- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Aragonese & Frances July 2022
Greetings, Derek, apologies for taking so long to summarise my observations/tips re the Madrid Camino:
2023 Camino Madrid – Observations and Tips for Future Peregrinos
I greatly enjoyed walking this Camino in June 2023 and used Jeffrey Barrera’s 2020 “The Camino de Madrid Handbook” that I found very helpful.
I flew into Madrid Airport where its cheap and easy to take a train to the city centre where I walked to the Plaza Mayor then c. 200m to Iglesia de Santiago (St James Church) in Plaza de Santaigo (starting point of the Madrid Camino). Camino credencials (pilgrim passports) and shells can be obtained from the sacristy inside the church to the left of the altar and credencials stamped here,
1. Madrid is a beautiful city where I’d recommend staying at least a night or two before commencing the Camino. I set off the same day I arrived due to time constraints.
While one can walk from the city centre, I chose to take a RENFE train to Tres Cantos to avoid the suburban sprawl and as I had limited days for this Camino.
2. From Tres Cantos rail station, I bought some supplies from the supermercado alongside this then crossed the railway line behind it where I picked up the Camino arrows that are well marked from there along the pleasant 10.5km to Colmenar Viejo then the 15km from there to Manzanares el Real where I’d highly recommend staying at the friendly and welcoming La Pedriza Hostel that cost me 24e for a bed in a shared room and also has very good meals.
3. The 20.4km to Cercedilla is another pleasant walk and I enjoyed coffee etc stops at bars at Mataelpino and Navacerrada. I proceeded through to Las Dehesas where my guidebook said there were albergues but found NO ACCOMODATION there and just good food and drink that I availed myself of at the Casa Cirillo Hotel. I then endured an uncomfortable night sleeping under a bridge rather than returning to Cercedilla where I believe there are good accommodation options.
4. Except when the Casa Cirillo Hotel is open, there are NO other food/drink places along the 30.2km from Cerceilla to lovely Segovia where its well worth staying an extra night or two. When, about 500m after Casa Cirillo, the sealed road makes a sharp left hand turn, continue walking straight ahead on a track that takes one through a park and is the Camino path, soon after over a Roman Bridge and then occasionally on old Roman roads that are at times rugged underfoot till taking one to the top of the mountain pass boundary between Comunidad de Madrid and Junta de Castilla y Leon 8km from Cercedilla. I recommend starting from Cercedilla at or before dawn to accomplish this 8km then have a break there before enjoying the meandering, easy-walking paths 22km downhill from there to Segovia where there are many food and accommodation options and lots of attractions including superb Roman aqueduct; thus my 2 nights there.
5. The 33.3km from Segovia to Santa Maria la Real de Nieva is another long one where there are drinking fountains in old towns but no open bars, The bar at Los Huertos is open some days but was closed when I walked through so bring food etc for the full day. The Gastro bar at S M la R de N has very friendly and helpful staff and great meals. While there was no available accommodation in this town, I did find excellent accommodation at the Avanto Hostel 2km from S M la R de N along the CL-605 highway to Segovia that I highly recommend even though this extra 2km needs to be re-walked the next morning.
6. The 22.2km from S M la R de N to Coca is a pleasant walk during which after 13km I stopped at the Bulevar bar adjacent to the church towards the far end of Nava de la Asuncion where I recommend stopping for a break and/or a meal plus one’s water bottles can be filled at the small park across the street from this. The Casa del Peregrino albergue is well indicated on a map of Coca as one enters the town and easily found. The key for this is held at various locations including the La Muralla Bar/Restaurante across the roundabout from the old city’s gates where I picked the key up from the bar for 5e, showered at the albergue and washed my clothes then returned to this Bar for cerveza and a light meal after some shopping at a tienda close to the impressive old Castle down the road from this. The albergue has room for 16 people in 4 rooms. I was the sole pilgrim there and, while its basic, recommend this as a good place to stay.
7. After a restful night, I returned the key to La Muralla Bar and began my 24km to Alacazaren. I’d planned having a break at Villeguillo but the bar here is closed on Mondays so snacked on the bit of food I had with me and continued on my way. At Alcazaren, the place to visit for food, drink and to pick up the albergue key is the very friendly and helpful Hogar del Jubilado bar. The albergue is very, clean modern and well appointed and one simply leaves the key the next morning in the little letter box beside the albergue front door. I shared this albergue with one other pilgrim.
8. Pleasant 25km walk to Puente Duero. There’s a nice picnic area at the river crossing at about the 11km mark where I snacked before continuing onto Valdestillas where there are a couple of bars and I chose the one towards the far end of town, not far before the rail station, to shorten my final 9km to Puente Duero. This Meson Taquita bar/hostel is a good place for a nourishing break. Puente Douro has several bars and I highly recommend the Restaurante Miramios on the left just before the bridge over the Duero river for its friendliness, service and food. The albergue is then about 200m down the road to the left immediately before the bridge; well signed and this is donativo that is being forwarded to Ukraine so I gave 10e plus loose change from my purse. Another comfortable albergue, this one with a friendly hospitalero and two 4 bunk rooms that was more than adequate as again there was only myself and one other pilgrim here.
9. The 27.4km to Penaflor de Hornija passes through Simancas at c. 6km mark where no bar open early in the plaza mayor but good coffee etc at El Archivo bar on the camino path on the far side of the castle. Then nothing open at Cigunuela but the excellent La Rinconada bar at Wamba made up for this and sustained me for my final 8km to Penaflor where I rang the phone number on the camino door and a lady arrived within minutes and for 5e I had a choice of a dozen beds in three rooms as I was again the sole occupant. Two bars in this quiet town. I had a boccadillo at the small, basic Avenida bar. No shop in town but the albergue has a good kitchen so I’d recommend buy pasta etc at Punte Duero and cook one’s own meal here.
10. The 24.3km to Medina de Rioseco begins with 9km to Castromonte where I found a bar with minimal food but good coffee so ate my chocolate bar with this. Then another 9km to Valverde de Campos where there was a tiny shop with no fresh food but soft drink and potato chips etc. Fortunately I arrived at 10.30am as this closed at 11.00am and I finished my leisurely break outside. Then 6.3km to Medina where I located Santa Clara albergue on the right hand side of road just before one crosses Rio Sequillo. Enter through the old gates to this old convent where I rang the phone number on the door and a nice girl was soon on the scene to open this for me. 12e for a bed in this small albergue where I was again the only pilgrim that night. This is a beautiful, busy town with more than adequate bars and supermercados etc and one could easily spend an extra day exploring its attractions.
11. The 25.3km to Cuenca de Campos begins with a beautiful 8km walk beside the canal then next 4km to Tamariz de Campos where the “Camino Bar” in the centre of this small town was closed so I had a break with snacks I’d brought with me. Then took my Barrera guidebook advice and, instead of proceeding to Moral de la Reina, turned to the right (off the camino trail) about 200km past the Fertibeira warehouse for a pleasant, undulating and mainly very straight and direct dirt road to where this connects with the Tamariz to Cuenca sealed road for the final couple km to Cuenca de Campos. The large albergue is just around the corner from the Town Hall and the very friendly hospitalero welcomed me and shared his evening meal with me as both bars in town are now closed. Again I was the sole pilgrim here. This albergue has good kitchen facilities and I’d recommend bringing food from Medina de Rioseco to cook/prepare here.
12. The 21.6km to Santervas de Campos includes just 5.4km to busy Villalon de Campos that makes for an ideal breakfast break at one of a number of bars. Then no open facilities till one reaches Santervas where the albergue is excellent – with two very welcoming hospitaleros who provided me with lunch, evening meal and then an early breakfast all shared with me and the one other pilgrim staying here. Another albergue I highly recommend despite very little else in this small village.
13. Final 19.2km to Sahagun has no facilities en route – one can detour into Grajal de Campos if desired and even stay at the albergue there but its only about 5km from where this detours from the path to Sahagun so I decided to keep going. The first church as one enters Sahagun on the Camino Madrid is the large Sanctuary de la Virgen Peregrino that looks closed as one passes but has an “office” looking building at its far end where our credencials are stamped and for 4e one obtains the “Carta Peregrino” – the pilgrim certificate for the Madrid Camino. Well worth getting to mark completing this camino. There are a number of albergues in Sahagun. I highly recommend the Santa Cruz albergue in a former Benedictine convent now run by the Marist religious order.
