Tips for Tackling O Cebreiro Hill During Your Camino Walk

[MichaelC]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola @MichaelC - I have to agree about how you approach this section of the Camino. Back in 2017 I walked it with an English couple, we started fromTrabadelo, had coffee & toast around Vega and a 10-15 min drink break at La Faba. We also arrived at O'Cebreiro in time for lunch and a few mins paying our respects to Don Elias. We pushed on to Linares in time to do our washing and prepare a meal. Buen Camino.

 

[henrythedog]

It really is very much about your personal perception of ‘what a hill is’; first time I got within 500m of O’C I recall looking at my copy of Brierley, calling up a map app on my ‘phone and trying to figure out when the hill started.

 

[CWBuff]

Completely agree with @MichaelC
I too was a bit nervous about the climb based on things heard and read
I spent a lovely night in Vega de Valcarce, had a slightly earlier start then usual and hit La Faba for Dessayuno Numero Uno cresting at O Cebreiro at lunch
It wasn't an easy walk...but somehow it was not as hard as I imagined.
Of course it was all downhill from there....

 

[Walkerooni]

It also depends where in your Camino you hit it, and what you have already done. Those starting in SJPdP already have about 650k under their belts, and may wonder what all the fuss is about walking up to O’Cebreiro.

 

[isawtman]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

I hiked up to Las Herrerias at the foot of the hill, then I started up the hill from there in the Morning.

 

[trecile]

It also depends where in your Camino you hit it, and what you have already done. Those starting in SJPdP already have about 650k under their belts, and may wonder what all the fuss is about walking up to O’Cebreiro.

I agree. I walked from Villafranca del Bierzo both times that I walked that part of the Francés, but since I'd been walking weeks already from SJPdP, it wasn't that hard. Of course everyone is different!

 

[Canito6671]

We also stayed the night in Las Herrerías and tackled O Cebreiro mid-morning. I remember that part of thee climb was tough, but we didn't have nearly as hard a time with that climb as I anticipated. And, the tough part didn't last as long as I feared — I was thinking it would be on par with going over the Pyrenees back on day one and it wasn't anything like that! Las Herrerías was BEAUTIFUL and charming and I highly recommend staying there!

 

[MikeJS]

I did it at the end of the day and ran the last few hundred metres as we wanted a beer and the last one at the bar had to buy the drinks! However, that was 10 years ago.

 

[LTfit]

It really is very much about your personal perception of ‘what a hill is’; first time I got within 500m of O’C I recall looking at my copy of Brierley, calling up a map app on my ‘phone and trying to figure out when the hill started.

Yeah, I've had that experience on a few Caminos, on the Inglés in particular. Once I was on top I thought to myself, "ok, so that was the steep hill".

I've done the climb to O Cebreiro at least 4 times but even during the first, I didn't find it particularly difficult. Granted, twice I had started in SJPdP.

One winter I walked Burgos - Sarria and we woke up to snow in O Cebreiro. That was special!

 

[Yoyo]

In June 2017, the walk to O Cebreiro and beyond (to Fonfría) was one of the highlights of my camino.
I had stayed in Las Herrerías, so the climb was right at the start that day, just as @MichaelC is recommending.
It was a gorgeous morning and - for the first time in weeks - I had no blisters nor any other aches or pains. The uphill walk didn't pose any problems. I felt invincible and happy in a way I had never felt before and have never felt since.
I can share a few pictures I took that day:

 

[Wanderingfriend]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

Thank you for this advice.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

If you want a bit of hill climbing prep the day before you can take the camino variant leaving Villafranca del Bierzo upward to Pradela and then down to Trabadelo.

 

[WayWalker]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

My husband and I are reasonably fit, more so 10 years ago when we walked our 1st Camino with our training done in the foothills of Colorado. That said we spent the prior night before O Cebriro in Valcarce at the truck stop hotel, since husband was feeling his shins and didn't want to take a chance! Next day made a lunch and did the climb up. Saw our friends at the tables outside the bar in the little Square enjoying a vino and just had to stop. We decided to check the lovely hotel there and got the last available room. One of the best on our journey! Had a wonderful pilgrims meal that night. We were glad to be spontaneous and let the flow guide us. Just a note, my husband and I broke up our nightly stays in albergues by staying in pensions or hotels every 3rd or fourth day depending on what presented itself. Buen Camino!

 

[Marcos Campos]

just reporting the experience, in october 2019 we made the climb to Cebreiro as follows… we did the stage from Ponferrada to Pereje, and then the stage from Pereje to Cebreiro.
it was a good way to make the climb more rested.

Buen Camino!

 

[Tony Lenton]

In June 2017, the walk to O Cebreiro and beyond (to Fonfría) was one of the highlights of my camino.
I had stayed in Las Herrerías, so the climb was right at the start that day, just as @MichaelC is recommending.
It was a gorgeous morning and - for the first time in weeks - I had no blisters nor any other aches or pains. The uphill walk didn't pose any problems. I felt invincible and happy in a way I had never felt before and have never felt since.
I can share a few pictures I took that day:

View attachment 139218 View attachment 139219 View attachment 139220 View attachment 139221 View attachment 139222View attachment 139223

I did it in 2018, exactly as you did. I found it pretty straightforward and very enjoyable. Alto de Poio, just before Fonfria, really caught me out, though. I wasn’t expecting it. It was short but really steep, from memory.

 

[tpmchugh]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

I hiked from Trabadelo to A Faba then next day to Alto do Poio. To A Faba was tough, on up to O Cebreiro was tough but Do Poio was to me the worst. I have climbed to O Cebreiro 3 times but my mind was always way ahead dreading Do Poio. A Faba was done around midday, O Cebreiro in the dark of early morn and Do Poio around midday the same day

 

[MichaelC]

If you want a bit of hill climbing prep the day before you can take the camino variant leaving Villafranca del Bierzo upward to Pradela and then down to Trabadelo.

I really enjoyed that variant. The one cafe we stopped at had a petition to make it the official route.

 

[John Sikora]

Yes, and your advice should be generalized. As I walked more Caminos (and got older), it became VERY apparent that I had to look at both the distance for the day the TOTAL changes in elevation. My distance per day now varies from 10K to 30K depending on the total changes in elevation. I also consider breaking a very long stage into two stages and two taxi rides (Start to mid - taxi back and then the next day taxi to mid and finish it up). I find that I now have very few days were I have bad memories or feel too exhausted. Just come to reckoning with what you can do comfortably.

 

[Bob91]

up to O Cebreiro was tough but Do Poio was to me the worst.

I started from Vega de Valcarce early in the morning and hit the long uphill fresh. The path was a steady climb but not insurmountable. I don't recall any particular problem except I kept looking for the Galicia boundary marker which seemed to take forever, especially since I was behind a group of large cows being moved. But that steep uphill just before Alto do Poio was something else! I remember looking up and thinking, "What the hell?" From the base of the climb, it looked steep enough to warrant a ladder. It was a tough ending to a beautiful day. But that's the glory of the Camino. One can cruise along for long stretches, while occasional challenges keep it interesting. A good metaphor for life!
Bob

 

[jimmyc]

It also depends where in your Camino you hit it, and what you have already done. Those starting in SJPdP already have about 650k under their belts, and may wonder what all the fuss is about walking up to O’Cebreiro.

Yes, after 650klms I hardly remember the climb to 0'C. Nothing like the climb from SJPP.

 

[Wanderingfriend]

Yes, and your advice should be generalized. As I walked more Caminos (and got older), it became VERY apparent that I had to look at both the distance for the day the TOTAL changes in elevation. My distance per day now varies from 10K to 30K depending on the total changes in elevation. I also consider breaking a very long stage into two stages and two taxi rides (Start to mid - taxi back and then the next day taxi to mid and finish it up). I find that I now have very few days were I have bad memories or feel too exhausted. Just come to reckoning with what you can do comfortably.

This sounds like wisdom.

 

[Mar W]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

Completely agree ! It's difficult but at the start of the day when you are fresh it's a beautiful climb rather than a hard slog at the end of a long day
I really enjoyed it and couldn't believe it when I actually arrived much quicker than I thought I would? I was still mentally preparing for this terrible steep part when I realised it was actually behind me ?
I had a lovely leisurely lunch and afternoon enjoying O Cebreiro and set off the next day completely refreshed!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

As I walked more Caminos (and got older), it became VERY apparent that I had to look at both the distance for the day the TOTAL changes in elevation.

I assume you know about this John but for others there is a rule of thumb that helps you adjust the amount of time it will take you to walk a certain distance with elevation changes. It is called Naismith's Rule. There are a number of tweaks to this and also variations. Brierley uses a variation in his guides where he gives an equivalent distance. For example, a stage may have a distance of 25 kms and an equivalent distance of 30 kms. Using this and assuming you walk 5 kph it would take you about 5 hours to walk the distance if it was flat (25/5) but it will be more likely to take you 6 hours (30/5). Stops at bars not included. Of course this gives you a time estimate but not an indication of muscle pain.

 

[HeatherL]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

I couldn't agree more. I followed advice not to do big climbs when you are tired and already done a good days walking. It makes sense. Doesn't take away the challenge of the walk up to O Cebreiro but it wasn't too bad.

 

[JennyH94]

In 2019 my family and I stayed at the fantastic albergue at La Laguna and they tackled the path up to O’Cebreiro first thing the next morning.

My memories of that path from 2012 were that it was quite difficult in parts so Spot my trailer and I walked the road up to O’Cebreiro and I was really glad I did - I found a €20 note on the side of the road on the way up! Breakfast for us all that morning was my treat!

Message from this story - the road option can sometimes be a good one!

Cheers from Oz -

Jenny

 

[dougfitz]

I assume you know about this John but for others there is a rule of thumb that helps you adjust the amount of time it will take you to walk a certain distance with elevation changes. It is called Naismith's Rule. There are a number of tweaks to this and also variations. Brierley uses a variation in his guides where he gives an equivalent distance. For example, a stage may have a distance of 25 kms and an equivalent distance of 30 kms. Using this and assuming you walk 5 kph it would take you about 5 hours to walk the distance if it was flat (25/5) but it will be more likely to take you 6 hours (30/5). Stops at bars not included. Of course this gives you a time estimate but not an indication of muscle pain.

I have used a Scarf's equivalence, a variation of Naismith's Rule, for many years to give a much more realistic estimate than Brierley's. John Brierley's approach is heavily skewed to slower walkers. It uses an average walking speed of 3 km/hr for its calculations, resulting in an under-estimate of the adjustment required for those of us who can maintain a walking pace closer to 5 km/hr. It gets worse if you go faster than that.

The Scarf factor is 7.92, which can be calculated directly from the original statement of Naismith's Rule. For every unit of climb, add 7.92 units of distance. For practical purposes this is close enough to 8, and so I add 8 units of distance for every unit of climb. As an example, Brierley estimates the accumulated climb from SJPP to Roncesvalles as 1390 m. Using this approach, this adds the equivalent of 11,1200 m, or about 11 km to the distance of 24.8 km, resulting in an equivalent distance of nearly 36 km. At 5 km/hr, the estimated time for this leg would be a little over 7 hours. Brierley's approach results in an equivalent distance of 31.7 km, which at the 3 km/hr he uses for his calculations would take 10.5 hours.

How significant is this? If you used Brierley's calculations but walked at 5 km/hr, you would underestimate the time required for this leg by around 50 minutes. Perhaps enough time to get settled in, do one's washing, and have at least one beer.

 

[Henry B]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

I like this advice and would have taken it! In 2018 I tackled the hill too late on a hot, long walk day. I billeted at La Faba, and it felt like bliss. Sad that I had quit before the top

 

[Anamiri]

The first time I walked up to O Cebreiro, last time we rode horses. It was definitely easier walking!
Riding was not the easy option.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I have used a Scarf's equivalence, a variation of Naismith's Rule, for many years to give a much more realistic estimate than Brierley's.

I agree, the way Brierley computes equivalent distance is bad. It shortens the estimated time to do a stage. Scarf gave us an easier way to figure the time to do a stage if we go at a speed other than Naismith's 5 kph (well, the approximate metric equivalent of his 3 mph). In reality we can expect that with us getting tired after walking longer distances and up hills we will get slower and thus take more time than computed with the Naismith/Scarf equivalent distances divided by our speed over the flat early on in the walk. Tranter's corrections help with estimated time to walk the much longer distances.

Truth be told, I don't use these estimates myself. At home our walks are short and we don't need to know a finish time. In the mountains our hikes are longer and over tough terrain. Using a walking speed there of one mile per hour has worked well for us.

 

[ScorpioGirl22]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

I am also planning to do the climb with fresh legs in the morning. However, my friend & I will stop the night in Las Herrerias rather than in Vega de Valance.

 

[nathanael]

I did it at the end of the day and ran the last few hundred metres as we wanted a beer and the last one at the bar had to buy the drinks! However, that was 10 years ago.

I was able to do it ten years ago but last time few times I took a ride up with the man bringing backpacks and although he took the mountain road it was scary.

 

[nathanael]

I hiked from Trabadelo to A Faba then next day to Alto do Poio. To A Faba was tough, on up to O Cebreiro was tough but Do Poio was to me the worst. I have climbed to O Cebreiro 3 times but my mind was always way ahead dreading Do Poio. A Faba was done around midday, O Cebreiro in the dark of early morn and Do Poio around midday the same day

Let us not forget a few years back a 34-year-old man had a massive heart attack going up, his younger brother had to be contacted a few towns back. It's a tough and dangerous trek.

 

[dougfitz]

Let us not forget a few years back a 34-year-old man had a massive heart attack going up, his younger brother had to be contacted a few towns back. It's a tough and dangerous trek.

@nathanael, I wonder why you would suggest it is dangerous. Tough, yes, I agree with you there. But having walked it twice, I didn't think it was dangerous. The track is well defined and both times when I walked it the surface was reasonable, quite unlike the descents into Zubiri, from the Alto de Perdon, after the Cruz de Ferro or coming into Molinaseca. I don't recall any danger of the track slipping down the hill, as appeared to be a risk climbing to the Alto Perdon when I walked. It is well away from any vehicle traffic, and the only risk from animal traffic might have been stepping into some horse dung.

I know our individual perceptions of danger might be quite different, but people suffer heart attacks in all sorts of circumstances, and we would look at the condition of the individual rather than the environment for an explanation. Such deaths are tragedies, but I cannot see that this would lead me to assess the climb as dangerous. I doubt that you would suggest that every albergue where someone died in their sleep was dangerous, sad as someone passing away there might be.

 

[David Tallan]

We did the climb from Trabadelo. But what I remember most is the point where the path for walkers deviates from the path for cyclists. The path for cyclists seems to continue up the hill, while the path for walkers takes you all the way down to the river before you start to climb again. I was thinking "You are undoing all the climbing I've been doing and I'm going to have to start from ground zero. Again!:

 

[tpmchugh]

@nathanael, I wonder why you would suggest it is dangerous. Tough, yes, I agree with you there. But having walked it twice, I didn't think it was dangerous. The track is well defined and both times when I walked it the surface was reasonable, quite unlike the descents into Zubiri, from the Alto de Perdon, after the Cruz de Ferro or coming into Molinaseca. I don't recall any danger of the track slipping down the hill, as appeared to be a risk climbing to the Alto Perdon when I walked. It is well away from any vehicle traffic, and the only risk from animal traffic might have been stepping into some horse dung.

I know our individual perceptions of danger might be quite different, but people suffer heart attacks in all sorts of circumstances, and we would look at the condition of the individual rather than the environment for an explanation. Such deaths are tragedies, but I cannot see that this would lead me to assess the climb as dangerous. I doubt that you would suggest that every albergue where someone died in their sleep was dangerous, sad as someone passing away there might be.

Animal traffic was a concern on my first climb. A herd of cattle came down the trail towards me with horns like I have never experienced in Ireland. Not quite the longhorns of Texas but scared the divil out of me. I just stood there and prayed as they went by

 

[SeñorJacques]

Animal traffic was a concern on my first climb. A herd of cattle came down the trail towards me with horns like I have never experienced in Ireland. Not quite the longhorns of Texas but scared the divil out of me. I just stood there and prayed as they went by

Animal poop was a concern too I started in Villafranca that morning, spending the night at La Laguna and reaching O Cebreiro just past dawn the next day, and remembered feeling that the climb wasn't nearly as difficult as the trek out of SJPP to Orisson that first morning - my body had gotten much stronger than I'd thought over the preceding four weeks of walking. But the "mud", shall we say, walking up to La Laguna and onwards to O Cebreiro was another matter entirely. (I kept telling myself it was mud, even though it hadn't rained for a while.) Definitely one of the more vivid memories of my Camino!

 

[CWBuff]

Here is a link to a video by Philip Tondrow. He and another American (Peter Hayes) were my compadres for couple of days and we started together from Vega de Valcarce that morning.
My mug gets some screen time in numerous time...my back - just a little bit more.

I welcome everyone to take note of another American family (Deba & Bryce from KY with their 4yo son and 6month daughter) on the wretched trail (Philip shot that probably 5 mins before we crested to La Faba and had a nice Desayuno #1) as well as how close did that guy on the bike got (I do believe I felt him brush past my me however lightly)

I like this clip because it gives a person a pretty good idea what a Pilgrim's 'typical' day comes to be - get up early, walk, struggle, persevere, take a break, eat, move on .... all while totally loving the surroundings

Vega de Valcarce to Liñares

 

[dougfitz]

Animal traffic was a concern on my first climb. A herd of cattle came down the trail towards me with horns like I have never experienced in Ireland. Not quite the longhorns of Texas but scared the divil out of me. I just stood there and prayed as they went by

Which I think is exactly the right response.

There are many things that might appear to have a high level of danger that are really quite safe. I can remember crossing the Dovrefjell in Norway on my first pilgrimage to Trondheim when a herd of horses came cantering along the track from behind me. I swear they broke into a gallop a few hundred metres from me, in hindsight wanting me to break into a run so they might engage in a little fun chasing me. I know domestic animals, including horses, don't run over people or other animals. We are not food, and other than animals that are trained to attack, won't. So I turned and stood in the middle of the roadway, and watched them stream past me. They might have appeared close, but I would have had to make a sudden movement sideways for any to have come in contact with me.

They repeated this twice more, before finding a couple of sheep wandering on the track a bit further along it, and chased them for a while.

Was I worried? Sure. Being trampled on a lonely road in Norway wasn't part of any contingency I might have foreseen. Was I in real danger? Perhaps if I had responded differently, but I somehow doubt it. It didn't make me think that that trail was any more dangerous than the other sections of the Gudbrandsdalen that I walked that year.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Doug's post just above and the thread's theme of
O Cebreiro just reminded me of a three post series of pictures that I posted on the thread
on-the-camino-one-day-at-a-time-one-photo-at-a-time-4-0

Mainly I was thinking of the no harm intended by horses seen in post two's spoiler.

Post one
Post two
Post three

 

[Paul McAmino]

I tend to agree with those who advocate doing a climb in the morning. As others here did I stayed in Laguna de Castilla and walked the roughly 2.5 km into O Cebreiro in the morning. It was definitely an uphill walk, but not a killer, especially, as others have noted, if your body is accustomed to walking all day.

As I had eaten a largish breakfast In Laguna I didn’t tarry long in O Cebreiro; just a quick cafe and then the downward trek.

The attached image is partway up looking back towards Laguna, which gives an idea of the state of the Camino surface, and the unutterable beauty of the environs that morning.




All the best,
Paul

 

[Former member 92300]

It also depends where in your Camino you hit it, and what you have already done. Those starting in SJPdP already have about 650k under their belts, and may wonder what all the fuss is about walking up to O’Cebreiro.

Agreed! This was definitely the case for me. I really struggled with the Pyrenees and several other climbs in the first half of the Frances - but O Cebreiro wasn't so bad. I had planned thinking I should just take the horses up - not only did I not do it, I was glad I didn't do it.

I also found it true on the Norte switching to the Primitivo. I started in Hendaye and found the Primitivo to be pretty easy. Those who started in Oviedo were struggling.

 

[nathanael]

@nathanael, I wonder why you would suggest it is dangerous. Tough, yes, I agree with you there. But having walked it twice, I didn't think it was dangerous. The track is well defined and both times when I walked it the surface was reasonable, quite unlike the descents into Zubiri, from the Alto de Perdon, after the Cruz de Ferro or coming into Molinaseca. I don't recall any danger of the track slipping down the hill, as appeared to be a risk climbing to the Alto Perdon when I walked. It is well away from any vehicle traffic, and the only risk from animal traffic might have been stepping into some horse dung.

I know our individual perceptions of danger might be quite different, but people suffer heart attacks in all sorts of circumstances, and we would look at the condition of the individual rather than the environment for an explanation. Such deaths are tragedies, but I cannot see that this would lead me to assess the climb as dangerous. I doubt that you would suggest that every albergue where someone died in their sleep was dangerous, sad as someone passing away there might be.

dangerous in the fact in how could you even get medical help in that rough terrain think about it. nevertheless each to his own.

 

[dougfitz]

dangerous in the fact in how could you even get medical help in that rough terrain think about it. nevertheless each to his own.

I take it that this is a serious comment, and I will respond to it as such. The easy answer is that there is a well established sealed road network leading up the valley of the rio Pereje linking Villafranca to O Cebreiro. That road network is never far from the Camino path, and would provide relatively good access. I don't recall there being any issue using a normal mobile phone in that area, albeit I didn't check every step of the way to see if I had a signal.

My ancient Brierley shows three routes, one to the south through Moral de Valcarce that rejoins the other routes at Herrerias, and one across the Pena Roldan that links up with a route that follows the main road at Trabadelo.

I walked along the alternative leading up through the valley. There are three places where the Camino path left the sealed road network, each of them around 2 km long: leading into La Faba, between La Faba and Laguna and after that into O'Cebreiro. The furthest you might be from an access point to a sealed road would be about a kilometre. Without knowing the vehicles available to local first responders and their capabilities, I would suggest that they will have identified how to get into all the route up the valley, and may even have rehearsed how they will address getting as close as possible and as quickly as possible to even the less accessible spots. Even if they have to do this initially on foot from the junction with a sealed road, which they might have to do for some place before La Faba, it is never far. After La Faba, I think you will find that the trail is going to be wide enough to support an emergency vehicle.

As a general observation, I would expect that first responders will have established and rehearsed their plans for accessing all less accessible parts of the Camino routes, and possibly many of the adjacent areas where pilgrims might find themselves were they to become lost, and subsequently injure themselves. Perhaps there are some routes that have genuinely remote stretches, but those I have walked certainly don't.

 

[Mananath]

Looking back, the walk up to O Cebreiro was one of my best days on caminos. I just loved the sceneary and I didn't find the climb to be particularly difficult. I started at like 6 am from Las Herrerias so I was up and over pretty soon. I remember feeling joy as i walked up through the fog and embraced the morning sun.

As i walked the Camino Frances I found myself paying less attention to elevation profiles. The hills looked much worse on paper than in reality.

 

[henrythedog]

Naismith, Tranter et al came from generations who (IMHO) were hard as nails compared to what I see around me (and in the mirror) nowadays. I’m fairly well experienced in the hills and in long days walking and I simplify my estimation (for anything not involving actual hands-on climbing) to 4K per hour and 400m of ascent per hour; so in 15 minutes I’ll go forward 1k or up 100m. That -for me - includes short stops. I check this a few times per annum on a full day walk, and it’s roughly right (for me) and simple to work with.

 

[dougfitz]

Naismith, Tranter et al came from generations who (IMHO) were hard as nails compared to what I see around me (and in the mirror) nowadays. I’m fairly well experienced in the hills and in long days walking and I simplify my estimation (for anything not involving actual hands-on climbing) to 4K per hour and 400m of ascent per hour; so in 15 minutes I’ll go forward 1k or up 100m. That -for me - includes short stops. I check this a few times per annum on a full day walk, and it’s roughly right (for me) and simple to work with.

I cannot help myself now. I think this is a wonderful idea, perhaps because I do something similar but with different factors. In the past, I used a very similar set of numbers to @henrythedog, but when I started leading groups on walks, I adjusted it downwards slightly to account for the slightly longer times it takes a group to do things. I'm not sure why he hasn't had to factor this in for his human companions.

@henrythedog's Scarf factor is 10, that is, every 100 m of climb is equivalent to an extra km for planning. I use a SF=8 when I do bother the make a complete estimate.

Most often, if the terrain is not too hilly, I do my time estimate based on the group walking at 3.5 km/hr. This works well for shorter walks where there isn't going to be a long break, say for lunch, or a swim in a convenient swimming hole, etc, etc. I always tell the group afterwards what distance, ascent and both moving and overall times we did. Like @henrythedog, I sometimes go back and check this against Scarf's equivalence and calculate my base walking speed based on Naismith's Rule. For some reason this has been decreasing a little over the years, and has now come down to just a little over 5 km/hr.

 

[Marbe2]

Most people take rest days in the big cities….often visiting Chapels, museums and Cathedrals. I have occasionally done this as well. But
there are also places we take real rest days in. I mean veg…. no-touring, etc. We do it in small towns, such as, El Acebo or Casa Barbadelo and definitely Las Herrerias. In all cases we have a private room, and we simply rest, eat well and, if in season, and if there is an open swimming pool, we use it. Most of these smaller towns are less expensive to get a private room in, in IMO because they are not the projected end of stages in most published books. But they are beautiful to soak in natural beauty and just be for a day.

 

[NancyZ]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

I agree. It was a great idea to start the day with the climb instead of at the end of the day. But it is your Camino do what you think is good for you. We stayed in Las Herrerías, a beautiful quiet village with a stream flowing through it. Some pilgrims took a horse up but not all the way up. You can find the information at your accommodation. I hope this helps. Buen Camino!

 

[Jim Porter]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

Thanks for this topic and please don't think of this as the ramblings of a "Camino-snob." If you are a flatlander, these are hills. If you are from anyplace in the world with mountains, these are just a series of very brief, very easy, very manageable, mini-day hikes. Our first camino (in our mid-fifties) after leaving St Jean/Roncesvalles the next most difficult terrain was (1) up to LaFaba, and (2) down from Cruz de Fero. Other than those two portions (which in total were probably only 45 minutes each), the challenge—for us—was not the climbing, but the duration of the journey itself.

 

[Gerard Griffin]

As a cyclist who used to be a walker I don't normally envy the walkers, except when I come to O Cebreiro: a nightmare on a heavy loaded pushbike. That's why I've decided at last to throw in the towel, and use an ebike for my forthcoming Camino starting next week. I'm starting in Pamplona ... I'll never do SJPDP to Roncesvalles again, unless I'm in a helicopter. Suffering may be good for the soul but on mine it has the contrary effect.

 

[Clover]

In another thread on "when did you feel most like quitting" a number of people have mentioned the long climb to O Cebreiro as one of their more discouraging days. Which is a shame, because it is a lovely walk ... if you do it at the start and not the end of your day.

My advice, for those walking the CF the first time: take a look at the elevation map on Gronze. There are some lovely towns along the river before the climb. Take a short day and spend the night in one. When I walked it seemed like 95% of the pilgrims tackled the climb at the end of a long day. The few of us who spent the night in Vega de Valcarce had first breakfast at the start of the climb, coffee and a snack part way up at La Faba, and arrived in O Cebreiro in time for a leisurely lunch.

In general, it's easier to climb a hill in the morning when you're still fresh. You'll need to ignore what everyone else seems to be doing, but you'll meet others who are also ignoring the main stages. I try not to give too much strong advice to new pilgrims beyond the basics (pack light, carry enough water, etc) ... but this is an exception!

This was exactly our experience! We started our hike first thing in the morning after breakfast, stopped for a snack as you mention, and had a glorious walk to O Cebreiro. There we ate, celebrated and consider it our favorite day of the whole CF.

 

[stevepjq]

I trekked up to O'Cebriero twice in the snow; once back is 2017 and again this past April. My beard was iced over as I entered town. I immediately went into Meson O'Cebriero (I think) and had a cold beer and a HOT bowl of garlic soup. Hmm, I can taste it now. What a great day!

 

[PayfortheticketTakethride]

We went during the heat wave in 2005...in july, beginning, ahem, in amsterdam, making sure we had enough sin to make the trip, pushed train into and began the Camino in Estella. The walk began as a gaff, a story I heard from a Canadian in a hostel my first time visiting Europe a year before. Psyched myself up to find myself walking without purpose until purpose revealed itself in the dream the Camino became. Movies didnt compare to this story. Long story short, quitting wasnt an option as, 1, my ticket home required i make it to Santiago de Compostella before August 4th or miss my train to plane to home, blabla. And 2 because the walk revealed incomparable unknowns i couldnt make up. The beauty of life, love, loss, laughter showed a world only heretofore dreamt existed. Crap, no one will take you seriously ever again if you quit. Its a pact before God. No pain, sacrifice or comfort is worth trading for the memories. My God revealed the world He set us upon in all of its shades , yes, even almost but not , faling alone, in the dirt, heat stroked to sleep. When id found myself with no cover, alone in the loooong sandy stretch before Burgos ish i was saved by a Spanish stranger who walked out of the wilderness with a big bottle of water, only to disappear, no other pilgirms passed me while i almost died. 3 hours later, id made the Hermitage in a small fort town, watching some lovely insanely full courtyard night time play. I was also blessed with being able to help save a man as this was also San Fermin and id found myself in a town that also ran the bulls. As we ran, an irishman and myself were the last 2 humans before you started counting bulls, he fell and i stopped, pulled him up and we tossed our pasty asses over a barricade, the locals grabbing us and completing the save, as the bulls slammed into the wooden thing and i hear a KKkkcsrcshcshhchschhhhh... his horn wear we'd just been. So, if one person reads this and finds themselves on the Camino, wanting the comforts of home. Dont. Want life and His meaning as promised. Walk, cry, fall, sweat, get up, walk and I promise you love. Also, stop at the wine faucet, its free and endless. Ask anyone whos walked and theyll point you in the right direction.

 

[Trekker One]

I guess for many people that walk a Camino they don't have much experience with hiking in general. Personally on all my Camino's I never found any of the days or terrain all that difficult.
The challenge of a Camino walk is the fact you are walking a half marathon distance day after day which can be tough for the unprepared.
The managing of long distance walking is the challenge, not the terrain as most of it is very easy compared to mountain hiking I do in the Banff, Alberta area when at home.

 

[PayfortheticketTakethride]

I trekked up to O'Cebriero twice in the snow; once back is 2017 and again this past April. My beard was iced over as I entered town. I immediately went into Meson O'Cebriero (I think) and had a cold beer and a HOT bowl of garlic soup. Hmm, I can taste it now. What a great day!

Those icey little beers at the perfect times couldnt be scheduled better

 

[Susan Peacock]

The first time I walked up to O Cebreiro, last time we rode horses. It was definitely easier walking!
Riding was not the easy option.

Funny, I agree. I have walked it many times, but one year the pilgrim I was with had shin splints so we rode the horses. I thought what a breeze. Well the thighs and butt didn't think so. I was the sorest I had been. I did enjoy getting to look out at the scenery and not having to watch my feet.

 

[Walking2]

If you want a bit of hill climbing prep the day before you can take the camino variant leaving Villafranca del Bierzo upward to Pradela and then down to Trabadelo.

Haha. You can definitely call that 'climbing prep'! My son and I took the scenic route that day, and we saw not another soul. Plus it was 90 degrees when we ended up above the tree line. We were jubilant when we reached Trabadelo, even if we had a few kms left before we reached our albergue. That climb was my least favorite (but most memorable!) on my awesome Camino ::sigh:: Walking on from La Portela de Valcarce to O Cebreiro the next day was lovely.

 

[David61]

The first time I walked up to O Cebreiro, last time we rode horses. It was definitely easier walking!
Riding was not the easy option.

I was so tempted to take the horse! No, not rustle, hire. As it was the walk was a challenge for a reason and a fellow peregrino stopped to ask if I was ok when I had to stop and looked genuinely concerned!! But a few stops and pacing and I made it. Still want to take the horse option though!

 

[Old Kiwi]

I always stop at La Faba because I like the albergue and the people who run it. I also like the town, if you can call it that. Stopping there breaks the climb and you do not notice it.

 

[Ian & Virginia]

My wife and I stayed at Albergue Leo in 2016 in Villafranco del Bierzo and took the alternate ridge walk (Ruta Pradela) from there to Trabadelo. It was initially quite a steep climb but the view from the ridge line looking down into the valley and looking back at Villafranco del Bierzo was spectacular. We could see the Pilgrims way below us walking beside the busy roadway and realised we'd made the correct choice. We went on to Herrerias and stopped overnight in a beautiful albergue. My wife, being an accomplished rider, had booked with Victor Echevarria to ride from Herrerias to O'Cebreiro. Myself, not being fond of horses (and vice versa), walked up to O'Cebreiro. Victor transported my wife's backpack up to O'Cebreiro in the horse float, along with the other horse-riding Pilgrims, and kindly offered to transport mine as well. I left as my wife was getting sorted on her horse and was determined not to be overtaken by the horses. Well, with no backpack and a steely determination, I arrived in O'Cebreiro about five minutes before my wife. We then had a Pilgrims lunch in O'Cebreiro. One thing we did find was that Victor also had another business of hiring bicycles from O'Cebreiro, so we decided to ride to Triacastela, which was mostly downhill. It was great fun on the bikes! Victor then picked the bikes up from our albergue in Triacastela where he had transported our backpacks to.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

We were jubilant when we reached Trabadelo

Peg was too, for awhile. She was a minute ahead of me and when I arrived she handed me a half filled water bottle fresh from the fuente. "Here. It's great; have some." I said "No, thanks" and emptied the bottle onto the ground. I pointed out the fountain's sign and told her it said that the water quality was not guaranteed. Dread set in. She had already suffered intestinal troubles that had delayed our walk by four days. She worried and nearly cried for ten minutes as we sat outside the store. A woman from the village passed us and then back again with some bottled water so we asked if the water was okay. She said yes and that she always got her water there and "Why pay for water when you can get better for free." Needless to say Peg's mood changed for the better.

It turns out that some villages don't want to pay for the testing of the water in their fountains and legally they don't have to if they put up the "not guaranteed" sign.

 

[Jodean]

Had seen there were horses to ride many years ago and was determined to ride them last spring. Having ridden a lot as a child and teen, it had still been 40 years since I had ridden, so was a bit worried how it would be, but it was great. This was one of the highlights of my Camino last year, having looked forward to it for months. It was everything I had dreamed about, but yep, those thighs were painful. Getting off was way harder than one can imagine.
Anyway, am walking up this year on my own 2 feet, but will always fondly remembering riding Bunny at the front of the line.

 

[RuiCarneiro]

I think that the difficulty perception totally depends on each individual hiking experience.
The majority of people aren't even casual walkers, let alone experienced hikers.
So I totally understand that most find truly challenging sections like walking up to Orisson, to Alto del Perdón, to Foncebadón or to O Cebreiro.
So my advise on the latest is to stop at Las Herrerias and tackle the way up, specially to La Faba, in the next morning while being rested and fresh. Another tip: stop at Tito's, at La Faba, for an amazing breakfast .
For my own experience none of the two CF offered difficult challenges, simply because I'm a regular mountain hiker and the easiest hikes I do are tougher than the hardest parts on CF. In fact, the true challenge was the Meseta's flatness ...although I definitely enjoy it and would never skip it, like some do. One of the enchantments of the various St James Ways is their History, and the Meseta section is a living treasure.
For those who want to increase the challenge up to O Cebreiro i would suggest two alternative routes: 1- the El Duro variant, that turns right after the bridge in Villafranca del Bierzo, and goes steeply to the right ridge and then goes down to Trabadelo where it reconnects with the main path; 2- the Dragonte's Route (which I did last year), going left before the bridge and then steeply to Dragonte village followed by constant up and down hill all day long, crossing exuberante woods and typical mountain villages, and finishing in Las Herrerias. A true gem! And with the added bonus of finding out that going up to La Faba is like a "walk in the park" .

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

For those who want to increase the challenge up to O Cebreiro i would suggest two alternative routes: 1- the El Duro variant, that turns right after the bridge in Villafranca del Bierzo, and goes steeply to the right ridge and then goes down to Trabadelo where it reconnects with the main path;

Because of the way this route is described I think the El Duro and the Pradela variant route are the same. A link to a Google Map centered on the bridge is given below.

2- the Dragonte's Route (which I did last year), going left before the bridge and then steeply to Dragonte village

I would give instructions to get on the Dragonte route by saying that immediately after you cross the bridge exiting Villafranca take the leftmost road at the fork (ignore the rightmost road and the steep street between the rightmost and leftmost, the steep street is the way to Pradela). At the next left (at Bar la Kibila) there are actually two lefts you can take. The one crossing the bridge is the Dragonte.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[isobelmtl]

I was so tempted to take the horse! No, not rustle, hire. As it was the walk was a challenge for a reason and a fellow peregrino stopped to ask if I was ok when I had to stop and looked genuinely concerned!! But a few stops and pacing and I made it. Still want to take the horse option though!

I loved the horse option! As I swung my reconstructed right hip over I did have a moment of doubt but it turned out to be wonderful! Just think, the master of the horse, Victor goes up and down on foot… twice … a working day

 

[stevepjq]

For those who want to increase the challenge up to O Cebreiro i would suggest two alternative routes: 1- the El Duro variant, that turns right after the bridge in Villafranca del Bierzo, and goes steeply to the right ridge and then goes down to Trabadelo where it reconnects with the main path

I so enjoyed el Duro variant! The views are stunning and walking in solitude is wonderful for contemplation. Once in Pradela, be sure to stop in Albergue Lamas for a bite and beverage. The owners are wonderful people. Given their "off the beaten path" location, I tried to support them with a few purchases as well - ie shells and trinkets. From Pradela, the walk down to Trabadelo is a short one.

 

[Toscaflower]

Hola @MichaelC - I have to agree about how you approach this section of the Camino. Back in 2017 I walked it with an English couple, we started fromTrabadelo, had coffee & toast around Vega and a 10-15 min drink break at La Faba. We also arrived at O'Cebreiro in time for lunch and a few mins paying our respects to Don Elias. We pushed on to Linares in time to do our washing and prepare a meal. Buen Camino.

So true. When we walked this uphill in 2014, I remembered it being a beautiful day with blooming wild flowers and a pilgrim singing “the hills are alive with the sound of music”. To this day it brings back the beauty of the moment. Buen Camino