Todays' route from Palais de Rei to Arzua consists of over 26kms, or more than16 miles.

We travel down to Casanova, up, then down, to Melide, onto Boenta, up to Portela and finally steeply down to Ribadiso and Arzua.

We cross 6 river valleys and a glorious 70% is on pathways mostly through woodland that helps to keep the noise of traffic down and energy levels up. The village of Melide makes a good half way stop where we can stop for lunch if we are continuing to Ribadiso.

If we intend to detour off the route to visit the magnificent Pambre Castle or the famous Pazo Ulloa, we need to leave early in the morning.

In Outeiro da Ponte, we rejoin the paved road and cross a bridge over the Rio Pambre. Climb up the other side of the valley through the tiny hamlet of Pontecampana, a lovely walk through oak trees along a stone trail grooved with many years of cart tracks.

We'll reach Leboreiro in less than a kilometre. The village declined sharply after its heyday in the eleventh to thirteenth centuries, when the Iglesia de Santa Maria was built to house a statue of the Virgin.

We then head downhill to Disecabo and cross a humpbacked bridge dedicated to Maria Magdalena. The countryside is now much drier, with fewer trees and more thorn, broom and heather, then pass a picnic area with fountains paid for by the modern Knights of Santiago, who have marked the area with a giant cross.

In just over lkm, we cross the four-arched mediaeval Ponte Velha into the village of Furelos, now merged with the larger town of Melide. The Iglesia de San Juan on the other side of the bridge offers guided tours, sometimes in English.

Melide - the Museo da Terra de Melide is a wonderful place to learn more about the region's history and about traditional life, customs and craftsmanship.

From Melide to Arztia, there's a lot of up-and-down climbing as we traverse this part of Galicia's many small valleys. Less than lkm outside town, we pass the twelfth century Romanesque Iglesia de Santa with beautiful frescoes inside.

A little farther on, we pass through Carballos. We're soon walking through eucalyptus trees, interspersed with the odd section of pine or oak.

We walk through Raido and A Peroxa, then turn left to walk through Boente known for its local fountain, the Fonte da Saleta. The route changes to a dirt road once more, becoming a pleasant stroll through rolling countryside.

At the bottom of yet another valley we cross the Rio Isa and enter the tiny hamlet of Ribadiso do Baixo. Also known to pilgrims as Puente Paradiso, it's a beautiful location with an excellent albergue in the restored hospice of San Anton, which dates from the fourteenth century.