Off-road option between Soto de Luiña and Cadavedo?

[peregrina2000]

I am spending some time looking through the wikilocs tracks trying to find some off-road alternatives to what I remember as a LOT of asphalt on the Norte. This one takes a different route out of Soto de Luiña but meets up with the standard Camino route after the Playa de Silencio. Seems that the advantages would be to avoid some N-634 walking and also to come into the Playa de Silencio from the east, rather than having to take a short detour north from the Camino.

https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=727573

Any comments or opinions?

 

[jsalt]

Hi Laurie, I’m not understanding your query as the link takes me to what appears to be the official camino path, not a different route. The track marked on the link you have given above is the same as the track shown in the Cicerone guide. I don’t see how you could do any other route between Soto de Luina and Cadavedo. For what it’s worth here is my journal for that day (Saturday 5 November 2016):

“It rained on and off all day, sometimes quite hard, so our socks and boots are sopping wet, but we managed to stay dry on top in our ponchos. It was up and down again, back on the coast, with gorges between headlands, so very tiring. The only bar in town (Ballota) was closed on Saturdays (!!!) so we sat in a bus shelter, out of the rain, and ate the snacks we had in our packs, before plodding on to Cadavedo. Arrived about 4pm and stopped for beers then walked on to the albergue Covi y Peter. Only 8 beds here, plus a double-bed room, and one bathroom. Very cramped. A lady came and charged us 10 euros each and stamped our credentials. Had a shower and warming up. It has got very cold outside.”

Incidentally, the road walking never bothered me, as there was plenty of off-road walking as well on the Norte.
Jill

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Jill,

Thanks for your journal notes. I didn't remember that you had been on the Norte so recently!

I think that the official camino route is shown on this wikiloc track https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=14990635.

The notes on the "alternative" I posted explain some of the differences if you scroll down below the map itself. It looks like most of the differences are before the Playa de Silencio but I have a hard time comparing on my ipad. For instance, the alternative goes through Valderedo, the official does not. If you compare the two, you'll see that they go in different directions leaving Soto, and for what it's worth, the person who posted the alternative just raves about it. I'm not sure if these are big differences or not, but when the guy writes about how it is a "stretch of the Camino that the years have forgotten" it makes me want to try it. It is also possible that the official route has changed since these "alternative" tracks were posted in 2010, so that the differences are now not very big.

I was not planning to bring my GPS on the Norte since it is so well marked, but having some of these off-camino alternatives on it would make it much easier to go for it.

I know I sound like a real asphalt-whiner, but I once had to stop a camino because of it and have since then gone to whatever extremes I can to avoid it!

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[norelle]

Hi, Jill,

Thanks for your journal notes. I didn't remember that you had been on the Norte so recently!

I think that the official camino route is shown on this wikiloc track https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=14990635.

The notes on the "alternative" I posted explain some of the differences if you scroll down below the map itself. It looks like most of the differences are before the Playa de Silencio but I have a hard time comparing on my ipad. For instance, the alternative goes through Valderedo, the official does not. If you compare the two, you'll see that they go in different directions leaving Soto, and for what it's worth, the person who posted the alternative just raves about it. I'm not sure if these are big differences or not, but when the guy writes about how it is a "stretch of the Camino that the years have forgotten" it makes me want to try it. It is also possible that the official route has changed since these "alternative" tracks were posted in 2010, so that the differences are now not very big.

I was not planning to bring my GPS on the Norte since it is so well marked, but having some of these off-camino alternatives on it would make it much easier to go for it.

I know I sound like a real asphalt-whiner, but I once had to stop a camino because of it and have since then gone to whatever extremes I can to avoid it!

Buen camino, Laurie

Hi Laurie,

I'm not at home at the moment so I can't check my guidebook or my notes but there is a well marked coastal variant for this stage.

When we stayed in the albergue in Soto de Luina, the hospitalero gathered all the pilgrims together and gave us the information for the following day. There are 3 marked variants - and he highly recommended that we stay along the coast. This variant wasn't in any of the guidebooks (including the German one) that people had with them.

It was easy to follow, stayed near the coast and the Playa de Silencio was only a short 800 metre detour.

Hope this helps!

buen camino
Norelle

 

[AlanSykes]

I don’t see how you could do any other route between Soto de Luina and Cadavedo

There is an alternative, going along the old version of the camino up the hill (I think the highest point on the former camino del Norte), with fabulous views of the Asturian highlands. There's an old camino marker on the road about a km after Soto de Luiña, with one scallop pointing up the hill and the other towards the sea. There's some discussion about the route here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-luina-to-cadevedo-disused-alternative.28630/

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks, Alan! I found your tracks.

https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=11389084
and
https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=11389070

But you and @norelle must be talking about different alternative options, because there's no way you could have taken a quick detour out to Playa de Silencio, isn't that right? And Norelle describes the route she took as the "coastal variant", which is certainly not your route!

So maybe Norelle's "coastal variant" and the tracks I posted at the start of this thread are one and the same?

Norelle, I noticed that you said there are three marked variants -- does this mean the official camino plus three variants, or is the official camino one of the marked variants?

Way too confusing. But not a bad way to spend the early morning hours when it is 6 degrees outside (and that's Fahrenheit).

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[norelle]

Laurie - I had a look at your wikilock and I have to admit I can't really remember the way. If I had my guidebook here I would be able to tell you more (I can let you know in January!!)

The coastal route I took was after the split with the two markers - one going up to the hills, the other staying on the road.

A little bit beyond there was another split for the way I took.

The hospitalero in Soto de Luina also owns the restaurant across the road and has maps, etc to explain the way. Like I said before, it is very easy to follow - someone has gone to a lot of work waymarking it.

Also - it's -9oc AND snowing heavily here in the Canadian Pacific Northwest!!!! the Camino del NOrte is a fond, warm memory!

buen camino,
Norelle

 

[Magwood]

Not sure if this is of any help - my wikiloc track is here.

I followed the advice of the hospitalero to at Soto de Luiña and took the coastal option. He gives a talk to all pilgrims about the options.

The link to my blog for this day is here
Buen Camino, Maggie

 

[peregrina2000]

Also - it's -9oc AND snowing heavily here in the Canadian Pacific Northwest!!!! the Camino del NOrte is a fond, warm memory!

buen camino,
Norelle

I'm hoping that temperature is a typo because I can't imagine that it's possibly that cold. Or is what looks like a zero supposed to be the "degree" symbol? If it's "only" -9, I've got you beat. It's 6 degrees Fahrenheit here, which the converter says is -14. We must be pretty tough, Norelle!

Thanks to all who responded, and I think I have it figured out. At the "Camino" vs. "Ballotas" choice, the lower route, closer to the coast, is Ballotas. The "Camino" is the higher route that Alan took and raved about. Dave, author of the Cicerone book, also took that higher route and loved it. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...devedo-disused-alternative.28630/#post-436666

Sounds like two good choices. Thanks for being so patient with this directionally challenged peregrina.