Triacastela on the Camino: San Xil or Samos, measured

Triacastela is the first village after O Cebreiro, 132.4 km from Santiago, and here the Camino splits in two for Sarria. The way by San Xil is 18.0 km over one hill, up to 884 m. The way by Samos and its monastery is 22.2 km down the river valley, never above 674 m: 4.2 km longer and 210 m lower at its highest. Then a surprise: it is not the one with less climbing.

Two ways to Sarria

The ways part at the end of the village and meet again just before Sarria. By San Xil, the way our plan follows, you climb 204 m in one go through A Balsa and San Xil to the Alto do Riocabo at 884 m, about 5.3 km out, then go down nearly all the way: 18.0 km, 274 m up and 499 m down. By Samos you go down into the valley of the river Oribio and reach the monastery after 9.6 km. After it the way climbs and drops over the side valleys, never more than 104 m at once, to Sarria: 22.2 km, 335 m up and 555 m down.

The monastery of Samos

The monastery of San Xulián de Samos is one of the oldest in Spain, founded in the 6th century. Benedictine monks still live there. A fire in 1951 burned much of it, and it was rebuilt. It sits on the river at 571 m, deep in the valley, out of sight of the San Xil way.

Which one to take

Take San Xil if you want the shorter day: 18.0 km, with the one climb done in the first hour or two. Take Samos if you want the monastery and the river, and have the legs for 22.2 km. Do not take Samos to save your legs: it climbs 61 m more than San Xil, in small pieces. Either way, Sarria is a busy town, so book your bed if you can.

The village of three castles

Triacastela is named for three castles, of which nothing is left. It sits 636.2 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, at the foot of the long descent from O Cebreiro: 20.9 km down from the village at 1,293 m. On our plan it is the end of that day and the start of day 31 of 36, the day to Sarria. The Codex Calixtinus, the pilgrims’ guide of the 12th century, ends a stage here too.

The day before, down from the top: O Cebreiro.

The stone you were meant to carry

The same Codex tells of a custom: pilgrims took a stone of limestone from Triacastela and carried it to the lime kilns at Castañeda, near Arzúa, where it was burnt into lime for building the cathedral of Santiago. On our track that is about 90 km with a stone in your pack.

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Tomorrow: the last 100 km

Two in three pilgrims who finish the Francés start in Sarria, the last town before 100 km, the distance the Compostela asks for. From there it is 5 days and 114.4 km to Santiago on our plan, and the paths are much busier than the ones you walked to get there.

The days from Sarria, one by one: Sarria to Santiago.

The first night after Sarria: Portomarín.

Another fork on the Francés, a few days earlier: Villafranca del Bierzo. Every stage of the Francés, one by one: the stages guide.

Heights and distances are from our elevation profiles of the Camino Francés and of the Samos way, both sampled every 100 m, from Triacastela to Sarria. Guides measured another way differ: Gronze gives 17.8 km by San Xil and says Samos is 7.2 km longer. The castles, the stone and the monastery are from Wikipedia; the woods along the Oribio are as Gronze describes them.

Common questions

Should I go to Sarria by San Xil or by Samos?

San Xil is shorter, 18.0 km, with one climb to 884 m. Samos is 22.2 km and never above 674 m, with the monastery on the way, but it climbs a little more in all: 335 m against 274 m.

How much longer is the Samos route?

4.2 km on our measure, 22.2 km against 18.0 km. Guidebooks measured another way give up to 7.2 km.

How far is Triacastela from Santiago?

132.4 km on foot by the Camino Francés, through Sarria.

Can you visit the monastery of Samos?

Yes. It is on the Samos way, 9.6 km from Triacastela, and Benedictine monks still live there. Check the visiting times when you arrive.

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