The Camino Sanabrés is a route with two faces. At Granja de Moreruela it branches off from the Vía de la Plata and heads straight for Santiago, without the detour via the Camino Francés. Pilgrims who started in Sevilla simply carry on here. You’ll sometimes hear it called the ‘Vía de la Plata via Ourense’. In Castilla y León it is known as the Camino Mozárabe-Sanabrés.
First you walk through the flat landscape of Zamora. Wide open, quiet, with plenty of sky. Then the route climbs into the mountains of Sanabria, with Puebla de Sanabria and its castle as a lovely landmark. In inland Galicia the path goes up and down, and the steep climbs begin. After A Gudiña you can walk via Verín, which is flatter but about 16 kilometres longer. This stage breakdown goes via Laza. In Ourense you can rest your legs in the hot springs. Further on lies the monastery of Oseira. At A Laxe the Camino de Invierno joins you.
Walk it in May, June or September, when it’s very manageable. From November to January, and in March, it’s cool and often rainy, sometimes up to sixteen days a month. Many pilgrims start in Ourense. From there it’s just over 100 kilometres, enough for the Compostela. If you want to walk the whole route, you’ll need good fitness and a love of silence.