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Gronze - Difficulty Ratings

ShoshTrvls

Walking in Bits and Pieces
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Time of past OR future Camino
Planning Kumano Kodo and Pamplona - Burgos in 2025
Does anyone know how Gronze determines the difficulty of a given stage? I'm planning out my Ingles, and I see that in prior posts, people have thought that the difficulty of Pontedeume to Betanzos is underestimated, and Betanzos to Hospital de Bruma is overrated (or at least an easier stage). I also see that they've give a three-star difficulty to the first stage, which while somwhat long looks quite flat except at the very end, and even then not a significant-appearing climb.

So, I am curious to know if anyone knows what elements factor into the Gronze ratings and how they come about.
 
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Not sure how Gronze rates a stage, but terrain and distance strike me as the two key factors. Regarding the Ingles, the first day is not difficult from a terrain perspective (pretty flat actually), but it is a long hike from Ferrol to Pontedueme. As I remember the second day, the single hardest part of the route is the first climb out of Pontedueme while still in the city. I don’t remember anything other than that as difficult. You have some uphills on Day 3, but nothing crazy. Although we had a great deal of rain the week we walked the Ingles, the terrain didn’t pose any particular difficulties. A very pleasant Camino in fact. Enjoy. Buen Camino!
 
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Jean Russell said:
You can look at the ascent profile on Gronze
Click to expand...
But the Gronze rating is obviously based on more than that, as my initial post points out (and as I could tell by looking at the elevation profile on Gronze and comparing it to the difficulty rating). My question was what else does it take into account and in what proportion?
 
I'm speculating here, but I think the Gronze ratings may be a bit subjective. I know when comparing one stage to another, I don't always agree with the difference in stars. I look at the ratings in Gronze and guidebooks, but instead, I use the formula "add 1km distance for every 200m of climb" to come up with an "adjusted" distance in my planning. I got that formula from John Brierley's guidebooks. It's stood up well over all the times I've walked the Camino.

There are so many variations given one's level of tiredness from the day before, excitement drawing one to the next destination, weather, soreness, mood, companion's pace, rerouting, etc., it's all inexact anyway!
 
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Agreed that it is subjective and variable, and I like your formula. I’m also thinking it might take into consideration the path as well, eg Portugal’s cobblestones or a trail with many tree roots to be careful of as compared to a gravel or smooth dirt path, etc.
 
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ShoshTrvls said:
I see that in prior posts, people have thought that the difficulty of Pontedeume to Betanzos is underestimated
Click to expand...
Completely agree. I wrote to Gronze after walking this stage in 2022, and said, are you sure, is it correct, it surely deserves at least ️️️for difficulty. The response, at least I got a response was, and paraphrasing here: “take a hike”.
See screenshot. Anybody agrees?
 

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I'm not sure exactly how they calculate difficulty ratings, but distance and elevation gains/losses probably contribute. A long distance is more difficult than a short one.

The first day out of Ferrol is really just long and mostly flat. Pontedeume is a brutal hill out of town in the morning and then a brutal hill in the afternoon into Betanzos. Heading to Bruma is a much easier day.


Buen Camino!
 
ShoshTrvls said:
Does anyone know how Gronze determines the difficulty of a given stage?
Click to expand...
Does it really matter? These are all but arbitrary indicators. One person’s mountain is but a hill by another’s standards. I was amused a few weeks ago when mapy.cz told me that the walk to Materea Centro Historico from Materea Porto was going to take me 1 hour and 50 minutes while the return would take 50 minutes. This was entirely accurate. There are 958 steps and quite a few steeply sloped streets up from the Porto to the old town. My regular walk from home over the downs to my favourite fried breakfast is a doddle to me and a serious challenge to some of the poor buggers I’ve suggested “let’s take the dogs and go get some breakfast”. Degrees of difficulty? Yes, there are aren’t there
 
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It does matter - at least to me - as I try to figure out if I want to split up certain stages as I’m booking my rooms.
 
ShoshTrvls said:
It does matter - at least to me - as I try to figure out if I want to split up certain stages as I’m booking my rooms.
Click to expand...
I can appreciate your concern. For me the facts remain. It’s the same distance, the elevations do not change. The only available variable is your personal capacity to walk that distance and climb that hill. My advice, if sought, would be to disregard any “star” systems, hazard advisories, or any other system of qualification. The essential information is how far and how high. Then you can apply your own, known, experience to the quandary and make your necessary decisions.

Ultimately, if you are going to walk to Santiago (and I do mean walk), then you are going to walk that trail up, down and occasionally sideways and any body else’s opinion about how easy or difficult that road is are totally and utterly irrelevant to what will be your lived experience.

Close the guidebook, turn off the app. There are no stages.

I wish you a buen Camino
 
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