O Cádavo

Camino de Santiago stage town on Camino Primitivo

O Cádavo, the small capital of the Baleira municipality, closes the first Galician stage of the Camino Primitivo: roughly 24 km from A Fonsagrada and one of the toughest days on the route. The stage climbs past wind turbines to the ruins of the Montouto pilgrim hospital at about 1,000 m, founded in the 14th century and recorded in 1586 as a shelter on 'depopulated land where the poor died of cold and snow', with the Neolithic dolmen of Pedras Dereitas beside it. A steep descent leads to Paradavella, the best place to stock up, before the notorious Costa do Sapo climb to A Lastra and a second pull to the Alto de Fontaneira (about 950 m); note that the only bar in Fontaneira closed in 2023. The last kilometres cross the Campo da Matanza, a plateau where legend places a victory of Alfonso II the Chaste over a Muslim army around 813 — the scene appears on Baleira's coat of arms — before a long, stony descent: the village stays hidden until you are almost on top of it. O Cádavo itself is a modern, practical place rather than a pretty one, but it has everything: bars, restaurants, supermarkets, a pharmacy and a health centre. The Xunta de Galicia albergue is right at the entrance on Rúa da Feira — about two dozen beds, open all year, no reservations, kitchen available, check-in from 13:00 — with private albergues, pensions and a hotel in the centre. Buy food for the next day: the 30 km stage to Lugo passes Castroverde (all services, about 8.5 km on) and then has little more than vending machines until the city.

• 174 kmfrom route start
• 714 mElevation
• 3 · 1albergues · hotels
• 23 kmfrom A Fonsagrada
• 28.8 kmto Lugo

Highlights

• End of the hard ~24 km first Galician stage from A Fonsagrada — Costa do Sapo and Alto de Fontaneira climbs
• Ruins of the 14th-century Montouto pilgrim hospital and the Pedras Dereitas dolmen on the way in
• Campo da Matanza: legendary battlefield of Alfonso II, shown on Baleira's coat of arms
• Xunta albergue at the entrance (about two dozen beds, open all year, no reservations, kitchen)
• Stock up here: after Castroverde the stage to Lugo has almost no services for 20 km

Albergues in O Cádavo

• Albergue San Mateo
• Albergue Porta Santa
• Albergue de Peregrinos do Cádavo (Baleira)

Hotels & guesthouses in O Cádavo

• Albergue San Mateo guesthouse

Lodging names from OpenStreetMap; check availability before you walk.

Stages through O Cádavo

Nearby towns

Nearby stages

Frequently asked questions

Where can I stay in O Cádavo?

3 albergues and 1 hotel in O Cádavo.

How far is O Cádavo from A Fonsagrada?

23 km from A Fonsagrada, 28.8 km to Lugo on the Camino Primitivo.