Melide walks

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.

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.

This circular walk starts at the Visantoña social centre. The route, mostly on good dirt tracks, crosses a landscape of meadows shaped by livestock farming, the region's main activity. Walk through the forest on old stone paths, between streams and lush vegetation. Typical Galician landscapes.

A comfortable stage with very few slopes; along tracks, crossing forests and meadows. As in the previous stage, the route runs parallel to the main N-547 road and the soon to be completed A-54 motorway. Our route passes O Pedrouzo and the airport to give us a short distance to walk in the next stage to allow us to get to the Pilgrim's Mass, which is celebrated daily at 12 noon in the Cathedral of Santiago.

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.

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.

The seventy-fifth stage of the Camino de Santiago. This stage takes you one last time along peaceful paths and trails through small villages, forests and countryside. As you draw nearer, the stream of walkers grows denser. Yet amidst the crowd, each person walks alone with their own thoughts. In everyone’s eyes shines the star of Santiago. Arrival in Santiago de Compostela is always a moment of intense emotion, accompanied by numerous rituals. The first obligatory ritual is to have your photograph taken in front of the Santiago sign. Once this is done, you cross the suburbs before reaching the historic quarter where the cathedral stands, where you can place your foot on the ‘Kilometre 0’ marker situated in the middle of the Plaza del Obradoiro, directly opposite the cathedral. It symbolises the end of the pilgrimage, the finishing point of all the routes and, above all, the pride of having succeeded, of having pushed beyond one’s limits, overcome one’s fears and... And then comes the time to return.

The final stage of the Camino Primitivo, completing the 308.5 km. An easy walk to finish and still be in time for the Pilgrim's Mass at 12 o'clock midday. The route goes past the Monte do Gozo (Hill of Joy) which gives us a fine view of the three spires of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. From there, it's about an hour to the main door and entrance to the Cathedral and the end of this journey. However, the recommendation is to continue a few days more to Finisterre, on the Atlantic coast.

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.

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