Are these stages too long?

[Kiwi-family]

Firstly, please let me say I am very used to doing 30+km days and usually only find I'm uncomfortable after 35km. Shorter than 25km usually feels too short. (When my husband and I walked from Porto we planned to go slowly and stop in lots of bars and just cover 15km or so a day. We couldn't do it. After sitting in a bar for an hour we would don our packs again and keep walking through the afternoon!) I'll also have been regularly walking 20 and 30km at home before leaving.

I have looked at the elevation profiles and it *seems* to me that these stages are potentially doable (assuming no injuries or dreadful weather) - but would anyone who has walked like to comment? Have I missed something?

Once I hit the ground I will take each day as it comes but I'm just wanting to get a feel for whether or not I am going to be able to walk all the way to Leon in the time I have available or whether I'll need to stop in Sahagun and jump on a bus. If I want to try for Leon I need to make the call fairly early on and do some longish days at that point. Of course I could shorten my time in Segovia too - or walk farther the day I hit the Frances.

 

[Roger Hogstrom]

Firstly, please let me say I am very used to doing 30+km days and usually only find I'm uncomfortable after 35km. Shorter than 25km usually feels too short. (When my husband and I walked from Porto we planned to go slowly and stop in lots of bars and just cover 15km or so a day. We couldn't do it. After sitting in a bar for an hour we would don our packs again and keep walking through the afternoon!) I'll also have been regularly walking 20 and 30km at home before leaving.

I have looked at the elevation profiles and it *seems* to me that these stages are potentially doable (assuming no injuries or dreadful weather) - but would anyone who has walked like to comment? Have I missed something?

Once I hit the ground I will take each day as it comes but I'm just wanting to get a feel for whether or not I am going to be able to walk all the way to Leon in the time I have available or whether I'll need to stop in Sahagun and jump on a bus. If I want to try for Leon I need to make the call fairly early on and do some longish days at that point. Of course I could shorten my time in Segovia too - or walk farther the day I hit the Frances.

View attachment 41820

Tuff stages, Puh. The one from Mataelpino is the one that is really tuff. I wouldn´t do it. And if you walk these stages you miss Medina de Rioseco a town that is really nice. Good luck

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Roger Hogstrom Thanks for your reply. That stage from Mataelpino is tricky - because I have two nights accommodation booked in Segovia and have to decide BEFORE leaving Mataelpino which night to cancel (dependent on whether I go for the hard stage or split it).
Never fear about me missing Medina - I’ll be taking a good long break there and hoping the churches are open if I stick to this plan!

 

[KSWard]

My husband are starting our Camino de Madrid in a few weeks. I love seeing what everyone has planned, as it helps me know what might be possible. This is our first Camino and we are going from Madrid to Santiago. I am really looking forward to being on the two different routes! Thanks for sharing your plan!

 

[Kiwi-family]

@KSWard I have a shorter plan too, which culminates in Sahagun, where I was planning on catching a bus to Leon (I’m inflexible on start date from Leon as i’m Meeting family there and then heading up the San Salvador and Primitivo)
But I got to thinking about “walking all the way” and wondered what it would look like.
I make “what if” plans so I have a feel for possibilitiesand then see what happens once I start walking.
I can post my shorter plan if you like.

 

[gittiharre]

My husband are starting our Camino de Madrid in a few weeks. I love seeing what everyone has planned, as it helps me know what might be possible. This is our first Camino and we are going from Madrid to Santiago. I am really looking forward to being on the two different routes! Thanks for sharing your plan!

What date do you head off?

 

[KSWard]

@KSWard I have a shorter plan too, which culminates in Sahagun, where I was planning on catching a bus to Leon (I’m inflexible on start date from Leon as i’m Meeting family there and then heading up the San Salvador and Primitivo)
But I got to thinking about “walking all the way” and wondered what it would look like.
I make “what if” plans so I have a feel for possibilitiesand then see what happens once I start walking.
I can post my shorter plan if you like.

That would be wonderful! Thanks so much!

 

[KSWard]

What date do you head off?

We are getting into Madrid May 11th, hoping to leave the 12th.

My daughter is beginning her study abroad on the 12th with her college in Madrid, so we need to connect her with her group before we can leave. If we can get her to them before too late, we will start and do a shorter day!

 

[Anniesantiago]

The problem I see with your stages are the things you'll miss in the smaller villages by walking right past them.

 

[JabbaPapa]

I'd most definitely say scrap all of those pre-planned stages and just hike as you like.

You are fast walkers, so that any imperfections along the way will be manageable on foot.

 

[Elizabeth2018]

Here is what we have mapped out. Actual will depend on weather and how we are feeling. We are going to pace ourselves in the first couple of days. We are carrying on from Leon to the Salvador, and then the Primitivo, so are going to get the morning train from Grajal de Campos to Leon.

Tres Cantos (from Fuencarral) 12
Colmenar Viejo 12
Mataelpino 22
Las Dehesas albergue 18 (2.5-3 km beyond Cercedilla)
Segovia 28
Zamarrala 3
Santa Maria de Real 29
Coca 22
Alcazaren 25
Valdestillas 20
Ciguenela 21
Castromonte 24
Medina de Rio Seco 14
Villalon de Campos 24
Santervas de Campos 21
Grajal de Campos 14 k
train to Leon and LEON overnight

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Anniesantiago I hear you. And I'm acting on your advice. I have an amended plan that still allows me to walk all the way to Leon, but without having to put in long days near the beginning. And if I get to Medina de Rioseco and decide I absolutely must stay the whole day, then I'll stop and end up catching the train from Sahagun. If a little look around suffices, I'll push on for a long day.

 

[Kiwi-family]

@KSWard Here ya go!

There are still a couple of stages over 30km which
some people might prefer to shorten (and it's totally possible to), but I've just left them in because I'm committed to the first one due to reserving a bed at Mataelpino, La Granja and Segovia. The second one will be shortened if I go on to Los Huertos the day before - but I know I definitely want to stay at Santa Maria la Real de Nieva.

 

[KSWard]

@KSWard Here ya go!
View attachment 41919
There are still a couple of stages over 30km which
some people might prefer to shorten (and it's totally possible to), but I've just left them in because I'm committed to the first one due to reserving a bed at Mataelpino, La Granja and Segovia. The second one will be shortened if I go on to Los Huertos the day before - but I know I definitely want to stay at Santa Maria la Real de Nieva.

Thank you so much! This makes so much sense to me.
Buen Camino!

 

[Deeanne]

I will be volunteering as hospitalera in Bercianos in October and was looking to walk a few days into my assignment. I have just found this forum about the Camino de Madrid, so I am strongly considering walking some of it into Sahagún and on to Bercianos. I have 4 days after I fly into Madrid until I am to report for volunteering. Where should I begin? Maybe a specific stage no to miss? I am comfortable with 20 km/day.

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Deeanne if I were you I would either count back from Bercianos and walk from whatever spot that happens to be (here's a suggestion):
or maybe you'd walk on to Sahagun, instead of stopping at Grajal, but I hear it's worth staying there. One day is longer than your stated 20km - but you can see it's flat!

Or if you haven't spent much time in Madrid before, I'd do a couple of days there and a couple in Segovia.

Or I might pick out some more places to bus/train between on the Madrid route. Having not walked it yet, I'm not the best to advise, but I'm particularly looking forward to:
La Granja de San Idelfonso
Segovia
Coca
Simancas
Medina de Rioseco
Grajal de Campos
www.rome2rio.com will give you details on how to connect these places.

Happy planning

 

[Ernesto.IT]

The problem I see with your stages are the things you'll miss in the smaller villages by walking right past them.

Anniesantiago you are right to say they will miss the things in the smaller villages, all depends at why you walking the camino, last year was my longest pilgrimage, dissending the last 150 Km to Rome then taken the Via Franchigena in reverse up to Torino going through the Apennines colle Cisa into France through the Montginevro down via Arles, entered Spain at the Samport and then up to Santiago, Fisterre, Muxia, in all 3300+Km in 98 days. If I stopped in all the beautiful villages that i went by, I would never arrived back home, I must have walked by over 500 villages and I could have not immagine to stop in all of them.
Next week I will be starting in Barcellona and God willing my intention is to go down to Valencia, up to Toledo, Madrid, going across to Avila on the VDLP, an continue to Santiago, Fisterre, Muxia like usual, I more or less guess the direction of my pilgrimage and the decision where to stop for the night depend on where are the Hostel ( if any) and is taken each day at the time like usual so that then I know in which condicion my body is. Ultreia

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Ernesto.IT you make some good points. You will ALWAYS miss something. I know when we walked the Primitivo the first time we did some very long days and there were places we'd have liked to stop but we were focussed on achieving a particular distance as we were fundraising. We did not mind the trade-off on that occasion. In October we'll be back there and are intending to walk shorter stages so we CAN stop in those places we missed. *This* time the focus is on sketching as well as walking! One day I hope to take a walk that is largely unplanned and just see where I get to each night. My main parameter will be that it is long - something like yours!

 

[Rob the Slob]

@Kiwi-family, Tres Cantos to Mataelpino might be quite tough: not just the length, but according to my GPS track from when I walked, you're also looking at almost 900 metres ascent.

 

[Deleted member 77020]

Firstly, please let me say I am very used to doing 30+km days and usually only find I'm uncomfortable after 35km. Shorter than 25km usually feels too short. (When my husband and I walked from Porto we planned to go slowly and stop in lots of bars and just cover 15km or so a day. We couldn't do it. After sitting in a bar for an hour we would don our packs again and keep walking through the afternoon!) I'll also have been regularly walking 20 and 30km at home before leaving.

I have looked at the elevation profiles and it *seems* to me that these stages are potentially doable (assuming no injuries or dreadful weather) - but would anyone who has walked like to comment? Have I missed something?

Once I hit the ground I will take each day as it comes but I'm just wanting to get a feel for whether or not I am going to be able to walk all the way to Leon in the time I have available or whether I'll need to stop in Sahagun and jump on a bus. If I want to try for Leon I need to make the call fairly early on and do some longish days at that point. Of course I could shorten my time in Segovia too - or walk farther the day I hit the Frances.

Blessings on this route I attempted but got only as far as MataeView attachment 41820

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Kiwi-family, Tres Cantos to Mataelpino might be quite tough: not just the length, but according to my GPS track from when I walked, you're also looking at almost 900 metres ascent.

Thanks Rob (The Slob!) I’m mentally prepared for that one to be a long slog. I’m planning on stopping at Manzanares El Real for a nice long sit outside the castle to do some sketching while I nibble my lunch. By then the bulk of the day is done and it’s just another couple of hours to press on. That’s what I’m telling myself anyway! (Worst case scenario there’s a bus - and I’d bus back in the morning to walk that stretch.)

 

[Deeanne]

@Deeanne if I were you I would either count back from Bercianos and walk from whatever spot that happens to be (here's a suggestion):
View attachment 41920 or maybe you'd walk on to Sahagun, instead of stopping at Grajal, but I hear it's worth staying there. One day is longer than your stated 20km - but you can see it's flat!

Or if you haven't spent much time in Madrid before, I'd do a couple of days there and a couple in Segovia.

Or I might pick out some more places to bus/train between on the Madrid route. Having not walked it yet, I'm not the best to advise, but I'm particularly looking forward to:
La Granja de San Idelfonso
Segovia
Coca
Simancas
Medina de Rioseco
Grajal de Campos
www.rome2rio.com will give you details on how to connect these places.

Happy planning

Thank you Kiwi-family I used rome2rio extensively in Spain and France. I even use it back home here in the US. I will enjoy studying your stages and extensive planning!
Buen Camino,
Deeanne

 

[LTfit]

Many thanks @Kiwi-family , great information on your spreadsheets!

I just decided today to walk the Madrid and will start from the Iglesia de Santiago next Tuesday. I have a tentative plan but will see what Santiago has in store for me.

Cheers,
LT

 

[Kiwi-family]

@LTfit enjoy!!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I know the upper end of the Madrid pretty well, having Ditch-Pigged it, and having studied the vernacular architecture in these towns with my local Adobe Co-Op. It's a fascinating part of Spain.

Don't count on staying at Grajal. Finding the guy with the key is very hit-or-miss, some people there are convinced the albergue is unfinished and is never open. La Vid, the bar/restaurant alongside the plaza, is reliably good, if slow. They make good burgers! There is also a tiny grocery store in Grajal.
Catching a train from Grajal is also a curious idea. In all the years I've been riding trains hereabouts, I have never seen a train stop at Grajal. Maybe I'm just not so lucky?

The last time I walked the Madrid we stopped at Sanhervas on a Tuesday. We were given a tour of the Ponce de Leon museum, a video, and a tour of the church, but there was NOTHING to eat in the town, the little restaurant and store were closed up tight. I understand the mayor will help you out when this happens. It was most disconcerting.

Also, there's a good bar/restaurant in Cuenca de Campos with a superb lunchtime Menu, name is Casa Tatu or Tata or something like that. Some endangered type of bird nests in the tower of the old convent, there is an observation tower built just for watching for these birds. Talk your way into the convent if you can, it is now owned and rather abused by a big farming family, still spectacular in a ruined sort of way.

Once you get to Villalon, see if you can wangle your way into the church, it is magnificent! If you have to kill some time, ask to see the bodegas. The ground beneath the entire town is honeycombed with tunnels and caves, it's truly cool to see... there's a pharmacy under the arcades by the church that closed in about 1950, and the family has preserved it untouched. Ask around! The hospitalera there is a sweetheart.

In Sahagun I recommend you stay with the Marist Fathers at the Madres Benedictinas convent of the Holy Cross. Shared meal, pilgrim Mass and blessing, and small en-suite rooms for a 5 euro minimum donativo. ..in a splendid historic structure with its own cloister.

 

[Kiwi-family]

@Rebekah Scott I usually avoid “which is the best albergue/restaurant/bar” threads, but I will make a note of all your suggestions!!

 

[LTfit]

Thanks Reb, I added the tidbits to Rachael's list. And have a great time with your nephew. Don't think that our paths will cross, if I continue on to the Salvador you will be way in front.