• Get your Camino Frances Guidebook here.
  • For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)
  • ⚠️ Emergency contact in Spain - Dial 112 and AlertCops app. More on this here.

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Easy and comfortable options from Sarria

henrythedog

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Many in the past and, God willing; more to come
Good evening all

Whilst precluded from embarking on a camino currently and spending more time with my wife than at any former time in our 28 years together, the prospect of a short joint Camino has finally arisen.

My wife is robust and in good health, but more in favour of an easy stroll than a route-march.

I have more completed credencials of the full Frances than I care to count and stopped collecting compostellas when I had three, but I tend to go for long days ending in fairly basic accommodation.

So:

Has anyone a recommendation for a short-day (14-16k?) plan for the last 100km, probably on the Frances, with decent private accommodation on each night? If it is to be the Frances than I have Sarria and Santiago covered, but there are stretches where I perceived a dearth of anything other than fairly basic shared accommodation. That’s all I looked for in the past.

I can, and will, do my own research - but there may be a few experts out there with time in their hands.

Thanks in advance.
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
My wife and I walked the Portuguese Coastal route last year from Baiona to Santiago. Being new to pilgrimages we used a company to arrange accommodation for us. Our longest stage was 20km. in any case you could arrange a taxi to take you from a specific point on the route to accommodation and return you to that point to restart on the following day.
 
If you bus to Sarria from Santiago you have to connect through Lugo on the Camino Primitivo. You could start your camino from there and avoid a few days of crowds until the Primitivo joins the Frances at (Melida???). If you want the Compostela you may have to get a stamp a few kilometers back from Lugo.
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Godesalco.com is probably the best site to plan your itinerary - Towns which have hotel-type accommodations (hotel, hostal, casa rural, pensión) have an H in the planning tool. This lets you put together an itinerary with only hotel stays. You can also download a PDF of all hotels from godesalco (or you can switch to Gronze for reviews)

A very relaxed Sarria to Santiago itinerary might look like this ...

EtapaDormirParcialAcumuladaAltitud final
1)Sarria - MorgadeP/H12,1 km12,1 km644 m
2)Morgade - PortomarínA, 16P, 5H+10,8 km22,9 km387 m
3)Portomarín - Hospital da CruzA, H11,8 km34,7 km673 m
4)Hospital da Cruz - Palas de Rei2A, 7P, 5H+13,5 km48,2 km554 m
5)Palas de Rei - MelideA, 11P, 5H+15,4 km63,6 km455 m
6)Melide - ArzúaA, 15P, 5H+14,5 km78,1 km385 m
7)Arzúa - A Brea (O Pino)2P, H13,6 km91,7 km378 m
8)A Brea (O Pino) - LavacollaP, 5H+15,3 km107 km295 m
9)Lavacolla - Santiago de CompostelaR, A, 21P, 5H+, C10,4 km117,4 km255 m

Or slightly less laid back, like this...

EtapaDormirParcialAcumuladaAltitud final
1)Sarria - PenaP, H14,4 km14,4 km633 m
2)Pena - CastromaiorP, H18 km32,4 km608 m
3)Castromaior - Palas de Rei2A, 7P, 5H+15,8 km48,2 km554 m
4)Palas de Rei - MelideA, 11P, 5H+15,4 km63,6 km455 m
5)Melide - Bebedeiro (FR 0,7 km)P/H18,9 km82,5 km394 m
6)Bebedeiro (FR 0,7 km) - Amenal3H18,3 km100,8 km249 m
7)Amenal - Santiago de CompostelaR, A, 21P, 5H+, C16,6 km117,4 km255 m

Primitivo from Lugo might look like this ...

EtapaDormirParcialAcumuladaAltitud final
1)Lugo - San Román de RetortaA, P, H18,8 km *18,8 km574 m
2)San Román de Retorta - CasacamiñoH15,7 km34,5 km649 m
3)Casacamiño - A Fraga AltaP, H21,6 km56,1 km411 m
4)A Fraga Alta - A CalleP, H14,3 km70,4 km338 m
5)A Calle - Amenal3H14,8 km85,2 km249 m
6)Amenal - Santiago de CompostelaR, A, 21P, 5H+, C16,6 km101,8 km255 m

* Walk to the Hotel Spa Santiago on arrival and stay there, to reduce the first day's walk by a couple of km.

And the route that I know is the Sanabres, which could be done like this ...

EtapaDormirParcialAcumuladaAltitud final
1)Orense - TamallancosH12,7 km12,7 km442 m
2)Tamallancos - CeaA, H10,4 km23,1 km525 m
3)Cea - Casarellos **Casa rural **8 km ***42,8 km
4)Casarellos ** - Estación de LalínH19.5 km ***55,8 km483 m
5)Estación de Lalín - A Ponte TaboadaH11,1 km66,9 km376 m
6)A Ponte Taboada - BandeiraA, 2H12 km78,9 km354 m
7)Bandeira - Ponte UllaP, 2H13,2 km92,1 km64 m
8)Ponte Ulla - LestedoH8 km100,1 km263 m
9)Lestedo - Santiago de CompostelaR, A, 21P, 5H+, C13,7 km113,8 km253 m

** Casarellos is not listed in the godesalco planning tool but there is a casa rural 700m off the camino

*** Distances from Cea to Casarellos and Casarellos to Estación de Lalin are estimates based on the shorter variant (not via Oseira).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Another possibility with beautiful coastal walking is from Muxia to Finisterre and then to Santiago:

You'd need to walk Muxia to Lires (about 15km - casa rural in Lires), then Lires to Finisterre (about 15km) and then do these stages in reverse ...

EtapaDormirParcialAcumuladaAltitud final
1)Santiago de Compostela - Roxos2H7,3 km7,3 km150 m
2)Roxos - NegreiraA, 5P, 2H14,2 km21,5 km167 m
3)Negreira - Vilaserío *A, 2P *13,2 km34,7 km338 m
4)Vilaserío - A Picota (FR 2,4 km)2P, H16,8 km51,5 km318 m
5)A Picota (FR 2,4 km) - O LogosoP, H8,4 km59,9 km296 m
6)O Logoso - CorcubiónA, P, 5H+18,5 km78,4 km8 m
7)Corcubión - FinisterreA, 13P, 5H+11 km89,4 km25 m

* Although Vilaserío is listed as having albergues only, there are private rooms at the Casa Vella:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
It’s a sign of huge times that just the old faithfuls are here on the forum. In normal times there would have been 30+ replies to this - second only to ‘can I take my take my walking poles as hand luggage’ or ‘which colour of Osprey sac is best’.

Nonetheless, I’m grateful for the input. Keep it coming folks.,
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Another possibility with beautiful coastal walking is from Muxia to Finisterre and then to Santiago:

You'd need to walk Muxia to Lires (about 15km - casa rural in Lires), then Lires to Finisterre (about 15km) and then do these stages in reverse ...

EtapaDormirParcialAcumuladaAltitud final
1)Santiago de Compostela - Roxos2H7,3 km7,3 km150 m
2)Roxos - NegreiraA, 5P, 2H14,2 km21,5 km167 m
3)Negreira - Vilaserío *A, 2P *13,2 km34,7 km338 m
4)Vilaserío - A Picota (FR 2,4 km)2P, H16,8 km51,5 km318 m
5)A Picota (FR 2,4 km) - O LogosoP, H8,4 km59,9 km296 m
6)O Logoso - CorcubiónA, P, 5H+18,5 km78,4 km8 m
7)Corcubión - FinisterreA, 13P, 5H+11 km89,4 km25 m

* Although Vilaserío is listed as having albergues only, there are private rooms at the Casa Vella:


Thank you so much. That’s really kind of you.
 
I will get back to you when I am ba
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
My little Camino family of four stumbled upon Booking.com and used it for Sarria into Santiago. Every night we rented a flat that was no less than 200 yards from the Camino, for about €20 per person, so maybe 80 per night. For that we had two or three bedrooms, two loos, and could cook in a kitchen. They are really great places to stay. One was actually two paces off the Camino and next to the bar where we ate. Suggest you work out your distances then look on Booking.com. It made a massive difference when we might have been rammed into noisy crowded places. For the final five or so nights, the extra cost didn't matter.
OR.....
why not look at Tui into Santiago: I did that with another bloke last year and we stayed in hotels or Booking.com places, had a great time. Also a lovely walk - far better than the Portuguese section of the Camino Portuguese. Ditto Booking.com.
(AirBnB charges a ridiculous cleaning fee but Booking doesn't.)
 
Good evening all

Whilst precluded from embarking on a camino currently and spending more time with my wife than at any former time in our 28 years together, the prospect of a short joint Camino has finally arisen.

My wife is robust and in good health, but more in favour of an easy stroll than a route-march.

I have more completed credencials of the full Frances than I care to count and stopped collecting compostellas when I had three, but I tend to go for long days ending in fairly basic accommodation.

So:

Has anyone a recommendation for a short-day (14-16k?) plan for the last 100km, probably on the Frances, with decent private accommodation on each night? If it is to be the Frances than I have Sarria and Santiago covered, but there are stretches where I perceived a dearth of anything other than fairly basic shared accommodation. That’s all I looked for in the past.

I can, and will, do my own research - but there may be a few experts out there with time in their hands.

Thanks in advance.
My husband and I stayed in private rooms as he was worried about his snoring. Very highly recommend > was a lovely albergue with extremely nice well-appointed private rooms (along with the dorms) with a delicious communal meal. It was about 17 km past Sarria and literally on the Camino in what seemed the middle of nowhere. Then also very highly recommend > Casa Sabela near Casanova - huge old stone country manor built in the 1500s run by a super friendly family - you need to call and they will pick you up but this is so worth it, again a communal meal.
 

Attachments

  • 20191015_185007.jpg
    20191015_185007.jpg
    3.3 MB · Views: 14
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
but there may be a few experts out there with time in their hands.
Thanks in advance.

Hi, @henrythedog, I meet at least one of your two criteria, so I started to give it a go.

But I only got as far as Portomarín, and you already have many other great suggestions. It’s not often that I comment on the Camino Francés, because I haven’t walked it in many years, but it got me thinking about my stay in Casa Morgade, about 11 or 12 km outside Sarria.

Beautiful environs, family run business. I first stayed there in 2001, I believe, when it offered one room with six beds to pilgrims. The dueña cooked a very good meal and sat with the four of us as we ate. She told her story, how a young city girl from Bilbao had fallen in love with a country farmer in Galicia. She opened this little place as an add-on to their primary farm operations. Fast forward nearly 20 years, and the family business is still going strong. They have added a proper restaurant in addition to their little café, and have a number of hotel rooms in the old stone building. The now grandmother is still involved in daily operations, surrounded by family members of the next two generations. I passed through there a few years ago after walking the Camino Olvidado to Ponferrada, and to this day I regret not stopping to say hi. It was lunchtime, there were crowds, and I just kept going. Bad decision.

About a year ago, there was a discussion about the Casa Morgade on this thread, https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/snow-at-o’cebreiro-today.65295/#post-799831,
where another forum member was raving about Casa Morgade. On a whim, I sent off an email message to their website, retelling my experience and pointing out that the same caring attitude was still shining through loud and clear in their family operation 20 yers later. Here is the response I received (with my translation below)

Hola,Laurie .
Cuanto se agradecen esas palabras tan bonitas ,hacia nuestro negocio ,un
pequeño negocio familiar que fue creciendo poco a poco ,y que a pesar de
pasar los años lo único que hacemos es abrir las puertas de nuestra
casa a los caminantes con nuestro mas humilde trabajo .
Y palabras como estas, nos emocionan y ayundan a seguir en ese camino.
Estas palabras las recordaremos siempre .Gracias ..gracias ,gracias
Si alguna vez mas decide hacer el camino....le agradecería que se diera
conocer, .
Nuevamente le agradezco esas palabras tan bonitas.
Un saludo de parte de todo el equipo de Casa Morgade

Hi, Laurie, We really appreciate these beautiful words about our business, a small family business that grew little by little. And over the years, the only thing we do is open the doors of our house to the peregrinos, and offer them our more humble work (I think here what he means is that the peregrinos do all the hard work, they just do the easy bits).
And words like this affect us and help us to continue. We will remember these words always. Thanks, thanks, thanks. If you decide to walk the camino again, we would appreciate it if you would say hi. Again, thank you for those nice words.
Greetings from the entire team of Casa Morgade.


I can guarantee that you will not regret it if you spend the night here. The house is in a rural setting, lots of calm and quiet and nice places to stroll around. I hope to hear from post-covid pilgrims that the Casa Morgade has survived and is once again providing hospitality to pilgrims.
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
My husband and I stayed in private rooms as he was worried about his snoring. Very highly recommend > was a lovely albergue with extremely nice well-appointed private rooms (along with the dorms) with a delicious communal meal. It was about 17 km past Sarria and literally on the Camino in what seemed the middle of nowhere. Then also very highly recommend > Casa Sabela near Casanova - huge old stone country manor built in the 1500s run by a super friendly family - you need to call and they will pick you up but this is so worth it, again a communal meal.
somehow I deleted the name of the first place - it is Mercadoiro. Loved it there. beautiful room, laundry facilities and so happy for a dryer after a day of pouring rain, and traditional meal.
 
For a seven-day split I suggest the following:
Sarria to Mercadoiro 16.8 km

Mercadoiro to Hospital da Cruz 16.2 km or maybe Ventas de Naron

Hospital da Cruz to San Xulián do Camiño 16.1 km

San Xulián do Camiño to Boente 16.4 km

Boente to A Calle 16.3 km

A Calle to Amenal 14.9 km

Amenal to Santiago 17.0 km

I hope this helps.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
Hi David,

Re private accommodation: we stayed in these places in October 2019:

1. Portomarín: Albergue Casona da Ponte. Modern albergue with small dorms and private rooms. We had a big en-suite room, overlooking the river. I can't remember what we paid, but I recall thinking that it was overpriced, especially when compared to no.2 below. However, it was a nice place, close enough to the town centre and well positioned for an easy exit the next morning - we just walked back down the steps and turned right, rather than taking the longer route through the town.

2. Albergue Casa Sabela - near Casanova (about 5kms after Palas de Rei) An old stone house with a dorm and private rooms. The couple who run it are pilgrims and are very welcoming. The food was really special - home-cooked and restaurant-quality. Slightly off-Camino, but they'll pick you up from the bar in Casanova (if you still have energy in your legs, it's a really peaceful tree-lined walk).
We booked it on booking.com - lots of comments and reviews there that will give you a flavour of the place.

3. Pension Ribadiso - small, clean and with a garden and laundry facilities. No food, but the bar across the road serves meals. It's a few kms before Arzua - and a quieter alternative stopping point.

Happy planning and Buen Camino! Nuala
 
Last edited:
Casa Morgade... I had the best bocadillo de atun there - one that I still remember 5 years later. Perfect balance of bread, tuna packed in oil, and tomato (and juice). Truly one of my most memorable Camino meals.
 

Most read last week in this forum

When I hiked the Frances Route this happened. I was hiking in the afternoon just east of Arzua. I was reserved a bed at an albergue in Arzua, so I had already hiked all the way from San Xulien...
I am finalizing my packing list for Frances, and do not want to over pack. (I am 71) I will be starting at SJPdP on April 25th to Roncesvalles and forward. I was hoping on some advise as to...
First marker starting from Albergue Monasterio de la Magdalena in Sarria (113.460 km) Start: 2023.9.29 07:22 Arrival: 2023.9.30 13:18 walking time : 26 hours 47 minutes rest time : 3 hours 8...
A local Navarra website has posted a set of photos showing today's snowfall in the area around Roncesvalles. About 15cm of snow fell this morning surprising pilgrims on the way...
Hi! I’m a first time pilgrim. Is it possible to take a taxi from Astorga to Foncebadon? Thanks, Felicia
I have been planning to return and rejoin the path from Leon next week. ( Main route) I am wondering whether it might be better to wait until later in April to rejoin the path, my hope is to...

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top