This alternative route of French Way is the only one which crosses the four Galician provinces. Pilgrims take it to avoid the hard climb to Cebreiro at winter. It begins in Ponferrada following the Sil River across O Bierzo, Valdeorras and south Lugo´s province. It crosses beautiful places like As Médulas (World Heritage Site), Ribeira Sacra and towns as Monforte and Chantada.
It goes in Pontevedra´s province by Rodeiro, across Camba´s valley. Two kilometres after cross Pedroso medieval bridge, this way arrives to Lalin. In there, you can see a beautiful landscape of fields and oak groves and them, in Lalin de Arriba, an extraordinary “cruceiro” of the XVII century, the oldest of the region. You can find the S. Martiño Romanic church, building over the missing medieval monastery, ahead.
From here, you can choose between going on the way or stop in the Lalin center where there are all kind of services like accommodation, restoration, health services, shopping,...
You should taste its famous meats, where the “Cocido de Lalín” is the star dish, but without forget the barbecued steak, the “richada”,… Besides you can buy the excellent local products like cold meat, cheese, honey or bread of Lalin.
The Winter Way goes on along Pontiñas river walk, but, before the end, you had to divert in O Espiño to cross N-525 road until the “Carballeira das Casianas”. Them you should cross the business park for a green zone and, using the service road, pass over the motorway for an underground road until pilgrims hostel of A Laxe, in Bendoiro.
Here, The Winter Way is in accord with The South-East Way where it carries on Santiago.
THE WINTER WAY
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