Break O’Cebreiro climb

[Nezabudka]

Hi all
I am on the Camino now, my parents (68) join me in a few days from Ponferrada. Though they are quite fit, they are not used to hilly terrain. Also, as I want to send their bags upfront in the first few days, i will need to prebook accommodation for the night, so not much flexibility.

Hence will appreciate advice how to break the route, so its more manageable for them.

I am looking at two options currently:
- Trabadello to O Cebreiro in one day, but taxi from Las Fabas - a bit worried how easy it is to organise
- Trabadelo to Las Fabas and next day to Fonfria - the second day still seems quite challenging.

I will be grateful to see, if there are any other options or how people of similar age did it.
Please note, it will be only days 3-4 for them, taking slow, not much stregth built yet.

Thanks

 

[CWBuff]

Have you considered Victor's horses for that climb? You get that in Los Herreiras (still need to transport the big pack).
That will take you all the way up to O Cebreiro...
At the time of my walk I was 62 and walked from Vega de Valcarce to Linares

Good luck and Buen Camino

 

[woody66]

I stayed in Trabadelo and El Herrerias from there to Fonfria !
I recommend these two

El Puente Peregrino​

Address:Camino Santiago, 153, 24523 Trabadelo, Spain
Phone: +34 987 56 65 00
Great reviews on this place with which i concur, vegetarian menu ( i am not a vegetarian but had one of the best meals on my Camino), great host, clean rooms stands out in my memory!

Casa Galego​

Address:Fonfría 9, 27671 Fonfría, Spain
Phone: +34 627 47 47 83
What a surprise fresh modern Hotel in a small hill village, spotless, great staff and views.
I remember the Camino path out started great but then got quite difficult where it had collapsed in on itself!

My stay in El Herrerias was good regarding staff and room, food and price 34 Euros!

LA PANDELA​

Address:C/CAMINO DE SANTIAGO N° 39A, 24526 Las Herrerías, Spain
Phone: +34 987 19 93 17

Just for the heads up!!
Would not stay here again; not really their fault.

It was great apart from the wooden ceiling that separated me from the rooms above; and the two couples above me that decided to play giant Rabbits.( no sound proofing).
Went to the bar for a coffee and explored a bit came back and surprise they were still hopping about

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Trabadello to O Cebreiro

This seems very easy to walk to me. I am 70 years old, not overly fit and I have reduced lung capacity (making hills harder for me) and I walked from Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro in a day, last year in July, carrying my own pack without any great difficulties.

I stopped at a couple of places along the way for a coffee and lunch and otherwise walked at a leisurely pace.

This isn't a mountain climb. The average inclination is 4.8%. Obviously some bits are slightly steeper than this but they are short and in order to achieve the average, the other longer bits, are less steep than 4.8%.

Are you sure that you need to coddle them this much?

 

[musicman]

Luggage transfer easily arranged with the CORREOS - good website - book abead with Booking.com. Failing that use Brierley’s guide or Google maps for a variety of accommodation.

 

[paddington]

I stayed in Trabadelo and El Herrerias from there to Fonfria !
I recommend these two

El Puente Peregrino​

Address:Camino Santiago, 153, 24523 Trabadelo, Spain
Phone: +34 987 56 65 00
Great reviews on this place with which i concur, vegetarian menu ( i am not a vegetarian but had one of the best meals on my Camino), great host, clean rooms stands out in my memory!

Casa Galego​

Address:Fonfría 9, 27671 Fonfría, Spain
Phone: +34 627 47 47 83
What a surprise fresh modern Hotel in a small hill village, spotless, great staff and views.
I remember the Camino path out started great but then got quite difficult where it had collapsed in on itself!

My stay in El Herrerias was good regarding staff and room, food and price 34 Euros!

LA PANDELA​

Address:C/CAMINO DE SANTIAGO N° 39A, 24526 Las Herrerías, Spain
Phone: +34 987 19 93 17

Just for the heads up!!
Would not stay here again; not really their fault.

It was great apart from the wooden ceiling that separated me from the rooms above; and the two couples above me that decided to play giant Rabbits.( no sound proofing).
Went to the bar for a coffee and explored a bit came back and surprise they were still hopping about

We loved the food at el puento perigrino in trabedelo. If there are no rooms available there on your travel date , hotel rural nova Ruta is just across the bridge and has good rooms where you can stay and then walk over to le puento perigrino for your meals !

 

[Emsie]

Just ridden over that this morning and we found it harder that the first 2 days riding on the Camino. Brutal was a word fitting for the hill .

 

[Jodean]

Stayed at Casa Susi in Trabadelo, then walked to La Escuela to overnight. Single beds & great food in the restaurant. Next morning 1.5 km to O Cebrio (sunrise!!!!) then on to Fonfria.
Have ridden the horses too & it makes for a unique experience. Use Jacotrans for transport.

 

[camster]

Have you considered Victor's horses for that climb? You get that in Los Herreiras (still need to transport the big pack).
That will take you all the way up to O Cebreiro...
At the time of my walk I was 62 and walked from Vega de Valcarce to Linares

Good luck and Buen Camino

I did exactly that. Stayed in Las Herrerias and contacted Victor the day before through WhatsApp to book a horse. He only has 4 horses, so maybe try and book earlier than I did. Then over at O'Cebreiro, he knew the lady who owns one of the hotels and was able to help me get a room there, so I had the rest of the day to visit O'Cebreiro and enjoy the views.

 

[lt56ny]

Hi all
I am on the Camino now, my parents (68) join me in a few days from Ponferrada. Though they are quite fit, they are not used to hilly terrain. Also, as I want to send their bags upfront in the first few days, i will need to prebook accommodation for the night, so not much flexibility.

Hence will appreciate advice how to break the route, so its more manageable for them.

I am looking at two options currently:
- Trabadello to O Cebreiro in one day, but taxi from Las Fabas - a bit worried how easy it is to organise
- Trabadelo to Las Fabas and next day to Fonfria - the second day still seems quite challenging.

I will be grateful to see, if there are any other options or how people of similar age did it.
Please note, it will be only days 3-4 for them, taking slow, not much stregth built yet.

Thanks

Maybe you should think about walking from O' Ceibrero If they have not trained very much it will be tough going for sure. It is really pretty walking but if you are really struggling your enjoyment may be limited. I am 70 but have walked many caminos and I know how to walk. Now when I first start a camino I will walk short distances for about a week (less then 20K) take my time, take many breaks and in my mind I am not walking 20k. I am walking 5K at a time. Stop, take off my pack, sit down in a bar or if no town, on a stone fence or my backpack. So I am doing 4 stages a day!

 

[JimG59]

LA PANDELA
Address:C/CAMINO DE SANTIAGO N° 39A, 24526 Las Herrerías, Spain
Phone: +34 987 19 93 17

Just for the heads up!!
Would not stay here again; not really their fault.

It was great apart from the wooden ceiling that separated me from the rooms above; and the two couples above me that decided to play giant Rabbits.( no sound proofing).
Went to the bar for a coffee and explored a bit came back and surprise they were still hopping about

I stayed in the Casa and had a great stay. The young women who served us were great. I wouldn’t be dissuading people from staying there just because a couple were having sex the night you happened to be there. That could happen anywhere.

 

[Marian Patricia]

Hi all
I am on the Camino now, my parents (68) join me in a few days from Ponferrada. Though they are quite fit, they are not used to hilly terrain. Also, as I want to send their bags upfront in the first few days, i will need to prebook accommodation for the night, so not much flexibility.

Hence will appreciate advice how to break the route, so its more manageable for them.

I am looking at two options currently:
- Trabadello to O Cebreiro in one day, but taxi from Las Fabas - a bit worried how easy it is to organise
- Trabadelo to Las Fabas and next day to Fonfria - the second day still seems quite challenging.

I will be grateful to see, if there are any other options or how people of similar age did it.
Please note, it will be only days 3-4 for them, taking slow, not much stregth built yet.

Thanks

We walked from Vega de Valcarce to O Cebreiro (age 66) carrying our packs and didn’t find it that bad at all. Uphill, yes - but we are from the prairies where hill training was not available - all we had at our disposal was stair climbing and we didn’t do that much of it. We were fit enough to climb the hill but not what I would call super fit at all, in fact quite ordinary and a bit overweight. The descent from Riego de Ambros to Molinaseca was far more challenging than the climb to O Cebreiro.

 

[FrJimKingcsc]

Hi all
I am on the Camino now, my parents (68) join me in a few days from Ponferrada. Though they are quite fit, they are not used to hilly terrain. Also, as I want to send their bags upfront in the first few days, i will need to prebook accommodation for the night, so not much flexibility.

Hence will appreciate advice how to break the route, so its more manageable for them.

I am looking at two options currently:
- Trabadello to O Cebreiro in one day, but taxi from Las Fabas - a bit worried how easy it is to organise
- Trabadelo to Las Fabas and next day to Fonfria - the second day still seems quite challenging.

I will be grateful to see, if there are any other options or how people of similar age did it.
Please note, it will be only days 3-4 for them, taking slow, not much stregth built yet.

Thanks

Another option: Laguna de Castilla, 1.1 km past La Faba. One of cleanest albergues I've stayed in with excellent bar/food, great patio and best mountain view since the Pyrenees. Utterly charming spot. If you stay there you might get to O'Cebreiro too early the next day to get inside 9th century church. Option: make it a rest stop and have owners call for a cab or walk on if you're feeling up to it.

 

[Nezabudka]

Have you considered Victor's horses for that climb? You get that in Los Herreiras (still need to transport the big pack).

Thanks! Never heard about it before. Looked into it, sounds interesting, but unlikely manageable for someone who never rode - after two hours on the horseback, i am afraid we would get even more tired

Maybe you should think about walking from O' Ceibrero If they have not trained very much it will be tough going for sure. It is really pretty walking but if you are really struggling your enjoyment may be limited.

Not that they didnt train, just not in hills. They are lookimg to the mountains experience and eager to challenge themselves, I just want to stay on the safe side, so they enjoy the Camino and not spend all their energy on the climb.

 

[TeamGregamy]

Hello, we walked from Los Herrerias to Fonfria in a storm - high winds, muddy / stream- like track, cold & rainy day. Had snowed the day before. Was exhausted & the day I burst into tears when finally got to Fonfria! We said we would definitely stop to stay at O’Ceibrero if(when) do this again. That should be manageable as just take your time. We met people who ride the horses in the past- they said were so very sore on buttocks/thighs for a few days as riding used very different muscles to walking. Not as “ in control” & felt a bit vulnerable. All the horse riders just chalked it up to experience but said would not choose to do again.

 

[jimmyc]

I was 75 when I walked to O Ceibero and i did not find it difficult. However, after walking for almost 4 four weeks from SJPP I was very fit for long climbs.

 

[camster]

Thanks! Never heard about it before. Looked into it, sounds interesting, but unlikely manageable for someone who never rode - after two hours on the horseback, i am afraid we would get even more tired

--

You can see Victor walks alongside us all the way up, so no need to know how to ride. He's right there all along.
It was very nice to just enjoy the view for that hour or two.

 

[Jodean]

My thighs hurt, but I would certainly ride again! Have never heard anyone say it hurt so bad they wouldn’t do it again.

 

[jennyz]

Just ridden over that this morning and we found it harder that the first 2 days riding on the Camino. Brutal was a word fitting for the hill .

Glad someone reported riding it, because I will be there in a month. Did you go via the road or the trail?

 

[Emsie]

Glad someone reported riding it, because I will be there in a month. Did you go via the road or the trail?

We did both missed out some of the trail the last 100 because that section seems extremely crowded so we took to the tarmac then . Good luck and hope you have good weather like we did .