Intention to walk Madrid to Santiago in May

[Pathfinder075]

Been musing over whether to do Primitivo in May or just rip out something larger, and I've decided to try the Madrid route.

I am looking at a route that will take in several routes. For starters, Madrid to Sahagun. Then follow Frances to Ponferrada. Then the Invierno route until somewhere around Montfort. Then down to Ourense to relax for a day or two. Then finally up to Santiago. Its going to be a reasonably long walk. Also if I make it to Santiago and still have enough funds for a couple more weeks, I am not ruling out walking the Norte (or part of it) in reverse and heading back to Santander to get the boat back.

Distance wise, I would like to exceed 1000km, just to see if I can do it.

Kit wise, slightly lighter than last time, but still carrying tent, etc.

I learnt a couple of things from the October session. One was I didnt enjoy the last ~120km into Santiago from Sarria. The terrain was annoying and I expect it will be madly busy in May/June. Walking down that narrow, steep path near Portomarin is something I would like to avoid, if in convoy. Also the smell of that fertiliser plant on the way up the hill from Portomarin to Gonzar. I will pass on that also, I think. Another thing i learnt, is that I want to walk further than 260km. If I had walked the whole month, I could have easily averaged 30km days, back to back. My feet cracked, but didnt blister and the cracking was my fault for not paying attention to them after showering. Would like to see if I can do a 30km back to back from Madrid to Sahagun in the 13 days that the Gronze website says its possible in. I also want to walk into Leon fully. In October I missed the sections from El Burgo Raneiro to Leon and Leon to Astorga, due to time constraints. I want to complete those.

Anyway this post is starting to ramble on a bit.

Any specific advice on the Madrid section is welcome. I have experienced the last 15km from Villada to Sahagun, and am expecting hotter weather than I had, and have also been to Madrid in June when the temperature was pretty hot. So the heat is expected, and all that goes with it.

The other routes I will post into their forums as and when I need advice.

 

[KinkyOne]

Been musing over whether to do Primitivo in May or just rip out something larger, and I've decided to try the Madrid route.

I am looking at a route that will take in several routes. For starters, Madrid to Sahagun. Then follow Frances to Ponferrada. Then the Invierno route until somewhere around Montfort. Then down to Ourense to relax for a day or two. Then finally up to Santiago. Its going to be a reasonably long walk. Also if I make it to Santiago and still have enough funds for a couple more weeks, I am not ruling out walking the Norte (or part of it) in reverse and heading back to Santander to get the boat back.

Distance wise, I would like to exceed 1000km, just to see if I can do it.

Kit wise, slightly lighter than last time, but still carrying tent, etc.

I learnt a couple of things from the October session. One was I didnt enjoy the last ~120km into Santiago from Sarria. The terrain was annoying and I expect it will be madly busy in May/June. Walking down that narrow, steep path near Portomarin is something I would like to avoid, if in convoy. Also the smell of that fertiliser plant on the way up the hill from Portomarin to Gonzar. I will pass on that also, I think. Another thing i learnt, is that I want to walk further than 260km. If I had walked the whole month, I could have easily averaged 30km days, back to back. My feet cracked, but didnt blister and the cracking was my fault for not paying attention to them after showering. Would like to see if I can do a 30km back to back from Madrid to Sahagun in the 13 days that the Gronze website says its possible in. I also want to walk into Leon fully. In October I missed the sections from El Burgo Raneiro to Leon and Leon to Astorga, due to time constraints. I want to complete those.

Anyway this post is starting to ramble on a bit.

Any specific advice on the Madrid section is welcome. I have experienced the last 15km from Villada to Sahagun, and am expecting hotter weather than I had, and have also been to Madrid in June when the temperature was pretty hot. So the heat is expected, and all that goes with it.

The other routes I will post into their forums as and when I need advice.

Hi, Pathfinder,

In 2014 I walked exactly the same combination, with Sahagun - Ponferrrada thrown in, but with complete Invierno. I can only say - go for it! The rest is in the subforum

 

[Pathfinder075]

Yes I found the thread Laurie made about this combination of routes. It seems to be a slightly less trodden route in the Madrid and Invierno stages.

What is foot traffic like on the Madrid in May? Is it still a few and far between affair, or do the numbers gradually increase? I don't mind walking alone, but the isolation can get annoying after a few days. Its nice to talk to someone once in a while (that is also walking). I guess investment in a decent MP3 player will be a good idea, possibly with a learn Spanish course in it.

 

[Magwood]

Hi @Pathfinder075. I shall be a week or so ahead of you - leaving Madrid around 23 April. I will be posting to my blog every day and will be reporting on conditions and numbers. It might be useful to you. The link is below if you wish to follow.

I will be continuing on the San Salvador, Primitivo and possibly Fistera.
Buen camino!

 

[peregrina2000]

Yes I found the thread Laurie made about this combination of routes. It seems to be a slightly less trodden route in the Madrid and Invierno stages.

What is foot traffic like on the Madrid in May? Is it still a few and far between affair, or do the numbers gradually increase? I don't mind walking alone, but the isolation can get annoying after a few days. Its nice to talk to someone once in a while (that is also walking). I guess investment in a decent MP3 player will be a good idea, possibly with a learn Spanish course in it.

I walked in May and met two Spanish pilgrims on my second day. I walked with them up to Simancas, where I took a detour for a day in Valladolid (which is very nice btw). Then no one else on foot. I saw one or two cyclists. You may be lucky and meet up with someone, but I would go with no expectation of company. I don't think this Camino is experiencing much growth.

And btw, the stages from Monforte de Lemos to Chantada to Rodeiro to Lalin are just beautiful. Walking down to the Minho on the Codos de Belesar and up on the other side of the river is one of the prettiest non-mountain stretches on any Camino. None of my business of course, but I wouldn't miss it. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[KinkyOne]

Hi @Pathfinder075. I shall be a week or so ahead of you - leaving Madrid around 23 April. I will be posting to my blog every day and will be reporting on conditions and numbers. It might be useful to you. The link is below if you wish to follow.

I will be continuing on the San Salvador, Primitivo and possibly Fistera.
Buen camino!

Ah, that's great! We CdM alumni will be lucky to walk it with you again. Can't wait for your excellent blog (as always ).

Ultreia!

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi @Pathfinder075. I shall be a week or so ahead of you - leaving Madrid around 23 April. I will be posting to my blog every day and will be reporting on conditions and numbers. It might be useful to you. The link is below if you wish to follow.

I will be continuing on the San Salvador, Primitivo and possibly Fistera.
Buen camino!

I'll look forward to your blog again, you do that so well.
Buen (happy-blogging)Camino

 

[Pathfinder075]

Hi Laurie. I was thinking that maybe I would head all the way to Lalin actually, then grab a bus back down to Ourense. After driving down there via Lalin last October, I can say I have no interest in walking down that road. I suppose after some relaxing in the Termas I get to finish the last 100km of the VdlP. Wonder what they'll say at the pilgrims office. Hopefully no inquisitions on why my route is all over the place. But I do intend to claim a certificate for it.

Also intending to go via Valladolid. What is the point in doing a big trek and missing out the cities. Is there anything in particular I should have a look at there?

Magwood, I will look forward to reading your blog as I push North. I have been looking at flights today and may end up getting there around the 26th Apr (cheaper flight than waiting until May). Also I still intend to spend a couple of days in Madrid sightseeing/acclimatising. But after that its boots on the ground and probably 20-30km days.

Out of interest how well is the route marked?

 

[KinkyOne]

Out of interest how well is the route marked?

Very well marked in my memory. Better than Levante anyway

 

[peregrina2000]

I would definitely walk all the way to Lalin and then bus down to Ourense from there if you have the time, those days are really beautiful.

Valladolid has a very nice sculpture museum in a beautiful monastery (plateresque is what i think they call the ornate facade) http://www.mecd.gob.es/mnescultura/inicio.html;jsessionid=12DB9E1CA925C3F0FA16661EBAA8C513.

The plaza mayor is very nice (when I was there it was "occupied" by the 15 mayo movement, which made sitting in a cafe there even more interesting than usual). I think I remember a romanesque church, and I visited the Casa de Cervantes, a house where he lived for a year. I didn't think that it was a "must see" stop, it has a lot of furnishings and other objects from the era, but it was a nice way to spend some time.

And I wouldn't worry about the compostela. If you start in Ourense and walk to Santiago, you will qualify regardless of where you've zigged and zagged earlier, because Ourense is the commonly agreed upon 100 km point of the Sanabres. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[moromauro]

I walked the Camino de Madrid in mid-may 2013 and i found it to be a very little travelled Camino, just as expected: not so bad for those like me, who like meeting people but also try and avoid massification.
Though, i never was alone in the albergue when i slept in that kind of accomodation: sometimes i shared the room with a french woman (we walked the same stages for 4 days, though walking separately) but in other cases there were also some spanish pilgrims or some cyclists: never more than six guests per night, anyway.

I met a good weather all along the itinerary; the temperatures may be a bit fresh in the mornings and sometimes warm in the afternoons, when the sun is shining, but i never felt really cold or hot.
I slept only twice in some private accomodations (in hostales: the first night in Colmenar Viejo and the third one in Segovia) but in 2013 it was already possible to sleep all nights in an albergue or in a youth hostel (besides the stage ending in Segovia) just walking one more stage to get to Cercedilla in 3 instead of 2 days thus avoiding Colmenar Viejo as the ending point of the first stage.

The itinerary was very well waymarked; just one time (i can't remember the exact place, but it was north of Valladolid) i was in front of a "Y shaped" split in the middle of the countryside, with no one around to ask for directions and no waymarking at all, and i was "saved" just because it was the first year i was using the app of OruxMaps on my smartphone, with offline maps and downloaded tracks to follow.

Often the albergues are very little and basic but people is very welcoming: one time i slept in Santa Maria la Real de Nieva and it was sunday: no way to find any shop, bar or restaurant open. Because i knew it in advance, i had bought some food for dinner, just as the other hikers who stayed there for the night, and something for breakfast too (...even if i still was unaware of the electric coil magic! ) but it could have been useless: some local families invited us for dinner (unfortunately, at 9:00 p.m., we all had already had our meal!) and they insisted to offer us the breakfast with some delicious home made cup of coffee for the morning after! (no way to resist to such invitation, for a real coffee junk as me! )

In Puente Duero there is a very good albergue where, most of the time, there is Arturo as hospitalero: i consider him a real milestone of the Camino de Madrid and one of the most welcoming hospitaleros i've ever met in all my Caminos throughout Spain and Italy. I slept there for two nights (the only time in my Caminos i did such a thing) after asking him some advice about where to reserve an accomodation in Valladolid for the second night and having been invited to stay in the Albergue for that second night as well. Although i usually am not a "turigrino" i didn't want to pass by Valladolid (or other valuable attractions i won't probably visit a second time in my life) without visiting the city for one day: i explained it to him sincerely and the reaction i got was much further my expectations... but Arturo is a great hospitalero far beyond this reason!

 

[Marigold Mama]

I walked in May and met two Spanish pilgrims on my second day. I walked with them up to Simancas, where I took a detour for a day in Valladolid (which is very nice btw). Then no one else on foot. I saw one or two cyclists. You may be lucky and meet up with someone, but I would go with no expectation of company. I don't think this Camino is experiencing much growth.

And btw, the stages from Monforte de Lemos to Chantada to Rodeiro to Lalin are just beautiful. Walking down to the Minho on the Codos de Belesar and up on the other side of the river is one of the prettiest non-mountain stretches on any Camino. None of my business of course, but I wouldn't miss it. Buen camino, Laurie

I am not familiar with acronyms. I would like to know what your mean by "btw". Thank you

 

[Marigold Mama]

Ah, that's great! We CdM alumni will be lucky to walk it with you again. Can't wait for your excellent blog (as always ).

Ultreia!

I am not familiar with what "CdM" might mean?
Can you help me, please?
Thank you.

 

[trecile]

BTW = By The Way
CdM = Camino de Madrid

 

[KinkyOne]

I am not familiar with what "CdM" might mean?
Can you help me, please?
Thank you.

More of them here:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/common-camino-forum-abbreviations.43546/

 

[intrepidtraveler]

I walked the CdM in 2015 in early Sept. with a friend. Most nights we were the only ones in the alberques. The point being, finding other company is (usually ) a pleasant surprise but don't assume that you will. Someone who is a lover of solitude will likely have a greater appreciation for this route than a people person.

With respect to way marking, we used the CSJ guide for CdM along with a copy of the notes posted to the CdM forum by Undermanager (look for posts around may 2015) who did an amazing job of keeping us on track. Overall way marking is good considering how few people pass this way. There were only a few places that we found confusing.

I suspect that because not many people travel the CdM we were treated like royalty most places we stayed. Highly recommend this route if you like quiet.

It's a good idea to keep a stash of snacks/food with you. In spite of what the guide book says, we found many bars were closed during published hours of operation. Hope this helps.

Buen Camino.

 

[Marigold Mama]

More of them here:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/common-camino-forum-abbreviations.43546/

Oh, thank you so much for showing me the way to the answers, KinkyOne.

 

[Pathfinder075]

So many good points. My plans have kind of gone to hell a bit (thank you whomever decided I needed to be let go at work). But such is life. Still planning on doing it, but not sure it will occur in April or May. Might be June (shudders), and walking from Sahagun to Ponferrada in high season doesnt fill me with joy, based on everything Ive read on here about the droves of people wandering on the path. Hopefully the Invierno will be fairly quiet.

Fall back plan if everything does go to hell is to leave it until early september. I guess it will be really empty at that point, until Sahagun. But peace and quiet is nice. At least it will be less warm.

 

[KinkyOne]

So many good points. My plans have kind of gone to hell a bit (thank you whomever decided I needed to be let go at work). But such is life. Still planning on doing it, but not sure it will occur in April or May. Might be June (shudders), and walking from Sahagun to Ponferrada in high season doesnt fill me with joy, based on everything Ive read on here about the droves of people wandering on the path. Hopefully the Invierno will be fairly quiet.

Fall back plan if everything does go to hell is to leave it until early september. I guess it will be really empty at that point, until Sahagun. But peace and quiet is nice. At least it will be less warm.

You'll enjoy Invierno. Be sure of that

 

[nathanael]

Been musing over whether to do Primitivo in May or just rip out something larger, and I've decided to try the Madrid route.

I am looking at a route that will take in several routes. For starters, Madrid to Sahagun. Then follow Frances to Ponferrada. Then the Invierno route until somewhere around Montfort. Then down to Ourense to relax for a day or two. Then finally up to Santiago. Its going to be a reasonably long walk. Also if I make it to Santiago and still have enough funds for a couple more weeks, I am not ruling out walking the Norte (or part of it) in reverse and heading back to Santander to get the boat back.

Distance wise, I would like to exceed 1000km, just to see if I can do it.

Kit wise, slightly lighter than last time, but still carrying tent, etc.

I learnt a couple of things from the October session. One was I didnt enjoy the last ~120km into Santiago from Sarria. The terrain was annoying and I expect it will be madly busy in May/June. Walking down that narrow, steep path near Portomarin is something I would like to avoid, if in convoy. Also the smell of that fertiliser plant on the way up the hill from Portomarin to Gonzar. I will pass on that also, I think. Another thing i learnt, is that I want to walk further than 260km. If I had walked the whole month, I could have easily averaged 30km days, back to back. My feet cracked, but didnt blister and the cracking was my fault for not paying attention to them after showering. Would like to see if I can do a 30km back to back from Madrid to Sahagun in the 13 days that the Gronze website says its possible in. I also want to walk into Leon fully. In October I missed the sections from El Burgo Raneiro to Leon and Leon to Astorga, due to time constraints. I want to complete those.

Anyway this post is starting to ramble on a bit.

Any specific advice on the Madrid section is welcome. I have experienced the last 15km from Villada to Sahagun, and am expecting hotter weather than I had, and have also been to Madrid in June when the temperature was pretty hot. So the heat is expected, and all that goes with it.

The other routes I will post into their forums as and when I need advice.

Pathfinder, I left off in Leon last year and had intended to start in Leon this year. Bur Camino de Madrid sounds like an option which will get me into leon and eventually to Santiago. I have 45 days so should accomplish it. am leaving Madrid June 2nd.