Galicia, Sanabria and the Bierzo

Your trip starts at Ponte Maceira, where pilgrims on the way to Finisterre cross the Tambre on a medieval bridge. Stop by the old mill and the weir beside it, and look at the Romanesque church of Santa María de Portor. Then on to Mondoñedo.

In Mondoñedo, let the streets of the old town lead you to the cathedral square. Inside the cathedral, look for the English Madonna, then try the Tarta de Mondoñedo in a café. Stay the night here, in a small town sheltered by its valley.

Today slows down at Oseira, gathered round its monastery, Santa María la Real. Walk round it, then take your time with the quiet countryside of the parish, where small hamlets lie scattered among the hills. Stay the night here or nearby; try the region's empanada gallega for supper.

At Vilanova dos Infantes, only a single tall tower survives from the old fortress. Walk the restored medieval village around it, and step into San Salvador church to see its Romanesque Christ, hung on a cross carved to look like tree branches. Then on to Castro Caldelas.

Castro Caldelas sits on a height over the Sil, in the Ribeira Sacra. Climb to the restored castle at the top of the town, then raise a glass of Ribeira Sacra wine from the nearby valley. Settle in for the evening among the oak and chestnut woods.

Puebla de Sanabria is a frontier town on a spur between two rivers. Climb through its streets of traditional houses to the castle for the wide views, and look in at the church of Nuestra Señora del Azogue. Stay the night here, with Botillo for supper.

Castrillo de los Polvazares was built by muleteers, and its cobbled streets still show wide gateways and courtyards for carts and animals. Wander the stone houses, then sit down to a cocido maragato in one of the restored muleteers' houses. After that, on to Molinaseca.

You arrive in Molinaseca the way pilgrims do, across the Puente de los Peregrinos, with its seven arches. Follow the historic street past manor houses with coats of arms, and stop at the Baroque Santuario de las Angustias beside the Camino. Stay the night here, by the river.

Your last stop is Peñalba de Santiago, a mountain hamlet of slate-roofed stone houses next to the Valley of Silence. Visit the Mozarabic church of Santiago and the cave where Saint Gennadius lived as a hermit, or take one of the walking routes beneath the peaks. Then the road runs on to León.