Best places to stay and see between Sahagun and Léon?

[Donna Sch]

Am planning a Camino Mixto for 2025 basically combining the Madrid, Salvador and Primitivo. But there is a ~55km stretch on the CF and I also see that there is a choice of routes going to either Bercianos de Real Camino or Calzada del Coto on the way to Reliegos. We will have a rest day in León. Pros and cons of each variant? Any do-not-miss things along the way? We are wildlife nerds as well. Given my partners pace we would probably do about 18-25km/day.

 

[walking sticKs]

Many love the Mesta, I am sure it has it's moments. I am not a fan, I have walked it in July, and Sept.
I walk from Sahagun to Mansilla de Las Mulas and then take a cab into Leon. It's about 40km, if you start early you will get into Leon with the cab around 16:00.
You will love the Primitivo and by all reports the Salvador. I was not confident about my time so I bypassed the Salvador in 2019 but walked the Primitivo.
Happy planning!

 

[Katherine Radeka]

I loved the alternate route - it was one of the most solitary parts of the trip, but also such nice ambles down country roads, far from any traffic. We enjoyed our stay at Calzadilla de los Hermanillos at Via Trajana.

But then, unlike some others, we loved, loved, loved the Meseta for its remoteness and the beauty of its farmlands.

We walked to Religios for the next night and also liked it there. Then we walked to the outskirts of León for our next night after that, and then had a short day into León with some time to explore. I wish we had had more time for León, though - definitely needs more than one day!

The regular route, from what I understand, is senda along a highway.

 

[VNwalking]

I loved the alternate route - it was one of the most solitary parts of the trip, but also such nice ambles down country roads, far from any traffic. We enjoyed our stay at Calzadilla de los Hermanillos at Via Trajana.

Same.
It beats the senda by the highway hands down.

We are wildlife nerds as well.

Look for the Bustards!

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/great-bustards-on-cdm.79992/#post-1128078

 

[peregrino_tom]

Hi Donna
When coming up from Madrid and joining the Frances there's an alternative route for the last stage which goes from Santervas via Melgar and then directly cross-country to Bercianos. It's about 23-24km of gently rolling farmland. The route is marked on Mapy.cz and I had no problems following it.
I did this last October and stayed in Bercianos at the very fine parroquial albergue. It's sort of understated compared to some of the more famous donativos like Granon and Tosantos, but it worked for me - and was a wonderful reintroduction to people/pilgrims again after the solitude of the Madrid.

 

[Anhalter]

I walked the alternative in 2019 and the official in 2022. Both times i stopped in Reliegos for the night. 2019 i started in St. Nicholas and 2022 in Sahagun. So the 2022 day was shorter and i might have been in a different mood.
That said, i preferred the official route. While i had a bit of company on about the first half of the alternative, and there was the occasional shade, i hated the second half pretty much more than any other stretch of the camino i walked. Walking alone with no shade over the remains of a roman road was definately not the thing i needed that day and i ended up arriving in Reliegos in a foul mood. Luckily i met just the right people there and the end of the day was a lot better.

Last year when i walked the official variant i quite liked it. Nothing to write home about in terms of scenery, but they planted some trees along the path and while you walk next to a road it is not a very busy one.

Reliegos puts me in a nice short walking distance from Leon, and while i personally am not a fan of taking the bus, i can understand people that do so from Mansilla since the way from there into town is one of the more industrial parts of the camino.

 

[VNwalking]

i hated the second half pretty much more than any other stretch of the camino i walked. Walking alone with no shade over the remains of a roman road was definately not the thing i needed that day and i ended up arriving in Reliegos in a foul mood.

It just goes to show how each person is different. That stretch was one of my absolute favorites - I was sorry to get back to the main drag along the road.

 

[David Tallan]

Am planning a Camino Mixto for 2025 basically combining the Madrid, Salvador and Primitivo. But there is a ~55km stretch on the CF and I also see that there is a choice of routes going to either Bercianos de Real Camino or Calzada del Coto on the way to Reliegos. We will have a rest day in León. Pros and cons of each variant? Any do-not-miss things along the way? We are wildlife nerds as well. Given my partners pace we would probably do about 18-25km/day.

I just did the same Camino Mixto this year. For that stretch of the Camino, I took the route via Bercianos, because the distances seemed to work out better that way. In 2016, I covered the same stretch when walking the Camino Frances in two days, stopping only in Reliegos. This year I took it a bit more easy, stopping at El Burgo Ranero and Mansilla de las Mulas.

I haven't tried the alternative yet. I have to admit being wary of sections touted as Roman roads. In my experience, they tend to be even harder on the feet than cobblestones. But many recommend it. Maybe it is a Roman road with proper surfacing.

 

[VNwalking]

Maybe it is a Roman road with proper surfacing.

Brierley touted it as a Roman road, which calls up all kinds of ideas. But you're walking on something else entirely - it's more accurate to call it a 'Roman route.' There's some of the original road surface, to be sure. Fenced off, not for walking.