Day 14: Portomarin – Palas de Rei
Today’s walk passes through similar landscapes as yesterday. As you exit from Portomarin cross the river Miño, Galicia’s longest river, and then begin a steady uphill walk from 350m to 725m. For the next 12km, you have a challenging yet not difficult section on and off the road.
In Ventas de Narón, you pass the small 13th century Ermita de Santa María Magdalena. Built by the Knights Templar. In Castromaior the circa 4BC to 1AD Roman ruins are well worth the short detour off the Camino to reach them.
Your destination Palas de Rei, known as Palace of the King due to a king residing there, is a small country town with plenty of shops, bars and cafes, most of town life revolving around the Plaza del Concello. Visit la Iglesia de San Tirso originally built in the 12th to early 13th century. It has undergone numerous changes over the centuries with the only original part of the church, the Romanesque doorway.