I just received an email from someone who had used the CSJ's online guide on the Salvador. I asked her if I could post what she wrote on the forum and she said sure. So here's another corroboration of how wonderful this is! Buen camino, Laurie
My husband and I used the 15 page Camino del Salvador guide whilst out on the camino recently.
Initally we decided to walk the Camino de Madrid from Madrid to Sahagun but later decided to add the Camino del Salvador to our journey.
At home reading the notes I was pretty apprehensive about the section from Buiza to Pajares but during and on completion without a doubt the Camino del Salvador was the most brilliant 120 kms we'd ever walked.
We walked for six days through a variety of weather,
Leon to La Robla,
La Robla to Poladura de Tercia,
Poladura to Pajares,
Pajares to Pola de Lena,
Pola de Lena to Mieres,
Mieres to Oviedo.
We were fortunate enough to attend Mass at San Marcos chapel the night before we left Leon.
The power within the church and sacristy was palpable and having acquired the first sello of the Camino del Salvador I was in a very positive frame of mind leaving the city.
When we arrived in La Robla the turismo was closed even though reading its listing days/hours it was supposed to be open. There was no life about the Hostal Ordonez either so we went off to the Meson la Bogadera and had a most enjoyable lunch and as is so often the case on the camino a bright and cheerie human, who turned out to be the hospitalero, told us the way to the albergue..... a lovely new timber building with 16 places and all facilities at the edge of the town on the camino.
Next day passing through Pola de Gordon we visited the turismo and were given neckerchiefs and badges with the Camino del Salvador logo and taking your advice we bought food in the town.
We did not phone to pre order food at the casa rural in Poladura de la Tercia so therefore were quite accepting that we could not eat there.
The proprietor was very friendly and was later at the albergue to stamp our credentials.
The albergue though is in need of some tlc.
Since leaving Leon the path was well and clearly marked and at no point could we have taken the wrong way and on leaving Poladura we found the same.
There were metal yellow arrows and metal yellow shells on poles about 3 feet from the ground as well as the painted arrows on stones above and at ground level.
There is a new very tall wooden pole with a metal pilgrim staff and San Salvador cut out from metal going horizontally across the upright staff. This can be seen in the distance as one turns right along the lip of the valley and up through the vertical rock formations. There is a mauve neckerchief, as those given us in Pola de Gordon, with a picture of a man tucked into it but no name attached.
Barbed wire has given way to strong synthetic, sometimes electric fence wire. The electric fence wire has plastic grip opening handles.
We took just over three hours to arrive at Santa Maria de Arabas from Poladura and thankfully the Meson Quico across the road from the closed church was open and we had indoor shelter from the wintery mid summer weather.
A few yards below the closed parador at Puerto de Pajares the arrows take you off the road onto a very, very narrow grass field track with a steep drop down on the left side.
Such views.
We assumed, which it duely did, that it would connect with the left turn path off the busy N 630 after the emergency gravel lane that is mentioned on your guide pages.
The albergue in Pajares was wonderful. Warm, oh so warm and scrupiously clean.
The food at the Taberna on the highway was excellent.
We went by San Miguel to Santa Marina.
There was no scarcity of markings.
Before the chapel of San Migual there is the small ruined hamlet of Heros.
A little further along from the chapel of San Miguel, on the right hand side is the Fuente de San Miguel which was restored in 2008.
Crossing the main road at Campomanes the camino goes onto a new path along the river and takes one to the beautiful pre Romanesque church of Santa Cristina de Lena.
The path continues to Pola de Lena.
The albergue at Pola de Lena was grand but there was a bit of a problem getting the swipe card, or not as it transpired, to gain entry to the building.
We arrived over the weekend and the policeman said the peregrinos had gone off with most of the swipe cards and he had no more so we had to depend on someone else to gain entry!
Leaving Pola de Lena follow the road sign to La Barraca .
Although the grounds of the church at Mieres seems in need of some maintenence the albergue at Mieres is fine.
Clean and warm.
Telephone numbers to call for the albergue;
Paulino 665523426
Rafa 6282520228
Carmina 985466663
The tavern and pension La Pena is just a few yards further along the camino from the right hand junction turn to the albergue.
Good food served.
There is also a shop at the bottom of the road where you turn right to the albergue.
We found the walk from the albergue into Oviedo the toughest of the six days.
Will finish by saying a million thanks for the work undertaken to prepare the guide to the Camino del Salvador.
Again it was just the most fabulous 120 kms. of all the walking we've undertaken over the years in Spain and a journey we will hopefully undertake again in another season.
My husband and I used the 15 page Camino del Salvador guide whilst out on the camino recently.
Initally we decided to walk the Camino de Madrid from Madrid to Sahagun but later decided to add the Camino del Salvador to our journey.
At home reading the notes I was pretty apprehensive about the section from Buiza to Pajares but during and on completion without a doubt the Camino del Salvador was the most brilliant 120 kms we'd ever walked.
We walked for six days through a variety of weather,
Leon to La Robla,
La Robla to Poladura de Tercia,
Poladura to Pajares,
Pajares to Pola de Lena,
Pola de Lena to Mieres,
Mieres to Oviedo.
We were fortunate enough to attend Mass at San Marcos chapel the night before we left Leon.
The power within the church and sacristy was palpable and having acquired the first sello of the Camino del Salvador I was in a very positive frame of mind leaving the city.
When we arrived in La Robla the turismo was closed even though reading its listing days/hours it was supposed to be open. There was no life about the Hostal Ordonez either so we went off to the Meson la Bogadera and had a most enjoyable lunch and as is so often the case on the camino a bright and cheerie human, who turned out to be the hospitalero, told us the way to the albergue..... a lovely new timber building with 16 places and all facilities at the edge of the town on the camino.
Next day passing through Pola de Gordon we visited the turismo and were given neckerchiefs and badges with the Camino del Salvador logo and taking your advice we bought food in the town.
We did not phone to pre order food at the casa rural in Poladura de la Tercia so therefore were quite accepting that we could not eat there.
The proprietor was very friendly and was later at the albergue to stamp our credentials.
The albergue though is in need of some tlc.
Since leaving Leon the path was well and clearly marked and at no point could we have taken the wrong way and on leaving Poladura we found the same.
There were metal yellow arrows and metal yellow shells on poles about 3 feet from the ground as well as the painted arrows on stones above and at ground level.
There is a new very tall wooden pole with a metal pilgrim staff and San Salvador cut out from metal going horizontally across the upright staff. This can be seen in the distance as one turns right along the lip of the valley and up through the vertical rock formations. There is a mauve neckerchief, as those given us in Pola de Gordon, with a picture of a man tucked into it but no name attached.
Barbed wire has given way to strong synthetic, sometimes electric fence wire. The electric fence wire has plastic grip opening handles.
We took just over three hours to arrive at Santa Maria de Arabas from Poladura and thankfully the Meson Quico across the road from the closed church was open and we had indoor shelter from the wintery mid summer weather.
A few yards below the closed parador at Puerto de Pajares the arrows take you off the road onto a very, very narrow grass field track with a steep drop down on the left side.
Such views.
We assumed, which it duely did, that it would connect with the left turn path off the busy N 630 after the emergency gravel lane that is mentioned on your guide pages.
The albergue in Pajares was wonderful. Warm, oh so warm and scrupiously clean.
The food at the Taberna on the highway was excellent.
We went by San Miguel to Santa Marina.
There was no scarcity of markings.
Before the chapel of San Migual there is the small ruined hamlet of Heros.
A little further along from the chapel of San Miguel, on the right hand side is the Fuente de San Miguel which was restored in 2008.
Crossing the main road at Campomanes the camino goes onto a new path along the river and takes one to the beautiful pre Romanesque church of Santa Cristina de Lena.
The path continues to Pola de Lena.
The albergue at Pola de Lena was grand but there was a bit of a problem getting the swipe card, or not as it transpired, to gain entry to the building.
We arrived over the weekend and the policeman said the peregrinos had gone off with most of the swipe cards and he had no more so we had to depend on someone else to gain entry!
Leaving Pola de Lena follow the road sign to La Barraca .
Although the grounds of the church at Mieres seems in need of some maintenence the albergue at Mieres is fine.
Clean and warm.
Telephone numbers to call for the albergue;
Paulino 665523426
Rafa 6282520228
Carmina 985466663
The tavern and pension La Pena is just a few yards further along the camino from the right hand junction turn to the albergue.
Good food served.
There is also a shop at the bottom of the road where you turn right to the albergue.
We found the walk from the albergue into Oviedo the toughest of the six days.
Will finish by saying a million thanks for the work undertaken to prepare the guide to the Camino del Salvador.
Again it was just the most fabulous 120 kms. of all the walking we've undertaken over the years in Spain and a journey we will hopefully undertake again in another season.