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I decided to follow the route behind the hotel (having first gone inside to sit down and have a coffee) and to avoid the diversion which you took a little later on. That route is clearly marked, leading right off the main road, up the hill to the left at an angle behind the hotel. But with my gift for getting lost, I might have missed it, had it not been discussed so thoroughly in the previous thread.
Yes indeed. The church of Santiago in Taboado has an entrance flanked by two fine cows, similar to the vacas of Diomondi in the avatar of @VNwalking and above is a very interesting relief of Sampson and the lion. I thought it looked far older than the rest of the doorway, so sent a picture to the Guardian's archaeology expert, and she said "It looks as if it may have been resited from somewhere else... Much less sophisticated than the moo cows, I would have put it 600 years older - at least. Could even be provincial Roman?"Check out the church of Santiago in Trasfontao
For some reason I had it in my head that the church was at Trasfontao, but I see from my photos that it’s clearly signposted as the church of Santiago de Taboada. They’re close together so perhaps I confused them.Yes indeed. The church of Santiago in Taboado
Nine times I've walked past that little church and it's always been closed - mostly as it's not that far from the albergue at A Laxe, so before opening time.
Perfect, as we intend to walk from Estación de Lalín.For some reason I had it in my head that the church was at Trasfontao, but I see from my photos that it’s clearly signposted as the church of Santiago de Taboada. They’re close together so perhaps I confused them.
According to the sign that was up last year, the church opens at 8:30 am, so walkers from Estación de Lalin are more likely to get a look inside than those who leave from A Laxe.
And @Raggy added:If you have the time, my suggestion would be to stop in Dornelas, which would be about 23 km. The albergue is run by an Italian couple. It was closed when I went by last year because they were back in Italy getting married, but I walked for a few kms with a few local women who went there every day on their exercise walks for the best coffee they ever had. Everyone loves this place, and it is in a really nice setting. Meals are reported to be up to the high standards you would expect from Italian cooks.
We're not going from Estación de Lalin to Santiago in two days, we'll take three (do I hear groans?If you want to get from Estación de Lalin to Santiago in two days, I agree that stopping at Casa Leiras in San Martín de Dornelas is the best option - Better than the impersonal hostal in Ponte Ulla or the Xunta albergueria in Outeiro , which has a kitchen but no nearby shops (you need to buy groceries when passing through Ponte Ulla).
Casa Leiras is decorated with Italian flair and it has a beautiful garden to relax in. The owners serve a communal dinner - I think that might be your only option for dinner, because I don't remember seeing a kitchen and it's a tiny village. I remember consuming several helpings of delicious pasta with home made ragu.
An easy day - footpaths and quiet roads through rolling countryside, with the unlovely town of Bandeiras somewhere along the way. Once you get to Dornelas, there really isn't anything to do, other than sit in the garden (or the cafe if the weather is poor) and enjoy drinks / coffees from the bar.Day 70: Silleda to Dornelas
Today's walk is 14.9km. I am curious about what is at Pico Sacro, between Outeiro and Lestedo. Something worth making a detour?Now, the Hotel Rural Casa de Casal in Lestedo is another kettle of fish - If I wanted to give myself a treat after several weeks of albergue stays, that's the kind of place I'd like to splurge on. I've never been inside, but I've always been struck by how pretty it is when walking past.
I am curious about what is at Pico Sacro, between Outeiro and Lestedo. Something worth making a detour?
With only 15km to walk, you have time to stop in Ponte Ulla to admire the bridges and have a coffee. You'll probably be too early for a fancy linen-table-clothed lunch at Villa Verde.Day 71: Dornelas to Lestedo
Our penultimate day!
This is on my list if I ever get to walk the invierno again...if you stay in Outero or Lestedo, you could get up there early, and then walk the short day to Santiago...And should you detour to the Pico, you might get your first glimpse of the cathedral.
As @C clearly headed to her destination, @peregrina2000 had some advice, and as a fellow Romanesque aficionado, I wouldn't miss the opportunity of seeing the Colegiata del Sar. @VNwalking has a beautiful photo of it.What's the hurry? Enjoy the countryside, which is still very pretty.
And if you need a beard trim or shave, I recommend Barbanosa at 1 Rúa da República Arxentina.
If you can't walk long distances, you may want to reconsider walking the VdeP.
It feels a bit wrong to add a post after your concluding thoughts and photo, but I wanted to say that the final approach to Santiago is pretty good. I am told that it's prettier than the last kilometers of the CF. Certainly, you don't get the feeling of endless suburbs. You'll pass the Cafe Bar Rosende, and two more cafe/bars in A Susana and Piñeiro. I've never noticed the bar in Piñeiro, but I think the little, white church in my photo below is the hermitage indicated on Gronze's map. There's a spot where you walk below an overhanging vine between farm buildings ... when you might think that the city outskirts are beginning, but there's still some countryside to go. Things get a little less scenic around the motorway and railway bridges, and before you know it, you're on the approach to the city center, through pleasant, old streets.Day 72: Lestedo to Santiago de Compostela
I had barely posted my concluding thoughts, that it occurred to me that a conclusion could stop the contributions...It feels a bit wrong to add a post after your concluding thoughts and photo, but I wanted to say that the final approach to Santiago is pretty good.
It seems to be a shrine of some sort with all manner of tributes and messages under the plastic. There seem to be a lot of pilgrims with an overwhelming urge to leave their mark on the Camino - especially in the last 100km or so. To the extent that these monuments concentrate their efforts, I'm in favor, I guess. For myself, I prefer to take photos and write blog posts.What's the story (if there is one) behind the photo of the guitar?
Maybe the owner left it there for a moment of relief in the bushes?...
What's the story (if there is one) behind the photo of the guitar?
I was welcomed by an American football team on the Praza do Obradoiro.
Congratulations, especially for your perseverance in keeping this thread going. I know how that can be a daily demand - very satisfying and interesting, but it still requires work! I have stayed out of the discussions since you started the Sanabres, as I haven't walked it yet, but I have popped in to look from time to time.This is the last day of this VdlP/Sanabrés virtual Camino.
Thanks for those stats. It is so true that long distances are not really necessary more than a couple of times, and there are easy work-arounds for those occasions.Walking this virtual Camino has been a fantastic exercise. It showed that it is possible to walk from Seville to SdC without necessarily having to walk the long distances which are the reputation of this Camino. Here are some statistics:
The Black Ravens were charging around the square in formation, and taking photos with pilgrims that day. I think they were just drumming up support for the team. To some extent, I think it worked - I don’t really follow sport, but if you were to ask me my favorite American football team in the Spanish leagues, it would definitely be the Black Ravens. Go Ravens.I would love to know that story.
Day 71: Dornelas to Lestedo
Bar Rio which is first on the right in Ponte Ulla does a very nice sit down lunch if you feel like a treat and should you not feel like moving far afterwards, also have accommodation which was freshly renovated last year. Rather pleasant watching pilgrims enter town over the bridge. First time I went there it was July 22nd and the feast of Mary Magdalene which they celebrate. Fireworks going off as we came into town, concert in the evening, lots of beers with pilgrim friends that night...With only 15km to walk, you have time to stop in Ponte Ulla to admire the bridges and have a coffee. You'll probably be too early for a fancy linen-table-clothed lunch at Villa Verde.
As I was scrolling around this thread for another purpose, I realized I never asked for some help with GPS tracks. Not that I’m planning to walk to Pico Sacro any time soon, unfortunately.And should you detour to the Pico, you might get your first glimpse of the cathedral. I can't confirm that, since I've never been up that way.
Me too !Wow, thank you to @AJGuillaume and all others who contributed to this thread. What an exercise, with a great spirit among you.
We are hoping to walk VdelP and Sanabres for April 2022. I’ve started to look at the the ‘typical’ stages and there are a few long stages I’d like to cut in two and other variations. I’m sure this thread will be very helpful.
In addition to Caceres, Salamanca, Zamora, Puebla de Sanabria, Ourense - I’ll be keen to uncover references to smaller towns and villages that those who have walked this Way consider ‘gems’.
Muchas gracias
Maybe we will see you. We hope to leave Merida on 1 April - at least that's our current 'plan'!Me too !
It’s Spring here in Western Australia and I’m finally feeling optimistic that my postponed VdlP might happen next year .
Time to increase my daily walks and to read this thread again from the beginning and take notes which I felt too despondent to do before .
Many thanks @AJGuillaume for starting the thread and everyone else who has offered advice and suggestions.
Hi Jenny@zenI'm particularly interested in the ideas around breaking up some of the 30+ stretches - it's so useful to hear from those who have walked this path.
Hi, AJ,
Just to say I got another WhatsApp from the owner of the Embalse albergue, and he said that making reservations by WhatsApp will be possible any time the albergue is open. 34 664 26 27 42
I agree it’s always good to have a fallback plan, but I think this albergue’s hard times are behind it. It is true that after being closed for several years to fix the sewer issue, it re-opened only to have to close again because the problems had not been fixed. But I think there has now been a good track record of a couple of years of continuous operation. Commentary on Gronze is consistently very positive.
@Raggy’s memory of the ”neighborhood” is like mine — lots of unoccupied houses, but there are places to sit on logs right next to the water and watch the fish jump, all very peaceful. And the albergue has a very nice outdoor terrace with views over the water — it was there I met three Japanese peregrinos, none of whom had known each other previously and who had all just met that day at the albergue. That is surely an unusual occurrence — three Japanese pilgrims coming together on the Vdlp.
And one real plus of staying at the Embalse is that it’s just 20 kms from Grimaldo, which has a lovely casa rural, with a lovely owner César, good pilgrim prices, and a very good restaurant across the street. And that in turn puts you in a good position to walk the next day for 20 km to Galisteo, but I am jumping ahead, sorry!
(AHHHHH. Izarbide, another one of my favorites).
I noticed Robo's post and decided to insert my comments on how I managed this part of the VdlP. I walked this camino alone in 2017, at the age of 69, and did not travel by taxi or other public transit at any point. I did, however, get my pack transferred the 29 km from Castilblanco to Almaden with the taxi that other pilgrims had booked to take them the first 16 kms. to the park entrance, then take their packs on to an albergue in Almaden.I'm re-reading this outstanding thread to make more notes for my VdlP whenever that might happen.
Thank you @AJGuillaume for creating it!
There are a couple of sections so far, where it was deemed useful to have a local taxi number 'just in case'.
And some discussion about the difficulties of explaining where you want to be picked up.
Could this be a help?
Prior to my last Camino, my 'leader' insisted that I learned enough Spanish so that amongst other things, I could call the Police or an Ambulance to our location. Or less dramatically........perhaps a taxi.
My wonderful Spanish teacher who came from Ponferrada, had me practicing using the kilometer markers that are placed along all major Spanish roads.
So you would say for example, that you are on the N-360 at Kilometre 556. (wherever that is)
Does that make sense?
Would a taxi driver understand?
Or is it only emergency services that use that type of reference point?
Just a thought........
Thanks @Albertagirl - these tougher days are good to note. Thank you for sharing your experience of those challenging days.I noticed Robo's post and decided to insert my comments on how I managed this part of the VdlP. I walked this camino alone in 2017, at the age of 69, and did not travel by taxi or other public transit at any point. I did, however, get my pack transferred the 29 km from Castilblanco to Almaden with the taxi that other pilgrims had booked to take them the first 16 kms. to the park entrance, then take their packs on to an albergue in Almaden.
I had heard, earlier in 2017, about the French pilgrim who died walking the 32 kms. from Casar de Caceres to Canaveral. When I was walking through in October, it was unclear whether the albergue at the Embalse would be open, but probable that it would not. I spent the night at Casar de Caceres, then began my walk to the Embalse, not knowing whether I would need to walk on to Canaveral. In the event, the albergue was closed. There was a fishing lodge at the Embalse, but they refused to accommodate a pilgrim, so I walked on to Canaveral. It was an easy walk along level ground. The next day, I walked a short day to Grimaldo.
My most difficult walk on the VdlP was the 28 kms. from Fuenterroble to San Pedro de Rozados. I had a few challenges with route finding and a few climbs, which slowed me down. It was very hot. By late afternoon I was hiding in a ditch to escape from the relentless sun. I heard the loud hoof prints of an animal in the field above the ditch and looked up to discover a massive black pig thundering across the field to splash into a pond. Behind it thundered a second pig. I wished I could join them. A little later, I walked on to the albergue at San Pedro, where I was greeted by cheers from the other pilgrims. The next day I arrived in Salamanca (Oct. 26) and the heat broke for the rest of the VdlP. These three days were the only days on the VdlP where the heat and the distance made my day's walk challenging.
The town of Hervás is a bit of a detour (perhaps 5km extra) on the way to Baños de Montemayor from Aldeanueva del Camino, but worth it, I thought. With apparently one of the best preserved juderías in Spain, the winding narrow cobbled streets leading up to the imposing hilltop church are impressive. "Vaut le detour", as the Michelin guides put it.
Also, I did enjoy the "circuito romano" in the baths at Baños de Montemayor. 90 minutes, I think, for the full circuit, but sooo refreshing, and cleansing.
@Robo,Bit of a dumb question perhaps @alansykes .
But I note there are a couple of Roman Baths along the VdlP.
Visiting those sounds like a great idea.
I presume 'proper' swimwear is required........?
I am searching for the lightest possible 'budgie smugglers' as we call them here 'Down under'.
Being a bit weight paranoid due to bad legs/knees/feet....
Hi Albertagirl and Robo - I’ve heard of the requirement for proper swimming gear at the Roman Baths too. @Elle Bieling from here on the Forum reported in her wonderful blog on the VDLP/Sanabres in 2019 that she and her friend Nadine weren’t granted access to some Roman Baths as they didn’t have their cozzies with them. Elle’s husband Rich and their friend Norm were able to gain access as their hiking shorts resembled swim shorts. Sooo not fair!@Robo,
I read a posting on the forum where a young woman walking the VdlP described booking a private swim in a Roman Bath, which was accessed from indoors. She enjoyed her swim, but mentioned that swimming attire was compulsory and she was glad that the management did not see that she was not provided with any. Unfortunately, I cannot think how I could find the thread. But this was possible at one time and might be done in future by another swimmer wanting to try a Roman Bath and lacking "budgie smugglers". I wouldn't wish to try it myself.
Hi! I have a question about El Zaguan de la plata. I see prices that look comparable to an albergue15E and more expensive rooms on booking.com for 55-60E. Are there 2 similarly named accommodations?That will be great: we love rural areas, and we enjoy chatting to the locals. While walking on the Norte, we would stop and chat with someone, and often, they had a family member who had migrated or been to Australia.
The eucalyptus trees will remind us of back home
Hostal Extremadura doesn't get good reviews on Gronze, so we were going to avoid it.
It's not that we are not fans of albergues, in fact if an albergue has rooms with just two beds (or a double bed), we're happy to stay at an albergue, and we did this with a number of gîtes on our walk through France. Unfortunately, the albergue in Monesterio doesn't take reservations, so we would be leaving our accommodation up to chance, something Rachel would prefer not to do.
Day 7: Monesterio to Fuente de Cantos
This is going to be a 20.7km stage, with an overall gentle descent.
Wise Pilgrim and Gerald Kelly refer to a new type of marking on this stretch, with the possibility of taking a wrong turn. I'll make sure I have GPX tracks, and we'll keep an eye out for the few yellow arrows.
We will also need to take enough water and food, as there are no places where we can replenish our water bottles.
Gronze warns that we will have little shade, so Rachel will be using her Euroschirm hands free umbrella to stay in the shade. We used it in 2018, and she loved it. We even tried to measure the difference in temperature, and under the umbrella, it was 2 to 3°C lower.
We have no trouble choosing accommodation in Fuente de Cantos: @P Rat and @OzAnnie have both recommended Apartamentos El Zaguán de la Plata, thank you to both of you!
We're looking forward to having a look at the church Nuestra Señora de la Granada, and its baroque altarpiece.
I assume you are talking about the place in Fuente de Cantos. You say you have seen prices comparable to an albergue, but didn't say where you found those prices.El Zaguan de la plata
question about El Zaguan de la plata
This is a very good example of the advantages and disadvantages of booking.com versus other ways to secure rooms. The owner undoubtedly prices the rooms accordingly.
Thanks to all for responses. I am referring to the place in Fuentos de Cantos. I will contact them directly as I think that seems to be best. I am traveling alone, but I am definitely open to sharing accommodations.Hi @wanda
I stayed there in April 2019. Great memory.
The price charged then was minimal and facilities were terrific. It was still too cold in April to use the pool but someone still took a dip then.
Usually the site : gronze.com shows the different rates plus booking dot com link. I’ve had a look and only see booking rates so maybe you could contact them direct via email or phone.
(Screen shot below ).
As @C clearly mentions in her post - the owner was handing out pamphlets to pilgrims walking in their direction when I walked. Rates were minimal.
Also Wanda. No , not separate places. - There is only one place with that name. Al zaguan de la plata.
I would expect it to be more than sufficient, except for Easter week, which should be booked now! Arriving in a popular town on a weekend can also be unpredictable, so keep an eye out for that.I prefer to be more flexible and thought 4-5 should be sufficient. Thoughts?
Thanks!I would expect it to be more than sufficient, except for Easter week, which should be booked now! Arriving in a popular town on a weekend can also be unpredictable, so keep an eye out for that.
Hi Wanda : Re above for El Zaguan de la Plata in Fuente de Cantos.I am referring to the place in Fuentos de Cantos. I will contact them directly as I think that seems to be best. I am traveling alone, but I am definitely open to sharing accommodations.
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