Discover the last 100 km Via de la Plata, also known as the Camino Sanabres, as you embark on one of Spain’s more unique and lesser-known Caminos. Keep reading to learn more; you might also like to consider our Gourmet Camino La Rioja Tour or our Camino Primitivo – The Last Section.
Once a Roman thoroughfare between south and northern Spain, this last section of Via de la Plata features rural walks with a mix of village and country hotels. With this Camino, you can expect warm hospitality, gorgeous vistas, excellent local cuisine, and unforgettable wine. And you can expect so much more. Let’s explore…
This is a Camino away from the crowds and immersed in the countryside. You start the Via de la Plata from the Cathedral in Ourense. This is a lovely university town with a medieval cathedral and an abundance of hot thermal springs. As your first night is spent here, it’s well worth exploring if you arrive early enough in the day. We can offer specific advice about what to see and do here. Please just get in touch.
Once you’re out of Ourense, you’ll find yourself in a rolling landscape of woodland and countless little hamlets. This tranquil and scenic route has superb all-around views of the Galician countryside. The Via de la Plata gives you an insight into rural Spain, which is still largely unchanged in modern times. You’re likely to encounter farmers working the land and livestock.
One special feature of this route is reaching Santiago de Compostela through the last remaining medieval gated entrance to the old town. Unlike the Camino Frances, arriving doesn’t involve the long hike through the outskirts of Santiago. Sometimes, taking the road less travelled has its benefits!
Our hotels offer high-quality dining, using fresh local ingredients to produce hearty Galician fare from land and sea. A good breakfast and baggage transfers between hotels are also included in the price. If you’re staying slightly off-route in one of our country hotels, we will include your trail pick-up and return the following day. We take care of everything!
We often cater to parties of friends and family on this lovely, less well-known Camino. We can provide a walking guide who will also interpret the area’s history and landscape. Because not everyone has the same walking ability, we can provide a driver and backup vehicle if someone requires a shortened walk. Many of our accommodations have lovely surroundings for a relaxing day off if needed.
Please let us know if your small group has any specific needs regarding this Camino. We will be more than happy to accommodate them.
As early as the 10th century, Christians living under Muslim rule in southern Spain were allowed to travel to Santiago de Compostela along the Via de la Plata. The Via de la Plata is a natural corridor connecting the north and south of Spain. Its history predates its use as a pilgrim route. It is believed that Hannibal drove part of the route with his elephants.
Early farmers used the route for the seasonal shifting of grazing herds from the cooler north to the temperate southern pastures. The Phoenicians and Greeks used it as a trade route, but the Romans converted it into one of their main Spanish roads.
There has been a revival in the popularity of the Plata, and every year, thousands of pilgrims walk from Seville or Granada to Santiago de Compostela. Yet, compared to the busy Camino Frances, the Via de la Plata is still a quiet Camino, making it ideal for witnessing a rural Spain that has remained essentially unchanged by modern times.
Price Includes
Price Excludes
Single Supplement
£200
The following is our 9-day / 8-night itinerary, starting at Ourense and finishing 100km later at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
The old town of Ourense has the 12th-century Romanesque Cathedral, amongst many other monuments.
Ourense is well known for its thermal hot springs, which were greatly appreciated by the Romans when they settled here. Please ask if you would like us to arrange your hot spa for you – both indoor and outdoor available.
You will also find bars and small restaurants where you can try delicious tapas and the local Ribeiro wines.
A short ascent out of Ourense and the Miño valley into the countryside to your lovely overnight stop in the town of Cea. Cea is famous for its handmade sourdough bread, baked in traditional wood-fired ovens.
Today, you walk just over 9 miles to Castro Dozon, so this is a slightly shorter walking day. Adapting your day by walking to the Monastery at Oseira and taking the tour is possible. Oseira is just over 9 miles from Cea, roughly the same as Cea to Castro Dozon.
The superb Monasterio de Santa Maria la Real de Oseira, sometimes called the “Escorial of the North,” is Galicia’s most significant and grandest Trappist monastery. The celebrated author Graham Greene used to come on retreat here. The monks offer guided visits, sometimes in English.
You can walk to Castro Dozon from Oseira, which is a further 5 miles / 9 km. Then, you will climb gently uphill through windswept moorland to the Pass of Santo Domingo, one of the highest points of the walk at 819 metres. You will pass the scenic villages of Outeiro and Vidueiro. Castro Dozon has a great little cafe bar for afternoon tapas.
Today, the Via crosses many parishes, and although it’s not challenging terrain, there are some moderate gradients. At the town of A Laxe, the Camino Invierno joins the Via de la Plata, so you may notice more pilgrims joining here. A slow descent through a mixed woodland of oak, chestnut and pine takes you to the hamlet of Bendoiro and its stately mansion with a summer swimming pool and landscaped grounds. Tonight, you’ll be lodging at the wonderful Pazo de Bendoiro.
From your hotel, your walk to the village of Bandeira is through the rolling countryside filled with hamlets and quiet lanes. You start with a gentle uphill walk to Silleda before gradually descending to Bandeira.
Tonight’s village hotel is the most modest on the tour, but the owners are truly warm and hospitable, and they keep an excellent dinner table.
Continuing on a mix of asphalt and dirt tracks, there are frequent moderate gradients until a reasonably steep descent to the valley of the River Ulla, where you cross by way of an ancient stone bridge. Ponte Ulla, The Bridge of Ulla crosses the river, marking the border between Pontevedra and Coruña provinces. Then, continue up a less steep gradient to Ponte Ulla village and your lodgings.
The walk today is gently undulating, amongst country houses and vineyards. Near the start of the walk, you might take a detour to the summit of the Pico Sacro, a peak with links to the legend of Saint James. From here, pilgrims had their first sight of Santiago de Compostela and a wonderful panoramic view of the countryside.
The final leg to Santiago approaches the city from one of the quietest directions; no busy motorways or modern housing estates.
Before you know it you descend on a cobbled track through the only remaining medieval gate into the heart of Santiago de Compostela’s old town and on to the tomb of St James, housed in the stunning Cathedral.
We add a second night in Santiago to allow time for sightseeing, attending the Pilgrim’s Mass and collect your Compostela certificates at the Pilgrim office.
Walk the Camino works with excellent local bilingual guides in Ourense, who can take you on a guided walking tour and take you one of Ourense’s thermal hot spas to round off your tour.
At the Termas Outariz, you can hire all you need, such as slippers, bathing suits, robes and towels. The thermal sessions usually last about 90 minutes and there is a wide range of extra treatments to enjoy, or simply enjoy a therapeutic soak in the indoor and outdoor hot springs.
AROMATIC FOAM BATH / AROMATIC BATH OF TEA EXTRACTS / CHOCOLATE BATH /
CLEOPATRA BATH.
MASSAGES:- EXPRESS / FEET AND HANDS / SWEDISH MASSAGE / LEG STIMULANT / BODY RELAXATION / ZEN.
Galicia is a land with Celtic roots and some have highlighted similarities with Ireland. From hearty food to fruity wines, you will encounter small inns and bars along the way, allowing opportunities to enjoy the local gastronomy.
The local wine speciality is the Ribeiro, which was one of the first wines in Spain to be awarded the Designation of Origin standard. Mainly white and fruity, Ribeiro wines were enjoyed by the pilgrims passing through the region on their way to Santiago de Compostela.
The largest and grandest monastery in Galicia, Santa Maria de Oseira is sometimes referred to as the “Escorial of the North”. The original construction dates back to the 12th century, but the buildings were later rebuilt in Gothic and Renaissance styles.
Guided visits are available. Your driver will drop you off here in the morning so you have time for a visit conducted by one of the monks.
As an aside, the celebrated English novelist Graham Green, author of Brighton Rock, The End of the Affair and The Power and the Glory, and would often come here on a summer retreat.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985, Galicia’s capital city Santiago de Compostela is the world-known destination of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. Around the Cathedral of St James, a masterpiece of Romanesque art, the city boasts a picturesque old town worthy of one of Christianity’s greatest holy cities.
As an optional extra, we can arrange a guided tour of the city’s extraordinary ensemble of distinguished monuments grouped around the tomb of St James the Greater, the destination of all the roads of Christianity’s greatest pilgrimage.
As an add on to the tour, we can take you to Cape Finisterre in the Atlantic Coast, the final destination for many pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. We also organise four day walks on the Camino de Finisterre. A walk on the beach, searching for your own scallop shell makes for a superb ending to the whole experience.
The Charm of a Galician Pazo
Galicia is known for its country house hotels, called Pazos. One delightful XVIIIth-century historic such building has been sympathetically restored with great authenticity. It features thick stone walls, beamed ceilings, and antique furniture. The owners are impeccable hosts and fluent English speakers.
The delightful drawing room has comfortable sofas and armchairs in front of an enormous fireplace. When you arrive, you’ll be invited to have tea, coffee, and cake here—a welcoming start to your stay.
A splendid breakfast is served in the spacious kitchen dining area. It features homemade cakes and pastries, as well as local cheeses and charcuterie—just the thing to set you up for the day ahead. Packed lunches are also available by prior request.
Dinners featuring local specialities are served table d’hote. The menu is fixed at three courses and includes wine. The host has a very good wine cellar and will be delighted to introduce you to his favourites.
The hotel has a summer swimming pool, tennis courts, and Wi-Fi. Its gardens, terrace, and orchard are surrounded by the beautiful woodland of the estate, making it a special place to stay.
Our Plata accommodation offers a mix of country manors and family-run village lodgings. We combine traditional family-run farmhouses, historic country homes and two to three-star hotels.
Some of our charming country manor house hotels are set in beautiful surroundings with summer swimming pools. Excellent hospitality and dining await you. The country lodgings offer delicious menus, so you can dine in when in a country setting and explore more options in the cities.
This rural Camino is not overburdened with hotels, so we may occasionally use a local service during the busy periods to ferry you 1-2 km between the Via and one or two lodgings. Baggage transfers are included as standard.
