Alternative to the French Way to avoid mountain passes in winter. From Ponferrada it heads south through Monforte de Lemos.
Stages(10)
Ponferrada → Las Médulas
Start of the Winter Way from Ponferrada, an alternative to avoid the snow on O Cebreiro. Leave the Templar castle behind and walk towards Las Médulas, the ancient Roman gold mines declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with their spectacular reddish formations.
Las Médulas → Puente de Domingo Flórez
A mountainous stage descending from Las Médulas towards the Sil river. Impressive landscapes of centuries-old chestnut trees and deep valleys. Puente de Domingo Flórez is a mining village at the confluence of the Sil and Cabrera rivers, gateway to the Leonese Ribeira Sacra.
Puente de Domingo Flórez → A Rúa
Cross from León to Ourense through the Sil canyon. A spectacular stage through the Ribeira Sacra with vineyards on vertical terraces above the river. A Rúa de Valdeorras is the capital of the Valdeorras wine region, famous for its Godello grape and white wines.
A Rúa → Quiroga
A stage through the Sil valley with landscapes of vineyards and riverbank forests. Pass through villages with medieval bridges and abandoned mills. Quiroga preserves remains of ancient Roman mining operations and is a good point to taste Ribeira Sacra wine.
Quiroga → Monforte de Lemos
A long stage following the course of the Sil to its confluence with the Cabe in Monforte de Lemos. This monumental city has the impressive College of the Cardinal (the Galician Escorial), the castle of the Counts of Lemos and a well-preserved medieval historic quarter.
Monforte de Lemos → Chantada
A stage through the interior Ribeira Sacra, among heroic vineyards and chestnut forests. Cross villages with granaries and stone crosses. Chantada is a town with a medieval market and gateway to the impressive Sil canyons, where you can take a catamaran tour.
Chantada → Rodeiro
Ascend from the Miño valley towards the Galician interior highlands. Landscapes of meadows, oak groves and scattered villages. Rodeiro is a small rural municipality with Romanesque churches in its parishes and an atmosphere of authentic, little-visited Galicia.
Rodeiro → A Laxe
A stage through the interior sierras of Galicia. Pass near the Oseira monastery, the most important Cistercian abbey in Galicia. A Laxe is the point where the Winter Way converges with the Sanabrés Way for the final stretches towards Santiago.
A Laxe → Silleda
A stage shared with the Sanabrés Way through the Deza lands. Paths among green meadows, stone granaries and crosses. Silleda is a town with good services where several routes converge and you can already feel the proximity of Santiago.
Silleda → Santiago de Compostela
The great final stage shared with the Sanabrés Way. From Silleda cross through Bandeira and A Estrada before entering Compostelan lands. The last kilometers through Monte Pedroso reveal the silhouette of the cathedral. A triumphant arrival at the Plaza del Obradoiro after the long Winter Way.