Vilachá

Vilachá is a small locality in the province of Lugo, Galicia, on the Camino Frances at the base of the descent to the Miño reservoir and the Portomarin bridge. The name derives from chan, meaning flat land, indicating that the settlement occupies the flat terrain beside the reservoir. The hamlet is at the transition from the wooded hillside descent to the flat reservoir shore, and the bridge to Portomarin is visible from here. The surrounding terrain combines the flat reservoir margin with the forested hillside behind. For pilgrims, Vilachá is the final passage before the long bridge crossing to Portomarin, the flat reservoir shore providing a brief horizontal respite after the long descent.