Alternative to Finishing on the Camino de Frances

[MichaelNW]

I am planning on walking the Camino Madrid in fall 2015 or spring 2016. I would like to avoid if possible the shock of walking with the crowds on the Camino Frances to finish the journey. Is there a way?

 

[KinkyOne]

I am planning on walking the Camino Madrid in fall 2015 or spring 2016. I would like to avoid if possible the shock of walking with the crowds on the Camino Frances to finish the journey. Is there a way?

Hi, Michael!

If I understand you correctly you would like to walk to SdC (after your CdeMadrid) in the same circumstances regarding solitude. It's quite easy. Last year after Madrid I walked from Sahagun to Ponferrada on CF and then turn left (roughly SW) onto Camino de Invierno. This way you can join Via de la Plata/Camino Sanabres branch in A Laxe, which is 3 days from SdC. Both, my Madrid & Invierno, day-by-day diary you can find in related sections under Other routes. Also look out for peregrina2000's threads.
But there is one other option. In Leon you can turn right (that's approx.NW) on Camino del Salvador to Oviedo and from there on Camino Primitivo to Melide/Palas de Rei on CF. That brings you about 2-3 days short of Santiago with much less crowds and albergue hassle.
Hope that helps. If you have any more questions just ask, please.

Happy planning!

 

[Castilian]

Let's see. Sahagún is the ending point of the Camino de Madrid and the only other camino passing through Sahagún is the Camino Francés so if you want to walk always on an official camino you'll have to walk at least part of the route in the Camino Francés. However, you don't need to follow the Francés all the way from Sahagún to Santiago de Compostela. Once in León (2 walking days from Sahagún), you can take the Camino del Salvador to Oviedo and continue on the Camino Primitivo from Oviedo to Melide where you would join the Francés once again. Another option would be to follow the Francés till Ponferrada where you would take the Camino de Invierno A Laxe where you would continue to Santiago de Compostela on the Sanabrés.

If you don't bother to skip part of the Camino de Madrid and to make part of the route out of an official camino route, you could follow the Camino de Madrid till Simancas, take the Senda del Duero from Simancas to Tordesillas (1 walking day) continue from Tordesillas to Benavente on the Camino del Sureste, go from Benavente to Granja de Moreruela following the Vía de la Plata in the opposite direction and, once in Granja de Moreruela, follow the Camino Sanabrés till Santiago de Compostela. A variant of this option would be to go from Tordesillas to Medina del Campo following the Camino del Sureste backwards (1 day walking, easy walk even backwards because you basically walk next to the motorway) and once in Medina del Campo, continue in the Levante till Zamora, the Vía de la Plata from Zamora to Granja de Moreruela and the Sanabrés from Granja de Moreruela to Santiago de Compostela.

 

[David Baylor]

My son will be walking the Madrid in June of this year. We also wanted to avoid the CF so we are leaving the Madrid route at Santa Maria la Real de Nieva and jumping over to Arevelo to join the Camino de Levanto to Zamora then doing the Camino Via de la Plata
to Granja de Moreruela and finishng on the Camino Sanabres to Santiago de Compostela.

Our stages are probably going to be:
0 Madrid 0 0
1 Tres Cantos 23 23
2 Manzanares el Real 27 50
3 Cercedilla 19 69
4 Segovia 31 100
5 Rest Day 0 100
6 Santa Maria la Real de Nieva 32 132
7 Arevelo 27 159
8 Medina del Campo 32 191
9 Siete Iglesias de Trabancos 22 213
10 Toro 30 243
11 Zamora 34 277
12 Rest Day 0 277
13 Riego del Camino 33 310
14 Tabara 29 339
15 Calzadilla de Tera 32 371
16 Mombuey 25 396
17 Puebla de Sanabria 33 429
18 Rest Day 0 429
19 Lubian 28 457
20 A Gudina 23 480
21 Laza 33 513
22 Xunqueira de Ambia 26 539
23 Ourense 19 558
24 Rest Day 0 558
25 Oseira 30 588
26 A Laxe 29 617
27 Outerio 36 654
28 Santiago de Compostela 18 672

 

[MichaelNW]

Thank you for the alternatives! David I would be interested in your experience post camino.

 

[David Baylor]

I will be posting (hopefully) a blog as we go and I will definitely report here when I am done.

 

[MichaelNW]

The more I read the better combining the Camino Madrid - Camino Frances to Leon - Camino Salvador - Camino Primitivo sounds good to me. Looking like September of 2015. I'll have about six weeks - enough?

 

[KinkyOne]

The move I read the better combining the Camino Madrid - Camino Frances to Leon - Camino Salvador - Camino Primitivo sounds to me. Looking like September of 2015. I'll have about six weeks - enough?

I've made Madrid to Leon in 20 days but can be done quite easily in 18 I think.
I would allow myself 6 days on Salvador (planned stages: - La Robla, - Poladura, - Pajares, - Pola de Lena, - Mieres, - Oviedo)
and another 14 days on Primitivo and all the way to SdC (planned stages: - Grado, - Bodenaya, - Borres, - Penaseita, - La Mesa, - Castro, - Padron/Fonsagrada, - Cadavo Baleira, - Lugo, - San Roman da Retorta, - Melide, - Ribadiso, - Pedrouzo, - SdC).

So that's 38 days without rest days. This way you would be 5 days "short"

But here are some Salvador & Primitivo experts that would tell you more about it though!

Ultreia!

 

[Thornley]

The move I read the better combining the Camino Madrid - Camino Frances to Leon - Camino Salvador - Camino Primitivo sounds to me. Looking like September of 2015. I'll have about six weeks - enough?

About 6 weeks Michael should be extended to 45 days .............you can then relax and have stops where you wish.
The hardest part will be Primitivo.

 

[MichaelNW]

Is this too ambitious as a first Camino?

 

[KinkyOne]

Is this too ambitious as a first Camino?

I don't think so. Although all (or at least first few days) depends on your fitness, stamina and how you "co-operate" with your gear. That means how much your boots/shoes are broken in, how your backpack suits you, how much weight you carry etc.
First three stages on Camino de Madrid are no big deal, especially if you don't start in the center of Madrid (avoiding lots of tarmac) or even starting in Tres Cantos. Third stage that goes over Guadarrama mountain range which is roughly Cercedilla to Segovia (or Valsain) is a bit tougher (nothing like SJPdP-Roncesvalles though), but from there on it's mostly flat to Sahagun and the same to Leon. By that time you'll get lots of strenght and will be well adapted to everyday walking. I would also recommend one day without walking in Segovia which is well worth some sight-seeing. Same goes for Leon, of course. Also San Salvador would be nice ouverture to the Primitivo which is the hardest stretch of the Camino combo you're planning to do.

Ultreia!

 

[MichaelNW]

My son will be walking the Madrid in June of this year. We also wanted to avoid the CF so we are leaving the Madrid route at Santa Maria la Real de Nieva and jumping over to Arevelo to join the Camino de Levanto to Zamora then doing the Camino Via de la Plata
to Granja de Moreruela and finishng on the Camino Sanabres to Santiago de Compostela.

Our stages are probably going to be:
0 Madrid 0 0
1 Tres Cantos 23 23
2 Manzanares el Real 27 50
3 Cercedilla 19 69
4 Segovia 31 100
5 Rest Day 0 100
6 Santa Maria la Real de Nieva 32 132
7 Arevelo 27 159
8 Medina del Campo 32 191
9 Siete Iglesias de Trabancos 22 213
10 Toro 30 243
11 Zamora 34 277
12 Rest Day 0 277
13 Riego del Camino 33 310
14 Tabara 29 339
15 Calzadilla de Tera 32 371
16 Mombuey 25 396
17 Puebla de Sanabria 33 429
18 Rest Day 0 429
19 Lubian 28 457
20 A Gudina 23 480
21 Laza 33 513
22 Xunqueira de Ambia 26 539
23 Ourense 19 558
24 Rest Day 0 558
25 Oseira 30 588
26 A Laxe 29 617
27 Outerio 36 654
28 Santiago de Compostela 18 672

David the more I look at this, the better it looks to me. Do you have more planning information you can share?

 

[David Baylor]

Mainly stuff I got off this forum. There are links to download the La Plata / Sanabres guide and one of the users walked the Madrid and reported on darn near every town. I have also used Google Maps / Street view to look at most of the towns I will be going through.

Search this forum and you will find a ton of information.