Portomarín

Portomarín is the town that refused to drown.

In the 1960s the old town was flooded to create the Belesar reservoir, and rather than abandon it, the people of Portomarín carried it uphill — stone by stone, including the great Romanesque Church of San Nicolás, rebuilt above the waterline. Walk down to the reservoir in a dry summer and you can still see the old bridge emerging from the water, a reminder of what lies beneath.

For pilgrims on the final stretch, Portomarín is the first full day out of Sarria and the first night of the last hundred kilometres. It has the particular calm of a town that exists almost entirely for walkers: albergues along the main street, pilgrim menus in every second doorway, and a main square made for resting tired feet in the evening sun.

Staying here means choosing between the lively pilgrim albergues and the quieter pensions on the town’s edges — 32 places to stay are listed below, with addresses, prices, seasons and booking. In the busy months the town fills by mid-afternoon; arriving early or booking ahead takes the worry out of the day.

From here, less than 100 kilometres remain: Palas de Rei, Arzúa, O Pedrouzo, and then Santiago. The end is close enough now to feel. Buen Camino.