Stage Abadín to Vilalba

The 20.8 kilometres separating Abadín from Vilalba make up the most amiable stage of the Camino del Norte on its way through Lugo. After the previous day's climb, the pilgrim is already settled on the Terra Chá -literally, the flat land- and feels it in the legs from the very first kilometre: the profile accumulates barely 250 metres of positive ascent and another 290 of descent, spread over undulations so gentle that they are hardly noticed.

The surface is comfortable and forgiving: well-maintained dirt tracks alternating with stretches of asphalt carrying little traffic. The Camino runs parallel to the N-634 road, which it crosses twice during the day -it is worth taking extra care at both crossings- but without ever walking along it. The rest of the time you advance between green meadows enclosed by walls and hedges, and small woods of native trees, above all oaks and birches.

The itinerary links up the hamlets of the cattle-farming Terra Chá: As Paredes, Martiñán and O Campo do Cristo, small scattered villages where the economy is the dairy cow and where the pilgrim passes more cowsheds than bars. Services along the way are scarce, so it is wise to leave Abadín with water and something to nibble, although the stage is short enough to be managed without trouble.

Vilalba announces itself from afar by its tower. The Torre dos Andrade, the octagonal keep that survives from the old castle of the lords of Vilalba, dominates the rooftops and today houses the Parador; it is one of the most recognisable sights in the district. The town, capital of the Terra Chá and the largest the pilgrim has met since Mondoñedo, offers every service and a first-rate larder: this is where queixo de San Simón da Costa is made, the pear-shaped smoked cheese with Protected Designation of Origin, and where the celebrated capón de Vilalba is raised, star of the Christmas fair. A good place for a long dinner.