Vairão to Barcelos

The stage between Vairão and Barcelos is one of the longest days of the Central Portuguese Way and requires pilgrims to set off at first light, especially in warm months. The departure runs near the Monastery of Santa Cristina and quickly connects with dirt tracks that wind between young eucalyptus groves and cornfields, with very little asphalt in the first third of the route. After about six kilometres, pilgrims reach Arcos, a small village with traditional cafés where many take a first technical break. From there, the route rises and falls over gentle hills to São Pedro de Rates, a mandatory stop for its 12th-century Romanesque church, one of the most singular in the Minho. The temple, austere in its walls and rich in its capitals, recalls the medieval origins of the route. After Rates, the Way joins old Roman road sections that cross villages such as Pedra Furada —famous for its traditional restaurants— and Pereira. The combination of "vinho verde" vineyards, low stone walls and cultivated fields shapes one of the most beautiful landscapes of the Portuguese Way. The approach to Barcelos is via local roads descending towards the Cávado valley. Entering the city, crossing the medieval bridge over the river, is one of the most memorable moments of the stage: on one side, the terraced steps of the old quarter; on the other, the towers of the historic centre. Barcelos, city of the famous Galo, offers pilgrims a lively historic centre and abundant pensions to recover in.