Planning to walk from Santo Domingo de Silos to Burgos

[VNwalking]

There is one bus per day except Sunday from Burgos around 1730 (it may vary a bit from season to season) and returning about 0810 (again, a bit variable). It arrives just in time to run to vespers. Check into a hotel afterward; most are fairly inexpensive and there is no albergue.

BURGOS - SANTO DOMINGO de SILOS
LUNES A JUEVES : 17,30
VIERNES : 18,30
SÁBADO Y DOMINGO: no hay servicio
Días festivos consultar horarios

EMPRESA: ARCEREDILLO
INFORMACIÓN:
Tlfno: 947 48 52 66
Taquilla: 16

https://silosnews.wordpress.com/horarios/

OK, so planning mode has (finally) begun. Time is shorter than I first thought, so I'm just heading to Burgos and want to take the bus to SDdlS, and walk back over 3 days.
So here's a stupid question, falcon: where to catch this bus--the intercity bus terminal? Or? (I've booked the 11.15 Alsa from Madrid T4 to Burgos)

 

[Cathryn]

PLEASE let us know how your adventure works out! (and where you catch the bus). Are you going to stay in SDdS? Anxious to hear your report!

Buen camino!!

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Viranani,

I think you have several choices for walking back to Burgos from Santo Domingo.

Option one: walk the Ruta de la Lana, which would involve a 24 km walk to Mecerreyes (with albergue) and then a 33 km walk to Burgos. That option includes going through Covarrubias, but would not take you to Quintanilla de las Viñas with its visigothic church.

Option two: Take @alansykes route, which involves walking from Santo Domingo de Silos to Mecerreyes (albergue), next day past the dolmen, the dinosaur footprint and the visigothic church at Quintanilla de las Viñas. Continue to Modúbar de San Cibrián (casa rural http://www.lacercadejimena.com/index.html ) (that's about 40 km, see Alan's wikiloc GPS tracks here. http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=11249029 Even ifyou don't plan to use a GPS the maps on wikiloc are very helpful. Next day, Mondúbar to Burgos (19 km) via a Via Verde. http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=11262303

Option three: The route I may take, walk from Santo Domingo de Silos to Covarrubias (that first bit is on the Lana, and the church here is worth a visit, though you will pass it on any of the three options). It's about 18 km, so you could stay in Covarrubias where there is no albergue but lots of pensiones. I hope to walk on a little further, but my idea is to leave the Lana at Covarrubias and pick up the Camino San Olav outside Covarrubias at the Ermita dedicated to Cristina, the Norwegian princess who married Spanish royalty in the 13th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_of_Norway,_Infanta_of_Castile
Ten km beyond Covarrubias, on the San Olav, is the town of Mambrillas de Lara, with a casa rural. http://www.toprural.com/Casa-rural-alquiler-íntegro/El-Rincón-Del-Alfoz_86105_f.html That would be a total of 28 km on the first day out of Santo Domingo. Day 2 from Mambrillas de Lara to Modúbar de San Cibrián (same casa rural as Alan's route), then day 3 into Burgos as Alan's route. The Camino San Olav is normally walked from Burgos to Covarrubias rather than the reverse, but the wikiloc route shows the way: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=11388073

I realize that my kms all don't add up the same, but they are good for estimates. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[whariwharangi]

Autocares Arceredillo provides bus service from Burgos bus station Taquilla: 16 to Caleruga via Santo Domingo de Silos once daily 1730 (1830 friday) Monday to Friday.

Estacion de Autobuses Burgos
http://www.aytoburgos.es/turismo-en-burgos/como-llegar/estacion-de-autobuses-de-burgos

Autocares Arceredillo
http://www.autocaresarceredillo.es/

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks, everyone--Laurie for your careful planning mind, and whariwharangi for the bus information.
I'll let you all know how it unfolds!

 

[VNwalking]

I've been torn between winging it as far as a place to stay versus booking a room at Casa de Guzman. I prefer the simplicity of albergues and have no trouble sleeping--but how sure can I be that late in the day (during Semana Santa) there will be a bed free? I will have come pretty much straight from home, with a day at a friend's home in Europe before flying down to Madrid. So today I bit the bullet and booked a room. It just seems wise.

 

[mspath]

Glad you booked the Casa Guzman! A few years ago after I finished the CF early in December my husband drove down to SdC to join me and eventually we visited Santo Domingo de Silos staying at the Casa Guzman. It is a pleasant inexpensive hostal with good food, open fireplace and simple comfort. Best of all it is 1 minute from the visitors entrance to the monastery; perfect!

 

[VNwalking]

Another question: So I cannot find on either of those websites a place to book the bus from Burgos. Anybody with experience--is this necessary in late March? The other day Rome to Rio had the bus listed on their site but now it has disappeared so I wonder if it's booked out.

 

[VNwalking]

Glad you booked the Casa Guzman! A few years ago after I finished the CF early in December my husband drove down to SdC to join me and eventually we visited Santo Domingo de Silos staying at the Casa Guzman. It is a pleasant inexpensive hostal with good food, open fireplace and simple comfort. Best of all it is 1 minute from the visitors entrance to the monastery; perfect!

So glad to hear that, Margaret, thank you. Looking forward to a few days of old churches and out of the way walking.

 

[mspath]

I doubt that it is necessary to book the bus in late March but do keep in mind that Holy Week and Easter dates might be busy.

 

[VNwalking]

Holy Week and Easter dates might be busy.

Exactly what I was thinking. But there does not seem to be a way to book online, unless I'm missing something.

 

[peregrina2000]

Exactly what I was thinking. But there does not seem to be a way to book online, unless I'm missing something.

I called to get the information for you. No reservations needed, tickets sold one half hour before departure at window 16 inside the bus station. BUT.... The 24th and 25th are holidays in Spain, so there is no bus service (That's Holy Thursday and Good Friday). Fingers crossed that you've got another departure day planned. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[NualaOC]

OK, so planning mode has (finally) begun. Time is shorter than I first thought, so I'm just heading to Burgos and want to take the bus to SDdlS, and walk back over 3 days.
So here's a stupid question, falcon: where to catch this bus--the intercity bus terminal? Or? (I've booked the 11.15 Alsa from Madrid T4 to Burgos)

Happy planning and Buen Camino @Viranani. Good to see you back on the forum!

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks Nuala...great to be back.
And Laurie you are completely amazing! I'm stunned. Thank you so much.
So I definitely will want to offer thanks by way of posts and notes.
If you let me know ahead of time what is most useful I'll do my best to find out. Well, with limited language skills. But over the years I've honed my pantomime skills.
Edit...oh, and I'm in luck. It's the 23rd. Phew.

 

[VNwalking]

Option two: Take @alansykes route, which involves walking from Santo Domingo de Silos to Mecerreyes (albergue), next day past the dolmen, the dinosaur footprint and the visigothic church at Quintanilla de las Viñas. Continue to Modúbar de San Cibrián (casa rural http://www.lacercadejimena.com/index.html ) (that's about 40 km, see Alan's wikiloc GPS tracks here.

Ummm. Now that I have it all laid out including a booking at the CR in Modubar de San Cibrian..........now I read the fine print. Feeling a bit idiotic--I'm not normally spacey but had read '40' and thought '30'! It was wishful thinking, because the 25 miles on the Wikiloc track seemed not too different. But it's miles on the map, not Kms...only now looking more carefully....
I have no idea if this is realsitic. 35's been my max walkng, and that's after a few weeks of being on the road. Alan, the wikiloc track says you took almost 9 hours to do this--are you a fast walker?
(I'd say I'm moderate. But last year only the 31 (from Rabanal to Ponferrada) took me about 10 hours. Perhaps I should cancel that CR booking...but would hate to miss Santa Maria de Lara. That's a big part of why I'm going this way. I could do a loop from Mecerreyes, staying 2 nights in the albergue there, if they'll let me...or find a taxi?)

 

[peregrina2000]

Ummm. Now that I have it all laid out including a booking at the CR in Modubar de San Cibrian..........now I read the fine print. Feeling a bit idiotic--I'm not normally spacey but had read '40' and thought '30'! It was wishful thinking, because the 25 miles on the Wikiloc track seemed not too different. But it's miles on the map, not Kms...only now looking more carefully....
I have no idea if this is realsitic. 35's been my max walkng, and that's after a few weeks of being on the road. Alan, the wikiloc track says you took almost 9 hours to do this--are you a fast walker?
(I'd say I'm moderate. But last year only the 31 (from Rabanal to Ponferrada) took me about 10 hours. Perhaps I should cancel that CR booking...but would hate to miss Santa Maria de Lara. That's a big part of why I'm going this way. I could do a loop from Mecerreyes, staying 2 nights in the albergue there, if they'll let me...or find a taxi?)

One way to spread the kms a bit would be to do the route I'm planning. That's "option 3" in that post you quoted. Instead of continuing on the Lana to Mecerreyes, you turn off at Covarrubias. The Camino San Olav goes from Covarrubias to Burgos. The main difference is that instead of sleeping the first night at Mecerreyes, you would be in Mambrillas in a Casa Rural. That makes the second day, which would be 40 from Mecerreyes, about 34 from Mambrillas. Take a look at the GPS route I've linked in there for the San Olav.

But in a pinch, there are always taxis, as you mention. Hope this helps, Viranani, buen camino, Laurie

 

[VNwalking]

Done, thank you. Laurie! (At least I think so--the website was in Spanish...)
I had glanced at that option and thought it was about the same distance or even more, but clearly not.
34 is do-able. I have my doubts right out of the plane that 40 would be. 6 kms at the end of the day is a huge difference.

 

[peregrina2000]

Just to say that I emailed the albergue in Santo Domingo de Silos. They confirmed what @alansykes has been telling us, that yes indeed the albergue is open to peregrinos and peregrinas (not that I doubted that for a minute, but I wanted to know about people busing in from Burgos). I also asked if people who take the bus into Santo Domingo can stay there, and the answer is that so long as you are walking out of Santo Domingo you can sleep in the albergue. Since the Ruta de la Lana, which is the route coming into Santo Domingo from the southeast, is so untraveled, I can't imagine there would be a problem with finding a bed in the albergue on the day you arrive in Santo Domingo.

 

[AlanSykes]

Since the Ruta de la Lana, which is the route coming into Santo Domingo from the southeast, is so untraveled, I can't imagine there would be a problem with finding a bed in the albergue on the day you arrive in Santo Domingo.

When I was there last autumn I was the first person in it in three weeks. I think I estimated from the visitors' book that 200-odd pilgrims had stayed there in 2015. Ask for Fray José-Alfredo, the brother hospitaler at the monastery, and he will show you to the albergue and give you the key. Santo Domingo de Silos is a very special place at any time, during Holy Week it must be even more so.

The casa rural in Revilla del Campo might be a better distance between Mecerreyes and Burgos - I would have stayed there only it was full, so I had to go the extra few km on to Modúbar de San Cibríán. Casa rural Cinco Lunas, 677482401. I think it's the same family that owns the Cerca de Doña Jimena.

 

[VNwalking]

OK everyone...whatever you do, don't miss this! Santo Domingo de Silos is wonderful. After a slightly edgy day of travel, the Vespers service felt like medicine. And as incredible as the cloister is, there's a lot more here than just that--including a hermitage above the town and a few museums (including a musical instrument museum). I only passed the museums as time is short, so don't know if they're quirky or what...But I can report that the landscape is gorgeous--dramatic forested hills, with old villages and Vistas of the Sierra de Demanda...which still has plenty of snow.
If you're on the Frances, you can easily get a bus...window #16 inside the bus station. 5:30 PM, and then there's a morning bus back. Or if there's a bunch of pilgrims who can share the cost, the Burgos tourist info office said a one-way fare is 75€.
And there are a number of places to stay. Even mid-Semana Santa it's not packed. I'm splurging and have a room at Casa Guzman. Very nice, and the owners are helpful and hospitable.
Tomorrow I hit the road! There are clearly marked signs coming down into town from the Soria direction, for the 'Camino El Cid', and I'm assured that it's also marked on the other side, headed towards Burgos. There are many visitors here, but I will no doubt have the path to myself...and am praying to the navigation angels to keep me on track.

 

[NualaOC]

That sounds wonderful @Viranani, glad you've arrived safely. Wishing you a peaceful and joyous Camino.

 

[peregrina2000]

So happy for you. Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you, Buen camino! Laurie