Last week, before things got even more complicated, I walked a few stages of the Invierno (for the umpteenth time!). Here are a few updates:
Toral de Merayo:
Bar El Puente is being reformed. The other cafeteria in the Plaza is still open (from 09:00h).
Santalla del Bierzo:
If, for any reason, you don’t want to walk all the way up to Cornatel Castle, you don’t need to do any road walking on that nasty stretch up to the Slate Factory at the top.
Instead, carry straight on at the Ermita de la Virgen del Carmen (but be careful: don’t follow the path round to the right; ten metres past the chapel head upwards. It’s fairly steep for about 200 metres, then you cross the N-536, and head up the slate mountain (!) for another 150 metres to the top. It brings you out at the confluence of roads (N-536, the one coming down from Villavieja, and the one that takes you down to Borrenes).
Borrenes:
Marisol and Saturno have closed down the Bar Marisol, but there is now a wonderful new bar/restaurant/garden attached to the hotel. The bar/restaurant is really beautifully decorated and there’s an open fire. The food is excellent.
Special pilgrim prices, and Marisol and Saturno are so friendly and helpful.
Saturno is busy building an extension of an apartment.
Las Médulas:
Casa Socorro is closed down (hopefully just temporarily) due to family illness. The new albergue turístico (La Senda) showed no signs of life at 11 o’clock in the morning, but it is functioning, apparently.
Puente de Domingo Flórez:
Café Los Arcos in Calle el Toral has closed down.
Bar El Cruce is still as pilgrim-friendly as ever.
There are three decent places to eat/drink near the Día supermarket on Calle Chao do Marco:
Restaurante Thais was closed, as they function as a pub at night and hadn’t been able to obtain a licence to open.
El Bom Vita, just round the corner, does a menu del día and has a large terrace.
Mesón La Colmena, in the street parallel to Restaurante Thais, has a nice garden terrace, and does excellent free pinchos. They also have a fairly large number of ‘raciones’ available.
Sobradelo:
The conflict between the Centro Social Pontenova and Bar Mar is still ongoing, unfortunately. To be honest, unless you are planning to stay the night in one of the rooms that Manuel has in Bar Mar, Pontenova is a much better place to drink or eat. Excellent free pinchos and an extensive cheap menu del día. Practically all of the locals eat there, which says a lot for me.
Éntoma:
Bar Martillo has new owners, but they’ve closed down, hopefully on a temporary basis.
O Barco de Valdeorras:
Hostal La Gran Tortuga is closed for the moment.
There’s a newish hotel, Malecon. It’s very modern, but probably too expensive and - in my view - quite impersonal. Extremely convenient, just off the river walkway.
Anyway, I hope this helps any of you who are planning to walk this marvellous camino, once things get back to some sort of normality.
Toral de Merayo:
Bar El Puente is being reformed. The other cafeteria in the Plaza is still open (from 09:00h).
Santalla del Bierzo:
If, for any reason, you don’t want to walk all the way up to Cornatel Castle, you don’t need to do any road walking on that nasty stretch up to the Slate Factory at the top.
Instead, carry straight on at the Ermita de la Virgen del Carmen (but be careful: don’t follow the path round to the right; ten metres past the chapel head upwards. It’s fairly steep for about 200 metres, then you cross the N-536, and head up the slate mountain (!) for another 150 metres to the top. It brings you out at the confluence of roads (N-536, the one coming down from Villavieja, and the one that takes you down to Borrenes).
Borrenes:
Marisol and Saturno have closed down the Bar Marisol, but there is now a wonderful new bar/restaurant/garden attached to the hotel. The bar/restaurant is really beautifully decorated and there’s an open fire. The food is excellent.
Special pilgrim prices, and Marisol and Saturno are so friendly and helpful.
Saturno is busy building an extension of an apartment.
Las Médulas:
Casa Socorro is closed down (hopefully just temporarily) due to family illness. The new albergue turístico (La Senda) showed no signs of life at 11 o’clock in the morning, but it is functioning, apparently.
Puente de Domingo Flórez:
Café Los Arcos in Calle el Toral has closed down.
Bar El Cruce is still as pilgrim-friendly as ever.
There are three decent places to eat/drink near the Día supermarket on Calle Chao do Marco:
Restaurante Thais was closed, as they function as a pub at night and hadn’t been able to obtain a licence to open.
El Bom Vita, just round the corner, does a menu del día and has a large terrace.
Mesón La Colmena, in the street parallel to Restaurante Thais, has a nice garden terrace, and does excellent free pinchos. They also have a fairly large number of ‘raciones’ available.
Sobradelo:
The conflict between the Centro Social Pontenova and Bar Mar is still ongoing, unfortunately. To be honest, unless you are planning to stay the night in one of the rooms that Manuel has in Bar Mar, Pontenova is a much better place to drink or eat. Excellent free pinchos and an extensive cheap menu del día. Practically all of the locals eat there, which says a lot for me.
Éntoma:
Bar Martillo has new owners, but they’ve closed down, hopefully on a temporary basis.
O Barco de Valdeorras:
Hostal La Gran Tortuga is closed for the moment.
There’s a newish hotel, Malecon. It’s very modern, but probably too expensive and - in my view - quite impersonal. Extremely convenient, just off the river walkway.
Anyway, I hope this helps any of you who are planning to walk this marvellous camino, once things get back to some sort of normality.
