Stage Vigo to Pontevedra

This stage joins Vigo and Pontevedra in a single day, combining two sections usually walked separately: Vigo to Redondela, on the Coastal Portuguese Way, and Redondela to Pontevedra, shared with the Central Portuguese Way. The result is about 35.2 kilometres with around 610 metres of cumulative ascent and as much descent, spread over several moderate climbs. No slope is particularly hard, but the distance makes it a demanding day best started early and with plenty of water.

The route sets off from the co-cathedral of Santa María in Vigo's old town and crosses Oliva, Gamboa and Victoria streets to the Praza de Compostela. Along Areal and García Barbón it reaches the Teis district after a steep climb, and the Camiño da Xorxa crosses the greenway, the AP-9 motorway and the N-552 to join the Senda da Traída das Augas. From here the setting changes completely: the path runs along the hillside, alternating earth and tarmac under the trees, passes a small waterfall on the Rego Fondón and opens onto viewpoints over the Rande strait, its bridge and the San Simón inlet, scene of the 1702 naval battle that Jules Verne evoked in his novels.

After a long shaded track and the Mina do Conde fountain, the route drops steeply beside the church of San Andrés de Cedeira and, crossing the railway and the N-550, enters Redondela, the town of viaducts, at around kilometre 15. Here the Coastal variant merges with the Central Portuguese Way, and walkers will share the path with pilgrims coming from Tui all the way to Santiago.

The second half begins beneath the railway viaducts and reaches Cesantes, from where a rising track climbs the Viso ridge with views over the estuary. The descent leads to Arcade, famous for its oysters, and soon to the medieval bridge of Pontesampaio over the Verdugo river, site of the 1809 battle against Napoleon's troops. On the other side comes the day's hardest climb along the Brea Vella da Canicouva, a stretch of paved causeway through woodland, followed by tracks and hamlets up to the chapel of Santa Marta.

The final section eases thanks to the Gafos riverside path, which brings pilgrims into Pontevedra almost free of traffic. The entry follows the Rúa da Peregrina to the sanctuary of the Virgen Peregrina, patron of the province, with its unusual scallop-shaped floor plan. The pedestrian historic centre, full of stone squares, invites a well-earned rest after one of the longest days on the Portuguese Way.