From Baamonde to A Cabana, Camino del Norte, Stage no. 28

Basic Details

• Starting point: Baamonde, a small village with one big pilgrim hostel (close to 100 beds) and one other hostel, frequented mostly by pilgrims. You can count with all services in this small town that basically lives from the Camino. It is also a place located 101 kilometers from Santiago de Compostela, which is the minimal distance you have to walk in order to get your certificate of completing the pilgrimage once you’re in Santiago.
• Ending point: A small peaceful hamlet of A Cabana, with a pilgrim albergue and nothing else. It is necessary that you bring your own food with you.
• Availability of alternative routes: No. There aren’t any marked trails or other alternatives I could recommend here. You have to follow the official Camino.
• Distance:  25 km (download GPS here).
• Elevation difference: +475 m, – 270 m.
• Link to online map: here.
• Difficulty score: 3/5.
• Beauty score: 3/5.
• Terrain/asphalt: 40%/60% (Once you leave the zone of Baamonde and head south, the roads are super quiet and have virtually no traffic. On the top of that, as it is the case many times on the Camino, even on the stretches where you are supposed to walk on the road, there is often a small path next to it that you can take and avoid excessive road walking).
• Next stage: Camino del Norte, stage no. 29, A Cabana – A Gandara (Boimorto).
• Previous stage: Camino del Norte, stage no. 27, Vilalba – Baamonde.

Elevation profile for the route

– Although you go up for most of the day, the gradient of the climb is very low, rarely surpassing 4%. That’s why even though it is 25 kilometers long, the stage cannot be considered particularly difficult.

Advanced info about the stage

• Trail marking: Almost perfect, and the entire stage is easy for navigation and you have nowhere to get lost. Tho stone markers (that show not only the direction but also the remaining distance to Santiago, now less than 100 kilometers!) are well placed, and there isn’t a single crossroad where you could have doubts which way to take.  
  
• Natural places worth seeing: Nothing in particular, but as you can see in the gallery below, the stage is really nice, passing through peaceful and sparsely populated rural Galicia. Cows, sheep, small hills, plenty of flowers and trees, they will all accompany you on today’s walk. You do not need to make any detours to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding you on today’s walk.
• Historical, architectural, artistic, and culinary places worth seeing: 
  • Torre de Miraz: A watchtower from the 18th century, in the small town of Miraz. You cannot enter the complex since it has been turned into a private property (a practice pretty common in all Spain, here even a mountain can be a private property :)), but it is still nice, and right on the Camino.
• Camping/bivouac options on this stage: Definitely doable, with some excellent spots. Some places here are private property but some are not, and you can always find a good hidden spot under some tree. The best zone for wild camping in my opinion is the plateau after the town of Miraz, around this location, since you have plenty of small hills with rocks you can pitch your tent behind and be protected from the eyes of very occasional passersby (not many really). It is also just about 2 kilometers from Miraz, so you can stack on provision there and later camp in peace… For a great camping place closer to La Cabana, I recommend you to climb to Cova de Serpe, a nice location with some legends and great views, about 2 kilometers away from the Camino. Be aware that local hikers and dog walkers and bikers sometimes go here (but police never does), so if you want privacy it is better arriving just before sunset. The place is great for bivouac as well, since you are protected from rain and dew by the roof of the cave. At least if such places do not give you a scare :). There is also one organized camping in the zone:
  • Camping Lugo (El Meson): Good reviews, dog friendly, 4 km away from the Camino, close to the starting point of today’s stage, Baamonde. It is typically used by people visiting the town of Lugo (the nicest town on Camino Primitivo), but you can definitely camp there walking del Norte too.
• Dog friendly score: 4/5. Great stage for dogs, with regular river crossings (with easy access for the dog to go down to the water and drink/cool itself down), some shade, and some nice trail passages. The only problem is that the pilgrim hostels in the zone rarely accept dogs, and you will likely either have to camp, or walk all the way to Sobrado de Monxes (14 km extra), where two places accept pilgrims with dogs. One is called Albergue Lecer (a budget option), another one Pension Via Sacra (higher prices, more fitting if you walk as a couple with a dog).
• Special remarks: None.

Accommodation options on today’s stage

* The infographic displays the number of pilgrim hostels (only pilgrims allowed), hostels (anyone allowed, shared rooms), and other accommodation options (hotels, pensions, etc, private rooms) in each point along the route, together with price range. For exact explanation of the pictograms we use check the explanations page. Below the infographic you will see our recommended picks (up to 3 pilgrim options and 1-2 “privacy” options, maximum five) for the stage, together with important information (but not too much info, just what you need :-)).

Recommended places to sleep along this stage

Pilgrim options:

1. Albergue A Lagoa, Friol (km 12). Location and reviews on Google maps here. 21 beds, 14 euro/bed, plus 14 euro extra for a communal dinner (a buffet). A nice albergue with good reviews across all platforms. Even has a small shop onsite, which helps a lot in the zone that lacks services. The people in charge are very nice, and though the place has some room for improvement (if you’re quite picky about hygiene and similar matters, it isn’t the right place for you), it is definitely fine for a night on the Camino. Check-in from noon, recommended way of making a reservation: phone call, +34 982 153 431, or +34 646 190 292.
2. Albergue San Martin, Miraz (km 15). Location and reviews on Google maps here. A nice donation-based pilgrim hostel, with 26 beds, all in one big room (snoring concert almost guaranteed :)). Run bu a Confraternity of Saint James (based in England), and almost all volunteers working here during the year are native English speakers. It could certainly be a relief for some pilgrims. Anyway, the place has excellent reviews on all platforms, it is donation based, kitchen is well-equipped for cooking your own food, and all in all a highly recommended place on the Camino. You can reserve a bed one day in advance, calling +34 982 830 700.
3. Albergue de Peregrinos A Cabana (km 25). 30 beds, 10 euro/bed. Location and reviews on Google maps here. A very interesting albergue in an isolated location, one of those few places on the Camino where you have neither mobile signal nor internet. It is perhaps for this reason (lack of internet) that many people avoid it, and that’s no surprise in the era when almost everyone is addicted to social media and the constant dopamine rush browsing them presents :). Anyway, for a peaceful rest and if you have a book to read with you for the afternoon, it is a pretty good albergue. The installations are new and clean, the kitchen is well-equipped (definitely much better than kitchens in most public albergues run by Galicia), and the person in charge is a nice guy. Check-in from 1pm, doesn’t accept reservations but it rarely gets full so it isn’t really a big issue.

Privacy/luxury options:

1. Pension & Albergue Casa Roxica, km 24. Location and reviews on Google maps here. It has both dorm option (with 6 beds) and 3 private rooms, and for the lack of other privacy options along the route, I decided to mention it here. 55 euro/room for the night, not a bad price for a private room for a couple. The diner 9 euro extra.  Has some good reviews and some bad reviews on different platforms, but in my opinion it is definitely a decent “privacy” option on this stage of the Camino. Nice communal zones inside & outside to chat with fellow pilgrims. Check-in time isn’t clear from either their website or other available online resources. You can make a reservation on the phone number +34 630 487 008.

Pictures from the stage

– Finally off the road, with some nice flowers and trees making for a colorful scenery.

– There is one wonderful section you will pass through on today’s stage, which happens to be ideal for camping as well. Lot of “micro” hills and some trees, and finally no private property :).

– If you’re afraid of dogs, rural Galicia won’t be your thing. Because here some big shepherd dog can cross your path anytime. These dogs are friendly and typically dream of one thing only--to cuddle with you for a while :). However, I understand that with their sheer size and appearing out of nowhere, they can give many pilgrims a scare…

– A tree school and a group of cows relaxing in the distance. Rural Galicia at its best, and you can enjoy it to the fullest today.

Few tips at the end

• If you follow our itinerary and decide to stay in A Cabana, you should know that there is no mobile signal in the albergue, or anywhere close to it. I absolutely love such places :), but if you happen to be one of those kids who cannot live a day without social networks, or if you like to have your bed reserved for the next night, you better do your online stuff while taking a coffee in Miraz (a small town with a shop and a bar 10 km before A Cabana), which has a good mobile signal and the local bar has a WiFi as well.
• There is one special place to stay while doing  this part of the Camino del Norte, and that’s a monastery Sobrado de los Monxes. A beautiful complex of monastic buildings has renovated the section devoted to pilgrims a few years ago. It is a 14km extra walk from A Cabana, but some pilgrims do this long stage to reach the place, and stay in the monastery. It also depends on your preferences–the albergue in the monastery has more grandiose, it is more on a religious/spiritual side. On the other hand A Cabana is the real rural Galicia, a super peaceful place with no mobile signal and cows for your only company. It is also possible staying one day in A Cabana, and doing a short day to the monastery the next day, so you experience both of these interesting places that offer very different experiences for the pilgrims.

Next stage/Previous stage

• Next stage: Camino del Norte, stage no. 29, A Cabana – A Gandara (Boimorto).
• Previous stage: Camino del Norte, stage no. 27, Vilalba – Baamonde.