PR12Termas de Sandim

The waters that made Sandim famous

This route revolves around a water that was once on everyone's lips. It is not a riverside trail with a spring along the way, but a circuit around the parish of Edral designed around the mineral waters of Sandim, which rise naturally on the banks of the rio Mente, and the Caminho de Santiago that passes alongside them. Gasocarbonic and sodium bicarbonate in composition, these waters were for decades a remedy for the digestive system, and the spring intake lies directly on the route.

Around it lie the valley of the Mente at the westernmost edge of the municipality, a village sheltered by a wall of rock, chestnut groves, pastures, and the last pilgrims' hostel in Vinhais. The circuit covers around fourteen kilometres, with the highest point at roughly 840 metres, between Edral and Brito de Lomba.

Sandim

The route is circular and begins and ends in Sandim, a village in the valley of the Mente that lends its name to the waters. The trail passes through the village and leaves it along agricultural tracks, with views over the verdant valley of the Ribeira de Sandim and the waterfalls of a tributary, when rainfall feeds them.

The Mente and the Praia Fluvial de Segirei

Between Sandim and the edge of the municipality, the path runs parallel to the rio Mente, with a gentle gradient, as far as the bridge and the Parque de Merendas de Segirei, where there is a river beach. This is the lowest point of the route, at around 450 metres above sea level, and the right place for a swim on warm days.

The mineral waters

About two and a half kilometres from the river beach, the path passes the spring intake of the mineral waters of Sandim and alongside the former spa buildings. The water bubbles to the surface under its own force, and the smell and taste alone are enough to understand why people came from afar to drink it.

Ferreiros and the Caminho de Santiago

Ferreiros impresses with the rocky formation that shields the village from northerly winds, a natural wall against which the houses nestle. Between Ferreiros and Edral the route follows the Caminho de Santiago, well waymarked, with the Capela de Santa Luzia along the way.

Edral

Edral is the parish seat and the place for stops: the Igreja de São Romão, the Capela do Senhor dos Perdidos, a café, and the pilgrims' hostel of the Caminho de Santiago, the last in the municipality. Those walking the Caminho sleep here; those walking the circuit fill their water bottles here.

Brito de Lomba

Between Edral and Sandim, agricultural tracks cross chestnut groves and pastures as far as Brito de Lomba, with its chapel and fountain, on the highest section of the route. From there to Sandim the path is almost level, with the valley open ahead. Those who wish to follow in the pilgrims' footsteps will find, in the neighbouring parish, the PR13 · Rota de Candedo, which also walks alongside the Caminho de Santiago.