Arrows on the VdlP

[El Muto]

I will start the Via de la Plata at the beginning of May.
I would like to hear from you whether it is well marked and whether you can see the arrows(flechas) well.

 

[patgreen]

I will start the Via de la Plata at the beginning of May.
I would like to hear from you whether it is well marked and whether you can see the arrows(flechas) well.

In general I found it well marked and yes there are arrows. I do seem to recall some confusion on the Sevilla - Guillena leg. I think it was just that there was a choice of routes and on one of them you had to walk through some water. Not difficult or fast flowing.
A big help for most of the Via de la Plata is that you just go north.

 

[Corned Beef]

I had a rant about signs on the VDLP. I travelled over the first section a couple of weeks ago.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/vdlp-from-seville-jan-2022.72674/post-990260

There are the yellow flechas in some places. Some are painted and there are some plastic ones. But my main (corned) beef is with the grey marble cubes with yellow squares on them as they don't actually give you a direction. Some cubes have had the flechas painted on but most haven't.

When you get into the scrub you have more chance of missing them, as I did, even with GPS. There is an additional confusion of small marble pyramids with VP on them. These are NOT directional markers but rather they mark the limit of the farmers' land so you have to be between two of them to be on the right track. Have the GPS track on your phone - Windy or something similar.

Some pics

 

[Grousedoctor]

I cycled the VDLP in 2019 and have no real complaints about the markings of this Camino. Cities can be a bit trickier due to all of the competing distractions, but in general, and even at bike speed, following this camino was no more difficult than the others that I have done. I did have the Windy Maps on my phone with reginal maps downloaded that was helpful. Buen Camino!

 

[JohnMcM]

I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how well the VdLP is marked. It is not as frequently marked as, for example, the Frances route but I found the marking more than adequate. This link below may give you a bit peace of mind.

Account Suspended

Also, to make life even easier, you are pretty much heading North all day, so in the morning the sun should be on your right and in the afternoon on your left.

Buen (flecha-findin) Camino

 

[Anniesantiago]

We found it quite well marked.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Also, to make life even easier, you are pretty much heading North all day, so in the morning the sun should be on your left and in the afternoon on your right.

Um, isn't that the other way around?

If I am walking North then in the morning the sun will be on my right and in the afternoon on my left.

 

[lt56ny]

Just keep walking north. I just finished it and never had a problem at all. Of course the most complicated is in the cities.

 

[Donna Sch]

Um, isn't that the other way around?

If I am walking North then in the morning the sun will be on my right and in the afternoon on my left.

Even though theoretically you are heading North, you will find yourself facing East most mornings when you leave towns walking into a sunrise. Just to confuse things further.

 

[El Muto]

Thank you all for your information and support!

 

[maritr]

Generally well marked in my opinion, but you have to keep your eyes open! These ones are very small. The Wise Pilgrim app helped me a lot last time I walked. Especially the online map.
Buen Camino!
Marit (via de la plata lover)

 

[Former member 98118]

But my main (corned) beef is with the grey marble cubes with yellow squares on them as they don't actually give you a direction. Some cubes have had the flechas painted on but most haven't.

The cubes actually do show you a direction. On each cube there is a symbol of the Arch of Caparra on the top and if you are on the way to Santiago, you always go up this horseshoe. Tha cubes can be found in Extremadura only.

The yellow and green rectangles on the side of the cubes are not supposed to show you the direction of walking, they can be on any side of the cube. Because Via de la Plata doesn't have one direction, you can walk it south to north or north to south. The Camino to Santiago coincides with VdlP but is not the same thing. Via de la Plata goes to Astorga but not Santiago.

Added: The green stripe or square means that you are on the original Via de la Plata, based on historical evidence. The yellow stripe or square means that you are on VdlP as it has been marked in present time, to avoid crossing private property. In most part, green and yellow stripes go together, like in the picture below, but not always.

 

[Bradypus]

The yellow and green rectangles on the side of the cubes are not supposed to show you the direction of walking, they can be on any side of the cube.

I left Extremadura a couple of days ago and I really miss the cubes The direction marker on top using the Caparra arch is very helpful except where some vandal has toppled the cube into a ditch They also make an excellent stool. The marking system in Castille Y Leon is different but clear enough if you pay attention. It is important to realise that every province has its own marking system but most often the path is obvious. If you are very anxious then downloading the Maps.me app, a gps track of the route and the relevant offline map data will give you confidence. In towns it is always easy to lose markers and I usually make a note of where the Camino leaves town and just make my own way there by the most obvious route.

 

[frjuliangreen]

I will start the Via de la Plata at the beginning of May.
I would like to hear from you whether it is well marked and whether you can see the arrows(flechas) well.

Very well marked. I think there was only one place which wasn't so good and that is on the highest section South of Salamanca - between Fuenterroble de Salvatierra and San Pedro Rozados I ended out on a pig farm on a parallel road to the Camino. It obviously happens a lot a the pig farm has signs in various languages warning pilgrims not to take a short cut through the farm. Backtracking added quite a bit to an already lengthy stage. But in general the arrows are good. Beware, in the early stages, a few opportunists painting their own arrows taking you off the Camino to their shop or bar. It's as well to read the route indications in a guide so you know what to expect on any day.

 

[frjuliangreen]

I left Extremadura a couple of days ago and I really miss the cubes The direction marker on top using the Caparra arch is very helpful except where some vandal has toppled the cube into a ditch They also make an excellent stool. The marking system in Castille Y Leon is different but clear enough if you pay attention. It is important to realise that every province has its own marking system but most often the path is obvious. If you are very anxious then downloading the Maps.me app, a gps track of the route and the relevant offline map data will give you confidence. In towns it is always easy to lose markers and I usually make a note of where the Camino leaves town and just make my own way there by the most obvious route.

I hated those cubes. To each their own

 

[Stivandrer]

they were perfect when lacing your boots, sitting for a while on a plane surface, or for the odd lunch bite....

 

[eeddowes]

Added: The green stripe or square means that you are on the original Via de la Plata, based on historical evidence. The yellow stripe or square means that you are on VdlP as it has been marked in present time, to avoid crossing private property. In most part, green and yellow stripes go together, like in the picture below, but not always.

I was delighted to finally come upon a poster (first image) that explained the symbolisms of the cubes. With my new-found knowledge, they became more meaningful for me. The second image shows the yellow "passable" route follows the dirt road while the green "authentic/historical" route heads off into the weeds. When both yellow and green tiles are affixed to the cube, it shows that the passable route IS the historical route.

It is interesting to me that there is a LOT of history shared throughout Extramadura on information markers along the route. I'm guessing the Extramadura Governing folks chose to use, instead of yellow arrows, a directional marker with more historical significance to include the striking Roman Arco de Cáparra on the top of the cube.

And speaking of the Arco de Cáparra, if you arrive there before 2pm or after 5pm, head on into the ruins to have a look around. At the visitor's center, you can get your credential stamped with their sello which I found particularly special.

 

[alexwalker]

Walking in 2012-2013, I found the marking quite well. I had no issues.

 

[JohnMcM]

Um, isn't that the other way around?

If I am walking North then in the morning the sun will be on my right and in the afternoon on my left.

Thanks. I must have been editing my post as you were typing yours. No harm done, your help offered and received in the spirit of the Camino.