Sarrià → Portomarín

The first stage of the final 100 kilometres follows a quintessentially Galician landscape of rolling green hills, stone-walled lanes (corredoiras), tiny hamlets, and eucalyptus forests. The trail is busy with pilgrims, many starting from Sarria, but the countryside is beautiful.

The walking is undulating with frequent short climbs and descents through a patchwork of small farms and woodland. Stone waymarks and yellow arrows appear frequently on the well-trodden path. Small village bars offer coffee and snacks at regular intervals.

Portomarin is a unique town that was entirely relocated stone-by-stone when its original site was flooded by a reservoir in the 1960s. The fortified Romanesque church of San Nicolas (originally San Juan) was dismantled and rebuilt on higher ground. When water levels drop, the ruins of the old town are visible beneath the surface.