Suseia01
Sarria → Barbadelo
km 0 – 4.3 · 4.3 km
You leave up the steps of the Rúa Maior, pass the Magdalena convent and drop to the river Celeiro over the A Áspera bridge. Then the climb through oaks to Barbadelo begins.
Home › Camino Francés › Sarria – Portomarín
Camino Francés · Stage 29 of 33
The first stage of the last 100 km, and for many pilgrims the very first of all. Small hamlets, sunken lanes between oaks, the 100 km marker and a steep descent to the Belesar reservoir to cross the Miño and climb up to Portomarín.
Profile
Half the stage gaining height between hamlets and the other half losing it down to the river Miño. The final descent is what your legs will feel most.
Town by town
Every town with services along the way. Out of season some bars and albergues close; the app shows you which ones are open near you as you walk.
You leave up the steps of the Rúa Maior
Romanesque church of Santiago
100 km to go to Santiago: the must-have photo
Public albergue
A hamlet with very few residents
The descent to Belesar begins
Fortress-church of San Nicolás
The route
You leave up the steps of the Rúa Maior, pass the Magdalena convent and drop to the river Celeiro over the A Áspera bridge. Then the climb through oaks to Barbadelo begins.
A string of hamlets linked by sunken lanes and tracks. Just after A Brea comes the 100 km marker, covered in signatures: there is a queue for the photo by mid-morning.
Gently up and down to Mercadoiro and Vilachá. From there the descent to the Belesar reservoir is steep with loose stone; in the rain, the road variant is better. You cross the Miño and climb the steps of the Chapel of Las Nieves into the town, whose church of San Nicolás was moved stone by stone when the reservoir flooded the old town.
Tips
Hundreds of new pilgrims join every day from Sarria, and by mid-morning the path and the bars are crowded.
From Sarria this is required for the Compostela. Almost every bar, albergue and church has a stamp.
The descent to Belesar punishes the knees, and the steps into Portomarín come with 22 km already in your legs.
Choose how many kilometres you want to walk each day and Suseia splits the route from Sarria to Santiago into stages based on the albergues in each town. Free and without signing up.
Common questions
About 22.2 km. It takes 5 to 6 hours at a normal pace with short breaks.
It is of moderate difficulty: it climbs gently in the first half to about 660 m and drops sharply at the end to the Miño. The descent to Belesar is the most demanding part.
From May to October, yes. Public albergues don’t take bookings and fill up early; private ones can be booked.