Camino A Orixe stage by stage

The Camiño de Barbanza «A Orixe» crosses the Barbanza peninsula along the Arousa estuary, the sea route by which, according to tradition, the apostle’s remains arrived. It is about 139 km in six stages and you walk it with very few people: most of the route runs along the coast or between stone villages.

The six stages

1. Corrubedo – Carreira, 17 km and 170 m of climbing. It leaves the lighthouse, crosses the Corrubedo dunes Natural Park and reaches the parish of Carreira (Ribeira). Where to stay in Carreira: 4 places.
2. Carreira – A Pobra do Caramiñal, 27.5 km and 270 m. The estuary is always on your right: Ribeira, its fish market and the shore to A Pobra. Where to stay in A Pobra do Caramiñal: 16 places; village houses from €75 a room (October 2026).
3. A Pobra do Caramiñal – Cespón, 29.9 km and 320 m. The longest stage: Escarabote, Cabo de Cruz and the Neixón hillforts in Boiro. Start early and carry water.
4. Cespón – Quintáns, 23.2 km and 300 m. The chapel of San Ramón de Bealo and Rianxo, Castelao’s home town. Where to stay in Quintáns: only 3 places, including cabins with a private spa.
5. Quintáns – Padrón, 16.3 km and 280 m. Short, so you reach Padrón in good time, where tradition places the arrival of the apostle’s boat.
6. Padrón – Santiago de Compostela, 25.2 km and 410 m. It joins the Portuguese Way: more pilgrims and the entry through the Porta Faxeira.

Where to stay: what you need to know

• Book Quintáns and Carreira before you leave. They are small places with very few beds; if they are full, the nearest alternative is more than 15 km away.
• Padrón is easy: 60 places, with guide prices from €60 a night (September 2026).
• In summer and in 2027, a Holy Year, the Barbanza coast fills with holidaymakers: July and August get booked months ahead.

Before you go

The waymarking is new and thin at some junctions: carry the track on your phone. There are bars in almost every harbour on the coast, but on stage 3, between Cabo de Cruz and Cespón, services thin out. The best time is May–June and September, with long days and quieter beaches.