Red is the new Yellow!!!

[psheehan]

Ruta Liebaniego - Day 1: San Vicente to Cicera.


Just a quick update on my 2 days from San Vicente to Potes. The lady who runs the albergue in San Vicente seemed to be giving me incorrect information on how to find the red arrows to Lebana so I was a little concerned in case I'd miss the turn off... But I decided to trust Rebekah's/Laurie's guide and all worked out perfectly... About an hour and a half after leaving San Vicente on the Camino Del Norte heading towards Santiago there is a bar in the barrio of Hortigal. Turn right at the cross roads after the bar continuing in the direction of the yellow arrows. After about 10 minutes you will see the sign announcing the entrance into the small hamlet of Hortigal. In approximately 2 minutes you will see a red arrow pointing to the left. Follow this arrow for the Camino Liebaniego. The yellow arrow to the right continues on the Del Norte towards Oviedo.

Following the red arrow to the left will take you through a small farm yard which then leads onto a stone track for about 10 minutes. The track then leads onto the road towards the very picturesque village of Gandarilla. All along this section there are lots of red arrows clearly showing the route. As you leave Gandarilla the Camino climbs up a winding road with great views behind you back towards San Vicente. At the top of the climb the road veers right on the CA 850. Shortly you will be rewarded with amazing views of the mountains as the road descends to the charming little village of Bielva. The bar Casa Cesar serves a great Menu at lunchtime for 10 euro. San Vicente to Bielva took just over 4 hours including a few rest stops along the way.

The albergue in La Fuente is currently closed due to lack of peregrinos so I walked on to the lovely albergue in Cicera. About 2 kms before Cicera the route is directed off the road and is sign posted through a field eventually coming down in Cicera. Very quiet here as well... I'm the first and only peregrino so far this month!!! The bar is also closed in the village so you would need to carry food with you. All in all a great days walking with lovely views of the mountains.

Day 2: Cicera to Potes
The day started with a long steep incline out of Cicera with lots of great views of the valley and the mountains. When you get to the top of the summit the red arrows guide you all the way down into Liebana on the other side of the summit. In a few places the red arrows have become a little faded but following the pylons will help you in the right direction. Overall the red signing is very good. After a visit to church in Lebana I decided to follow the road into Potes stopping off in Tama for a well needed late breakfast.

I'm now relaxing in the very comfortable and very empty albergue in Potes (just one other peregrino) looking forward to commencing the Camino Vadiniense tomorrow.

To summarise, the Ruta Liebaniego is wonderful with great walking through valleys and over mountains with excellent red arrows.

 

[psheehan]

Here is a link to my photos of the Camino Liebaniego to give you an idea of what the terrain and waymarking is like...

https://plus.google.com/photos/1135...s/6018420144772889905?authkey=CIb30vPG-_O5hwE

 

[peregrina2000]

Sorry I missed this post when it first went up, and thanks for the pictures. They are great. It looks to me like there has been some recent red arrow painting, even though you describe some faded ones, so there must be some local interest in this camino.

I'm sorry to hear the La Fuente albergue is closed, but the one in Cicera looks quite nice -- if I remember correctly, though, the Cicera albergue has a limited season, do you know the dates, Paul?

For me the most frustrating thing about this camino was the incessant asphalt. There are plenty of off-road local trails used by the locals, but the arrows just leave you on the pavement for almost the entire way. I remember having a conversation outside the church in LaFuente with an elderly resident who said it was possible to walk essentially the whole way from San Vicente into LaFuente without going on a road. This is the perennial chicken and egg problem -- few people walk the Lebañiego because of its asphalt-laden route, but the incentive to re-route it isn´t there because there aren´t enough peregrinos! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[psheehan]

Hi Laurie,

I didn't see any information on the opening times of the albergue in Cicera, on the door it has the phone number of the person to contact for the key. I agree there is alot of asphalt walking on this Camino, but unlike some stretches of other caminos, the asphalt on the Liebaniego takes you through some very nice villages and scenery which takes your focus off the constant asphalt.

After I left the Iglesia de Sta. Maria de Lebena, i headed towards Potes on the main road, when I got as far as Castro Cillorigo I noticed a red arrow showing the way coming from a side route onto the main road, but i did not see how to get onto this track from the Iglesia. But it would be great to walk all this route on an off-road trail.

Saludos,

Paul.