Villadangos del Paramo to Astorga

[Anto]

Hi,

I am walking CF in stages with my wife and 2 other people taking off where we finished the previous year .Just a query to the forum. Due to injury/pain while walking last year we planned to try and keep the daily walking distance to around or under 20 km. We book accommodation in advance and unfortunately for one section it wasn't possible to get accommodation to suit the 20km distance .This is the stage between Villadangos del Paramo and Astorga .Looking at John Brierley's book this stage if walking on the normal route is 28.5 km however he does show a slight shortcut for a section within this stage along the N 120 Road(in grey dots). It doesn't cut much off the total ,something like 1.2 or 1.3 km however every km can sometimes help. My query is has anyone done this section both along the normal route and the slightly shorter N 120 and if so how do they compare ie with referance to walking surface, flatness and shade(or lack of it). I just want to see if this diversion is worth it physically all things considered. Please Don't compare it with reference to any beautiful villages or other vistas I may be missing as there will be ample opportunity ahead to make up for that and my main concern is a physical comparison.
Lastly apologies if I don't reply to your responses until tomorrow evening,not being rude just won't see them or won't have time to reply till then.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Robo]

Sorry, I have not walked that stage along the road.
Looking on Google Maps street view, it looks about as nice as the section from Fromista to Carrion alongside the road.... But 'trade off', the reduction in distance, is only 1.2 kms.

For me, who also likes to keep my stages short, that would not be benefit enough for me to miss the nicer route through Villares de Orbigo. Walk along a road? Sorry, I know that's not the reply you wanted.

If I had to cut some kms somehow, (1) I would consider taking a taxi from Hospital de Orbigo to Santibanez de Valdeiglesias, rather than miss the really nice walk from there to Astorga, which of course passes David Vidal's 'House of the Gods'. (not to be missed in my view, one of the highlights for me along the CF).

You will not just be missing a 'pretty vista'....

See here: https://robscamino.com/2018/2018/davids-house-of-the-gods/

This is the section under discussion:

San Martín del Camino - Astorga | Camino Francés | Gronze.com

Hasta Hospital de Órbigo la etapa sigue la misma pauta que la de ayer; luego, tras interminables días de llanura, caminamos por fin por un terreno ligeramente montañoso. Nada comparado con lo que nos espera. En la bonita Astorga, la Asturica Augusta romana, podremos admirar la catedral y el...

www.gronze.com

How many days in advance are you booking?

(2) Another alternative would be to walk a short day and stop in Hospital de Orbigo.

or........maybe better........(3) take a bus a few kms at the start of the day along the main road from Villadangos del Paramo to San Martin del Camino or Hospital de Orbigo.

Buen Camino.

 

[mspath]

As Robo mentioned above you might consider breaking this stage in two by stopping at Hospital de Órbigo which offers many types of accommodation The next day you could continue to Astorga which also offers much accommodation.

Indeed it would be a shame to miss
David's place.

 

[good_old_shoes]

If you mean the alternative where you walk parallel to the road into Astorga instead of through the hills, then I have walked it (in 2015). If I remember correctly it was slightly more flat than the other way, but didn't have much shade. It was okay, but a bit exhausting at the end of a long day to walk through the heat there. Bring enough water. There's not much along that road, or at least wasn't back then. One gas station if I remember correctly but it was at the wrong side of the road.

I'd also suggest Hospital de Orbigo as an alternative stopping point if adding a day is possible. Then you could enjoy the more beautiful path with more shade.

 

[Anto]

Ok
Thanks all for your comments. Agreed there is not much of a saving distance wise and Good-old Shoes experience of walking the road indicates not much shade albeit a bit flatter .
So all in all a bit to co consider . Thanks again

 

[Linda693]

Hi,

I am walking CF in stages with my wife and 2 other people taking off where we finished the previous year .Just a query to the forum. Due to injury/pain while walking last year we planned to try and keep the daily walking distance to around or under 20 km. We book accommodation in advance and unfortunately for one section it wasn't possible to get accommodation to suit the 20km distance .This is the stage between Villadangos del Paramo and Astorga .Looking at John Brierley's book this stage if walking on the normal route is 28.5 km however he does show a slight shortcut for a section within this stage along the N 120 Road(in grey dots). It doesn't cut much off the total ,something like 1.2 or 1.3 km however every km can sometimes help. My query is has anyone done this section both along the normal route and the slightly shorter N 120 and if so how do they compare ie with referance to walking surface, flatness and shade(or lack of it). I just want to see if this diversion is worth it physically all things considered. Please Don't compare it with reference to any beautiful villages or other vistas I may be missing as there will be ample opportunity ahead to make up for that and my main concern is a physical comparison.
Lastly apologies if I don't reply to your responses until tomorrow evening,not being rude just won't see them or won't have time to reply till then.
Thanks in advance.

If I remember correctly I did this stage from Villar de Mazarife to Astorga and found it very difficult.
From hospital de orbigo it’s pretty desolate and no shade. By the time I got to the bridge in Astorga I experienced early onset heat exhaustion in early June despite keeping hydrated.

 

[Anto]

Thanks for that Linda693
Just to clarify did you walk along the N 120 road from Hospital de Orbigo to near San Justo de la Vega as that would confirm Good-old-shoes recollection of that road walk ie no shade

 

[Linda693]

Thanks for that Linda693
Just to clarify did you walk along the N 120 road from Hospital de Orbigo to near San Justo de la Vega as that would confirm Good-old-shoes recollection of that road walk ie no shade

Honestly I don’t remember walking alongside the highway. I remember walking through a pretty desolate farm which led to a long up and down stretch eventually passing the donativo canteen with the heart stamp. From there crossed a road and through a field to the left to Astorga.
In hindsight I would have stopped overnight in Orbigo.