Biking in February 2017

[debra]

Hello forum members


I have a few questions about traveling the VDLP in February. Please not that I walked from Seville in June 2010 with two friends we solely follow the yellow arrows with not guide book and made it to Santiago. This trip was characterized by running out of water and sleeping outside due to not knowing the locations of the albergues with one day where we had no food and did not find a store selling food until late afternoon. Yet the trip was great and has inspired in me a lifelong love of traveling slowly. However, my ankles are not strong and have ended walking holidays. So I have begun to go on biking trips instead. In the summer of 2014 I cycled from London to Rome. A trip which again lead to sleeping outside but with a tent this was not a problem some of my camp sites could have been in better locations but overall it was a great trip and I loved seeing the smaller churches.



I would like to know if 28 days is enough time for Seville to Santiago by bike?


Is the walking way able to be biked bike? Please note for I biked over 90% of the via francigena on the walking route as it had the marking for where to go. My memory says it was very able to be bike but that was years ago.


Is there a good book or GPS track for the route?


When walking in 2010 we attended mass about every day, is there still the ability to attend mass daily on the route?


Thank you

Debra

 

[murraydv]

Hello forum members


I have a few questions about traveling the VDLP in February. Please not that I walked from Seville in June 2010 with two friends we solely follow the yellow arrows with not guide book and made it to Santiago. This trip was characterized by running out of water and sleeping outside due to not knowing the locations of the albergues with one day where we had no food and did not find a store selling food until late afternoon. Yet the trip was great and has inspired in me a lifelong love of traveling slowly. However, my ankles are not strong and have ended walking holidays. So I have begun to go on biking trips instead. In the summer of 2014 I cycled from London to Rome. A trip which again lead to sleeping outside but with a tent this was not a problem some of my camp sites could have been in better locations but overall it was a great trip and I loved seeing the smaller churches.



I would like to know if 28 days is enough time for Seville to Santiago by bike?


Is the walking way able to be biked bike? Please note for I biked over 90% of the via francigena on the walking route as it had the marking for where to go. My memory says it was very able to be bike but that was years ago.


Is there a good book or GPS track for the route?


When walking in 2010 we attended mass about every day, is there still the ability to attend mass daily on the route?


Thank you

Debra

Hello forum members


I have a few questions about traveling the VDLP in February. Please not that I walked from Seville in June 2010 with two friends we solely follow the yellow arrows with not guide book and made it to Santiago. This trip was characterized by running out of water and sleeping outside due to not knowing the locations of the albergues with one day where we had no food and did not find a store selling food until late afternoon. Yet the trip was great and has inspired in me a lifelong love of traveling slowly. However, my ankles are not strong and have ended walking holidays. So I have begun to go on biking trips instead. In the summer of 2014 I cycled from London to Rome. A trip which again lead to sleeping outside but with a tent this was not a problem some of my camp sites could have been in better locations but overall it was a great trip and I loved seeing the smaller churches.



I would like to know if 28 days is enough time for Seville to Santiago by bike?


Is the walking way able to be biked bike? Please note for I biked over 90% of the via francigena on the walking route as it had the marking for where to go. My memory says it was very able to be bike but that was years ago.


Is there a good book or GPS track for the route?


When walking in 2010 we attended mass about every day, is there still the ability to attend mass daily on the route?


Thank you

Debra

Debra
First, I am not sure about a GPS book, but you will get good GPS data / maps for both cycling and walking the Via de la Plata at
http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/find.do?t=&d=&lfr=&lto=&src=&act=&uom=mi&q=via+de+la+plata
copy and paste the link above into your web browser.

On the timing, I am in the middle of walking the VDLP at the moment, about 9 days per year each year. And I will cover it in 4 visits, That's 36 days walking. So, 28 days cycling is more than enough. I am sure that serious enthusiastic cyclists would do the return journey from Seville to Santiago and back to Seville in 28 days. But more leisurely cycling will certainly get you to Santiago in 28 days.

In terms of cycling the walking route, I would say 99% yes, cyclists pass me all the time on this route. If you don't mind the occasional steep hill where you might need to walk with your bike, it should be fine. There might be the very rare occasion where you will need to lift your bike for a very short distance (meters).

In terms of mass, I am not sure about every possible place where you would stay. Some places, yes, for sure. However, my concern would be that it could take a big chunk out of your travelling (cycling) day if you have to wait for a mass time and then the mass itself. Especially if you did that every day.

Buen Camino
Dave

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola Debra, your previous experiences should give you a better understanding of the track than most cyclists. Rain, mud are major considerations. If Alison Raju has updated her Guide to the Via de la Plata (I have the 2010 edition) she makes comments about sections being unsuitable for mountain bikes etc. I recall that she recommended cyclist avoiding the section from Alconetar to Canaveral and I think there were other sections west of Granja de Moreruela. I suppose the overriding issue is what type of bike and what type (experience wise) of cyclist!
But with 10 months before you depart you have plenty of time to conduct research and ask any other cyclist on this camino to report back. Cheers.

 

[debra]

Thank you for the reply's

As for my memory of the route I have forgotten the details of where it was not able to ridden by bike.

Thank you for tell about the book.

As I am in China my research options are limited due the the firewall. All blogspot is blocked. I will leave China before then but it is to go on holiday and I try not to spend a lot of time when on holiday researching for the next trip.

Debra

 

[Juanajoanna]

Hi Debra,
I am planning to bike the VDLP inAoril/May 2017. Sorry I will miss the opportunity to meet you along the way.

Do you speak Spanish? I have two good books for Miuntain biking the route. I have only seen a few spots where bikes are not recommended. There are road alternatives, or you can just push be bike ups few short but steep (20%) slopes. I don't have the book titles at the moment, but if you want I can hunt gem down and post here.

Please post about your biking experience as it will be very helpful to me following two months behind.

 

[debra]

Thank you for your reply Juanajoanna.
I would love the names of the books.

I do not speak Spanish but at this point have some Italian which I hope will help me. Pushing up small hills is not the end of the world.

Please note that I bike a lot but I will try to post about the trip for you.

Debra

 

[Juanajoanna]

Thank you for your reply Juanajoanna.
I would love the names of the books.

I do not speak Spanish but at this point have some Italian which I hope will help me. Pushing up small hills is not the end of the world.

Please note that I bike a lot but I will try to post about the trip for you.

Debra

Hi Debra, I found these on Spanish Amazon (amazon.es).
The one I like best is La Via De La Plata - Bici Map https://www.amazon.es/dp/8494095269/

La Via de La Plata en BTT: https://www.amazon.es/dp/8498292751/

I also found on another thread a link to a video blog on Youtube for a Spanish guy with 4 friends who biked the Via de la Plata. He is doing about 100 km a day - way too much for me! But it is fun to watch the videos (about 20 mins per day) that really shows what the biking is like. The first day starts out with a lot of mud and a lot of pushing the bikes through the mud, but overall looks very doable, especially in 30-40 mile segments. Warning, they are out more for the adventure and less for the Pilgrimage life.

Buen virtual Camino.
Joanna

 

[chiapaschap]

Hi Debra

Myself and my husband finished this trip by bike last week. My favourite Camino, you'll love it! We did it in 2 weeks taking a full day off in Salamanca and a half day in Ourense so 28 days is more than do-able. There were quite a few very muddy sections and a couple of steep pushes but the majority is rideable.

We used the guide that a couple of people have mentioned already - the bicimap guide 'Via De La Plata'. It's in Spanish so if you don't speak Spanish you may want to also have one of the English walking guides with you. It's a good guide but tends to be on the conservative side in terms of their recommendations for doing road alternatives. Much of what they say is very rock, loose and too steep is actually some of the best singletrack. We tended to stick to the real camino except where the yellow arrows indicated 'bicis' to go a different way (often avoiding steps etc.)

Many of the churches were locked when we passed during the day so perhaps a morning mass before you leave each day may work better?

If you've got any other questions, I'm happy to help. My husband wrote a blog if you'd like to see some pics of the route. It's chamsdorfviaplata.wordpress.com

Buen camino!

Cate

 

[Juanajoanna]

Hi Debra

Myself and my husband finished this trip by bike last week. My favourite Camino, you'll love it! We did it in 2 weeks taking a full day off in Salamanca and a half day in Ourense so 28 days is more than do-able. There were quite a few very muddy sections and a couple of steep pushes but the majority is rideable.

We used the guide that a couple of people have mentioned already - the bicimap guide 'Via De La Plata'. It's in Spanish so if you don't speak Spanish you may want to also have one of the English walking guides with you. It's a good guide but tends to be on the conservative side in terms of their recommendations for doing road alternatives. Much of what they say is very rock, loose and too steep is actually some of the best singletrack. We tended to stick to the real camino except where the yellow arrows indicated 'bicis' to go a different way (often avoiding steps etc.)

Many of the churches were locked when we passed during the day so perhaps a morning mass before you leave each day may work better?

If you've got any other questions, I'm happy to help. My husband wrote a blog if you'd like to see some pics of the route. It's chamsdorfviaplata.wordpress.com

Buen camino!

Cate

Hi Cate, what lovely photos. You are a lot faster than I will be! I'm planning about 35 km per day.
Glad to hear you had a great trip.
Joanne

 

[debra]

chiapaschap thank you for your reply and the information on riding the trail in the winter. also thank you for the information on the churches being locked.

Debra

 

[jaws101]

I would also recommend Bici:map, used it myself a few years ago. It's also good for walkers as it shows the walking trail, recommended bike alternatives and road bike route.