Alvaredos
Camino de Invierno
Alvaredos is a small town just beyond the provincial border between Ourense and Lugo. This is where the Ribeira Sacra — the Holy River Bank region — begins. The name may derive from the sacred oaks that were once abundant here, venerated by Celtic tribes.
Keep a sharp lookout for waymarks — they lead back to the LU-933. About 2 km beyond Alvaredos, a medieval cart track begins a long switchback ascent and descent through forests and vineyards to the valley bottom, where an arroyo meets the railway track and the Río Sil.
The ascent on the medieval cart track is steep but beautiful. At the valley bottom, in a farmstead called El Molino, the 92-year-old Casimiro lives — he operated the gristmill here until grain production stopped in the 1960s. He's a spinner of tales and purveyor of homemade orujo, and he welcomes visits from pilgrims.
Follow the river, keeping an eye out for the many beekeeping complexes that have populated this valley for two millennia. Around a bend, the camino enters Montefurado.
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