Camino de Madrid

[davidsheehan]

Am hoping to walk Camino de Madrid next June 2013. I'm a 58 year old retired male and walked some of the Portuguese Camino last year. Anybody out there thinking of walking at the same time. It's said to be a lovely camino but very quiet so some company might be nice.

 

[handzondeck2]

Hi David

And welcome.

When in June will you be walking? Let me know I may be interested in walking this one again.

I walked the Camino Madrid this year April / May. Yes, it is rather solitary until you hit the Camino Frances but it is also a wonderful Camino and good for reflection.

Sharon

 

[Roger Hogstrom]

I walked this year too, and met 3 other pilgrims in 11 days. All three the same day in Castromonte.
I didn´t feel lonely. My reason to walk camino de Madrid was the solitude.
It´s a lovely route with a lot of nice helpful people. My spanish is basic but I had enough words to get along .
I will walk with a friend from Madrid next year starting in the beginning of june.

Roger

 

[davidsheehan]

Hi Sharon,

I hope to arrive in Madrid from Dublin around the 4th June depending on flights. Stay in touch if you intend walking around that time.

David

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, David,
I walked from Madrid in late May 2011 and met two peregrinos in Manzanares el Real. We walked together till I detoured off to spend a rest day in Valladolid. I met no one else till I hit Sahagun, though occasionally a cyclist either waved or stopped for a brief "hola." I think June may have more walkers than May, and I think the numbers on this camino are generally increasing, so the odds seem decent that you will run into someone.

The mention of Manzanares el Real reminds me how the two peregrinos I met there were responsible for my absolutely delightful stay in the refugio up on the rock about 2 kms out of town. It's kind of a hassle, and its availability depends on the local priest (whose house is right next to the tourist office, and you must go there for the key), but it is absolutely an incredible place to stay. We brought up food from the relatively large grocery store in town (open through lunch hour) and had a wonderful outdoor dinner overlooking this cirque of the harsh Guadarrama mountains. Of course our experience was enhanced by the fact that one of the two carried two bottles of home made sidra (hard cider) from his Asturian home, and we shared it as the sun set.

Bottom line -- it's worth the extra effort to stay in this albergue. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Susannafromsweden]

Hi!
I also want to walk this route, perhaps in May or June.
It depends on the weather, as I find it difficult to walk when there's too hot.
I suspect June will be a bit too hot already?

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Just to let everyone know that there is a new edition of the guide being developed. I'll post when it is ready.

John

 

[Roger Hogstrom]

Looking forward to the new guide mr Walker

Roger from Sweden

 

[davidsheehan]

Have booked ticket from Dublin to Madrid from June 4th to June 19th. I hope to start walking from somewhere in Madrid to Sahagun on June 5th. Anybody out there walking around that time?
David

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, David,
I started at the Church of Santiago, where I got my credential and first sello, and a hand drawn map from the priest, who is a big fan of the Camino de Madrid. From there I walked to the Plaza Castilla, where the first arrow is. That was a not so inspiring in-city walk, but it was a good way for me to get a few hours sun to help reset my body clock after a transatlantic flight. Lucky you not to have that problem.

then I went back to my hotel, spent the night, and the following morning took the metro back to Plaza Castilla and began to walk. From that starting point, the first day to Colmenar el Viejo was very manageable, and you will be surprised how quickly the urbanization fades away.

Just in case you might be interested, and I don't know if I've posted these links before, here are my pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/laurie.rey ... vqZ76-DEg#

And my blog: http://peregrina2000.blogspot.com/ (From Sahagun, I continued on to the Camino de Invierno, so you'll have to scroll back to the beginning of the blog.

Get ready for a wonderful camino! Laurie

 

[Susannafromsweden]

Hi David!
I haven't decided when to go yet. I think mid May sounds best, when its comes to the weather.
But it would be fun to have some company, and more people are walking in June.

I've been reading Lauries blog, and some albergues sounds a bit scary, if you are walking solo. Well I think so anyway. You have to call the priest, who will only give you the key if he likes you. Then you have to walk 3km out of town and sleep all alone in the albergue, in the wilderness where no one can hear you scream. Not fun.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Susana,
I think maybe my blog is giving you the wrong impression! I had a great time on this route. I walked alone and was never scared. It is true that I was alone in some albergues, but nearly all of them are right in town, have locks on the door, and are completely safe. I don't think I ever wrote anything about feeling uncomfortable or scared -- a little lonely at times, perhaps.

The albergue you're referring to about walking several kms out of town is the albergue in Manzanares el Real. It is on top of a big rock out of town, but not in any sense in the wilderness. In fact it is about 100 m from a single family residential area at the bottom of this rock. The bit about the "priest liking you" was something that I had read online or heard from others, but never experienced a problem. When the municipal police saw our clothes hanging on the line, they made the trek up to check in on us and make sure everything was ok. It was one of the highlights of the trip, staying in this albergue with the Guadarrama cirque all around us as the sun went down.

If I had not met the two Spanish pilgrims in Manzanares, I probably would have gone to a hotel (there is one a stone's throw from the magnificent castle), simply because I would have given up trying to contact the priest, who typically doesn't show up back in town till around 3 pm. We had several hours to kill, and were able to visit the castle, do our grocery shopping (the store in town doesn't close over lunch-time) and eat a big lunch in a restaurant in the plaza. That meant we didn't worry about cooking a big dinner.

I promise you won't be screaming in the wilderness on this route, in fact, you are never in the wilderness except perhaps for the day from Cercedilla to Segovia when you climb up to the Fuenfria pass in the Guadarramas. So I would just like to reassure everyone that this is an extremely well-marked route with great pilgrim infrastructure and very safe. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Thornley]

Hi Susanna,
We had an injury on the third day just before Manzanares el Real
[Not bad considering 5 different camino's with distances from 780km to 2000km]
We stayed in a hotel in this village , Manzanares with nice people , ate/drank in 10 different cafe's/bars with the villagers......the temp was 36c in August.

Everybody in the village late at night asked why we were not in the most beautiful place [ albergue] to enjoy the scenery, solitude .........they saw the bandaged knee so they accepted my reasons.

The next day i understood what Laurie and this village was about when describing the albergue.

You seem to have completed a serious camino in 2010 ,many km's , so please believe this little effort to get the keys is not " scary " .
My wife and i found the Madrid Camino was an enjoyment from the crowds and with people helping without in different ways the thought of $$$$$.
The way it was Susanna many years ago
Enjoy this Camino it's lovely
And please have a few [2] nights in the towns/cities of Segovia and Valladolid .
Something special and when that close why not. They were wonderful towns for great food.
David

 

[Canuck]

I think mid May sounds best, when its comes to the weather.
But it would be fun to have some company, and more people are walking in June.

Hi Susanna,
I'll be landing in Madrid from Canada on the 20th of May and plan to hit the Camino de Madrid the same day, walking up to Tres Cantos.
See you there...
Cheers,
Jean-Marc

 

[Susannafromsweden]

Thank you!
I'm glad to hear that there's people living close to that albergue. And it's good to know that there's a hotel, as a backup.
I always get a bit stressed at the end of every days walk, and worry that I won't find the albergue. so I have to sleep outdoors. But so far, that hasn't happened.
Last year I was trekking in the mountains in Nepal, and lost my way and had to walk half an hour in complete darkness before I found a house. That was scary. I surprised my hair did not turn all white. Laughing.

I'm very much looking forward to this Camino. It looks wonderful and so much to see, churches and castles, and flowers in the spring.

 

[Susannafromsweden]

I think mid May sounds best, when its comes to the weather.
But it would be fun to have some company, and more people are walking in June.

Hi Susanna,
I'll be landing in Madrid from Canada on the 20th of May and plan to hit the Camino de Madrid the same day, walking up to Tres Cantos.
See you there...
Cheers,
Jean-Marc

Hi!
That sounds great. I'll was thinking about spending the weekend in Madrid, and starting to walk that day too.
See you
Susanna

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Susanna and Jean-Marc,

I started from Madrid on about May 17 and it was a spectacular time to walk. I didn't get cold till I hit Galicia! More importantly, you are likely to miss the suffocating heat of summer on the meseta. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Roger Hogstrom]

Hi Susanna. There is no problems to find somewhere to stay/sleep. I stayed in Tres Cantos, Manzanarez el Real, Segovia,Santa Maria real de Nieva, Coca,Alcazarén, Simancas,Castromonte,Villalon de Campos and Sahagun. Both Hostal/hotel and albergue on all places exept for Segovia and Castromonte. The albergue in Castromonte is very nice and have alot of beds.

All the best Roger

 

[Susannafromsweden]

Thanks Roger, that's good to know. I got the booking.com app and the Hostelworld app, too, in case of emergency. :wink:

And thank you Laurie, actually it was your blog which made me decide I wanted to go in May. Sounds like the perfect time. Your photos are wonderful and inspiring.

 

[giorgio]

We're thinking about starting from Madrid sometimes around the 20th of April. Would that be too early from a weather standpoint ?
Giorgio

 

[Canuck]

Hi, Susanna and Jean-Marc,...

...Buen camino, Laurie

Thanks Laurie and best of luck to you on the Levante.
Cheers,
Jean-Marc

 

[Sojourner47]

We're thinking about starting from Madrid sometimes around the 20th of April. Would that be too early from a weather standpoint ?
Giorgio

Oh, goodness, you'll be OK then, I would think.
I did some of the Madrid early September, and it was 35C. April would be the ideal time for me. In fact I wouldn't leave it any later.
Incidentally, my avatar pic is on the Madrid, about 2 hours after leaving Fuencarral.