Winter Road
The Winter Way
An inland route with beautiful natural landscapes
The Camino de Invierno, an inland route of just over 200 kilometres and official since 2016, crosses the municipalities of Rodeiro, Lalín, Silleda and A Estrada in the province of Pontevedra and then heads towards Santiago de Compostela.
Along the way, walkers will find a wide variety of landscapes: riverbeds, green panoramic views, inland environments or lush forests. These are the backdrop of native tree species and heritage elements that will accompany the pilgrims to their destination, the capital of Galicia.
The name of the route is due to the fact that it allowed medieval pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago to avoid the ascent to the mountain pass of O Cebreiro, which in the harshest winter season became extremely hard. Either from Ponferrada or Villafranca del Bierzo itself, this route follows the Sil and Miño rivers, joining the Vía de la Plata. Those who choose this route on their way to the city of the Apostle will enjoy an area characterised by its natural wealth and heritage.
Almost in the geographical centre of Galicia, in Rodeiro, the eyes are drawn to Mount Faro, of great beauty. Its altitude is one of its main attractions, as its peak is the highest point in the entire municipality, at 1,187 metres. The magic of the surroundings, in the lands of Deza, contributes to making this route of considerable difficulty more enjoyable.
The route begins in the parish of Río, formerly the nerve centre of commerce in the area, which still conserves the old pavilions of its traditional fairs.
On our route we will cross the medieval bridge of Pedroso, built in the 12th century over the river Arnego and with two mills attached to both sides, and we will continue towards Lalín along the river walkway of the river of As Cabirtas.
On its way to Bendoiro, in Lalín, the Winter Way still has much more to offer in the lands of Camba, as Rodeiro is known. We will pass through lands of excellent stonework over medieval bridges, places of lodging, areas of mámoas and streams.
We will enter Lalín, capital of the region of Dezana and gastronomic epicentre of Galician stew. After passing the Carballeira das Casianas we will reach A Laxe, the point where this route meets the Vía de la Plata, one of the most traditional routes to Compostela.
In Lalín, via the N-525, the route now enters Vilasoa to reach Prado. From here we reach Borralla and cross the Taboada bridge over the river Deza, a tributary of the Ulla, which was built in the 10th century. If we have time at this point we can visit the well-known sanctuary of O Corpiño, which every year welcomes thousands of worshippers in its winter and summer pilgrimages. After Taboada we will ascend to Trasfontao to reach Silleda.
From here the Way will take us to the left: O Foxo, Chapa, A Bandeira and Castrovite welcome us to continue the route to Loimil, Os Casares, As Carballas and Oca, famous for its pazo, the Galician Versailles. After passing through this parish of Estradense, we will head towards Valboa, Arnois, A Calzada and A Veiga, through which we will reach the municipality of Vedra in A Coruña.
