41st Stage
Silleda – Ponte Ulla (24,0 km)
Leave Silleda on the N-525, direction Santiago, passing in front of the Town Hall to a building with the sign Muebles Trotin. Turn to the left and then to the right behind a warehouse, you go out again to the road to enter again to the left of the same one by asphalted track, to the 500 meters you return again to the national road; later another track, path and cobblestone way takes you away from Silleda. When you reach the morgue, the path turns left at the place called O Foxo de Deza, along a fairly well preserved road. O Foxo enjoyed great importance in the Middle Ages and many of its houses bear witness to this. You leave by “a fonte do Picho”. After about 2.7 kilometres you cross an asphalted road that goes from Riocalvo to Gamil, climbs slightly and then descends until you reach the medieval bridge “A Ponte de Pedra” over the river Toxa. Cross the road that dies on the N-525 road. Cross several asphalted tracks. After 5 kilometres turn right and you will see a large walnut tree and a house in Penido. Turn right again and take a track to Chapa. Near this place there was a hospital for pilgrims that had the Virgen de la Consolación as its patron saint. A little further on is the place of A Devesa. After the treatment plant, turn right; on the left you can see the mobile phone antennas. Take the N-525 road known in this section as “A calzada”, already in the town of
BANDEIRA
It belongs to the Town Hall of Silleda, to the parish of San Tirso de Mandoas. It is an important centre of population established as a crossroads, with important fairs since the Middle Ages, one of which was called “Feria da Pomba”.
- Hostel of the Xunta de Galicia. Calle Lourás s/n. 30 places, 6€.
- Parish House: Tel: 986 585 336. Attended by D. José Espiño ( Priest)
- Hostel in Polideportivo Municipal: Tel: 986 580 000. mattresses 8 places, 3€.
Hostal Conde Rey: Rua Xeral, 27 Tel: 986 585 861. Discount for pilgrims with credentials
You leave at rua Xeral and rua Vista Alegre. At the crossroads, turn right onto the PK of road 310, towards Piñeiro on an asphalt track with a steep descent. At 8.07 kilometres there is a track in the municipality of Lamela. Continue straight on at this and the other crossroads. After 10 kilometres you reach Dornelas, with a 12th century Romanesque church and a round dovecote next to the road, there is a hostel and a cafeteria.
You leave on an asphalted track and at the fork, on the left, you begin to breathe eucalyptus air mixed with pines and oaks. After 13.8 kilometres there is another fork, follow it to the right, then to the left.
Behold this landscape that offers you a multitude of sensations and when you least expect it, after a descent you can see in front, and in the distance, the Pico Sacro, which appears and disappears at every turn of the road.
You arrive at San Miguel de Castro: you know why the path is full of hydrangeas of all colours. There is a hermitage dedicated to Santiago Apóstol. There is also a bar if you want to rest and have a drink.
At the fork, go to the right, descending, to see the Pico Sacro again. You reach the place of Noveldo, a steep slope brings you closer to the river Ulla, you pass by the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Gundián, strategically located with the Ulla at its feet and the impressive San Xoan da Cova behind it, it is the place of an important Galician pilgrimage. Soon, you can see Ponte Ulla and the viaduct of San Xoan da Cova, passing through the Santiago-Zamora railway, 90 meters high above the waters.
PONTE ULLA
It’s the parish of Vedra. The Ulla is a singular region of great beauty and wealth and there are those who call it the “Compostela Garden”.
- Restaurant “Ríos”: Tel: 981 512 305 (beds).
- Hostel “O Cruceiro da Ulla”: Private. 30 places. C/Andrea Monreal, 6. Tel: 981 512 527 / 649 952 594
The old bridge is crossed and, where the Hostal Ríos is today, it was where the bridge’s siding was collected. Continue along this street and to the left is the parish church of La Magdalena, which only preserves the Romanesque apse; it is believed that it was ordered to be built in the eighth century by a Bishop of Lugo.
