Following your arrival into Santiago de Compostela airport (2.5 hour transfer), a local taxi will pick you up and transfer you to your first hotel. A member of the local team will meet you at your hotel, to conduct your welcome meeting and fit you to your bikes (if hiring). This is the perfect time to ask any questions that you may have about the week ahead.

Before heading out to dinner you have an important task to take care of, to pick up a Pilgrim’s credential or passport. This document attests that you are a pilgrim and holds your personal details and a fold-out section for stamps of the places that you will be going through. The main city square is a short stroll away from the hotel and is an ideal place to soak up some true Spanish culture. This old part of town is an array of local eateries and bars where the city’s folk take their Paseo (promenade) in an evening, before settling into one of the terraces for some sustenance or refreshment.

• Meals: Breakfast

This morning you’ll set off on the exciting journey with Santiago in your distant sight!

From Ponferrada you will take a fun ride along the Rio Sil before heading out of the city through through vast and seemingly-endless allotments and vines, soon arriving at the village of Columbrianos. From here you’ll take a picturesque route through vast vineyards and villages, with the dark menacing masses of the Las Ancares mountain range in the distance. Following a fast trail descent you will find yourself entering the beautiful town of Villafranca del Bierzo, an ideal place for lunch.

As you head into the Vega de Valcarce the valley widens, opening into a beautiful, glaciated valley of meadows and tiny hamlets and villages.

• Meals: Breakfast

Today’s route can prove to be the toughest, yet one of the most beautiful on the road to Santiago. Firstly you’ll cruise deeper into the Valcarce valley passing Herrerias, a village related to the iron and steel industry, which has existed here since the Middle Ages and from where the main climb begins. The climb up to O‘Cebriero is on a well-surfaced lane with some steep sections and takes you past El Bierzo. Don’t worry though, the stunning views will take your mind off the climb!

On reaching O’Cebriero make sure you take some time to congratulate yourself on your achievement before beginning your 10km descent to the valley bottom. From here, you’ll follow the Rio Ouribio, through a valley wedged in by mountains, until one last swooping descent drops you to the bottom of a deep, steep valley where you enter the village of Samos, home to the great monastery of Los Santos Julian y Basilisa de Samos. On hot days the river at Samos is an ideal place for a refreshing end of ride dip!

• Meals: Breakfast

Today you will cycle deep into mysterious Galicia, rich with legends and stories of Brujeria (witchcraft) and mythology. The route is intricate, winding through tiny, granite hamlets and farmsteads, and as it’s short it gives you chance to savour the region’s beauty. On reaching Sarria, the only sizeable settlement en route, there’s a climb up to the hill town; in Galicia the Camino is well surfaced for cycling so you can enjoy the true route of this ancient journey.

Passing Barbadelo, and its beautifully-simple, 12th-century, Romanesque church, you’ll pick up a long Corredoira taking you past the 100km post (100km left to reach Santiago) at Mogarde. Here you’ll notice the Camino tends to get a little busier, as 100km is the minimum distance which pilgrims on foot need to travel to receive a Compostela! Your destination, Portomarin, sits high on the right-hand bank of the river, where the most important monuments of the town were moved stone by stone.

• Meals: Breakfast

After a well-deserved rest in Portomarin, you will head out for your first obstacle of the day, the climb up and past Monte de San Antonio, to the villages of Gonzar and Castromaior. The cycling is beautiful as you follow the pretty Torres stream through glades of oak and pine, over softly-undulating countryside that is very typical of this part of Galicia. The atmosphere along the trail is fantastic, one of camaraderie and excitement as you close in on your goal, counting down the Km signs as they go past one by one.

Following a 11km stretch of lane you’ll climb gently through the lush Sierra de Ligonde, passing many a village offering inviting hostelries to refresh the many jovial pilgrims. The trail continues through oak woods and eucalyptus plantations bringing you to the first village in the La Coruna province, Cornixa, from where you’ll follow a well-restored, medieval road. You‘re now nearly at your home for the night, Sedor, but not before a short steady climb through Melide.

• Meals: Breakfast

Your final day on the journey to Santiago is full of fun, with a party atmosphere filling the trail! It will be a memorable day, with just 48km to go! A steady climb brings you to the artisan’s town of Arzua, where, according to legend, a local woman who denied a tired, hungry pilgrim a piece of bread had her bread turned to stone! So please be in a sharing mood when you go out for dinner!

There is a quiet rest area in Santa Irene where you can stop and rest for your lunch, refuelling for the final pedal to Santiago. After riding through Lavacolla you’ll take on the last climbs of the Camino as you head up on paved roads and along to Monte del Gozo (Mount Joy), so called as the long awaited sight of Santiago comes into view for the first time. From here, it’s downhill all the way to a place declared a World Heritage Site in its entirety by UNESCO, Santiago de Compostela. Your sights will be set on the Plaza de Obradoiro, Santiago’s impressive cathedral square, which houses its greatest treasures. It’s a special moment, signifying the end of a truly memorable cycle ride and a memory which will last a lifetime!

At the end of your riding, we ask that you return your hire bikes to the bike shop in Santiago (approx. 10 minutes walking distance from your hotel).

• Meals: Breakfast

After a relaxing breakfast it’s time to pack those bags one last time, as we’ll be transferring you to Santiago de Compostela airport for your flight home.

Santiago Extension

Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful city to explore at your own pace and it is well recommended if you wish to stay for longer. The cathedral never fails to impress and delight, especially the impressive, incense-bearing Botafumerio as it swings from the rafters. Other sights of particular interest include the Convento de San Paio de Antelares, which houses the Museo de Arte Sacro, the Praza de la Azabacheria and Museo do Pobo Galego. The Hospital Real (now a luxury hotel) is worth a visit, even if it’s for a quick drink in the bar. Or why not take a few moments to relax and reflect on the trip and watch the world drift by in a plaza – a fantastic place to end the trip, relax and unwind.