Something old and new on the Camino Francés - Via Aquitania variants

[VNwalking]

@JabbaPapa posted this wonderful article in another thread, and it may be of interest to any pilgrims on the Francés who want to try something different for a few days, or even a few weeks:

Camino de Santiago | La Vía Aquitania, una ruta nueva entre Burgos y Palencia que busca peregrinos

La Vía Aquitania se inaugurará oficialmente muy pronto y ya ha iniciado su promoción en el XII Congreso Internacional de Asociaciones Jacobeas para tener todo listo en la próxima temporada alta del Camino, algo que entusiasma a los pueblos que cruza

www.diariodeburgos.es

So if you seek peace and quiet - and a taste of the incredibly warm welcome on quieter caminos- you can dip your toes in the water of quieter routes on this variant without committing to weeks of isolation.

Here is an overview image of a wikiloc track for a longer Via Aquitania variation that appeals to me. A lot.

It starts in Pamplona, first taking the Viejo, until it merges with the Via de Bayona in Salvatierra, then ahead from Burgos as the article says, ending in Carrion de los Condes:
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/camino-de-santiago-la-calzada-via-aquitania-72149222 (Camino de Santiago La Calzada Vía Aquitania) at #wikiloc
The only place it follows the Francés is from Burgos to Tardajos.

Anyone who's walked the Via de Bayona into Burgos has roughly - or exactly - followed this route. Right outside Burgos, it's marked as the Via Italia, and for quite some way the remains od the old road are intact and visible; there are interpretive signboards along the way. The rest of the time you just have the company of ghosts of the road, and the imprint of countless feet who'd passed that way.

 

[VNwalking]

The last part of this route looks full of interest.

As I was looking for more information, I saw this:

Padilla de Abajo (Burgos) busca hostelero para reabrir el bar por 83 céntimos al mes

Padilla de Abajo busca hostelero para reabrir el punto de reunión del centro social, con la cocina a estrenar y los gastos pagados

www.diariodeburgos.es

10 Euros (83 cents per month) gets you the rent for the centro social, with expenses paid and a new kitchen. And it's smack-dab on this new Alternate route, a bit before Carrion. They are desperate to keep the village alive - and when the bar goes, so does the village.

 

[VNwalking]

Here are the list of villages this variant goes through after Tardajos:
Las Quintanillas,
Palacios de Benaver,
Villanueva de Argaño,
Sasamón,
Olmillos de Sasamón,
Grijalba,
Villasandino,
Padilla de Abajo,
Melgar de Fernamental,
Villadiego,
Osorno

(The purple line's the variant, the turquoise one's the Via Aquitania.)
Olmillos has a restored castle that's now a hotel. Shortly after that, Sasamón has two Roman bridges, and a wealth if history and patrimony:

Lugares imprescindibles de Sasamón y Olmillos de Sasamón

Sasamón y Olmillos de Sasamón son dos pueblos de la zona occidental de la provincia de Burgos que poseen increíbles elementos artísticos e históricos

www.viajesyrutas.es

Some is almost gone. Like this:


And some definitely speaks to the Camino roots of the town, whether we recoil from the image and what it means or not:


Melgar de Fernamental is a biggish town; shortly after you pass through it, you follow the Canal de Castilla much of the way into the next town.

It looks fantastico.

@Rebekah Scott, this is a stone's-throw from you. Have you seen any of these places?

 

[chinacat]

@VNwalking

This article was published in the Guardian online this morning.
The village of Villamorón, with this beautiful Cathedral, is just south of Villadiego.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this variant could be rerouted through this village?

Hopes Cathedral of the Moorland could save Spanish village with single resident

Campaigners plan arts centre for magnificent medieval church to lure tourists and new inhabitants

www.theguardian.com

 

[mspath]

@VNwalking

This article was published in the Guardian online this morning.
The village of Villamorón, with this beautiful Cathedral, is just south of Villadiego.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if this variant could be rerouted through this village?

Hopes Cathedral of the Moorland could save Spanish village with single resident

Campaigners plan arts centre for magnificent medieval church to lure tourists and new inhabitants

www.theguardian.com

chinacat,
This is such a splendid building; thanks for posting the update.

 

[VNwalking]

Wonderful, @chinacat - thank you for adding that to this thread. It looks amazing. There are some real gems in this area, not only the ones we've mentioned here.

I've walked the stretch of the Francés in between Burgos and Sahagun several times - so if there is a next time to walk out of Burgos, I'll be on the Via Aquitana! I hope others out there have the same idea.

 

[chinacat]

I’ve put it in the most recent thread where you mentioned it, now

 

[VNwalking]

Thank you!