Photos - Caminos Lebaniego and Vadiniense - June 2016

[peregrino_tom]

Lebaniego - San Vicente de la Barquera to Potes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peregrino_tom/albums/72157669985688762

Vadiniense - Potes to Leon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peregrino_tom/albums/72157669609615290

Both routes had some peculiarities which I'll comment on in a new thread.
Photos taken on a mobile phone LG G4.
It all starts nice and sunny but the Vad pictures tail off a bit at the end as, after a morning of ominous sky, massive thunder and lightning storms attacked mid-day and hustled me all the way into Leon.
PS If you want to see full screen images in Flickr, a good way is to click on the slideshow icon top right of the album page, start the slideshow, pause it with the space bar and then use the keyboard arrows to go back and forwards at your own pace.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Just beautiful! Another Camino for the bucket list. Even the Gronze etapas seem doable.

Thank you for posting these pictures.

 

[Cayou]

Super Nice Photos. Reminds us why we're all here! Phone photos have really upped their quality, too.

 

[Kanga]

Great photos. Looks steep! Well done.

 

[peregrina2000]

So, here's the dummy question for the day. When I go to those links, I can only see the first 24 or so pics of each batch. I have clicked on all the obvious things to get to the next page but am stumped. Great pics so far, and I'm looking forward to hearing your comments -- if they ever got this route off the asphalt, I'd go back in a minute.

 

[SYates]

For me, on Safari/Mac it just keeps loading more photos as I scroll down and then wait a bit for them to load. Does that help? SY

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Thank you a thousand times, Mr. Barton. You took me right back, and reminded me of something I really need to do again, this time in June, when everything is in blossom. You captured the long shadows of late afternoon, with the placid cows and deep horizons. This really is one of the toughest, finest, purest Caminos we have.
You've done us all a great service, preserving these views.
Gracias, amigo!

reb.

 

[peregrina2000]

For me, on Safari/Mac it just keeps loading more photos as I scroll down and then wait a bit for them to load. Does that help? SY

I was in a low wifi zone and my machine apparently couldn't load them all. Now it's fine. Thanks, SYates.

 

[peregrina2000]

Thank you a thousand times, Mr. Barton. You took me right back, and reminded me of something I really need to do again, this time in June, when everything is in blossom. You captured the long shadows of late afternoon, with the placid cows and deep horizons. This really is one of the toughest, finest, purest Caminos we have.
You've done us all a great service, preserving these views.
Gracias, amigo!

reb.

Ok, is that an invitation?

 

[peregrino_tom]

When I go to those links, I can only see the first 24 or so pics of each batch. I have clicked on all the obvious things to get to the next page but am stumped.

Hi Laurie, just to add - when you open the page you should see three icons on the top right side which allow you to select different viewing styles - either slideshow, pictures by line, or pictures individually. The other option is to click on any picture, then it will open, and you can see any observations I've made or other comments and then just use the right direction arrow on your keyboard to go forwards through the pics and that will take you to the end.
Hi Cayou, Anemone and Kanga - glad you liked them. It is country that's easy on the eye, but as Laurie says, not always easy on the feet!

 

[peregrino_tom]

reminded me of something I really need to do again, this time in June, when everything is in blossom

Hi Reb
You're welcome. You're better placed than most to make another visit! NB Might be busier next year if the Cantabrian Government have their way as they are doing quite a lot to publicise a Santo Toribio jubilee year
http://caminolebaniegoenred.com/el-camino-lebaniego/
Cheers, tom

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Lovely photos, Tom.
Darn it ..... Lebaniego and Vadiniense??? That 2020 taken care of, then ....

 

[Niels]

Lebaniego - San Vicente de la Barquera to Potes
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peregrino_tom/albums/72157669985688762

Vadiniense - Potes to Leon
https://www.flickr.com/photos/peregrino_tom/albums/72157669609615290

Both routes had some peculiarities which I'll comment on in a new thread.
Photos taken on a mobile phone LG G4.
It all starts nice and sunny but the Vad pictures tail off a bit at the end as, after a morning of ominous sky, massive thunder and lightning storms attacked mid-day and hustled me all the way into Leon.
PS If you want to see full screen images in Flickr, a good way is to click on the slideshow icon top right of the album page, start the slideshow, pause it with the space bar and then use the keyboard arrows to go back and forwards at your own pace.

ics,
Wonderful! Just wonderful. Now, I really know what I missed, when I didn't turn South after walking out of San Vicente. But you can bet, my next Camino will involve Labaniego and Vadiniense. Thanks for posting these pics, Tom. Thanks from Niels.

 

[Madidi]

Fab pictures Tom.....excellent work.

Take care, be safe.

 

[psheehan]

Great photos Tom, thanks for sharing.. a lovely reminder of when I did the Lebaniego and Vadiniense in May 2014... What a wonderful Camino, can't wait to walk it again some day.

Paul.

 

[amancio]

wow, great photos, I was there just a couple of weeks before you, how is the hospitalero in Lafuente keeping? A truly amazing camino, indeed!

 

[peregrino_tom]

wow, great photos, I was there just a couple of weeks before you, how is the hospitalero in Lafuente keeping? A truly amazing camino, indeed!

Hola Amancio - and thank you for your helpful advice when I was starting and you were finishing.
Yes, Michal (if that is the Polish spelling?) was on good form when I was there. Here in England we have a saying that we begin to feel old when the policemen are younger than us. I feel the same way about hospitaleros! But it was good to see the next generation taking on this role. Wences the hospitalero for the private albergue at Cabañes is also under 30 I think.
I hope you are keeping well. Best wishes, tom

 

[amancio]

haha, Wences, yes we met him too, he is a character, but the case of Michal was something else indeed, a special place and a very particular hospitalero, particularly on diet requirements

 

[Camino Samoset Santiago]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing. I have to wait until April to see all this with my own eyes.

 

[amancio]

lots of memories came back, I was there at the beginning of June, probably just a few days ahead of you, thanks for sharing the photos and bring back so many sweet memories, looking forward to going back to some amazing camino!

 

[oursonpolaire]

The photos are very evocative of my 2011 Vadiniense, and am impressed with how Peregrino_tom made Riaño into a mystical outpost in Middle Earth.

 

[peregrina2000]

The photos are very evocative of my 2011 Vadiniense, and am impressed with how Peregrino_tom made Riaño into a mystical outpost in Middle Earth.

I think those pictures of Riaño border on deceptive advertising. Riaño is probably one of the most dismal, heartless, soulless towns I've ever walked through. Your pictures are amazing, Tom. This is probably the fourth or fifth time I've looked at them, and I remember many of those same vantage points as though it were yesterday. That is one heck of a beautiful camino, Riaño notwithstanding.

 

[peregrino_tom]

As you can see from the link I attached to some of the Riano shots - it's a new town ('New Riano' according to Wikipedia), relocated up from the valley floor when the river was dammed to make this reservoir. And some of the locals remain very unhappy about it. I guess there's a similar story with Portomarin (not sure if both churches were relocated?), but the difference being that New Riano was created only in the 80s while Portomarin was moved and the waters rose back in the 60s, so feelings aren't so raw... I surmise, but if anyone knows more/better, please jump in.

 

[angulero]

Riaño

Riaño ahora

 

[amancio]

Dismal is a good definition for New Riaño, it has the feeling of a newly built ski resort, and as much soul as one too. The eviction of all 12 villages that were flooded by the dam on december 31st 1987 was quite traumatic. The resistance was fierce, and indeed it is no coincidence that the dam was actually flooded on December 31st, because the following day a new law was enforced in Europe that would have made the whole dam project illegal.

The police and riot forces on horses evicted citizens off their houses, and then each house was inmediately demolished after the eviction to prevent them from coming back. The whole project took nearly 30 yearst to complete.

Out of all photos about the eviction of Riaño inhabitants, this is one I find particularly powerful and moving :

Lots of riot police force and a brave old man refusing to surrender on his wooden clogs

 

[peregrino_tom]

Angulero and Amancio. Thank you for explaining. I have stumbled into something that looks like it has been a sad business for the people of this area. But it is also fascinating to see the transformation - we tend to think of the 'natural' landscape as something that hardly changes over hundreds of thousands of years. Here, you wouldn't know what has happened unless the story was explained.
regards, tom

 

[oursonpolaire]

A generally favourable Tripadvisor report on a hotel in Riaño runs: "Decent hotel, decent restaurant, basic but acceptable breakfast but what an odd town. If you've seen the French TV series The Returned you'll know what to expect. Old town sunk beneath water after a dam was built with a modern soulless town to replace it. Didn't seem to be any people around adding to the spooky feel."