Home      Camino de Santiago      The French way       Passion beyond tradition 

The 8th Stage:         Day 1           Day 2           Day 3          Day 4           Day 5

French Way – Stage 8, Day 5: O Pedrouzo – Santiago 

Distance: 19.98Kms
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 5 hours

Today we will walk the last Kilometers before we get to our final destination: the Plaza del Obradoiro in Santiago de Compostela.

All the previous meadows, sheeps, cows, shades, mud, conversation, self-knowledge, mysticism, religion, wine, Indo-European languages, blisters, stones, bandages, boots, up-hills, down-hills, sacrifices and efforts will desapear soon. Once we get to Santiago, the slabs of its ground will cool-down our suffering feet. Then we will be able to admire the Portico de la gloria, the hug of the saint, the saint door and the botafumeiros in the Cathedral of Santiago.

From Lavacolla, where the Airport of Santiago de Compostela is, the way loses all its charm. There will be 14 Kms walking through roundabouts, roads, townhouses, industrial areas…Untill we get to the Monte do Gozo, where we will have the first sight of the city of Santiago de Compostela.
From this point we will be walking through streets until we will arrive at the “plaza del Obradoiro”.

Did you know that…?

– Lavacolla was the place where pilgrims used to groom theirselves to make sure they would get to Santiago looking good.

Points of interest along this way (O pedrouzo – Santiago de Compostela):

– A Lavacolla: The creek of Sionllas crosses A Lavacolla. It is known for being the place were pilgrims used to get rid of their dirty clothes, and washed theirselves to look good for their imminent arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

– Monte do gozo: Is a small elevation of 380 metres from where pilgrims can have the first view of the towers of the cathedral of Santiago. Since 1993 it became a recreational area for pilgrims. This is the start of the urban walk towards the Cathedral of Santiago.

– The Cathedral of Saint-James (Santiago): This Roman catholic cathedral is the reputed burial-place of Saint James the Greater, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ. It has been consacred since 1128 but its baroque facade dates from the XVIII C.