Paradela walks

The seventy-second stage of the Camino de Santiago. Santiago de Compostela is fast approaching; today you will pass the legendary 100 km mark between the villages of Ferreiros and Moimentos. A walking stage through numerous small villages and hamlets that takes you to Ventas de Narón, a small hamlet located in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, in north-western Spain.

The seventy-third stage of the Camino de Santiago. On this downhill stage, you continue through Galicia, a beautiful green region whose landscape is reminiscent of the Aubrac. Indeed, the region’s paths are lined with low stone walls. The region is beautiful but poor. The housing is dilapidated and the elderly people you meet live with their feet in cow dung.

A beautiful stage with some elevation gain: a 400-metre descent through the forest towards Belesar and crossing the Rio Minho, followed by a 300-metre climb on a Roman road in the heart of the Ribeira Sacra AOC vineyards

The seventy-first stage of the Camino de Santiago. On this stage, with fewer long sections along busy roads, you’ll walk along a greener, quieter countryside route passing through many small villages.

This stage goes through more rural landscapes, along small dirt tracks and quite a lot of tarmac with frequent slopes. In general, it's pretty moderate with the opportunity to visit small villages, a few of which have restaurant services. The route finishes in Melide, where we join the Camino Frances.

This stage is the official route and avoids the detour to Friol and Sobrado dos Monxes. There is a fair amount of road walking but if the weather is unkind (i.e. wet and cold) that is probably a blessing. There are a number of villages to go through so plenty of opportunities to chat with local folk along the way. Santiago is getting closer and that will also probably mean more people on the trail but that can also be pleasant and conversation on the road will make the journey more entertaining.

The route follows the N-547 but using local paths and tracks, sometimes crossing the main road but only walking short stretches of tarmac. The route is a bit up and down, crossing the River Boente and the beautiful valley of the River Iso to reach Arzúa. Then it's a pretty comfortable 5 km as we go along forest tracks, through woods and meadows to reach the albergue at As Quintas.

The seventy-fourth stage of the Camino de Santiago. This stage is long but easy, on a road in very good condition, with dirt and stone paths, as well as small roads or tarmac tracks between villages, featuring gentle ascents and descents interspersed with flat sections. You arrive in A Rúa, at the Peregrino O Castiñeiro campsite, to recharge your batteries and prepare for the final stage.

This stage runs through rural Galicia, with at least seven villages en route and plenty of places to stop for a rest (or even to stay the night if you want to split this stage into two or three mini-stages). Likewise, there are plenty of chapels, churches and fountains to visit. Our route follows the original way to Vilabade, which includes a visit to the church of Santa María, known as the "catedral de Castroverde".