Update on Burgos or Santo Domingo de Calzada

[ebrandt]

Hi All,

I am new to this sub-forum and am starting to dream about a possible future walk on the Vasco. I know there are some older threads on whether to walk to Santo Domingo or to Burgos, but I don't see any posts more recent than 2015ish. So I am wondering what advice you would give. Our plan would be to walk the Vasco del Interior, connect to the Frances and then veer off onto the Invierno.

From what I can see its about the same walking time +/- one day to walk to Santo Domingo and then take the Frances into Burgos or to stay on the Vasco del Interior to Burgos. So I am wondering what routes folks walked, why and what the highlights were.

Also, we generally try not to walk more than 25 km/day. So if we walked to Santo Domingo, it would be nice to shorten that first day after Puebla de Arganzon. It looks like we could walk La Puebla de Arganzon to Salinillas de Buradon (21.5 km), Salinillas to Zarraton (taking some time to look around Haro and then treating ourselves to a night at a 3 star hotel, 18.1 km) , and then through Santo Domingo onto the Frances and stay at Granon or further on. (17.1 km or ?). Has anyone stayed in Zarraton at the Hospederia Palacio de Casafuente?

Thanks, LizB

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi All,

I am new to this sub-forum and am starting to dream about a possible future walk on the Vasco. I know there are some older threads on whether to walk to Santo Domingo or to Burgos, but I don't see any posts more recent than 2015ish. So I am wondering what advice you would give. Our plan would be to walk the Vasco del Interior, connect to the Frances and then veer off onto the Invierno.

From what I can see its about the same walking time +/- one day to walk to Santo Domingo and then take the Frances into Burgos or to stay on the Vasco del Interior to Burgos. So I am wondering what routes folks walked, why and what the highlights were.

Also, we generally try not to walk more than 25 km/day. So if we walked to Santo Domingo, it would be nice to shorten that first day after Puebla de Arganzon. It looks like we could walk La Puebla de Arganzon to Salinillas de Buradon (21.5 km), Salinillas to Zarraton (taking some time to look around Haro and then treating ourselves to a night at a 3 star hotel, 18.1 km) , and then through Santo Domingo onto the Frances and stay at Granon or further on. (17.1 km or ?). Has anyone stayed in Zarraton at the Hospederia Palacio de Casafuente?

Thanks, LizB

I have only walked this route to SDdC. The most beautiful part of this route, imo, is the Brinas/Haro area. This is also a very nice wine producing region and allows you to stop in Granon which, imo, is one of the best communal/donativo albergues on any Camino.

Mucho salud a todos
Joe

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Haro was at the heart of a really big, early outbreak of the Corona Virus, entire streets are still blocked off there, not sure what kind of sanitation steps they will have to undergo., or how long before that area opens up again.

 

[ebrandt]

@Rebekah Scott, I'm not sure when this camino I'm dreaming about will be either! Hopefully sometime in 2021, but it will depend on how the recovery in Spain is going! For now, the dream and planning are sustaining me.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Liz,
Last year @VNwalking and @SabineP walked to Burgos and weeks later I walked to Santo Domingo. @C clearly had a fall stroll to Burgos, too. So you’ve got several brains to pick. All of the reports are pinned at the top of the sub-forum.

My choice was made more because of time than anything else.

The last part of the stage into Santo Domingo isn’t very inspiring, but up through Haro is really nice. We slept in Salinillas in the private albergue. It is a totally walled town, very little going on, but there are great views from up there. A bar serves meals, and the locals insist on giving you a long tour of the walls and the town. Which was fun, but we were dragging by the end because we had walked from Vitoria that day. But I would highly recommend a stop there. The young family that runs the albergue takes good care of things and insisted on giving us a bottle of their very decent home made wine!

I’ll let VN, c clearly, and Sabine tell you what they thought, but I know that the area around Pancorbo, with its gorge, is really nice. In fact, one of my options for this year was going to be to walk into Burgos on the Lana, and then take a train to Miranda de Ebro so I could see the “other part” of the Vasco. If Kinky reads this thread he will probably scold me for my laziness in failing to distinguish the Via Bayona from the Vasco Interior. But since I always get mixed up on which is which, I’ll just leave it as is.

 

[VNwalking]

Our plan would be to walk the Vasco del Interior, connect to the Frances and then veer off onto the Invierno.

This is what I did, connecting to the Frances in Burgos. I have to say even if I never get to walk another camino, this one will leave me satisfied. I had to jump ahead by train a week because I only had a month and didn't want to rush the Invierno, so going from Sahagun to Ponferrada on the train. Anyway, after the Vasco, the Frances felt like a circus.

So I am wondering what routes folks walked, why and what the highlights were.

This felt like the old road, following (and at times even walking on) Roman and medieval roads for a lot of the way. Voices of the past were singing!
Wonderful.

What stands out? On the Vasco, the tunel, Pancorbo, and the Via Romana leading to Burgos. Lonely hermitages, now empty. Coming down from the tunel into an entirely different world. The food!

On the Invierno, the way up to Cornatel, and the castle itself, Las Medulas, the grandeur of the rivers, and the amazing Ribeira Sacra, with its many old churches...Diamondi!...castros...walking down to the rio Miño on that ancient road and emerging in the incredibly steep vineyard terraces. Cherries and ancient chestnut trees.

Cities...Vitoria-Gasteiz and Monforte are both gems.

 

[jpflavin1]

Hi All,

I am new to this sub-forum and am starting to dream about a possible future walk on the Vasco. I know there are some older threads on whether to walk to Santo Domingo or to Burgos, but I don't see any posts more recent than 2015ish. So I am wondering what advice you would give. Our plan would be to walk the Vasco del Interior, connect to the Frances and then veer off onto the Invierno.

From what I can see its about the same walking time +/- one day to walk to Santo Domingo and then take the Frances into Burgos or to stay on the Vasco del Interior to Burgos. So I am wondering what routes folks walked, why and what the highlights were.

Also, we generally try not to walk more than 25 km/day. So if we walked to Santo Domingo, it would be nice to shorten that first day after Puebla de Arganzon. It looks like we could walk La Puebla de Arganzon to Salinillas de Buradon (21.5 km), Salinillas to Zarraton (taking some time to look around Haro and then treating ourselves to a night at a 3 star hotel, 18.1 km) , and then through Santo Domingo onto the Frances and stay at Granon or further on. (17.1 km or ?). Has anyone stayed in Zarraton at the Hospederia Palacio de Casafuente?

Thanks, LizB

After Zegema, up the mountain and through the tunnel, you will find and old roman road. Berrantevilla is also an interesting stop. Small town of 400 people, sleep in the school, key at bar. I do not think many Pilgrims stop here but they had the most interesting Medieval tabernacle in the church.

Mucho salud a todos
Joe

 

[Harry Oster]

Haro was at the heart of a really big, early outbreak of the Corona Virus, entire streets are still blocked off there, not sure what kind of sanitation steps they will have to undergo., or how long before that area opens up again.

 

[Harry Oster]

It is all so sad. Please stay healthy. Harry and Pat from Maumee