Hiking in Melide

Scenic hiking route on the classic Way of St. James. The third section of the stage route offers trained hikers a varied route through the captivating landscape of Galicia.

Recording of the entire Camino frances from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostela

On black paths covered with volcanic gravel, this section of the route leads through eucalyptus forests and small villages.

Scenic hiking route on the classic Camino de Santiago. The pilgrim route offers trained hikers a varied route through the captivating landscape of Galicia.

The Camino Francés begins in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port at the French foothills of the Pyrenees and ends in Santiago de Compostela. It is the busiest section of all the Camino routes, as most pilgrims ultimately come to Santiago along this route.

Your route, to the end of the Camino, is not extremely complicated, the average of its stages is around 24-25 km/day, something very normal on the Jacobean route. If we take a look at its profile in search of big slopes, the most notable is the climb to O Cebreiro, a classic. This climb is somewhat complicated, so much so that, hundreds of years ago in winter times and due to its snowfalls, there was a need to avoid this climb. That is why one of the main routes of the Camino called Winter Route (Camino de Invierno) emerged, which diverted south of Galicia and thus avoided the mentioned climb. Nowadays, even in winter, it is not complicated to make that climb due to all the equipment available and even a much better physical preparation by the pilgrims who make the Camino.

The Camino Primitivo connects Oviedo on the Camino del Norte with Melide on the Camino Francés. This route shortens the distance to Santiago and likely also makes it easier to find available beds.

Ponferrada is a city that has experienced significant growth in recent years, becoming the economic engine of the El Bierzo region and establishing itself as a renowned university city. If you plan to visit Ponferrada, you will fall in love with its medieval historic center and its enormous Templar castle. As the capital of the El Bierzo comarca in the province of León, the city is one of the main stops on the Camino de Santiago, adorned by the Sil and Boeza rivers. Something you will love is getting to know Ponferrada from a historical perspective. Its old town is the place to experience the city’s medieval origins, wandering through its stone alleys that lead to the Castle of the Templars. Inside, you will find the “templum libri,” a valuable collection of medieval works and a rich exhibition of Renaissance books, as well as the New Templar Library, with 1380 copies about the Order of the Temple. If you choose to travel to Ponferrada and let yourself be carried away by its alleys, you will reach important buildings such as the 16th-century Basilica of la Encina. Very close by you can visit the Clock Tower, the only original one preserved in its wall. On the other hand, the Royal Prison is a building camouflaged among the old buildings that currently houses the El Bierzo Museum. If you want to choose one of your next trips to Ponferrada, you might like to know that, being a university city, it has an active nightlife and bar areas, especially in the Temple district. For a day of shopping and dining, the new city is the perfect place to do tourism in Ponferrada, have a drink on its terraces, or enjoy a peaceful walk along Avenida de España. This corner is a favorite for tapas lovers and affordable drinks. But you won’t find only leisure in the new area; here is also located the science museum La Fábrica de Luz. Museo de la Energía, where you can see how this resource has affected and changed people’s lives over the years. Venturing into millenary chestnut and oak forests, you will make your way towards Compostela. Numerous horreos, castros, hermitages, and cruceiros will guide you through the small villages that make up the deepest Galicia, where delicious local delicacies are grown and prepared to become that comforting reward at the end of each stage. You will travel through an area full of historical footprints such as Hospital de Órbigo and its Puente del Paso Honroso, one of the longest bridges on the Camino at almost 300 meters, or Astorga and Gaudí’s architecture. You will cross the Montes de León, a natural barrier between the Maragatería and Bierzo regions, and find one of the most emblematic points of the Jacobean Route: the Cruz de Ferro, highly symbolic for pilgrims, located at almost 1,500 meters altitude.

The French Way is a pilgrimage from St Jean Pied de Port in France over the Pyrenees and northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Passing through famous Spanish towns and cities such as Pamplona, Burgos, León, and Ponferrada, there are many opportunities to enjoy the unique culture of this region. The walk will take you through varied landscapes from the mountainous Pyrenees region to the flat plateau of northern Spain and the rolling mountainous landscape of Galicia. To complete the full French Way, you need to have a reasonable level of physical fitness and also more than a month free to have time to walk and incorporate some rest days along the way. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you want more information on how to do the full French Way and get a personalized quote and itinerary. The French Way extends from St Jean Pied de Port in France over the Pyrenees and northern Spain, covering just under 800 km. Naturally, with such a long distance, you will find that there is a wide variety of terrain on the French Way. Starting in the Pyrenees mountains, panoramic views from the top of the very high peaks to the dense forest rich in wildlife will take you to the Navarra region, where the landscape becomes more mountainous as you meet the Ebro river, which sustains the wine region of La Rioja. Moving on to the larger French Way region, you reach Castilla y León, which encompasses the large, flat Castilian plateau before ascending to the mountains of León. Gently descending from the mountains of León, you enter the green and mountainous region of Galicia and the final goal perched on top of a hill, Santiago de Compostela.

Camino Frances from Burgos via Leon to  SdC and then on to Muxia!