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What's your best non-standard itinerary for the last 100km?

Ungawawa

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2017-20: Francés, Norte, Francés, Portuguese Lisbon Coastal, Portuguese central
I never tire of doing the Camino Francés (five times and counting!), but the overcrowding in the summer months has made the Brierley stages from Sarria a no-go for me. That's why today I'm interested in your alternative itineraries for the last 100 km of the Francés in the summer!

I want to hear your ideas of how to avoid the worst logjams and keep your serenity. Please post your four or five-day stage suggestions for those last 100km avoiding the most overcrowded spots. Bonus points if you can add in some suggestions of albergues or special things that place has to offer in the summer!

Here's my most recent one to get the ball running:
  • Barbadelo: the peaceful alternative to Sarria. Casa de Carmen is a nice spot to eat/stay with a charismatic hospitalera.
  • Gonzar (28.7 km) - your choice of three places, one with a pool!
  • Melide (32.3 km) - Albergue San Anton is great if you can get it
  • Salceda (25.6 km) - enjoy the fabulous Mesón A Esquipa restaurant there with the best churrasco and pulpo
  • Santiago (27.7 km)
 
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I have walked that final section 3 times but not since 2018.
So places may have changed.

But if I was to walk it again I would only stay in intermediate 'smaller' places and probably leave later in the day, say 9am. But I'm not sure even that avoids the crowds much these days.

Maybe someone who has walked this year could give a view?

In the past we have stayed in places like Morgade, Ferreiros, Ventas, A Rua, A Brea, Salceda, Lavacolla.

Of course you know the easy answer!
Turn left at Ponferrada.

Why are you so keen to walk that part of the CF again?
 
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Robo said:
But if I was to walk it again I would only stay in intermediate 'smaller' places and probably leave later in the day, say 9am. But I'm not sure even that avoids the crowds much these days.
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Last year in June, coming off of the Primitivo I stayed in Boente and Santa Irene. I was in a private room in an albergue in Boente, but two of my friends were in the dorm, and when they woke up between 6:30 and 7:00 everyone else had left. I think that we started walking at 7:30 and didn't see lots of people on the way, though of course the bars were busy, but not overly so. The next night our small group were the only ones staying at Albergue Astrar near Santa Irene. The next morning we didn't see any other pilgrims for about an hour and a half.
 
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I managed a couple of quiet days after Sarria at Gonzar and Ponte Campaña. On the afternoon walking from Portomarin to Gonzar I only saw 10 people..I saw not much more than this the whole of the following day, but this was partly down to Hurricane Kirk..I was there at the beginning of October this year.
 
I stayed in Sarria in Casa Peltre (not the worst stop, even in July), Portomarin (Folgueira), Ponte Campaña (Casa Domingo), A Rúa (Espiritu Xacobeo) and SdC (km 0) and was quite happy with the outcome.
 
The only thing I would suggest, if you want to get to Santiago early to either catch a plane home or to miss the worst of the queues for your Compostela, is to stay at Lavacolla. There will then be a short walk the following day into Santiago although you will likely miss the companionship of those you may have been walking with if they do a "more normal" final day.
 
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trecile said:
Last year in June, coming off of the Primitivo I stayed in Boente and Santa Irene
Click to expand...
Same here in mid-April.

Boente: Albergue El Aleman, fabulous place. Not your standard Albergue, ️️️️️
I met others here who had come off the Primitivo, so there was a nice feeling of continuity.

Santa Irene: Santa Irene Municipal. I originally thought to go to the same place you did, @trecile , but the municipal was right there on the way and perfectly adequate - actually more than adequate. Very nice. And spotless. Just no food when I got there, so plan ahead. It sure beats the crowds at O Pino/O Pedrouzo.
 
Robo said:
In the past we have stayed in places like Morgade, Ferreiros, Ventas, A Rua, A Brea, Salceda, Lavacolla.
Click to expand...
Did any stand out to you as being particularly nice?
Robo said:
Of course you know the easy answer!
Turn left at Ponferrada.
Click to expand...
I've done the Invierno last year and loved it!
Robo said:
Why are you so keen to walk that part of the CF again?
Click to expand...
I walked this summer from Le Puy. You can probably imagine how having walked from June and arriving in Santiago in August that not doing the final five stages wasn't an option. You've built up friendships over a long distance and to let all that go in the last five days would just be daft.

However it was a whole new type of hell that I'd never seen before! I left Sarria at 5:30am, marched with no breaks to a totally booked-out Portomarin (not even expensive hotels left). At 11am there were still 80 people ahead of me in the queue for the Xunta albergue! I got in this time, but vowed I never want to do this again. I'm looking for different itineraries that could avoid the crowds for the next time I end up on those very common last few stages west of Santiago.
 
Thanks for the tip of Santa Irene. I'll put that on my list for the future.
I've been to Boente. Nice albergue but my overriding memory of it was how terrible the food there was!
 
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How is Lavacolla to stay at? Are there nice albergues with good spirit? I've only ever walked through it.
 
Roland49 said:
I stayed in Sarria in Casa Peltre (not the worst stop, even in July), Portomarin (Folgueira), Ponte Campaña (Casa Domingo), A Rúa (Espiritu Xacobeo) and SdC (km 0) and was quite happy with the outcome.
Click to expand...
Thanks. A Rua is a good suggestion instead of Pedrouzo. One for the list.
KM0 is a favourite of mine too!
 
They probably had their eyes on a Xunta albergue. In August I found you have to leave at 5am and not take many breaks to get a spot in the Xunta places for the main stages. I decided I couldn't do that any more as it took all the joy out of it, to have to hurry and not have breaks.
 
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Walked from Samos to Barbadelo twice and have had beautiful peaceful mornings until almost lunch time. Single beds at Huellas Turistico in Portomarin, and a great kitchen. Stayed in a lovely pension in Airexe and walked all alone for several hours until I got to Melide Here I stayed at O Palpador in a single female dorm and because it was on the edge of town, again had a couple of hours of almost solo walking. Arzua was interesting, staying in cabinet sort of beds at Los Tres Abetos. Enjoyed staying in O Pedrouzo at Mirador with pool and great cafes. Some of the nicest facilities for women here. Stayed at Lavacola once back in 2015, but don't have a place to recommend.
Have also stayed at Morgade and at Ventas de Naron in Casa Molar. Both were great places to stay.
 
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Ungawawa said:
How is Lavacolla to stay at? Are there nice albergues with good spirit? I've only ever walked through it.
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It has been a long time since I walked on the CF as the crowds are just too much for me.
But I have stayed in this albergue a few times and it was excellent. Clean with good facilities and the people who run it are really nice. Based on the reviews in Gronze it is still a really good place to stay.

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Thanks for the personal recommendation! If I was going just off of the pics on Gronze, I'd avoid it, but I know often their photos don't show places in the best light. Good to hear.
 
There are several other less crowded and more peaceful routes where you can walk 100km into Santiago and avoid the Sarria-Santiago portion altogether.
 
Ungawawa said:
Thanks for the personal recommendation! If I was going just off of the pics on Gronze, I'd avoid it, but I know often their photos don't show places in the best light. Good to hear.
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It is good that you know the kind of albergues you like and the caminos with the best infrastructure. If you were put off by the photos of Lavacolla you probably should avoid caminos like the Madrid
The first photo is an albergue that I stayed in Los Huertos.You had to ask someone in the village where Ursula was who had the keys to the albergue. A really nice woman and the ladies I asked were so sweet too. This is the whole albergue (there was a bathroom behind where I was standing. No wifi just me.
The second photo is the front door of the albergue in the town of Villeguillo. Have to go to bar to get the key. There was not any real food to eat in the bar the day I was there but I brought my own food. I really laughed when I saw the front door. It looked like a door to a bomb shelter. But the albergue was clean and had a good kitchen. People in the town were super nice. I don't think there was wifi in this albergue either. But it is a great camino to walk. Need a little planning, being able to speak some Spanish is a big plus. And if you want a whole lot of time to yourself it is perfect.
 

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Ungawawa said:
How is Lavacolla to stay at? Are there nice albergues with good spirit? I've only ever walked through it.
Click to expand...
I haven't stayed at the albergue although I ate there one year, the food was good as well as the company. Being the last night I stayed at "A Concha" once (a bit basic) and "Ruta Jacobea" last time - expensive but the last night so forget the cost and I was to sleep in the airport the following night! Wonderful room and luxurious bed!
 
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