Alternative route to join Camino Frances later at St Irene - avoiding Arzúa

[notion900]

notion900 submitted a new resource:

Alternative route for joining Camino Frances later, off the Camino del Norte - Written directions, photos of landmarks and hand drawn map

If you want to avoid the busyness of Arzua, and join the Camino Frances as late as possible, there is an alternative route from Boimorto which joins the Frances just before St Irene.

It starts at the far end of Boimorto village, and the locals have kindly made home made signs. The albergue in Boimorto also gives out photocopied maps. It's very easy, flat, all on tarmac, and very quiet, although the occasional car can come quite fast, so keep alert. You need to take food and water for the...

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[mwextine]

notion900 submitted a new resource:

Alternative route for joining Camino Frances later, off the Camino del Norte - Written directions, photos of landmarks and hand drawn map



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This is such a great suggestion! We walked del Norte (finishing June 10th) and were shocked at the number of walkers and crowds beginning at Arzua -- do anything you can do to keep off of the France route until the last minute!

 

[jsalt]

Thanks so much for posting this resource. I really enjoyed the alternative walk from Boimorto recently. It is on quiet country roads (some traffic, so had to stay alert), and has many eucalyptus forests either side. Here are some more photos:

The well-signposted split from the main route as you leave Boimorto:





The only bar was at the 4km road marker, and was also closed when I passed (10:30am Sat 19 Nov):



The chapel is at the 7km road marker:



And the pigeon tower in the garden on the right is just before the T-junction at the 10km road marker, where you turn left.

You then take the next turn right, after about 200m. The sign to Oines has a tiny yellow arrow sticker on it.

After then walking through the hamlets of Ferradal, A Igrexa and Beis, and past the left turn to Fruzo, and the right turn to Leon de Abaixo, I turned left at an unmarked crossroads (tarmac road left, dirt track right), crossed a stream, and then continued up a fairly steep hill the other side. I wanted to visit A Casa Verde in Salceda again, one of my favourite bars on the Camino Frances, where I enjoyed a late lunch after a very pleasant 18kms from Boimorto.

Jill

 

[Ignacio]

notion900 submitted a new resource:

Alternative route for joining Camino Frances later, off the Camino del Norte - Written directions, photos of landmarks and hand drawn map



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Thank YOU very much notion900,

information like this it's priceless. It helps me personally, since I walked the Camino Frances last year, I would want to stay off of it as much as possible. To avoid some part, especially from Arzua where it gets really crowded and noisy, it's a welcome respite and second it puts me just a little bit closer to Santiago.

I want to commend YOU for sharing this valuable information. Also, thanks to your imput and some of the others, I went ahead and booked my flights today, it's official, I will be walking Camino del Norte from Bilbao to Oviedo then start the Primitivo and finish in Santiago. All this between May 20-22 to last week in June.

I wish YOU all the Buenos Caminos in your future and I hope to meet you in one of them.

Best regards,

Ignacio

 

[notion900]

Thank YOU very much notion900,

information like this it's priceless. It helps me personally, since I walked the Camino Frances last year, I would want to stay off of it as much as possible. To avoid some part, especially from Arzua where it gets really crowded and noisy, it's a welcome respite and second it puts me just a little bit closer to Santiago.

I want to commend YOU for sharing this valuable information. Also, thanks to your imput and some of the others, I went ahead and booked my flights today, it's official, I will be walking Camino del Norte from Bilbao to Oviedo then start the Primitivo and finish in Santiago. All this between May 20-22 to last week in June.

I wish YOU all the Buenos Caminos in your future and I hope to meet you in one of them.

Best regards,

Ignacio

You are very welcome. I am excited for you, I think you are going to LOVE the Primitivo.

But bear in mind this little alternative mentioned on this thread is off the last bit of the inland Norte. I did a weird route - I walked the Norte on the coast, then another year started the Primitivo, then crossed from the Primitivo back to the inland Norte, via an alternative called O Camiño Verde. I wrote a resource about that too.

 

[notion900]

Update August 2016 - a forum member told me that it looks like the Xunta de Galicia are in progress of re-routing the end of the Camino del Norte, or else making an official alternative to avoid Arzúa. But beware - their new stone route markers take you a different way to my route, alongside a busy road. These new and plentiful markers start somewhere after the pigeon tower, and they only join the Camino Frances near the airport, so if you follow the new route, you find that there is no accommodation (yet) between Boimorto and Santiago itself.

This new Xunta route may be better when the new motorway is opened, because the road it follows may become very quiet. I would imagine they plan to open a new Xunta albergue somewhere along the way too, and the new albergue at Boimorto was the first stage in this plan. Who knows? For now I think sticking with this unofficial route is better, and you can stay at St Irene or Pedrouzo.

As always - get up to date advice from hospitaleros and local people. The map I uploaded came from the albergue in Boimorto, so they are the experts.

Please report here in the comments with any news on this. @johnnywalker is looking into it too.

 

[Deleted member 77020]

notion900 submitted a new resource:

Alternative route for joining Camino Frances later, off the Camino del Norte - Written directions, photos of landmarks and hand drawn map

I have always enjoyed my stay at Arzua and wouldn't give up this place great town and people and great restaurants also private accommodations are also good. therefore will continue to stop here because one does have options even with many pilgrims.

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[notion900]

notion900 updated Unofficial alternative route to join Camino Frances later at St Irene - avoiding Arzúa with a new update entry:

New official route

This alternative has now probably been superseded by the new official last part of the Camino del Norte - please see resource here.

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[caminobbz2021]

I want to walk from Sobrado to Pedrouzo in one go tomorrow. I think it should be about 38km. Which route should I take? Vi- Baimonte or Arzua? That will leave me with 20km from Pedrouzo to Santiago. Any tips welcome!

 

[notion900]

notion900 updated Unofficial alternative route to join Camino Frances later at St Irene - avoiding Arzúa with a new update entry:

Update following A54 roadworks completion

I have just looked at the satellite view on Google Maps and made a slight tweak to the directions (haven't walked the route since I wrote the resource, so any other news welcome).

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[notion900]

notion900 updated Alternative route to join Camino Frances later at St Irene - avoiding Arzúa with a new update entry:

Update 2024

I have updated to take account of the officialisation of the first half, but I keep the original second half, as the official second half, although joining the Frances after St Irene, is very boring and on several main roads.

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