BTT12Route of the Caminho de Santiago

The Via de Prata through the lands of Vinhais

This route was designed to showcase the passage of the pilgrimage through Vinhais. It is not a trail that crosses the Caminho de Santiago at a single point, but a route that follows considerable kilometres of the Via de Prata variant, from Vinhais to Edral, continuing through the Zona da Lomba, with ancient bridges over the Rabaçal, as far as Tuízelo. It is a black-rated route on account of its distance — around 75 kilometres — yet it is the most rolling of the long crossings, with approximately 800 metres of cumulative ascent and half the course lying within the Parque Natural de Montesinho.

Start and finish at the Parque Biológico

The route is circular and begins and ends at the entrance to the Parque Biológico de Vinhais. The descent into Vinhais comes at kilometre 5.7, where cafés and restaurants are available, and the lowest point of the day, at 618 metres, is reached at kilometre 7.9.

Along the Caminho de Santiago

From Vinhais to Edral the course follows the Via de Prata: Castro, at kilometre 10.1, with a chapel; Sobreiró de Baixo, at kilometre 12.7, with a fountain; Aboá, at kilometre 18.2, with a fountain; Candedo, at kilometre 21.2, with a fountain and church; and the Ponte de Guedim, at kilometre 23.5. Edral, at kilometre 27.5, has a fountain, a café, the Igreja de São Romão, the Capela do Senhor dos Perdidos, and the pilgrim hostel — the last in the municipality.

The Zona da Lomba

Beyond Edral the route enters the Zona da Lomba, the plateau between the rivers Mente and Rabaçal, a toponym that recurs across the villages: Brito de Lomba, at kilometre 32.6, with a chapel and fountain; Vilar Seco de Lomba, at kilometre 36.8, with a church, fountain, and pillory; and Passos de Lomba, at kilometre 39.7, with a café. Between kilometres 25 and 28 there is a climb of around 80 metres; the remainder is plateau, between 750 and 850 metres.

The Ponte Antiga da Gestosa

Gestosa lies at kilometre 42.5, and the Ponte Antiga da Gestosa, at kilometre 46.3, crosses the Rabaçal at the bottom of the valley — stone set over rocks sculpted by the water. It is one of the most striking spots of the day.

Santalha, Seixas, and Tuízelo

Santalha, at kilometre 53.8, with a church and café, and Seixas, at kilometre 57.2, with a church, precede Tuízelo, at kilometre 61.8, with the old church of Saint Andrew, the Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, a fountain, and a café — the last point of support of the day.

The return to the Parque Biológico

Salgueiros, at kilometre 64.1, and a fountain at kilometre 64.8 open the final ten kilometres across the plateau, with the highest point of the second half — around 905 metres — reached at kilometre 67. Those wishing to experience more of the Caminho de Santiago on a shorter day will find the Rota de Tuízelo, a red-rated route, starting from the same point.