Switching between variants at El Burgo Ranero

[Isanne]

As a historian, it sounds really interesting to walk the old Roman road between Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and Mansilla de las Mulas. However, as I'm planning stages right now, that would give me a weird day which I'd like to avoid.
Looking at google maps it also seems possible to pick up the Roman road by walking north from El Burgo Ranero. Has anybody done this? Any comments or suggestions?

 

[MickMac]

As a historian, it sounds really interesting to walk the old Roman road between Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and Mansilla de las Mulas. However, as I'm planning stages right now, that would give me a weird day which I'd like to avoid.
Looking at google maps it also seems possible to pick up the Roman road by walking north from El Burgo Ranero. Has anybody done this? Any comments or suggestions?

Took the variant to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos one of the most disappointing days on Camino very long no shade stage with little or nothing to see.
Not sure but I think the original Roman piece of road is covered and fenced off you walk parallel to Roman road.
Leaving Calzadilla de los Hermanillos we easily went back to main route onto next stop Mansilla de las Mulas.

 

[Tincatinker]

The most conspicuous section of the original Roman road is found on the stretch between Calzadilla and the turn off for Reliegos though there are patches where you are walking on the extremely buggered up original Roman pavement. Only an antiquarian would recognize those standard squared blocks.

I guess it’s down to whether you want to walk parallel to a Roman road or a modern one. Both get you to Mansilla and the second best Meson on the Camino Frances

 

[J Willhaus]

A little open air museum in Roman relics in Caldazilla de los Hermanillos, too.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola all; back in May/June 2017 my walking partner and I walked the Roman alternative from Sahagun. We were trying to avoid the " tar and cement" of the senda. Being early Spring it was very quiet I think we saw two or three other pilgrims but we did have to top up our water bottles at every alternative. I don't recall the " area de descanso" as being any sort of park or rest area but I think it was where we ate our lunch.
We overnighted at Reliegos and then followed the road to Leon.

 

[dick bird]

As a historian, it sounds really interesting to walk the old Roman road between Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and Mansilla de las Mulas. However, as I'm planning stages right now, that would give me a weird day which I'd like to avoid.
Looking at google maps it also seems possible to pick up the Roman road by walking north from El Burgo Ranero. Has anybody done this? Any comments or suggestions?

Yes, you can do this. From the village centre, walk towards the railway station and past it. You should pick up the Roman road as it crosses the back road you are following (turn left). But you will mainly be walking along the route of a Roman road rather than actually on a roadway constructed by Romans.

 

[Pilgrim9]

As a historian, it sounds really interesting to walk the old Roman road between Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and Mansilla de las Mulas. However, as I'm planning stages right now, that would give me a weird day which I'd like to avoid.
Looking at google maps it also seems possible to pick up the Roman road by walking north from El Burgo Ranero. Has anybody done this? Any comments or suggestions?

I did that in 2022.

Day 1:

I walked north-west from Calzada del Coto, on a well-maintained but very-little-travelled and very dusty red-gravel road, to Calzadilla de las Hermanillos. On this section, I saw no other walkers and saw only one motor vehicle that day. This section felt quite remote and I do not recommend it for solo walkers.

Upon entering Calzadilla dlH, the road became paved again. I enjoyed a nice meal in the clean and pleasant Albergue "Via Trajana".

Albergue âVia Trajanaâ · 4.7â(121) · Restaurant

Cam. Sahagún, 11, 24343 Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, León, Spain

maps.app.goo.gl

That café/albergue was the only source of support services that I encountered that day. In retrospect I should have stayed overnight there but did not do so because, not being aware of its existence, I had reserved elsewhere.

I then walked west on the paved road to highway LE-6620 / CV-163 at (42.4395700, -5.1970049), turned to the south, and walked on the highway to El Burgo Ranero.

The route was sort of interesting, I guess, but having satisfied my curiosity I don't feel any urge to do it again.

Day 2:

I walked back north on highway LE-6620 / CV-163 to (42.4395700, -5.1970049), turned to the west, and walked on the cobblestone road towards Reliegos. I found this cobblestone section very difficult to walk on because the round poorly-seated cobbles tended to unexpectedly roll to one side, causing my feet to rotate and creating a twisting force on my knees. This damaged one of my knees. It was slow and painful going. There was no shade, no seating anywhere except for the ground itself, and no support services. I did not find this route to be interesting. In contrast to day 1, there were zero vehicles but numerous other people walking to the west.

Because of the poor footing and my knee pain, I decided to return to the main route on the highway. I turned left at (42.4671663, -5.3001211), eventually found a shortcut to the main route, and got myself to Mansillas de las Mulas.

 

[DwainS]

Took the variant to Calzadilla de los Hermanillos one of the most disappointing days on Camino very long no shade stage with little or nothing to see.
Not sure but I think the original Roman piece of road is covered and fenced off you walk parallel to Roman road.
Leaving Calzadilla de los Hermanillos we easily went back to main route onto next stop Mansilla de las Mulas.

I found the same thing"very long no shade with little or nothing to see". Walked such a long stretch I didn't see any pilgrims. Finally seen one and thought oh good i'am on the right trail. But I did see one farm tractor going down the road, I was going to try to hitch a ride, it was hot and like mentioned very little shade.

 

[Isanne]

Thank you all for your input. It's given me lots to think about
Good to hear that it can be done, but slightly disappointing that there is not much Roman feel. I'll probably wait till I'm there and see how I feel then.

 

[Rodger Croft]

I found the option via Calzadilla dlH one of my highlights of my 2017 Camino. Hardly anyone took this route and so for most of the next two days it was nice to have a change from the traffic. Both vehicular and human.

Day 1 was dusty with little shade but in May that was not much of an issue. Stayed the night at CR Casa El Cura which is highly recommended.

On day 2 after a short stretch of road we carried straight on to the Roman road for the next 13km. I don't know how much of the surface is original, quite a lot certainly looked like it, but I felt that I was walking in the footsteps of of those travelers from 2000 years ago.

Turned off to enter Reliegos for lunch and then took the main route into Mansilla.

 

[trecile]

I walked via Calzadilla de los Hermanillos in 2019. It wasn't my original plan, but the night before when I was in San Nicolás del Real Camino a friend emailed to tell me that one of our friends was volunteering as a hospitalera "somewhere on thr Meseta." I thought that I may have already passed the town, but learned that she was volunteering at the little municipal albergue in Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, so I made the decision to go that way.

Fortunately, it was a nice day in May, so it wasn't too hot, and I just loved that little municipal albergue. And it was especially great to see a friend from home. It was her last full day of her two weeks of volunteering, so it worked out perfectly!

 

[J Willhaus]

My husband served as hospitalero in Caldazilla de los Herminillos in 2021. Few people take this variant and even fewer stay at this gem of an albergue in the small community. He loved it there as a small farming community.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

My husband served as hospitalero in Caldazilla de los Herminillos in 2021. Few people take this variant and even fewer stay at this gem of an albergue in the small community. He loved it there as a small farming community.

I stayed in Caldazilla de los Herminillos and stayed at the municipal albergue there last year in July. It was a highlight for me. As I wandered around the small village a local couple recognised me as a pilgrim and invited me to join them in their house for afternoon tea.



I also really enjoyed the walk to Caldazilla de los Herminillos and there were nice places along the way, some with shade.



I would recommend it as few other pilgrims walk this way and so it is not crowded but there are enough pilgrims that there are nice people to interact with.

I didn't find it particularly hot in July.

 

[David Tallan]

As a historian, it sounds really interesting to walk the old Roman road between Calzadilla de los Hermanillos and Mansilla de las Mulas. However, as I'm planning stages right now, that would give me a weird day which I'd like to avoid.
Looking at google maps it also seems possible to pick up the Roman road by walking north from El Burgo Ranero. Has anybody done this? Any comments or suggestions?

Just a word of warning: in my experience the "original Roman road" one encounters on Caminos is just about the hardest surface to walk on for your feet. Worse than the cobblestones (or setts) on the Camino Portugues. I can only imagine that, in Roman times there would have been gravel or some other surfacing above these stones that has since disappeared. Otherwise, I can't imagine any legions that marched on these roads being in any condition to battle when they arrived.

 

[markie6]

Just a word of warning: in my experience the "original Roman road" one encounters on Caminos is just about the hardest surface to walk on for your feet. Worse than the cobblestones (or setts) on the Camino Portugues. I can only imagine that, in Roman times there would have been gravel or some other surfacing above these stones that has since disappeared. Otherwise, I can't imagine any legions that marched on these roads being in any condition to battle when they arrived.

Romans were all about organization, not footwear

I like doing the Calzadilla route, might not be much to see or do, but there are definitely less people about so that may be a plus to some of us

 

[David Tallan]

Romans were all about organization, not footwear

I like doing the Calzadilla route, might not be much to see or do, but there are definitely less people about so that may be a plus to some of us

I heard they were about engineering, too. I can certainly imagine that they could have figured out how to surface a road.