LIVE from the Camino And we're off. Camino de la Lana. May 2019.

[samba]

@peregrina2000 i think a Lana2020 group is a dreadful idea! I’m still hoping for a *solitary* camino some time and thought this might fit the bill.
The Camino Mozarabe is also a good option.

 

[Joe McDonald]

Hi Undermanager.

I want to thank you for both the time and effort you put into providing such detailed accounts of your experiences along the Lana. As I posted earlier in your threads that I will be following the Lana late this August when I connect to it at MoD at the end of the Requena from Valencia. It has certainly given me a greater insight to this camino. May I wish you safe travel from Madrid and look forward to your next camino stories. I hope to post some of my experiences later this year. All the very best.

 

[samba]

Hi Dave and thanks so much for your interesting , realistic and helpful posts . We ie Doug and I have ended walking here in the somewhat strange SAN Estaban ,and bussing to Madrid tomorrow . At Hostal Moreno too . Yes that last 2/3 kms always a trek . We have done 28 st most and I have to say for me that’s a long hot slog , the last 5 in this heat . But as you say it’s training ( and age ? ) ? And definitely coming this way again . So varied and such can’t think of word. Interesting/ intriguing/ eerie ie the canyon weasel very eerie . The one to Caracena especially and one is alone in this universe . Bird sound and birds circling overhead . But flowers underfoot, to offset brambles reaching out to get me as I pass !
Anyway loved it all/ hated some . And Spanish improving ! . Will keep in touch and hasta luego All the best for life , non Camino life
H

 

[Kiwi-family]

Mozarabe is also a good option

Yes, but if I did VdlP and/or Sanabres again, it would need to be with hubby who missed most of it and so I'd aim for a new one to be solo (and if I only did the Mozarabe, it would be too short I think - but worth considering)

 

[marilyn van graan]

Stage 25. The Last Post

Another Camino has come to an end, and even though I spent some time, occasionally, moaning about my back, calf muscles and a few feet problems, the body survived to the end this time (unlike last year) despite doing a few very long distances! Warming up and warming down properly for long distance walking definitely keeps injuries and problems to a minimum. There is real science behind why and how you do warming up / down exercises and stretches; YouTube is your friend.

This Camino took 24 days and I'd say that that was the absolute minimum but you'd need to be fit and have everything go right for you with no injuries to do it in that time. I also included 2 rest days, and did three stages which were a bit overly long. I think allowing 28 days in total when planning this Camino is about right if you don't want long stages. 29 days gives you a bit more wiggle room.

I stayed in albergues two thirds of the time and hotels or apartments for one third. I never rang ahead or booked anything in advance. When I stayed in hotels, I often checked the price afterwards just for fun on Booking.com and / or Agoda and it would always have been more expensive to book online rather than just turn up, which surprised me a bit as it is often the reverse. Hotels (pensions, hostels) were surprisingly cheap for a nice ensuite room, around the €25 mark. The most I paid was €28 in Cuenca. It's good to have a Plan B for some places like Santo Domingo, and also to bookmark where on maps.me or Google Maps your destination(s) are. I didn't always remember to do this e.g. for Burgos and ended up faffing about at the end of a hot day.

The Google Translate app is an absolute must! The 'conversation' feature is incredible, as is the camera feature for interpreting menus and other written information. I'm using a SIM card on the Three network on my phone, bought in the UK just before I came out here rather than buying a SIM in Spain. It uses the 4g network and has been absolutely faultless and super fast in Spain. It cost £20 a month on a monthly rolling contract, for 12 Gig, unlimited calls and texts. I've very rarely used WiFi on this trip because the 4g has been so fast. In total, I've used 9 Gig of data on this month trip for everything, including uploading photos to various places. I compress all photos before uploading them, using the free Lit Photo app. I will switch to an annual contract with Three when I return to the UK, as it halves the cost but for slightly less data, for 8 Gig. I've said a few times that the phone I bought just before I came here, the Huawei P20 Pro has been fantastic. The camera is brilliant and battery superb, and it comes with an extra black and white lens, which I really love. The price has dropped a lot in recent months and I would recommend it if you are thinking it's about time you bought a better phone or didn't want to carry a bulky camera anymore. I generally use maps.me with trails downloaded from Wikilocs - it's absolutely invaluable in my opinion to have a trail on maps.me, especially for these lonelier walks - contact me if you need help getting a trail from Wikilocs to appear on maps.me - it can be a bit tricky the first time you try to do it. Maps.me has been great, especially when making your own route for a stage. The dotted lines have all been good dirt tracks, easy to follow and accurate. Don't forget to learn how to add places to maps.me, to help others. Just Google how to do it or use YouTube. Google maps has much more info on, and the Directions feature for walking can be very useful.

May is a quiet month it seems, not so many fiestas I think, few school or public holidays to mess things up, there were very few (mostly zero, sometimes one or two and on one occasion seven) pilgrims during my walk. Choosing when to go is tricky, but I started on the 7th May, and didn't see a drop of rain the entire walk. It's a good time also because wild flowers are absolutely bursting with colour, the dirt tracks are dry now so you don't get muddy clothes or have mud cling to your shoes, and it is not yet too hot.

I completely messed up where I was going to stay in Burgos, probably because I was so tired. I was thinking I was aiming for the large albergue behind the cathedral, but ended up going to Albergue Casa de Perigrinos de Emaus, about 1.5kms away - great if you are coming off the CdeF, not so great if you are coming off the Lana! As it turned out, it was a great place to stay and exactly what I needed. I love communal evening meals and breakfasts, the place was brilliant and brilliantly run, only a dozen others, all sane, fun and interesting, with a maximum of 20 pilgrims possible and a nice place to relax. When you enter, however, you are in a kind of system with a heavy religious bias, with rules, expectations to help out with little jobs, times to be in, times to go to bed, get up and leave and must be quiet at all times. No going out and getting drunk here! But that's okay for a night, in fact it's welcome if you are exhausted. It is a fine place to stay, unless you want to go out and celebrate finishing the Lana and recommended.

Coming into Burgos, you might wonder how and why you've ended up in such a dump. Once in the centre, however, all is well. It has great facilities, is very pretty, the Gothic cathedral is impressive and it's worth a stay for a night, but you could also walk in, look around for a few hours, then get a bus to the train station and get on a train to e.g. Madrid. There is a tourist info place very close to the cathedral and another near Plaza España.

The huge, modern and largely empty Rosa de Lima train station is 4kms on the outskirts of Burgos. Go to Plaza España, 10 minutes walk from the cathedral. You can then take either bus 25 (every 30 minutes) or bus 43 (every hour) for the 25 minute trip, which goes on a roundabout route, and costs €1.20 cash on the bus. I bought my train ticket a few days ahead, at loco2.com, a pain-free process that took a minute. You get sent the ticket by email, including a PNR reference number. When you get to any train station, simply go to one of the purple RENFE machines that are all over, select your language, then Print, enter the PNR number and print your ticket. Surprisingly, it was very uncomplicated. Buy your ticket a few days in advance for the best prices, but they do seem to go up and down like a yo yo and aren't necessarily expensive if you buy them last minute I noticed, if you can be flexible on times.

It is always a strange feeling I think, finishing a Camino. This is especially true in Burgos, because there are lots and lots of CdeF pilgrims at this busy junction and nearly all of them are excitedly carrying on to the next stage - you feel it especially in the morning when the sun is shining. It was fun to see the newly formed groups of friends as well as people preferring to walk on their own set off this morning as I wandered around the centre, with just a tinge of jealousy, but there's so much else to see and do in the world as well. So far this year, I've had some really great trips, watching ballet in Warsaw and hiking in snowy mountains in Poland, walking and touring in Israel for a few weeks, a trip round southern Thailand and three fabulous weeks around Egypt. But I'm already wondering about the next Camino, and when. It must surely be the Olvidado / Invierno, or Norte later in September, or next May .....

Ta again to Maggie for her notes, and Sara's videos were fun. I don't always plan like I know I should! I hope someone finds these notes useful, and are encouraged to write your own when you do your next Camino - I'll be looking out for your blogs! I think they really do help the next person work out from afar what to do on their own trip. Perhaps this thread can be pinned on the forum until it becomes dated?

Thanks for the help, encouragement and actually reading this thread, and Buen Camino, friends. Buen Camino.

Thank you so much Dave for taking us along with you as galloped along this wonderful camino - I have truly enjoyed walking with you and am so tempted to follow your route when I head off in early September. My only concern is that it might just be too solitary for a little old lady!!! I loved your photos - you have a good eye. So all done and dusted and now you can get back to the planning board for the next one. I am more than thrilled for you that you managed to stay injury free - aches and pains along the way are par for the course. Love and friendship always XX

 

[Dougyharry]

Dave thanks for all your help as we followed along some days behind you. Your blogs were great and helped us plan ahead. We only saw the Belgian guy one night who had come back for anither three days. Great camino and we were amazed at your ability to do long days and mucho kilometres. We stayed in most of the places you mentioned. We stayed in Miedes "de something". The next one on from Retortillo and that was great. The village was very friendly and the family who owned Tienda and Bar also owned the other Bar in town as well. "Todos" we were told. Reading Magwood and Bad Pilgrim (from 2017) makes me realise we did not do too badly ( I know comparisons are odious) but both suffered on this Camino. But again the condotions they met with mud and rain seemed to force a lot of caraterra so that may have had an effect. Anyway best of luck with your next. Mozarabe is great if you haven't done it but Norte was good for us last September.

 

[Undermanager]

Thanks for the kind words. It was a lot of fun, both doing this Camino but also writing about each stage at the end of the day, or during breaks during the day. It was always nice meeting others along the way. The solitary thing is an interesting one. I like to walk alone and find it hard to walk with others during the day, but equally, I do like company in the evenings and mornings. The thing about this Camino is that if you wanted to chat, there was always someone around who would help out. That's one of the great things about the Spanish especially - they always have time for you. It would be an interesting Camino to do again one day. Some of the sections are definitely a bit too long for their own good and need to be thought about a bit more carefully than I did. Anything over 30 kms means the evening and sometimes the next day is not as relaxing as it should be! Over all, I wouldn't describe this Camino as 'hard' though. No mountains to cross. No long section after long section. Nearly always options for a comfy and inexpensive night if you didn't fancy the albergue. I'm not sure I would tackle this in June onwards though - it was getting hot by the time I finished. May was perfecto, and I guess September or early October would be, too. My last two nights in Madrid were fabulous and a great way to wind down. I went to the Prado, botanical gardens, another art gallery, a wonderful park and had a general wander. A really good place for a few days. The hostel Residencia Fernandez right opposite the Reina Sofia is a great place to stay and recommended - not expensive for Madrid and you can't top the location.

What you got on the cards in September, Marylyn?

 

[marilyn van graan]

Thanks for the kind words. It was a lot of fun, both doing this Camino but also writing about each stage at the end of the day, or during breaks during the day. It was always nice meeting others along the way. The solitary thing is an interesting one. I like to walk alone and find it hard to walk with others during the day, but equally, I do like company in the evenings and mornings. The thing about this Camino is that if you wanted to chat, there was always someone around who would help out. That's one of the great things about the Spanish especially - they always have time for you. It would be an interesting Camino to do again one day. Some of the sections are definitely a bit too long for their own good and need to be thought about a bit more carefully than I did. Anything over 30 kms means the evening and sometimes the next day is not as relaxing as it should be! Over all, I wouldn't describe this Camino as 'hard' though. No mountains to cross. No long section after long section. Nearly always options for a comfy and inexpensive night if you didn't fancy the albergue. I'm not sure I would tackle this in June onwards though - it was getting hot by the time I finished. May was perfecto, and I guess September or early October would be, too. My last two nights in Madrid were fabulous and a great way to wind down. I went to the Prado, botanical gardens, another art gallery, a wonderful park and had a general wander. A really good place for a few days. The hostel Residencia Fernandez right opposite the Reina Sofia is a great place to stay and recommended - not expensive for Madrid and you can't top the location.

What you got on the cards in September, Marylyn?

Well Dave I guess you are back home now and see you enjoyed your couple of days in Madrid - I do love this city and after every camino I spend at least 3/4 days here unwinding and just enjoying the city with all the beautiful places to explore - oh and am I allowed to add the shopping mmmm that is so good!!! I am sure I have stayed at this hostel as well - going to check my notes. About my camino this year - seems like my dear friend Maggie will not be able to join me but I have thought of following in your footsteps or maybe the Sureste - just doing some research here too. I will have about 27 days so will walk until I run out of days.
I am flying out on the 3 Sept so will want to start on the 5th - leaving Madrid on the 6thOct. Enjoy your lovely summer - we are in the middle of our winter and I know our temps are really mild - about 16C - that is still really chilly for me - trying really hard not to think about being miserable in these wintery months. Stay well and enjoy - oh yes once again well done for a great camino - with love and friendship.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Reading Magwood and Bad Pilgrim (from 2017) makes me realise we did not do too badly ( I know comparisons are odious) but both suffered on this Camino.

Yes, and I noticed Maggie and I ran out of luck in the same area: her problems started just two stages after mine (after Atienza). When I read what had happened to her, I thought "It is the curse of the Lana!"

 

[Undermanager]

Hi Marilyn, Great to know your plans. The Lana could be a good choice for a Camino that can be completed from start to finish - doable in 27 days, no really hard stages, plenty of places to stay and plenty of up to date stage by stage info so no real surprises. It was pretty well marked from start to finish, except the very last day, when I had to wing it a bit. Who knows - maybe see you at the end in Madrid for a celebration! I'm thinking of booking a few days for a city break at some point in the autumn, to see more of Madrid.

 

[Currie]

Ok, armchair Lana followers, what do you say, should we start a “Lana 2020” group?! And with the clear caveat that we not start before the end of the first week in May! @Undermanager’s posts have been like the apple was to Adam and Eve.

That will leave @jpflavin out of the mix, maybe he will reconsider his early spring starts. I KNOW it is early, and I KNOW I haven’t even left yet on Camino 2019, but this is oh so tempting?

Thank you so very much @Undermanager. I know I’ve said it before but your posts have just the perfect mix of the nuts and bolts with the description of your experience. This thread will be very helpful for anyone contemplating the Lana. I will try to adopt your style when I start out on the Vasco in about eleven days! Buen camino, Laurie

I'm loving Undermanager"s posts as well, especially since I will walk at the same time next year! Planning to start this route 4 May 2020 from Alicante, so I'd be happy to connect with others.

 

[marilyn van graan]

Well to all armchair Lana followers I have made the decision to walk the Lana this year - starting 5/6Sept - after reading Dave's reports and Maggies Blog and also watching Sara I think I will give it a bash. Hopefully there will be some peregrinos starting around that time - spending all that time on my own seems a little daunting. So if anyone out there is deciding to walk this one this year please drop me a line - I would love to have the company - even to share a meal together in the evening. Buen camino XX

 

[mlhhome]

Well to all armchair Lana followers I have made the decision to walk the Lana this year - starting 5/6Sept - after reading Dave's reports and Maggies Blog and also watching Sara I think I will give it a bash. Hopefully there will be some peregrinos starting around that time - spending all that time on my own seems a little daunting. So if anyone out there is deciding to walk this one this year please drop me a line - I would love to have the company - even to share a meal together in the evening. Buen camino XX

Buen Camino - The Armchair Lana Brigade await your updates.

 

[Bajaverde]

View attachment 57904

Good to see your face. Thx very much for the work you put in on your “ blog.” I am interested in la ruta de Lana - your thoroughness and the beta increased my desire to do the route. Glad you triumphed over your back issues and as a retired physio I have a book to recommend “ painfree” by Pete egoscue. All the best to you- see you out there some year. Sincerely Bajaverde

 

[Bajaverde]

Well to all armchair Lana followers I have made the decision to walk the Lana this year - starting 5/6Sept - after reading Dave's reports and Maggies Blog and also watching Sara I think I will give it a bash. Hopefully there will be some peregrinos starting around that time - spending all that time on my own seems a little daunting. So if anyone out there is deciding to walk this one this year please drop me a line - I would love to have the company - even to share a meal together in the evening. Buen camino XX

Marilyn possibility sept/ oct this year- nothing set in stone. You will do fine with solitudeI am sure- bajaverde

 

[marilyn van graan]

Marilyn possibility sept/ oct this year- nothing set in stone. You will do fine with solitudeI am sure- bajaverde

Ooh I hope it will be September - it would be nice to know that someone else is on the same path - please keep in contact to let me know what you decide - take care and happy planning - Marilyn

 

[peregrina2000]

View attachment 57585

Two questions — Where is that gorgeous picture taken from? And, what is the name of your hotel in Cuenca, for people who might want to spend an extra day like you did.

 

[Undermanager]

Hi there.

Just head up into the old town. You get great views in all directions, the higher you go, the better they are.

I stayed in Hotel Pedro Torres, bang in the centre, €28 for a nice 3* hotel with no facilities except a nice room with all mod cons, just turned up but it's on Booking.com, Google and maps.me. It's a good enough base, but I gather the albergue is nice too, and there are other cheaper places (15 Euros) closer to the old town. This place is close to a buzzing street with a dozen large tapas bars for after 8.00pm evenings - come out the hotel, turn right then right again uphill, and it's perhaps 5 minutes walk away. It's about 30 minutes to walk from here to the top of the old town, but a nice walk.

Cuenca is certainly worth a full day as there is plenty to see and very relaxing too with loads of cafes and eating places, being a big tourist magnet. You might appreciate the break after the day before! It's a long walk (2 kms) from the outskirts of Cuenca into the centre, but you could grab one of the many circular busses at a bus stop on the outskirts if your aren't too fussed about walking every step. I saw loads. There were two circulars from memory, and one of them takes you through town, past the above hotel and on all the way to the top of the old town (up up up up).

 

[Undermanager]

Gosh! Just re-read last year's Lana blog to get the juices flowing again! That was a lot of fun. Was that really seven months ago? Itchy feet has started so attention has a-turned to this year, 2020. Where to go, which camino(s) to tackle ....... ?

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Gosh! Just re-read last year's Lana blog to get the juices flowing again! That was a lot of fun. Was that really seven months ago? Itchy feet has started so attention has a-turned to this year, 2020. Where to go, which camino(s) to tackle ....... ?

Well,

You mentioned that you would like to walk the Lana (or any Camino) twice, if I'm correct?

You could take the Requena to have a different start (from Valencia, and it joins the Lana at Monteagudo), and then choose the Camino de San Olav to have a different entrance to Burgos. And I'm sure there are other Caminoholics that can give you even more alternatives on or around the Lana!

So why not the Lana again, with a bit of variation? The best of both worlds! :OP

/BP

 

[Undermanager]

Funny you should mention that. I've just been looking at the excellent Levante Guide here: http://vieiragrino.com/ and thinking that one might be fun, as a lover of long and lonely paths! Then there is the Olvidado and beyond, for which there seems to be plenty of info now. Back to YouTube ....

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Funny you should mention that. I've just been looking at the excellent Levante Guide here: http://vieiragrino.com/ and thinking that one might be fun, as a lover of long and lonely paths! Then there is the Olvidado and beyond, for which there seems to be plenty of info now. Back to YouTube ....

Oh and on a second Lana, you have the option to explore the historic route directly to Atienza (without going through Sigüenza). I say the Lana needs to be walked at least twice, because there sure are alternative routes to conquer...

Whatever you choose, buen camino!

 

[Undermanager]

Olvidado it is! Will be there end of April. Flight booked. The planning begins ...

 

[marilyn van graan]

How can you have booked your flight - the date hasn't been confirmed or am I missing something!!! Looking forward to the next adventureXX

Olvidado it is! Will be there end of April. Flight booked. The planning begins ...

 

[Undermanager]

LOL! Better get your **** into gear then . TBH, I was going at the end of April / beginning of May anyway and flights are really cheap if booked now. So, after a quick online chat with M, took the plunge, bought a one way ticket and arrive in Bilbao 28th April. Woohoo. You know how these walks go, but at the very least, I am hoping that we'll all be able to have a dinner or two at the start. I still remember our last fabulous journey across Spain - so much fun. Not in any rush but at my age, can't hang about either! .

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Olvidado it is! Will be there end of April. Flight booked. The planning begins ...

Ok! I am thinking about the Olvidado myself, but if so I will walk a couple months after you. I will read your updates (?) as part of my preparations!

/BP

 

[Magwood]

I will be updating my blog daily from the Olvidado and Invierno. See link below.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

I will be updating my blog daily from the Olvidado and Invierno. See link below.

I don't see a link, but I suppose you mean the Trepidatious blog! That's perfect, I will learn a lot about the Olvidado by following you. Just like the Mozárabe, when I checked your blog as I went by. And I also want to continue on the Invierno!

I walked the Invierno last summer, but I got sick for a few days and had to take a rest day in Quiroga, I had to take the train to Monforte, and because of bad weather I had to take the road to Lalín instead of the woods... So I am back for revenge!!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

I will be updating my blog daily from the Olvidado and Invierno. See link below.

OK I didn't know I could click on the Caminos under your message… I got it!

 

[Undermanager]

Gosh! Just re-read last year's Lana blog to get the juices flowing again! That was a lot of fun. Was that really seven months ago? Itchy feet has started so attention has a-turned to this year, 2020. Where to go, which camino(s) to tackle ....... ?

Good grief!! So long since not only the last Camino, but re-reading about the last Camino. Slowly going mmmmmmmaaaaaaaaaadddddd......