Vía de la Plata Stage 1

The Vía de la Plata enters the province of Ourense through the pass called Portela da Canda (1,262 m), municipality of A Mezquita. This town hall is a historical nexus of the union of the peoples of Castile, Galicia and Portugal. Aland of the passage of pilgrims but also of reapers, mule drivers, traders and travellers who arrived here for very diverse reasons. The Camino continues to A Canda and then to A Vilavella, whose church is dedicated to Santa María da Cabeza. On the descent, we will cross a bridge over the stream of A Veiga do Pontón, and travel along paved roadways, flanked centenarian valados or stone walls. We will arrive at O Pereiro, a place name for a river and a locality. We are in an area of grand stonemasons, whose art is expressed in the genuine popular and religious architecture. Farther on, we enter O Canizo, a parish in the municipality of A Gudiña, which we cross in order to come out to the N-525 road and reach the summit of O Canizo (1,067 m). [Stage details] Start: Lubián · End: A Gudiña 26.9 km · about 5h 15min · difficulty low