Santiago Cycling Tour

Arrive Bilbao and check into our hotel. You may like to take an evening stroll to visit and view the impressive Guggenheim Museum from the outside.

Overnight Standard Hotel

We start the day with a drive to Leon (4 hrs), in the heart of the high plain of the Northern Spanish Meseta. There will be time to discover the ancient centre of town and have lunch (not included) before continuing by bus to our afternoon cycle starting point. Leon was once the centre of Christian Spain, during the time that two thirds of the peninsula was under Muslim rule. The two central buildings of the city are its great Gothic cathedral and the equally superb Romanesque Basilica de San Isidoro. Both are without doubt two of the finest examples of their time to be found anywhere in Spain. The cathedral is unique for the quality and magnificence of its stained-glass windows, which span seven centuries and cover subjects as diverse as religion, mythology and even medieval life. After lunch we continue by bus to the village of Santovenia where we commence our cycle ride. The route from here to Astorga gives us a feel for the endless Meseta. We negotiate a series of secondary roads that undulate through the countryside towards the small town of Astorga. Once a strategically important staging post on the Roman route to Andalucia, it was from this small outpost that the Romans controlled the traffic of gold from their mines in the nearby hills of Las Medulas. Later it became a major stopping
point on the pilgrim trail to Santiago. Astorga houses some fine medieval buildings, including the superb cathedral, but it is the Palacio Episcopal that probably shines out. Designed by Antoni Gaudi, the Modernista architect at the end of the 19th century, the magnificent Bishops Palace was built to replace its predecessor, destroyed by a fire in 1887. Unfortunately its radical design and horrendous costs resulted in it never being used and it now houses a unique collection of artefacts and treasures devoted to Astorga’s history and its importance on the Pilgrim route. Astorga is also famous for its chocolate and in medieval times it was one of the first centres in Europe to undertake the production and copy of the original recipes brought from the Spanish colonies in Mexico. The good news is that you will have an opportunity to purchase some of this renowned confectionary before we leave!
(Approx. 42km cycling; 200m ascent and descent)

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

As we leave Astorga the scenery takes a dramatic change, from the expansive high plateau of La Meseta, towards the more varied landscapes of the mountains of the Bierzo. We cycle through Castrillo de Los Polvazare, one of the finest medieval villages in Castille and through Rabanal del Camino, an outpost built by the Templars to ensure the safe passage of the pilgrims travelling through this wild country. Heading into the hills we then pass the almost abandoned village of Foncebadón en route to the “Cruz de Ferro” (the Iron Cross), at 1.482m the highest point in the entire Camino. This is one of the most significant points on the route, where for centuries pilgrims have been leaving stone offerings from their homelands, in the hope that they would offer protection for the rest of the pilgrimage. From here we can see the mountains of Galicia for the first time in the distance. After a picnic lunch in the woods somewhere near Riego de Ambros, our journey takes us along a mainly downhill route for the rest of the day, until we finally arrive at the small village Molinaseca where we plan to spend the night.
(Total cycling approx 49km: ascent +600m).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we start with a transfer to the unusual village of O Cebreiro, a tiny wind battered settlement of stone houses high above a patchwork quilt of green valleys. The village is famous for its “pallozas” – traditional circular, thatch-roofed houses. After having time to visit this lovely village we get back on our bikes. The first section is mostly downhill, heading towards the small village of Triacastela, nestling amongst some of the most unspoilt countryside in the entire Camino. Deep in the rural heart of Galicia the scenery takes on a mantle of lush vegetation, ancient forests and small rural hamlets. From Triacastela we cycle to the nearby village of Samos with its delightful Benedictine monastery, one of the most important in Galacia and an interesting diversion, which should prove an interesting visit for those interested. NB - The keener and fitter cyclists could opt to start today's ride in Villafranca del Bierzo, which would involve an additional 30km distance and some nice uphill sections. By doing this optional additional distance it would mean that the overall total of distance cycled would exceed 200km - the all important minimum total in order to entitle the pilgrim cyclist to a Santiago Compostela Certificate.

(Total cycling approx 40km: ascent +250m/descent - 750m).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

From Samos we cyle through the rolling hills of Galicia. We pass through the town of Sarria, traversing a terrain of undulating hills in this most verdant of all Spain’s regions, before finally reaching the final stop of the day at Portomarin. Once a splendid medieval village and Templar stronghold, the original settlement was relocated by Franco when the Rio Minho was dammed and the old village flooded. When the water level is low in the reservoir you can still see parts of the medieval town rising up from the waters of the lake. We are now within the last 100km of the journey to Santiago, for so long a magical marker for the weary pilgrims and the minimum distance a true pilgrim has to cover on foot to be recognized by the Association of the Friends of the Camino, who reward the effort with the famous stamped document. Subsequently we will encounter a lot more walkers on the Camino as we get closer to Santiago.

(Total cycling approx 33km: ascent +500m/descent -700m).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Continuing through the pasturelands of Galicia the landscape alternates between dense forest of chestnut and small isolated villages, the few occupants living their lives much as they have for generations. Today is a good day for trying some traditional Galician dishes en route, specifically the famous octopus with potatoes! The village of Melide is renowned all over Spain for this particular meal and we can stop here for lunch in one of its traditional restaurants. And what better way to finish than by washing it down with some of the excellent local white wine from the Riberas Baixas near Pontevedra. After lunch we complete the last few kilometres on a steady downhill to the town of Arzua, our destination for the
evening.
(Total cycling approx 55km: ascent/descent 650m).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Our final day’s cycling sees the landscape flattening out as we travel between Arzua to the outskirts of Santiago itself, arriving eventually at Monte de Gozo, the final hill before the city and the point where the pilgrims could finally see the cathedral and the end of their journey. After contemplating what an emotive moment this must have been for the exhausted pilgrims, we cycle into the heart of the city itself and the gate of the cathedral – journey’s end. After checking into our hotel the afternoon is left free to explore something of Santiago on foot, enjoying the relative peace of the late afternoon to visit the cathedral. The 12th century Baroque cathedral, towering over the surrounding city streets, is one of Christendom’s holiest of shrines, indeed after Jerusalem and Rome, this city was the most important place of pilgrimage anywhere in the Christian world. The tomb of St. James is believed to lie in the crypt beneath the altar, part of the original 9th century foundations of an earlier basilica. The majesty of the Praza do Obradoiro, the
immense square that stands before the cathedral was the focal point for the arriving pilgrims, a fitting setting for the end of their (and our) journey.
(Total cycling approx 41km: ascent +600m/descent -750m).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Included meals: Breakfast