LIVE from the Camino Walking from León

[JDKOcean]

Hola, have reached Villar de Mazarife after a great first day, about 16 miles, 22km. Mine was a sparsely followed path and only saw a handful of other people. Feel good after a brief rest . Am hungry and will be asleep by 10 I’m sure !

Grateful to be on my Camino, and wish all a buen Camino. JDK

 

[Lexicos]

Buen Camino.
Beautiful city, Leon.

 

[CWBuff]

22km is more like 13.5miles but still a good clip for a Day 1
Buen camino

 

[JDKOcean]

Day 2 Astorga

A long 7 hours but a very enjoyable day, about 5 km out of destination a well placed & unexpected refresh station appeared - and powered me to finish with a smile & sore feet. Buen Camino todos.

 

[JerryStroebele]

When you get to Astorga my favorite albergue there is So Por Hoje. Brazilian hospitalera Patricia walked the Camino. Buen Camino

 

[CWBuff]

Second that.So Por Hoje is a great place to stay and Patricia is a Darling!

 

[Simperegrina]

Second that.So Por Hoje is a great place to stay and Patricia is a Darling!

Hmmm. I had a deeply unimpressive experience at her hands when I was considering taking a bed there last Oct but ended up walking out. Super aggressive attitude.

 

[CaminoCate]

Hola, have reached Villar de Mazarife after a great first day, about 16 miles, 22km. Mine was a sparsely followed path and only saw a handful of other people. Feel good after a brief rest . Am hungry and will be asleep by 10 I’m sure !

Grateful to be on my Camino, and wish all a buen Camino. JDK

Well done JDK,
Where does everyone go I wonder? I’m restarting from Burgos in a few days and hoping to get to Astorga on this leg.

There’s talk of how busy it will be, but when out walking it, ( in Sept 2023) it was often very quiet. Surely, not everyone goes off in the dark do they? Why do they? It just makes me nervous if there’s no one around. I’m walking alone, which I love, though feel reassured when seeing others walking the same way. Then often, arriving in small villages, there are loads of pilgrims at cafes etc.

How do you find that? Enjoy the experience. Keep us posted when you can.
Buen camino,

 

[CWBuff]

Hmmm. I had a deeply unimpressive experience at her hands when I was considering taking a bed there last Oct but ended up walking out. Super aggressive attitude.

Wow!!! She was not anything aggressive at all!! Very easy going and friendly...it's a shame your experience was different

 

[JDKOcean]

Day 3

Beautiful walk out of Astorga this morning near a friendly bunch of teenage boys. Entire walk was active but not crowded, and today with some familiar faces, the days distance of about 20 km it was a ok on my legs and feet. When I arrived some folks were calling my name with holas… it is being revealed each day.

 

[KariannNor]

When you write reviews and mention specific persons, remember that the experience is taken completely out of context. Maybe the person in question had a real reason to seem aggressive, maybe it had nothing to do with you. Maybe someone seemed friendly to you because you were so relieved to finally arrive. I mean, these are people doing their best to provide accommodation for often hordes of people. Perhaps they are reading here without time or opportunity to explain or defend. Perhaps there are completely different owners now, vulnerable to such negative publicity.

Glad to hear you have a nice walk! Interesting to hear that CF is not experienced as overcrowded as the rumor says at this time of the year.

 

[JohnLloyd]

A friend is starting her first Camino today, also starting from León.

I'll send her your thread - it'll be very helpful!