goodbye to Sarria with some photographs of its commemorative sign, we reach the viewpoint over Sarria, adorned with a cross. About three hundred meters after the viewpoint, the path takes us to pass by the Convent of La Magdalena, run by the Mercedarian Fathers. The path descends along the wall of the cemetery to the Small River, a tributary of the Sarria. We pass over the medieval bridge Ponte Áspera following the route through orchards and alongside the railway tracks until we cross them.
After them we save a stream thanks to a wooden walkway. Then we cross to climb the steepest slope of the stage passing through superb chestnut trees and arrive later along a flat path to Barbadelo, where you can visit its church of Santiago.
We continue along asphalt to Barbadelo, where we visit its Romanesque church, paying attention to its porches, capitals and altarpiece.
We leave Barbadelo behind and continue along a path to the villages of Rente and Mercado da Serra. We continue straight ahead along a wooded path that takes us to the fountain of Pelegrín, the mascot of the Xacobeo 93. We pass next to the Molino de Marzán and a little further on we cross the road to pass through Leiman and Peruscallo. We leave the asphalt to advance to Cortiñas and Lavandeira.
Between stone walls and chestnut trees we reach Brea (Km 11.5 and Milestone 100.5) to arrive, first at the false milestone of the 100 and a few meters further on at the real one, crowned with stones and bathed in graffiti. It would be enough to start walking at this point to obtain the Compostela certificate. A few meters further on is Morgade.
The path continues along asphalted track to Mirallos, where we find the Restaurant O Mirallos, a spectacular place to eat. We then can see the Romanesque church of Santa María, which was moved stone by stone from Ferreiros. After passing A Pena, we advance to O Couto and Rozas, where it is common to find livestock.
We leave the asphalt to take a wooded path on a slight uphill slope. We overcome the village of Moimentos and arrive at Mercadoiro, where there is also a bar. We continue along the road and climb a small slope to find next several houses of the village of Montán.
Next we visit Moutrás, and after a mandatory stop at the Peter Punk store, we descend gently through the basin of the Miño River, alternating asphalt and earth while we guess Portomarín in the background. Without further ado, we reach Parrocha, cross a path to Vilacha.
We now begin a steep descent that brings us to the Miño River and the beautiful town of Portomarín, which shines with its white facades and gray roofs. After crossing the long bridge over the reservoir, we climb the staircase of the chapel of A Virxe das Neves and access the core of the town.
We finish the stage and enjoy a pleasant afternoon in one of the most beautiful villages on the French Way in Galicia.
The stage between Sarria and Portomarín has all the necessary services for the pilgrim. We will not have any problems with supplies, every few kilometers we will find a variety of places to rest and have a drink.
There is a belief that says that if we do not climb the staircase of Portomarín in one go we will have bad luck during the rest of our Camino. So you know... No stopping!
We hope you enjoyed this stage as much as we did.
Good Camino!