St. James Way through Palas de Rei

The French Way

The pilgrim doesn’t have to face big ascents in this stage from Palas de Rei to Melide. It starts in Portos, near this hamlet it is the Church of Vilar de Donas, which is one of the best examples of the Galician Romanesque in the French Way. There are several important places related to the History of this Way, as for example ‘Fonte do Remollón’ at Valos, it is a fountain where pilgrims quenched its thirsty. Then we find Rosario, the place where pilgrims could see for the first time the Pico Sacro.
The Way continues until the village of Palas de Rei where it is worth visiting the Church of San Tirso. Leaving the village there is a famous field, ‘Campo dos romeiros’, where pilgrims used to take a breather to continue towards Santiago.
There are many little hamlets crossed by the French Way where one can admire the beauty of its landscapes and its heritage; for example San Xiao do Camiño and its Romanesque church; near the French Way one can also visit the famous ‘Pazos da Ulloa’ (noble houses), as well as the Castle of Pambre, dated back from the 14th century.  The last hamlet of Palas de Rei is Campanilla, we leave the county council of Palas de Rei to enter in the Province of A Coruña.

The Primitive Way

Apart from the known French Way, Palas de Rei is also crossed by the Primitive Way. It goes through the hamlets of Seixalbos, Xende, Ferreira, Augas Santas or Merlán. In this stage there is a place called Hospital das Seixas which takes its name from an old hospital for pilgrims.

Pazos route (noble houses)

In this county council there are many noble houses (‘pazos’) which show the aristocracy past of Palas de Rei. In the first place, in the village we can find the Casa de Rouco, an antique house-tower of the 16th century. It continues towards Curbián, where it is the Casa de Baína and the Pazo of Vilamaior de Ulloa. In this area we can also visit the Pazo de Ouro, the Pazo de Chorexee, as well as the famous Pazo da Ulloa, and the Pazo Mariñao in San Pedro de Meixide.

Torrentes de Mácara route (torrents in the Ulla River)

It starts in Palas de Rei towards Antas de Ulla. Once we get to Pidre, we continue to Chorexe and then to Frádegas; there we find an old health resort, whose sulphide water is so prestigious. We resume our way on the bank of the Ulla River, going through fields and forests until we get to Mácara where the torrents are located creating a really beautiful landscape.

 

Castle of Pambre route

We can do this route by bicycle or on foot since a great part of this tour goes by paved roads. We leave Palas and, after around 2 kilometres, in Carballal we turn left. There are amazing green fields and lush vegetation on our way through the Ulloa ‘heart’. Once we get to Sambreixo we have to take a narrow path on the left bank of the Pambre River, this path leads to the Castle. It was built by Gonzalo Ozores de Ulloa on a sheer rock in the 14th century.