O Cebreiro to Triacastela
Descent
- Distance
- 20.6 km
- Climb
- 273 m up, 901 m down
- Ground
- 665 to 1,335 m
- Time
- 5 to 7 hours
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Underfoot
- mountain, dirt, forest
Where this day sits on the Camino Francés
Above, the highest and lowest ground of each of its 33 stages. Below, the word each day is given.
From open-pilgrimages: each stage's highest and lowest ground and its interior theme.
The day
You walk above the clouds through the Galician mountains, and then you descend. The landscape transforms — from bare summits to chestnut groves to the green, wet valleys below. Everything here is softer than Castilla. The stone walls are covered in moss. The air smells of chestnut and damp earth. After the arid meseta and the high mountains, Galicia feels like arriving somewhere that has been waiting for you. Your body descends 600 meters and your guard comes down with it.
What pilgrims often meet here
- Walking through clouds above 1,200 meters
- The shock of Galicia's greenness after weeks of brown and gold
- A gentler, more humid landscape that softens the body
- Feeling the end approaching and wanting to slow down
What defenses have you been carrying that you no longer need?
The ground
Galician mountains. Two-thirds of the day above 1,200 m. Passes through the Sierra de Ancares.
The light
Sunrise and sunset in O Cebreiro depend on the day you walk.
Walk it with Pilgrim
In Pilgrim's Honor mode you can walk this stage as it is drawn here, and save its maps for days with no signal. The morning opens with this day's word, Descent, and its story. When you arrive, it asks the question above, and you can answer out loud. Your walk stays on your phone.
With Pilgrim on your phone, this opens the stage, ready to begin. Without it, you'll see the stage and where to get the app.