Out of Villafranca

if its overcast there's not point with no views on the Pradela route..if it is clear nice early start to enjoy the view back across villafranca de bierzo as the sun come up as soon as you level out .watch and wait perfect........I did voluntary work there this year and took there dog up there everyday for an hour...its safe with or without rain. good path

the road walk is good because you have a road barrier to keep traffic away once on the main run.. flat till you reach Herrerias with Pereje the first place to stop for coffee etc

the other route I checked out for the first time ever the is year..the Dragonte.. I liked it a lot no other pilgrims I encountered along this route.

Hi Shurolla, it's depending of the weather:
the Padela way is really beautiful, high over the valley, but can be tricky, downhill if rainy.
the road trip is not too bad, because most of the traffic is on the highway and the remaining is very well separated from the walkers path.
I haven't done the Dragonte side, so no opinion...
Buen Camino, Jacques-D.

Yes I agree that the Padela route gives wonderful views in good weather. It is something of a challenging climb up but worth it. Not tried the Dragonet but a friend got lost on it in 2013. He said the markings were not very good.

We want to try the Dragonte route next time too. I've heard that a compass and some experience following hiking trails are a good idea on that route

When we went last year, we took the route that follows the N-IV highway, which was fine. I had twisted my ankle a couple days before coming down from the Iron Cross, so we decided to stick to this route since it was mostly paved and it would be nicer on my ankle. That route followed the road mostly, but there wasn't a lot of traffic on it, and most of the time we were separated from the road by a barrier.

Hello pilgrims,

We highly recommend the alternate route out of Villafranca for its scenic beauty and fields of chestnut, lavender, and wildflowers in the spring. When we walked it yesterday, April 6, we identified 12 different species of butterflies and 26 different species of wildflowers.

Though more strenuous than the traditional route along the road, there is an incredible respite in the small farming town of Padela, immediately before descending back to rejoin the traditional route at Trabadelo. The additional length of the alternative route is less than 3 km, though the climbing does make it a longer day.

In Padela, you MUST stop at the Albergue Lamas, spectacularly set overlooking the valley and run by a small farming family with farm dogs, cats, grandmother, and granddaughter. Miguel and his wife make their own Spanish red wine from their own vineyard grapes and it may be one of best wines we have ever tasted.

The local farming population all stopped in for lunch while we were there, and we also enjoyed vegetables and potatoes that were grown on the farm with an incredible homemade garlic aïoli. The cured ham that we had with our sandwiches also was locally produced.

This little gem does not appear to get much traffic because it is so far off the beaten path and takes effort to reach. However, we can confirm that it is well worth the effort and indeed has been the best meal and social experience that we have yet had along the Camino.

James Li

Hola, i walked the alternative "Dragonte" in 2016, after we got lost short after the first climb, we walked together and had a super exhausting day but what a beautiful scenery, stunning nature. I think we came down to Las Herrerias...highly recommended only with experiences and enough food!