Alto de Faro
Camino de Invierno
The Ermita de Nosa Señora do Monte do Faro sits atop this mountain, considered the geographical center of Galicia. On a clear day, all four Galician provinces are visible from the summit — though you're unlikely to be able to tell which is which.
The detour to the top is recommended for the views alone. If you want to skip it entirely, you can take a paved road from Penasillás (see the alternate route description).
After the steady climb from Penasillás, the camino merges with a paved road. To visit the ermita at the summit, look for stone steps on the left — they take you off the camino and ascend past the Stations of the Cross. In a few minutes you'll reach the summit field with the ermita, a lookout tower, and a cruceiro. One pilgrim enjoyed chatting with the fire ranger in the tower.
To rejoin the camino from the summit, you have two options: backtrack down the stairs to where you left it, or head to the cruceiro (within sight of the ermita) and descend the hill, turning right at the bottom. This passes an overgrown picnic area that's on the camino.
If you skip the summit, continue straight at the Stations of the Cross turnoff. You'll pass the picnic area on your right. At a T-junction, a waymarker takes you right.
The marked camino leaves the tarmac beyond the picnic area and parallels a windmill farm on a limestone access road with views back toward Chantada. You'll see an old sign pointing to Rodeiro — ignore it (there's a yellow X). That's the back-road route, full of unmarked intersections where people get lost. Wait for the PO-533 crossing, which is the direct road option to Rodeiro.
After several kilometers through the windmill farm, the path meets pavement. The camino turns left and crosses a bridge over the PO-533 highway. Here you pick up yellow arrows again. Going left along the highway takes you directly to Rodeiro on an access road — not pretty but safe, and a few kilometers shorter. Going right is the official camino through farmland and hamlets.
Comments