Palas de Rei - Arzúa

It then continues with some uphill walking until the province of Lugo is left behind to enter A Coruña through O Coto, 8.5 kilometres away from the day’s starting point.  There are some villages along the way, as well as industrial areas and rural paths, until you reach the medieval bridge adjoining Furelos and Melide, where the pilgrims walking on the Primitive Way meet those taking the French Route.

Melide marks the exact mid-point of this day’s journey.  Notable sites include the renovated pilgrim hospital that is now the Museo da Terra and the Convent of Sancti Spiritus. There are also many restaurants where people can try octopus prepared the Galician way, simply boiled and seasoned with olive oil, salt and red pepper.

The path becomes milder after this, with lighter ups and downs, as it heads towards Ribadiso. In Ribadiso there is a hostel by the river.  I It is a wonderful place to take a break in the shade before completing the remaining 3 km to Arzúa. Here pilgrims coming from the North Way from Boimorto meet those on the French Way in another merging at the parish of Santa María de Arzúa.

Arzúa is famous for its delicious cheese and its pilgrim-hosting history, with many chapels, churches, manors, and pilgrim’s  pousadas worth visiting.