Lestedo

Lestedo is a small hamlet in the A Ulloa region, part of the Lugo municipality of Palas de Rei, which the Camino Francés crosses about five kilometres from the town. After climbing over the Sierra de Ligonde, the pilgrim reaches this peaceful rural spot of meadows and scattered farmsteads, where the stage from Portomarín enters its final leg. Its main landmark is the church of Santiago de Lestedo, Romanesque in origin, which was a priory dependent on the monastery of San Marcos de León, mother house of the Order of Santiago; a stone cross and the small parish cemetery stand beside it along the pilgrim route. The village also preserves the former rectory, now converted into a rural guesthouse. Here the walker finds basic services —a hostel, a bar and lodging— before the descent towards Palas de Rei. Lestedo embodies that inland Galicia of pastures and stone that heralds the now-near end of the stage.