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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

degree of difficulty coming down ocebreiro

Susan HR

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
None as yet but 2017
hi all ,
I am so excited to have 2 weeks to do part of the camino ..
I am starting in ocebreiro and cant find the exact info I need .
This is a challenge for me as I am not keen on heights and edges etc but I may be an Aussie
thinking the wrong things here as some of our mountain tracks here are very on the edge . Can you tell me re the paths/roads and if there is an issue re the above . any photos ? or advise ? I know starting with downhill can be fraught with injury as well but am preparing my knees and shins as I type
cheers
 
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Hi Susan, no worries. You stay pretty much on a plateau from O’Cebreiro, only descending after Biduedo, down to Triacastela. That’s a little steep in places, but not difficult. There are no cliff edges, if you stay on the trail, on the camino frances.
Jill
 
A scene not far after O'Cebreiro and San Roque:
300b.jpg
 
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Hi, you won't be on an edge. And there is no danger of falling anywhere. You may well be high as in height above sea level, but that is it. For example the Meseta is about 2,500 feet above sea level, but is as wide and flat as far as the eye can see.
It can be a bit steep, but it tends to wind downhill so the impact is lessened. My knees can get sore on long downhills, but they did not hurt on this part. Don't think it's all downhill, one of my most tired places was walking up to Alto do Polo (although I had started my day with the climb up to O Cebrriro)
I guess FonfrĂ­a is too close for you to stop for the night. If you do, the albergue is very nice. A great communal meal in lovely building just behind the albergue. There is a really good cafe a couple of minutes past the albergue near the end of the village that is well worth a food stop. I had chicken, but the cooked breakfast (it was lunch time) that a couple of people were eating, looked and smelt amazing.
Good luck. The Galician part of the Camino is great.
 
Not a problem so don not worry and just think how much you will enjoy it. From another Aussie.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
hi all...This is a challenge for me as I am not keen on heights and edges etc but I may be an Aussie
thinking the wrong things here as some of our mountain tracks here are very on the edge . Can you tell me re the paths/roads and if there is an issue re the above . any photos ? or advise ? I know starting with downhill can be fraught with injury as well but am preparing my knees and shins as I type
cheers
G'day Susan - if you overnight in O'Cebreiro, only have one or two vinos. The path out of the village is pretty straight forward - no vertical cliffs, although it might be a bit windy and possibly some rain. But nothing for a tough Aussie to worry about. Cheers
 
What a fantastic place to start!! I started my day in O'Cebreiro at 5am hiking by starlight (and flashlight.) The trails are well marked and the sky will be beautiful at that alto!! The trails are quite wide as others have mentioned. As to the downhills... You will see many people walking with wrapped knees on the Camino as you would have seen me just a short month ago; my aches started in the Pyranees, but wrapping was the easy solution!!

Buen Camino!!
 
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hi all ,
I am so excited to have 2 weeks to do part of the camino ..
I am starting in ocebreiro and cant find the exact info I need .
This is a challenge for me as I am not keen on heights and edges etc but I may be an Aussie
thinking the wrong things here as some of our mountain tracks here are very on the edge . Can you tell me re the paths/roads and if there is an issue re the above . any photos ? or advise ? I know starting with downhill can be fraught with injury as well but am preparing my knees and shins as I type
cheers

The only place where heights may be an issue is the bridge at Portomarin. And there is a handrail.

The camino goes through gentle and old mountains. There is no 'exposed' terrain where you might fall ... leave the carabiners at home.
 
The only place where heights may be an issue is the bridge at Portomarin. And there is a handrail.

Ah, good point. Susan, I also have no head for heights. I walk across that bridge on the road. Although there is a handrail, it is too close to the edge, and my legs change to jelly sticks. When a vehicle comes along I stop, stand still on the side, and let it pass. The traffic does not go fast across that bridge. If all else fails, stick your thumb out and hitch a ride across!
Jill
 
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Hi, you won't be on an edge. And there is no danger of falling anywhere. You may well be high as in height above sea level, but that is it. For example the Meseta is about 2,500 feet above sea level, but is as wide and flat as far as the eye can see.
It can be a bit steep, but it tends to wind downhill so the impact is lessened. My knees can get sore on long downhills, but they did not hurt on this part. Don't think it's all downhill, one of my most tired places was walking up to Alto do Polo (although I had started my day with the climb up to O Cebrriro)
I guess FonfrĂ­a is too close for you to stop for the night. If you do, the albergue is very nice. A great communal meal in lovely building just behind the albergue. There is a really good cafe a couple of minutes past the albergue near the end of the village that is well worth a food stop. I had chicken, but the cooked breakfast (it was lunch time) that a couple of people were eating, looked and smelt amazing.
Good luck. The Galician part of the Camino is great.

We stayed in the rooms that were part of that cafe you mention. It was a hideous day... bucketing down with rain and very cold. I had a melt down that afternoon.... sick of basic accommodation and so on. I was saved by the fact that the woman who runs that place is a true cook. The food was wonderful and was cooked from the heart. She really lifted me out of what was a very negative day.
 
Ah, good point. Susan, I also have no head for heights. I walk across that bridge on the road. Although there is a handrail, it is too close to the edge, and my legs change to jelly sticks. When a vehicle comes along I stop, stand still on the side, and let it pass. The traffic does not go fast across that bridge. If all else fails, stick your thumb out and hitch a ride across!
Jill
thanks Jill , I have looked up that bridge now and think ill have jelly legs too.. ridiculous I know but Im about to conquer some fears and hope that's one as well
cheers
 
When I was there, I saw a couple of people starting at O Cebreiro and they were not given priority at the albergue. They had to wait till all the walkers with stamps in their credentiales checked in (and I doubt there was space). So I would advise getting a reservation ahead of time at one of the other accommodations there.
 
Last edited:
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
thanks Jill , I have looked up that bridge now and think ill have jelly legs too.. ridiculous I know but Im about to conquer some fears and hope that's one as well
cheers
Not at all rediculous - I do NOT like crossing the bridge at Portomarin.

Back in 2012 the water level was low because of the dry summer (funnily it poured with rain every day after Portomarin) so it looked even worse.

I shuffled along, holding everybody up as I stared fixedly at the asphalt!

What I should have done was what I did the first time i crossed it - I was walking with a charming young German lass who was a bit nervous so I held her hand (firmly) and "guided" her across - thank you Birget wherever you now are!

Course you being a Sheila you might want to find a chivalrous young Spanish bloke instead :D
 
That is so amazing, I would never thought it to be that deep when I had crossed in April of 2014
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
hi all ,
I am so excited to have 2 weeks to do part of the camino ..
I am starting in ocebreiro and cant find the exact info I need .
This is a challenge for me as I am not keen on heights and edges etc but I may be an Aussie
thinking the wrong things here as some of our mountain tracks here are very on the edge . Can you tell me re the paths/roads and if there is an issue re the above . any photos ? or advise ? I know starting with downhill can be fraught with injury as well but am preparing my knees and shins as I type
cheers
We walked from Ponferrada, stopping in Villafranca and Las Herrerias and then the climb to O Cebreiro. We ran into some nasty weather, in June there, mostly wind, cold and rain (+9C). The descent was fine, except that, in the rain, our wet boots did give us some trouble, and we developed a few small blisters. The descent is not a problem and the trail is fine. There are no "edges" of concern. We questioned the decision of some fellow peregrinos (Aussies, I might add) who took the road, thinking it would be safer (they had climbed the previous day in miserable wet and wind, and the climb up is rugged, but doable so I think they wanted to avoid the trail descent in similar conditions). What worried me was the fog on the road and visibility. We were perfectly fine on the trail, and, despite the wind and rain, enjoyed this section more than any other! It was quieter, and soothing in the rain, it seemed! The scenery, stunning! We went as far as Triacastella.
See attached photo, taken just beyond of O Cebreiro.
 

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hi all , thanks for your thoughts . how funny everyone has a different view it seems . the company dropping me off say its a steep decline down so im still a bit stumped and im trying to book this week as airfares here are cheap ..
last thoughts please or alternative start sarria ??
 
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hi all , thanks for your thoughts . how funny everyone has a different view it seems . the company dropping me off say its a steep decline down so im still a bit stumped and im trying to book this week as airfares here are cheap ..
last thoughts please or alternative start sarria ??
@Susan HR
I remember the road route down from O'Cebreiro, which I looked down on when walking through the town, as being quite steep. I was not walking there, any more than the drivers on that road were heading for the secondary graveled road that was part of my route out of and down from O'Cebreiro. I was surprised at the title of your post, since the walk up to O'Cebreiro is much steeper than the route down. But then, if you are not intending to walk up you would not be aware of that. Buen camino, whatever you choose.
 
Difficulty coming down from O Cebreiro?

From 1 to 10; considering all other descents on the CF specifically I'd say it'd be 6

:D

Not hard at all.... If you feel uncertain about it, go down the "carretera".

Buen Camino
 

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