Upon crossing the Neiva River, the village of Balugães and the impressive Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora Aparecida that dominates the landscape of Carmona Mountain, comes into view. The Sanctuary is documented as the first apparition of Our Lady in Portugal, in 1702. The trail continues through the countryside and after the first group of houses, enter in the village of Balugães. Take notice of the signposting with the information of the albergues that exist in this place, next to a resting area and a water point. Further ahead, you have to cross the Main Road, carefully, into a very old but curious path, that takes you to the centre of the parish. You are 180 km from Santiago. If you need to eat, you’ll find the restaurant “Taberna da Aldeia”, in Lugar do Outeiro, or the restaurant “Altamira”, in Avenida Senhora da Aparecida. To sleep, you’ll find the local accommodation “Casas da Quinta da Cancela”, the “Apartamento Alta Mira”, near the Sanctuary (with a distance of 600 metres), and the Rural Tourist Accommodation “Casas do Rio”, at the nearby parish of Cossourado. The Way follows into the interior of Balugães, where you’ll find another resting area, and ascends to the left, next to a water fountain, to the Parish Church of S. Martinho, a curious Romanesque hermitage where there is a pleasant and well-cared resting area. The trail follows then to the parish of Poiares, in the council of Ponte de Lima, on the way to Compostela.
