Going from Molineseca to Cacabelos on the Olivadado.

[Isca-camigo]

A quick question to you knowledgeable guys, how feasible is it? I am on the CF at the moment. Can I go the way of the Olivdado to Cacebelos from Molineseca instead of going via Ponferrada. A few things I hope to achieve is cut out the asphalt and find a more natural equal distance path, have I got a right grasp of what is possible? Any feedback is welcomed, especially of directions.

 

[peregrina2000]

A quick question to you knowledgeable guys, how feasible is it? I am on the CF at the moment. Can I go the way of the Olivdado to Cacebelos from Molineseca instead of going via Ponferrada. A few things I hope to achieve is cut out the asphalt and find a more natural equal distance path, have I got a right grasp of what is possible? Any feedback is welcomed, especially of directions.

Molinaseca is not on the Olvidado, Isca-camigo. Maybe I am misunderstanding your question, but the Olvidado starts in Bilbao and heads southwest to Ponferrada. I'm attaching a screen shot of the general route from Igüeña (a stage a few days out) to Ponferrada. You can see Molinaseca on the map and it doesn't overlap. But I may have misunderstood your question, let me know.

 

[SYates]

I think what you are looking for is the Camino Invierno which goes of the Camino Frances in Ponferrada ;-)
BC SY

 

[peregrina2000]

I think what you are looking for is the Camino Invierno which goes of the Camino Frances in Ponferrada ;-)
BC SY

If that’s what you’re looking for, @Isca-camigo, look no further. We have the perfect forum guide for you. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/invierno-forum-guide.535/download

I think that Ponferrada to Santiago on the Francés is about 200, and about 250 (?) on the Invierno. Many forum members rave about the Invierno.

 

[caminka]

I think what op is trying to ask or is looking for is an alternative from molinaseca that does not go via ponferrada and avoids lots of road walking of the cf. it is possible to reach olvidado from the bridge on LE-142 crossing river boeza, going perhaps via san tomas de las ollas. this would definitely need a research in advance.

what google offers, but some road walking can be cut by researching paths.


from my memory of writing the guide the last day on the olvidado (congosto - cacabelos) is practicaly all on asphalt, so I'm not sure if this is a viable alternative if the op is looking to minimize the asphalt.

it would be a challenge to find a less asphalty route from molinaseca to cacabelos. ponferrada is a tough cookie, industrial zones are popping out all around it. so far, the only viable alternative that I can think of is from camponaraya to cacabelos via carracedo, and there is still the road from carracedo to cacabelos. I've researched carracedo - villafranca del bierzo via valtuille de abajo, but it's not been tested yet. if you are interested?

 

[caminka]

I found this map to help you visualize caminos around ponferrada.

 

[caminka]

then I zoomed in and there is a local path, Senda de los Exploradores, which you can divert to after molinaseca (but I like this monferrada). it leads to the bridge on LE-142 across river boeza. from there you can follow red dots (paths) via san tomas de las ollas directly to where CF leaves ponferrada for compostilla. this would cut much road walking through ponferrada.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thank you all for replying, caminka has hit the spot, I was hoping to go up to the Olivadado, I remember seeing pictures where the route drops south around an embalse and I was hoping that I could connect to it somehow.
@caminka I'm sat in bar next to a fire having caldo and feel a bit weather beaten so I will give the maps a close look later but many thanks for your help.

 

[peregrina2000]

Well, I was way off base. Caminka is a magician when it comes to finding walking paths, but she is right that the official camino from the reservoir has a lot of asphalt walking, too. But now that she mentions Santo Tomás de la Ollas, I’m reminded that @alansykes made his way from the reservoir over to Santo Tomás and its beautiful Mozarabic church https://www.turismo-prerromanico.com/en/monumento/santo-tomas-de-las-ollas-20130614173759/.

I didn’t make my way there on either Olvidado, but I am pretty sure Alan had an all-asphalt walk from there. But then he went into Ponferrada, so you would probably be hunting for an alternative route.

And while we are throwing out alternatives, the Valle del Silencio route gives you an alternative way Into, but not out of, Ponferrada. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...n-splendor-from-ponferrada-or-el-acebo.27697/

 

[caminka]

I walked past santo tomas de las ollas on my olvidado from bembibre (after making a wrong turn and ending in this town) all on the road because I didn't know there is senda de los canteros along the gorge. this little romanesque church is definitely worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.

it might be worth looking for the brown dashed lines on openstreetmaps, these are usually tracks and gravel roads. you just need to take care not to get stuck on some river bank without a bridge. and unfortunately there is always the option that the track is private and blocked off, but this is quite rare in spain. perhaps you can look into a way via san andrés de montejos? it's also always worth looking up and down the wikiloc tracks.

 

[Isca-camigo]

it might be worth looking for the brown dashed lines on openstreetmaps, these are usually tracks and gravel roads. you just need to take care not to get stuck on some river bank without a bridge

The normal Peregrino autovia's on the CF have turned into potential tricky flooded paths, it's been raining for a few days and today has gone up a notch, I have had to scramble up banks etc to get around flooded sections which is probably an accumulation of the last few weeks. It's probably worse the further north I go, look at La Robla.
Had a watsapp conversation with my novia earlier, she asked me if I was enjoying it, I said I wasn't sure but I said I rather be here than anyway else, I quickly dug myself out of that hole by saying unless it was at my novias mams house enjoying a Bierzo meal and vinho.

 

[caminka]

The normal Peregrino autovia's on the CF have turned into potential tricky flooded paths, it's been raining for a few days and today has gone up a notch, I have had to scramble up banks etc to get around flooded sections which is probably an accumulation of the last few weeks. It's probably worse the further north I go, look at La Robla.
Had a watsapp conversation with my novia earlier, she asked me if I was enjoying it, I said I wasn't sure but I said I rather be here than anyway else, I quickly dug myself out of that hole by saying unless it was at my novias mams house enjoying a Bierzo meal and vinho.

I would opt for the roads if the weather was that bad. it's no fun sloshing and clogging through puddles and streams.
nice save.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Hopefully I will be in Molineseca tomorrow, what started off as a beautiful sunny day soon changed after Ganso a strong powerful wind developed and the rain was painfully driving into the face, it felt like someone was throwing stones at you. Before Ganso was rainbow central they were constantly forming.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thanks for all replying to this thread, sorry I didn't reply earlier. The Rabnal to Molineseca stretch turned into a end point of Ponferrada. The day was amongst the hardest days I have had on any Camino. Driving wind and rain, watching the clouds crash into the area around me as we went onto the Bierzo side of Cruz de Fierro, I ended up going to Ponferrada because Senor Oso Albergue had gone into hibernation and was not returning my calls. The Camino was waterlogged and people ended up following the road, I followed the Camino in two stretches and regretted it, the descent to Acebo and the end stretch into Molineseca. I ended up walking the next day from Central Ponferrada on Avienda de Galicia to rejoin the Camino, it's was 3km shorter, all asphalt but it made a welcome change of scenery to the other way which I have done several times. So a big thanks to all your relipies sorry I couldn't make use of all your help.