- Time of past OR future Camino
- C Frances 2005, 2007
Le Puy en Velay -SdC 2009
Via de la Plata 2011
gr 653 from Oloron to Puente la Reina 2012
Gr65 from le Puy to Figeac 2013
Irun to Santander 2013
Porto to SdC 2014
Astorga to SdC 2015
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Planning my camino de Madrid in early May, I wonder if someone can say something about these arroyos/rivers, might it be a problem to cross them?
Hi Jill
In second half of April 2018 there were 7 arroyos to cross. 3 of them without stepping stones and one stone missing in one crossing. They can be quite wide apart but at my 180cm I had no problems using them.
I have been told this before and have tried it once or twice, when crossing a river in Banff or Jasper National Parks, where I have tramped for the last 45 or so years. I find that to unstrap my backpack puts me off balance and is an excellent way to tip me off into the river. I suppose that it may work for some persons. To stay on my feet in high water, I use a sturdy wooden walking stick pressed into the stream bed upstream of me to help me keep my balance and I also wear my boots rather than my light running shoes. The boots help me stay on my feet when there are large and slippery rocks to be walked around/over, although it is a nuisance to have to walk in wet boots for the next couple of days. And of course I do not want to find myself without a backpack when I am a week or so's walk from the nearest road, but this is not an issue on the camino routes. I suggest that if the stepping stones may be too far apart on the camino it would be wise to wade through, upstream if there is deeper water downstream of the stepping stones. And, of course, a lengthy detour is much safer than taking any risks with high water.May I remind people that if you are crossing a body of water, or are near water where there is even a remote possibility of a spill, that you unstrap your backpack; that way if you do go into the water you can easily slip off your pack. If your backpack is strapped to you and you end up in the water I hate to think of the possible consequences.
I did this a few years a bit risky but manageable, personally I found the route very lonely and eventually abandoned it after four days and went to Camino Frances. I would probably do this Camino with a companion.Just read in a guidebook that there are a dozen of arroyos to be crossed between Tres Cantos and Colmenar, none of them with a bridge, some of them with steppingstones at the edge of a waterfall.
When I walked Via the la Plata, walking through El Berrocal after a couple of days with heavy rain, balancing on steppingstones over a couple of arryos that had become froading rivers is not one of my most enjoyable memories from my caminos.
Planning my camino de Madrid in early May, I wonder if someone can say something about these arroyos/rivers, might it be a problem to cross them?
the first photo is what it was like when I did this Camino, with my walking stick was able to cross safelyHi @ranthr
May could be quite different in water flow. Our pics (all above from jsalt) are from mar24 2018 for stepping stones and mar30 for complete cut off before Valdestillas.
I just hope this year is kind to you and the fuenfria pass is safe to pass. We missed that section of walk. It might be something I’ll do one day if I’ve got free days in Madrid in the future.
Buen camino
Annie
I remember the stepping stones, and yes they were a bit apart but as I have stated in a previous reply I did I had to jump to them but nevertheless I did it and am not athletic and I was at the time 71 years old.Just read in a guidebook that there are a dozen of arroyos to be crossed between Tres Cantos and Colmenar, none of them with a bridge, some of them with steppingstones at the edge of a waterfall.
When I walked Via the la Plata, walking through El Berrocal after a couple of days with heavy rain, balancing on steppingstones over a couple of arryos that had become froading rivers is not one of my most enjoyable memories from my caminos.
Planning my camino de Madrid in early May, I wonder if someone can say something about these arroyos/rivers, might it be a problem to cross them?
This is not good advice. Safety training for river crossings emphasises that backpacks provide buoyancy and should be left buckled on. Of course you need to be aware that the buoyancy is on your back and so will tend to push your head down into the water unless you keep your feet down.May I remind people that if you are crossing a body of water, or are near water where there is even a remote possibility of a spill, that you unstrap your backpack; that way if you do go into the water you can easily slip off your pack. If your backpack is strapped to you and you end up in the water I hate to think of the possible consequences.
If you have not trained to safely cross rivers while tramping then you should not enter running water that is higher than half way from your feet to your knees.This is not good advice. Safety training for river crossings emphasises that backpacks provide buoyancy and should be left buckled on. Of course you need to be aware that the buoyancy is on your back and so will tend to push your head down into the water unless you keep your feet down.
This is not good advice. Safety training for river crossings emphasises that backpacks provide buoyancy and should be left buckled on....
Perhaps so, but I was thinking mainly of the possibility of slipping into deeper, maybe fast moving water. In any event, common sense should prevail.If you have not trained to safely cross rivers while tramping then you should not enter running water that is higher than half way from your feet to your knees.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?