In September 2025 I travelled my fifth Camino de Santiago via the Camino Sanabrés. A 235 mile pilgrimage around the border of Spain and Portugal. Starting in Granja de Moreruela on the Via de la Plata, finishing in Santiago de Compostela.
I had Camino FOMO seeing some group chats from my previous adventures on ‘The Way’ spring to life with pilgrims sharing images of their walks. I booked 16 days off in September to do an ambitious 378km route within 14 days. The Sanabrés is a spur from the Via de la Plata, for those seeking peace and wanting to avoid the cacophony of the Francés from Astorga. I expected this to be a quiet route, but I was in for one of solitude. At one point I went 7 days without seeing another pilgrim; I had nights where I had entire albergues to myself!
Here is a video of this adventure.
The Protagonist of Solitude
I Can Hear the Soft Sound of Stones Crunching Underfoot
Firstly, I’ve done a little video of my recent one day walk with the British Pilgrimage Trust. Not quite on the scale of my Norte one, but it will kill 6 mins of your time. It can be found here: With completing my video and doing a fair bit of walking in the current spring sunshine we’re experiencing in the UK, I’m starting to miss the Spanish Sun, long days on The Way, a cold…
Best Laid Plans and All
Not the ideal start to this years Camino. The train down to Gatwick was running 20mins late but with no rush to be at the accommodation I’d booked, I just went with the flow. I had booked an en-suite in a guest house, 20 min walk from the airport. I dumped my stuff and went into Horley, the little town nearby for a pint. I stopped at a lively pub for one before moving onto…
Camino Sanabrés Day 1 – Tábara
I was asleep the instant my head hit the pillow – it had been a long day. I was out the door at 8.30am heading back to the bus stop, but my luck with the public transport hadn’t changed. There was only one bus to Granja de Moreruela, and it leaves at 4pm. I had to bite the bullet and get a taxi – my last resort. 20 minutes later and 60€ lighter, I was…
Camino Sanabrés Day 2 – Santa Marta
Great night sleep, and I owe it to my new addition for this year – an eye mask. The street light shone through the window opposite me. A quick breakfast at 7am and I hit the road, the last to leave the albergue. I soon caught up with Tania, who I walked with for the first couple of kilometres. The moon was full and present as the sky slowly brightened. It was a little chilly…
Camino Sanabrés Day 3 – Rionegro del Puente
I left at dawn passing through the village following a dirt path. It was chilly, cold enough to put my jumper on. I walked with Tania talking about her life living “off grid” in Australia. The views weren’t too great, the route passed by quarries, with Large trucks thundering by kicking up plumes of dust. I pulled ahead and after a while the route joined a forest track leaving behind the industrial excavation and HGVs.…
Camino Sanabrés Day 4 – Puebla de Sanabria
It was a tough day and had the first rain on this Camino. There was a headwind for most the day under brooding skies to add to the difficulty. I was the first to leave the albergue not waiting for the cafe to open at 8.30am. I knew I had a long trek ahead. I said goodbye to my fellow peregrinos, potentially the last time I’d see them. The skies were purple and windy, I…
Camino Sanabrés Day 5 – Lubián
It was tough today with some steep climbs, navigating a collapsed bridge and a lot of road walking – I reckon 50% of today was on tarmac. I was on the route at 7am. I wanted to be in the woodlands around this time in the hope I could catch a glimpse of the Iberian Wolf. They are active at dawn and dusk – they are crepuscular (bet you didn’t know there was a word…
Camino Sanabrés Day 6 – A Gudiña
It was a little spooky to say the least last night. Alone in an albergue that has lights dangling by the wires and sockets hanging from the fittings. Coupled with being in the middle of rural Spain and owls hooting outside – I’m sure I’ve seen a horror film like this?! At 7.30am I was power walking back on the Camino before someone wears my skin for a coat. It was a gentle down hill…
Camino Sanabrés Day 7 – Laza
A whole day in the mountains of Galicia, with rolling green hills as far as the eye could see. The best thing of all, it was a very gentle ascent. The alarm didn’t have a chance, I was up at 5.50am. I decided to get ready and head off. A complete different experience to last nights albergue. I was out the door just before 7. Once out of the town it was pitch black requiring…
Camino Sanabrés Day 8 – Xunquiera de Ambía
The hill wasn’t as bad as my drunken friend last night portrayed. A day of great views and surprisingly, a few watering holes along the way. At 7am I dropped the albergue keys off at the ambulance station then hit the Camino. For the first 1.5 hours it was flat, mostly road walking. Once at Tamícelas the up hill section began. I managed to get to it before the sun crested the surrounding mountains. When…
Camino Sanabrés Day 9 – Ourense
Even though it was a short day, it felt like the toughest. I left just before 8am saying goodbye to Captain Pilgrim and getting a selfie with him. It was slightly misty, and the moisture in the air collected in my beard. The path started out on soft gravel but that soon turned to tarmac. That was it for rest of the day. Hard ground to walk on. At 3km outside a cafe I spotted…
Camino Sanabrés Day 10 – Cea
It is so good to be back in the countryside, and finally get off the tarmac. Out the traps at 7am. The hard pavement was very unwelcoming for my feet. As normal, trying to find my way out of a city is always challenging. I relied on Gronze Maps heavily. After 2km I came to the fork in the road – one via Tamallancos the other via Canedo. I set out to go via Tamallancos…
Camino Sanabrés Day 11 – A Laxe
Brucey bonus, I miscalculated. It was a 34km day! The route was an undulating mix of road and forest trails. I didn’t sleep so well last night, just couldn’t get comfortable. At 5.40am I decided to get up and go. I had done Most of my packing last night, so I could get away early with it being another long day. It had just gone 6 when I began the day’s walk. For the first…
Camino Sanabrés Day 12 – Ponte Ulla
A totally chilled out day ambling long. It should have been a 22km day but ended up a 30km. The latest start for this Camino. Matthew, Luis and I agreed to meet at the restaurant in A Laxe for breakfast at 8am. The plan was to get to Donelas, a short 22km away. The private albergue looked rustic and interesting, and since I’m now running ahead of schedule, this would make for easy going into…
Camino Sanabrés Day 13 – Santiago de Compostela
The plan was to arrive into Santiago on Saturday. I had to keep to the schedule to complete the Sanabrés within 14 days. I went ahead of my initial Camino companions at day 3 – perhaps I could have stuck with them? We had breakfast at 8am, hitting the road 30mins later. It was mostly quiet country roads, passing through woodland and farming villages – pretty much what sums up Galicia. Santiago day is always…
The Sanabrés Video
I churned this one out quicker than expected. The lessons and tricks using the video software for the ‘Norte’ one, had come in handy! Stitching all the footage together was good fun, bringing back the experience of this solitary pilgrimage. It was a unique Camino, one that tested me in many ways I didn’t expect – I’m quite proud of this adventure. I managed 7 days with little interaction, save for my pigeon Spanish and…
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