The Primitive Way

Stage: Castroverde-Lugo

  • Length 22.1 Km
  • Difficulty Low
  • Estimated Duration 4h 25min
  • Listen to the stage itinerary

Highlights on this section include Soutomerille, an abandoned village with a Pre-Romanesque church. A stone lattice window from the era of Alfonso III (9th–10th centuries) survives to this day. We are 20 km from Lugo and place names referring to the Way of St. James will accompany us along the entire way.

Castroverde-Lugo

Castroverde- Santa María de Gondar

  • Length 9.3 Km
  • Difficulty Low
  • Estimated Duration 1h 50min

From Castroverde, we continue on to Souto de Torres, San Miguel do Camiño and Vilar de Cas before reaching Soutomerille, where we can see what is left of the Pre-Romanesque church of the same name dedicated to San Salvador.

Castroverde - Santa María de Gondar

Clean Search
Close

The Way of St. James in Soutomerille

The Way of St. James in Soutomerille

Santa María de Gondar- Carballido

  • Length 4.9 Km
  • Difficulty Low
  • Estimated Duration 1h 00min

In Gondar we cross the Romeán River, entering the municipality of Lugo. The route continues to Carballido.

Santa María de Gondar - Carballido

Clean Search
Close

The Way of St. James in Gondar

Carballido- Lugo

  • Length 7.9 Km
  • Difficulty Low
  • Estimated Duration 1h 35min

After leaving Carballido and As Casas da Viña behind, we enter the oldest city in Galicia, Roman Lucus Augusti. The route leads under A Chanca Bridge, opened in 1880 to carry rail traffic over the Rato River. The bridge was one of the major railway engineering works of its time.

We climb – Lugo is built atop a type of pre-Roman hilltop fortified settlement known as a castro – up to the Roman walls (3rd–4th centuries). The walls have been listed as a World Heritage Site since 2000. We enter through San Pedro Gate and continue through the city to the lovely and inviting Main Square, followed by Santa María Cathedral, where pilgrims stop to pray before the Holy Sacrament, on permanent display in the basilica since the 12h century.

The city walls have a perimeter of 2,140 metres, a wall walk on top which runs the entire length and ten entrance gates. It is the only complete Roman fortified site in the world.

In addition to its many historic sites – which range from Roman archaeology to major baroque buildings – Lugo offers pilgrims excellent cuisine and an outstanding natural habitat of native forest along the banks of the Miño River.

Carballido - Lugo

Clean Search
Close

O Campo Square, Lugo

Cloister of San Francisco Monastery, Lugo

Roman baths, Lugo

Roman walls from Paseo dos Coengos with the cathedral in the background

A Chanca Bridge, Lugo

San Pedro Gate, Lugo City Walls

Stage: Paradavella-Castroverde
Stage: Lugo-San Romao da Retorta