CRD09A Gudiña Route

The great cross-border journey

This route turns the border into an invitation rather than a limit. It is not the longest road route by chance: 115.0 kilometres that leave Vinhais through the Zona da Lomba, cross into Galicia at Cisterna, pass the Túnel Romano de Barxa and reach A Gudiña, a lively village on the Caminho de Santiago, returning via the Serra da Gamoneda and Moimenta with around 2,700 metres of accumulated climbing. It is a black-rated route, requiring a full day and best tackled at a steady pace.

Start and finish in Vinhais

The route is circular and begins and ends at the Porta de Vinhais, at the Interface de Transportes. Sobreiró de Cima, at kilometre 7.1, with a café and chapel, and Cruz de Revelhe, at kilometre 11.5, precede the descent to the Parque de Merendas do Rabaçal, at kilometre 16.3, the lowest point of the day at 491 metres.

The Zona da Lomba

Between Rabaçal and kilometre 27, the route climbs around 370 metres, through Gestosa, up to Passos de Lomba, at kilometre 24.7, where there is a café. Quirás, Vilarinho de Lomba and Cisterna follow, where the route crosses into Spain. The change of country is immediately apparent in the road surface, the language and the signage.

The Roman legacy of Barxa

The first Galician village, Barxa, is also the most remarkable: typical stone houses and, above all, the Túnel Romano de Barxa, a structure built by the Romans to divert the river Pentes and facilitate gold extraction. Nearby are the Minas de Valgrande, also known as Minas de María Luisa, worked until the mid-twentieth century for tin and tungsten, and a small suspension bridge that once served as access to the mines.

A Gudiña

Via the Alto de Herosa, the route reaches A Gudiña, the largest Spanish town close to Vinhais, a lively point on the Caminho de Santiago with many options for a stop. It is the right place for the main meal of the day and to refill water bottles before the Gamoneda.

The Gamoneda and the return

Between A Gudiña and kilometre 67.5, the route climbs to the highest point of the day at 1,332 metres, on the slopes of the Serra da Gamoneda, following the same alignment as the Rota de A Mezquita. Moimenta, at kilometre 79.7, with toilet facilities and the Museu do Contrabando, opens the return leg along the border through Mofreita, Fresulfe, at kilometre 96.1, and Soeira, at kilometre 101.3, with a church, fountain and tavern. The Praia Fluvial da Ponte de Soeira, at kilometre 106, and Vila Verde, at kilometre 109.8, lead to the EN103 and back to the town. Those wishing to explore Galicia on a shorter day will find the red-rated Rota de A Mezquita starting from the same point.