Albergue Ponte Ferreira between Lugo and Melide

[Juanma]

Dear all, how are you? I already posted a few days ago, but this is the first, official presentation in the forum. My name is Juanma (short for Juan Manuel), and along with my wife Paloma and our friend Isabel, we are the new hospitaleros at Albergue Ponte Ferreira, about 28km after Lugo and 22 before Melide, in the Camino Primitivo.

Our albergue has already been mentioned in this forum in the past, but we wanted to introduce ourselves as the new people running it since this month We are also introducing quite some changes to improve our pilgrims' stay, so in the near future wi-fi connection will be available, as well as a central heating for pilgrims doing the Camino in the Winter; we also already offer a hot meal for lunch and a nice breakfast in the morning, neither of which was available in the past year and a half (a community dinner is still offered, as was in the recent past).

You can find our contact info at my signature, but here it is anyway:

ALBERGUE PONTE FERREIRA
Hospitaleros names: Paloma, Juanma and Isabel
Fixed phone: +34 982036949
Mobile phone (available through whatsapp): +34 616161594
Email: hola@ponteferreira.com
Web site: www.ponteferreira.com (will be having our blog soon there)
Facebook site: www.facebook.com/albergueprimitivoponteferreira
Google maps coordinates: +42° 56' 46.61", -7° 49' 12.96"

I am trying to update the info of our albergue on all internet sites where I find it, so if you know of any web sites, blogs, online Camino guides, etc... where they talk about us (or where they still don't!), I'll appreciate if you let me know

For any queries, you'll find me right here! Thanks for all, and Buen Camino everyone!

 

[Juanma]

Here are some pics of our albergue, hope you like them!

Front view, from the passing-by Camino:

Our Reception and bar:

Dining room (used for breakfast, lunch and some times dinner):

One of the dormitories:

Main dining room, used mainly for community dinners:

Our front terrace water stream and fountain:

And a couple of pics of our "horreo" (typical Galician grain store):

Buen Camino!,

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There are a lot of excellent restorations along the caminos, but none of them exceed yours. It looks like a fantastic place. Thank you for supporting pilgrims. I hope they support you in return.

 

[karenfromcali]

Hi Juanma. Your albergue looks lovely! I am walking next March and am happy to read that you are open in the winter. Look forward to staying with you then

 

[karenfromcali]

Aww.. I misread the post. I will be walking the Camino Frances. I hope you're albergue will be filled with many pilgrims and lots of happy memories

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Juanma. I am very glad the albergue is back in business! I stayed there in summer 2012, and it was excellent except for the vending machine selling pasta in a tub for the microwave. Great news that you are serving real food.

There is also a small casa rural there for the non-albergue crowd, but this albergue is really tops.

Though your pictures don't show it, that fountain is part of a long water trough where several pilgrims can all comfortably soak their feet in the hot summer. Heavenly!

The location of this albergue is also nice for people wanting to avoid the crush of the Camino Frances. The next day we walked through Melide, saw the crowds, and after eating some octopus, easily carried on to the small town of Boente where there is another nice clean and comfortable albergue and an aging pension. But the total pilgrim capacity there is under 40, I would estimate. So we didn't really feel the Frances crunch till Arzua.

Hoping to pass that way again in 2014, and you can be sure I'll be there! Good luck to you.

 

[Juanma]

Thank you all for the comments. Falcon269, thank you for your comment: every guest staying with us also appreciates the beauty of the place and restoration it went under.

Peregrina2000, one of the first things we had clear was that the vending machines had to go away!
Here is another pic of the water stream you mentioned with the fountain at the far end:

Your advice to just stop in Melide for pulpo and go on to the albergue in Boente is quite good; in fact, we recommend our guests to do that usually.
If you do the Primitivo again we will be pleased to have you! Let us know its you by mentioning the forum or something, ok?

Buen Camino a todos!,

 

[MendiWalker]

Hola Juanma

Enhorabuena por tu albergue y te deseo toda la suerte del mundo.
Por tus fotos parece una preciosidad.
Para desgracia mia, mis planes de momento me llevan por otro Camino en le futuro (Ingles) y por etapas durante un par de años con mi club de montaña ( Norte). De todas formas quien sabe los designios del Señor.
Un fuerte abrazo y muchas gracias por la información .
Desde Bilbao

Buen Camino!

 

[amancio]

Juanma, ¿es ese el albergue de As Seixas? Cuando pasé por Lugo tiré por Friol, pero la próxima, ojalá que pronto, tengo pendiente pasarme por esa maravilla de sitio que tienes. Buena suerte!!!

 

[MendiWalker]

Juanma, ¿es ese el albergue de As Seixas? Cuando pasé por Lugo tiré por Friol, pero la próxima, ojalá que pronto, tengo pendiente pasarme por esa maravilla de sitio que tienes. Buena suerte!!!

Estoy de acuerdo contigo. Por las fotos parece una maravilla.

Buen Camino!

 

[Juanma]

Hola Amancio. No, el de As Seixas está unos 6km después del nuestro. Cuando vuelvas a pasar por aquí, ya sabes dónde estamos

MendiWalker, gracias por tus comentarios. Te digo lo mismo: para cuando puedas, aquí estaremos.

Un abrazo a todos y Buen Camino,

 

[peregrina2000]

For the monolinguals -- Amancio asked whether Ponte Ferreira was the same albergue as As Seixas; both of them were opened in the last few years. Juanma has explained that As Seixas is 6 kms further on, and I would only add that the albergue in As Seixas is a municipal one, so it charges 6 euros. Also, there are no or very few services in As Seixas, so I think you have to bring food.

Good to have so many more choices on the Primitivo!

 

[Juanma]

Upppsss, sorry, didn't realize about the language!

Peregrina2000 translated it very well though

 

[MendiWalker]

The more services along the other Caminos would mean less congestion on the Camino Frances. And more inviting for peregrinos as well.

Buen Camino!

 

[MendiWalker]

Upppsss, sorry, didn't realize about the language!

Peregrina2000 translated it very well though

No hay porque disculparse Juanma , tu te estabas dirigiendo a alguien que te estaba escribiendo en castellano. En este foro se puede escribir en todos los idiomas, no hay problema. Y si alguien que no entienda castellano y quiera saber lo que hayas escrito pues que use Google Translator. Ademas ya que van a venir no estaria de mas aprender un poco del idioma que se van ha encontrar.

Buen Camino!

 

[ria]

Hi Laurie,
There is also a new private albergue now in As Seixas. I wasn't there - because this time I took the Friol option, but my husband was there last week. They serve food as well. Can't imagine i will be as idyllic and comfy as Ponte Ferreira though (I stayed there in 2011, when also food was served in the Ponte Ferreira)
ria

 

[Juanma]

That's right, in As Seixas there are two albergues: a private and a public one. The first one does have a bar and, as I heard, they also may sell some food (don't know wether cooked by them, or carry-away things such as tins and preserved food).

One of the things in my to-do list: visit As Seixas and introduce ourselves to the owners, Sandra and her husband, recently married as I also heard...

 

[peregrina2000]

This area seems to have a total explosion of albergues. A new private one in San Roman, Ponte Ferreira, and two in As Seixas. Great for the pilgrims.

It has seemed to me that the numbers of pilgrims on the Primitivo are growing much more than the official statistics would suggest. I think it may be because many of the people who walk the Primitivo start on the Norte. And if you give your starting point as Irun, Bilbao, Santander, etc etc, when you arrive in Santiago, you will be counted with the Norte folks even though you "dropped down" at Villaviciosa and continued on the Primitivo. But in any event, it looks like the Primitivo is no longer our well kept secret!

 

[amancio]

Sorry about mixing languages! Indeed, the choice between Lugo and the Francés is something else these days!

 

[Juanma]

Peregrina2000, the "explosion" of albergues you talk about is not really that new. In fact, our albergue has been open now for a couple of years, maybe a little more. The ones in As Seixas might be a little newer than that (not much), and the private one in San Roman approx. the same. However, I think the Camino between Lugo and Melide did need some places where pilgrims could stay, and if there is a variety of them to choose from, much better! Actually, before these albergues existed, most people either took the Friol option, or from San Roman took the way South to Palas de Rei, as getting to Melide was far too much for a day...

Buen Camino!,

 

[Anniesantiago]

It looks lovely!
The Primitivo is one route I have not yet walked.
I'll be sure to make a note of your albergue.
Looks like you've done a beautiful job!

 

[Tia Valeria]

The new albergues make it possible for those of us who walk shorter days to walk the Primitivo. We stayed at El Candido (San Roman) but turned off to Palas de Rei at Casa de Ponti so didn't go to Ferreira in 2012. Good luck with your beautifully restored albergue, it looks lovely

 

[Juanma]

Thank you Anniesantiago!

Tia Valeria, if passed by Casa da Ponte, then you were actually in Ferreira: both Casa da Ponte and ourselves are in Ferreira; in fact, the Casa da Ponte is just 300m before us!

Buen Camino to all of you!,

 

[Tia Valeria]

Thank you Anniesantiago!

Tia Valeria, if passed by Casa da Ponte, then you were actually in Ferreira: both Casa da Ponte and ourselves are in Ferreira; in fact, the Casa da Ponte is just 300m before us!

Buen Camino to all of you!,

Yes, I should have said we didn't go to the albergue at Ferreira in 2012. We had already booked into the casa rural but were glad to see the sign for the albergue.

 

[grahamjenn]

We stayed here in August 2011. Having walked 30k this was a most welcome stop, and one of the locals bought us a round of beers, so good memories.

 

[Juanma]

I must say that the locals (our neighbours and some of them already our friends) are really nice people

Thanks for your comment grahamjenn!,

 

[MendiWalker]

No hay nada mejor que encontrase con gente buena cuando uno esta haciendo el Camino.

Nothing like coming across good people while walking the Camino!

Buen Camino!

 

[gerardcarey]

Hooray! A one person lap pool.
Turns might be a bit tight.
How deep is it? Can I dive in?
I'm in anyway!

Regds & best wishes
Gerard

 

[Juanma]

 

[peregrina2000]

Hey, Gerard, if you arrive in the summertime, you´re going to have to navigate among all the sore pilgrim feet that will be recuperating and luxuriating in those icy waters. But it might make it more of a challenge -- an obstacle course in the pool.

Juanma,
Do you have fixed opening and closing dates for the season? It seems that more pilgrims are setting out on the Primitivo in October, and I wonder what they will find when they get to Ferreira.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[PadreQ]

We were there just the other night. Paella con mariscos, was very welcome after all the ups and downs! The hospitality was great. The chupito welcome! Gracias por todos.

 

[Juanma]

Hey, Gerard, if you arrive in the summertime, you´re going to have to navigate among all the sore pilgrim feet that will be recuperating and luxuriating in those icy waters. But it might make it more of a challenge -- an obstacle course in the pool.

Juanma,
Do you have fixed opening and closing dates for the season? It seems that more pilgrims are setting out on the Primitivo in October, and I wonder what they will find when they get to Ferreira.

Buen camino, Laurie

We are going to be open every year from March to November, both included, so no problem!

 

[Juanma]

We were there just the other night. Paella con mariscos, was very welcome after all the ups and downs! The hospitality was great. The chupito welcome! Gracias por todos.

Hey, you were here just yesterday! Why didn't you introduce yourself as a forum member? In fact, I had seen you in the forum with your name "PadreQ", but of course, couldn't recognize you with just your real name!
Anyway, glad you enjoyed it here!, and come back when every you're in the Primitivo again. Buen Camino our friend!,

 

[Juanma]

Hi everyone! This is to present you our new website: www.ponteferreira.com. You have a situation map on the top (by clicking that little googlemap icon on the top left), you have a weather widget to see what the weather's expected to be like in Ferreira in the next few days (bottom of the page), access to our facebook site, and a blog wich we hope to fill up with interesting entries in the future. Hope you like it!

I also take the chance to inform that we are opening in just a few days for the 2014 season. The Winter has been very hard, with a lot of rain and cold, and very, very few pilgrims passing by on their way to Santiago. We've used the time to work, as we have done some improvements in the albergue: pilgrims will now have central heating in the cold months; also a free Wifi connection will be available (if I manage to configure it one of these days!).
The downside, though, is that we've had to do some structural renovations and the number of places is now down to 26. This will make it more comfortable for the staying pilgrims, but on the other hand it makes it (even more) convenient to call in advance and book your place, at least in the tight months (that is mostly April to September).

Buen Camino!

 

[mikevasey]

Stayed here a couple of weeks ago and it is very friendly, clean and relaxing place to stay.I missed out on the evening meal, did not turn up until 8.50pm but they were just serving paella as I arrived, and everyone I knew said it was one of the best they had.

 

[Juanma]

Hi Mike!, I remember you! Thanks for your words. Wish you would have tried the paella! If you're ever back in the Primitivo you have to make it for paella time!

 

[peregrina2000]

Friends have just returned from the Primitivo and sent me a picture of the albergue's famous paella. The last time I was there, when the albergue was run by other people, the only food option was a microwaveable bowl of spaghetti out of a vending machine. I would say this is a definite improvement!



Hope to return soon!

 

[Juanma]

Hey, those in the photo are myself and Isabel. I remember that day, I have some photos of the people round the table, if you friend wants them! They can look for them in our facebook page as well Glad they enjoyed it! And peregrina2000, do please return soon! ;-) We're waiting for you!