BP on the Olvidado July 2023 - A retrospective

[Bad Pilgrim]

Hi everyone,

I have recently walked (if I arrive in Villafranca del Bierzo tomorrow) the Camino Olvidado from Aguilar de Campoo to Villafranca del Bierzo. I didn't post daily (like I did between Pamplona and Aguilar de Campoo) but I will post a summary here with mainly practical info if anyone is interested. While I still remember how it went..!

So it is not a live thread, but I hope it will serve people coming up behind. LTfit and WestKirsty recently wrote extensively about the Olvidado, which I really benefitted from, so I feel I can write a bit shorter and just point out alternatives or differences between our experiences... We'll see. Just give me a day or two to get my notes together!

 

[setmeravelles]

Looking forward to seeing your notes! Thanks in advance

 

[LTfit]

Wishing you a great end to your Camino! It will be interesting to compare our experiences.

As far as I can tell no one has since walked from Bilbao as I did. Given some difficulties on the initial stretch till Aguilar de Campoo I'd be interested in comparing notes.

 

[VNwalking]

Given some difficulties on the initial stretch till Aguilar de Campoo I'd be interested in comparing notes.

Same.

 

[AshIreGal]

Wishing you a great end to your Camino! It will be interesting to compare our experiences.

As far as I can tell no one has since walked from Bilbao as I did. Given some difficulties on the initial stretch till Aguilar de Campoo I'd be interested in comparing notes.

I've no idea how to reply here... I walked in July 2022 (to Villafranca de Biezo), and 2019 (to ponferrada) ... Omicko concise guide was super useful in 2019. In 2022, I was back and over on the train like a blue arsed fly, as had issues with backpack, shoes, heat etc. Went onto Leon, and went back to Bilbao with Isabelle at Vilasante, after 2 days in. Took train to balmaseda to start as it was crazy hot day, and stayed in Nava. Standout stays were Isabel, Los acros, Vegacervaga camping, Bonar camping (amazing lady).. and new albergue in fashgar, the village before fashgar ... Lovely people, congosta soccer pitch and coffee machine pod stay. My first orange juice and coffee on meeting the Frances... My text speak and spelling is brutal, so please ignore errors, which I appreciate can be dangerous in Spain.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 1: Aguilar de Campoo - Cervera de Pisuerga: 28 kms

Recap: I arrived from the Camino Viejo from Pamplona (north of the Camino Francés) to Aguilar de Campoo. The stage the day before was about 40 kms so I was glad to walk "only" 28 kms to Cervera de Pisuerga!

In Aguilar I stayed in Hostal Los Olmos, 40 euros, in the industrial suburbs less than 1 km from the town's centre. They close Saturday afternoon, but they told me to call them if I knew I would be late and they would arrange a meet-up with someone so I could access the room. I think they are closed on Sundays? I saw posters with conflicting opening hours when I was there. Call them a few days before if you plan to stay on a weekend.

The next morning I woke at 5:30 as usual. I walked through central Aguilar del Campoo which is a pretty large town. Sorry to say that I thought the first half of this stage was utterly boring! The dam near Aguilar is nice, once you get past the enormous walls and get a view of it from above. But the hamlets along the way were not much to look at. There was a slog on the CL-626 before I reached Salinas de Pisuerga, about halfway. From there it got so much better! Finally a bar open, and then a walk along the little river Pisuerga almost all the way to Cervera de Pisuerga. A lot of tourists and day hikers were walking along the river as well.

When I arrived at the main square in Cervera de Pisuerga it was stuffed with people. I could hardly move around in the streets or on the sidewalk. I couldn't enter the bars or restaurants either because there were too many people inside them! The owner of Hostal Pineda (35 euros with breakfast) told me that yesterday was the celebration of San Cristóbal - you know, the truckdrivers' saint - in town. So I had walked right into the afterparty. In that case, I wonder what the real party the day before was like...

The owner said everything was booked yesterday. Had I arrived one day earlier, I would have had difficulties finding anywhere to sleep according to her. I guess July 9-10 are the days to avoid if you want to find easy accommodation in Cervera de Pisuerga..!

Since it was Sunday afternoon I found no place to buy proper food in town. There is a gas station close to the hostal where you can buy things like chocolate, juice, crisps, perhaps cheese.... It was enough to keep me alive in the evening. The owner also made me a thermos with café con leche, muffins and biscuits that I could have for breakfast the next morning. Which I would need, because there would be another stage of almost 40 kms to Guardo...

To be continued

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 2: Cervera de Pisuerga - Guardo, 39 kms

I had read reports about a gate that would be difficult/impossible to open. It would appear soon after leaving Cervera de Pisuerga. The thing is: I never found it. I did get to a fence in the morning where a part of it had been torn down. So I thought: "Ok, this is the fence everyone has been talking about, and someone has made a breach in it so people can pass." But on the other side was just a meadow with no visible trail; not that I could see anyway.

I backtracked, my shoes soaked from the meadow, and looked around: there was a Camino sign to the right. I should follow a trail next to the meadow instead. Ok, good. Then a split in the road: no sign. I had no cellphone reception so I couldn't check where I was. After this: another split without signs. By then I had enough of bad waymarking and decided to follow the sound of cars nearby, get onto a road, and reach the next village Cantoral de la Peña from there.

I did reach the carretera and ran into an info board about hiking routes in the area. But the map didn't make sense to me. I was about to walk in the wrong direction when I miraculously got reception again and could see how I would get to Cantoral. The "Usted está aquí/You are here"-marker was on the wrong road on the info board..! I sorted it out, but I lost about an hour because of this. I guess I walked more than 39 kms in the end that day..!

I later checked Sara Dhooma's vlog on YouTube to see where I should have gone. It turns out she also got lost in the area! But not at the same place as me. At least she got to the infamous gate that wouldn't open. I still have no idea where that is!!

The rest of the stage was easy to follow, but looong. Much of it on asphalt next to cars and trucks. A few fountains, but there was no bar open until I reached Santibañez de la Peña, the only large-ish town before Guardo. There was also a bar open in Villanueva de Arriba, not far away from Guardo.

I stayed in the albergue in Guardo that recently got things going again with new owners. So new that they don't have a stamp yet! It is 15 euros (if I remember correctly). With the standard of a typical municipal albergue. It was the most "basic" place I stayed in this summer, but still enough to have everything a pilgrim needs. It is at the other side of town, on a hill, so it is a slog to get there after those 39 kms! You need about 20 minutes to reach central Guardo again if you want to visit town or run some errands later.

There are workers staying in the albergue as well but pilgrims have a dorm of their own. We were four this evening. First a Portuguese couple - who had decided this was their last day on the Olvidado! They started in Bilbao but had grown tired of the lack of services and lodging along the way. To give them perspective, I told them that this part of the Olvidado actually has much better services than the Camino Viejo between Pamplona and Aguilar de Campoo... But they would catch a bus to Ponferrada and walk the Invierno instead. And there was Antonio, a young priest from Madrid, who had also started in Bilbao and would later take the Invierno from Ponferrada. It was my first time meeting other pilgrims in an albergue since the Camino Baztán. I was surprised over how well I coped with it! We had fun conversations; in Portuguese and Spanish, but still understood each other. I gave them advice about the Invierno and examples of hostals and albergues that I like on that camino.

No snoring was involved and I was well rested for Puente Almuhey or Cistierna the following day. I hadn't decided yet where I would stop.

Don't miss next episode!

 

[LTfit]

Day 2: Cervera de Pisuerga - Guardo, 39 kms

I had read reports about a gate that would be difficult/impossible to open. It would appear soon after leaving Cervera de Pisuerga. The thing is: I never found it. I did get to a fence in the morning where a part of it had been torn down. So I thought: "Ok, this is the fence everyone has been talking about, and someone has made a breach in it so people can pass." But on the other side was just a meadow with no visible trail; not that I could see anyway.

If you had read my post beforehand () you would have seen my suggestion as well as Laurie's to follow the carretera from the start rather than the arrows which take you up into the meadows and yes, eventually to that @#€* fence. By avoiding that part you easily find the arrows on a guardrail which lead you to a lovely dirt path.

I stayed in the albergue in Guardo that recently got things going again with new owners. So new that they don't have a stamp yet! It is 15 euros (if I remember correctly). With the standard of a typical municipal albergue. It was the most "basic" place I stayed in this summer, but still enough to have everything a pilgrim needs. It is at the other side of town, on a hill, so it is a slog to get there after those 39 kms! You need about 20 minutes to reach central Guardo again if you want to visit town or run some errands later.

The guy in albergue looked at me like I was from Mars when I asked for a stamp. He wouldn't even sign my credencial!

There are workers staying in the albergue as well but pilgrims have a dorm of their own. We were four this evening. First a Portuguese couple - who had decided this was their last day on the Olvidado! They started in Bilbao but had grown tired of the lack of services and lodging along the way. To give them perspective, I told them that this part of the Olvidado actually has much better services than the Camino Viejo between Pamplona and Aguilar de Campoo... But they would catch a bus to Ponferrada and walk the Invierno instead. And there was Antonio, a young priest from Madrid, who had also started in Bilbao and would later take the Invierno from Ponferrada. It was my first time meeting other pilgrims in an albergue since the Camino Baztán. I was surprised over how well I coped with it! We had fun conversations; in Portuguese and Spanish, but still understood each other. I gave them advice about the Invierno and examples of hostals and albergues that I like on that camino.

Boy, the place was hopping! I was all alone in that huge place.

No snoring was involved and I was well rested for Puente Almuhey or Cistierna the following day. I hadn't decided yet where I would stop.

Don't miss next episode!

 

[WestKirsty]

I love reading your reports! I miss walking and it's great to relive it all over again

Your fellow pilgrims were so lucky so have an Invierno expert to talk to!

Boy, the place was hopping! I was all alone in that huge place.

I was alone as well. I was in the common room at one point using the microwave etc. and there were folks outside walking their dog. I was really worried they were phoning the police on me as they must have seen someone walking about and the building looked pretty abandoned that day. They were looking through the windows, phone in hand and I waved with my best "I'm not a burglar" smile. It apparently worked as I wasn't arrested

For the stamp I was told to go to the tourist office down the street. At least the guy I met had heard of it!

 

[LTfit]

For the stamp I was told to go to the tourist office down the street. At least the guy I met had heard of it!

Probably because I told him if he wants pilgrims to stay here that a stamp would be beneficial (I showed him my credencial).

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 3: Guardo - Cistierna, 34 kms

I told myself I had earned a short stage of 13 kms to Puente Almuhey this day, after a couple of long stages. By the way, I could see there were A-routes (short routes) and B-routes (in the mountains) to choose from along the Olvidado... Hmm... As there seemed to be an alarming shortage of wifi, coffee and napolitanas on the B-routes, I stuck to the A-route from Guardo to Puente Almuhey.

I got so early to Puente Almuhey that I decided to carry on. I called Hostal Moderno, which was full, and then Hostal El Cruce (40 euros) in Cistierna. I knew it would be a day in the hills, so I geared up with water and a humble pilgrim smile and started walking.

First it was all flat. Then brutally uphill from the sanctuary Virgen de la Velilla. Then the trail meandered down the hills and through the woods. Past the sanctuary, until I reached Cistierna, I didn't meet a living soul.

The descent to the outskirts of Cistierna was hard on my feet. I saw other roads that seemed to lead to town as well, but for some reason the Camino went down a steep path with sand and loose rocks. It took me forever to reach the first houses, as I know I have a tendency to develop tendonitis if I go to fast downhill.

There was actually a lot of water on this stage (from Puente Almuhey). I saw at least one fountain in one of the villages before the hills. Then a fountain at the sanctuary. Later there was a handmade sign saying "Fuente La Pinga" in the woods, with very little water though. The ground was soggy and I felt like a body contortionist as I tried to get my mouth near the thin water jet... I slurped as much as I could. Then an outdoor stone basin with a flow of water at a farm. The ground around it was muddy but there were stepping stones to reach the flow: I don't think those stones were for the cows to tiptoe on. I interpret stepping stones as "drinkable water here". Most important is the large stone fountain a couple of kms before Cistierna, where you are probably most in need of water. I noticed Sara Dhooma filmed it and commented: "Another dry fountain". It is not dry! If you look closely there is an on/off device hidden under the upper part. If you pull it the water comes flowing. It was a hot afternoon and the water was so cold...

I actually managed to walk the whole stretch from Puente Almuhey to Cistierna without opening my own bottles. And yes, I am still alive: all those fountains were good to drink from. Now, I wouldn't recommend anyone to throw away their water bottles and rely exclusively on the fountains, because you never know if there will be water next time. But this was my experience.

Hostal El Cruce in Cistierna was perfectly fine. I needed to rest after having accumulated a bunch of long stages, and then this one with a lot of elevation and ups-and-downs... I had no trouble sleeping that night!

Next day there would be another choice between an A-route and a B-route. You may have guessed already which one I took... Otherwise I will tell you soon!

Don't go anywhere!

 

[LTfit]

Day 3: Guardo - Cistierna, 34 kms

I told myself I had earned a short stage of 13 kms to Puente Almuhey this day, after a couple of long stages. By the way, I could see there were A-routes (short routes) and B-routes (in the mountains) to choose from along the Olvidado... Hmm... As there seemed to be an alarming shortage of wifi, coffee and napolitanas on the B-routes, I stuck to the A-route from Guardo to Puente Almuhey.

Oh no, you missed the albergue municipal and Sonia the hospitalera in Puente Almuhey! I'm amazed at how this little town has dedicated resources for pilgrims. The albergue has 3 bedrooms and three bathrooms! Sonia WhatsApp'd me the day before to ask what she could buy at the supermarket as I would arrive on a Sunday. She came with a cool box full of salad fixings and a beer. She apologized that there was no fridge but had asked the mayor for one and voilà, I read on the Camino Olvidado Facebook page that it has arrived. Sorry, but I just want pilgrims to stop there. She takes so much time to talk to you and make you feel at home. And...next time you really should walk the B routes

I got so early to Puente Almuhey that I decided to carry on. I called Hostal Moderno, which was full, and then Hostal El Cruce (40 euros) in Cistierna. I knew it would be a day in the hills, so I geared up with water and a humble pilgrim smile and started walking.

First it was all flat. Then brutally uphill from the sanctuary Virgen de la Velilla. Then the trail meandered down the hills and through the woods. Past the sanctuary, until I reached Cistierna, I didn't meet a living soul.

That ascent really got my heart pumping! It was also the only time I put on a hat to protect me from the sun. Too bad one can't visit the sanctuary.

But you write much more eloquently than I do. I'm all facts and figures

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 4: Cistierna - Boñar, 27 kms

I left the hostal in the morning and... went wrong immediately. Don't try to find shortcuts when you are not familiar with the area... I lost perhaps half an hour but I was soon back on track.

After the bridge Puente de Mercadillo there was an A- and B-option again. Only 3 kms differed... I chose the shorter one *yawn*. Easy walking through the woods, and occasionally on asphalt to get from one little village to another.

This was one of the stages where swarms of black flies pestered me the most. They had attacked me the day before as well, in the woods before Cistierna, but now... Holy cow. At least it helped me to keep up the pace as I was almost running at some points to get away from them! There were clouds of colorful butterflies as well. I have never seen so many of them at the same time. It would have felt magical to be surrounded by butterflies if they didn't share the trail with those black flies. I think I smacked just as many innocent butterflies as flies as I desperately swung my tilley hat in front of me to clear the way.

There were bars along the camino according to Google Maps. In reality they were all closed, or too far away for me to check them out. Finally I found one in Devesa de Boñar, that opened just last week. Or rather someone had decided to keep it up during summer while the original owner was on vacation. The lady running it now was very nice and chatty and knew about the Camino. The past week pilgrims had come by, happy to find a bar that was open. Important: she doesn't open until noon. Also, the location is wrong on Google Maps: it is not outside town but at the main square. The bar is called "Teleclub" on Google Maps, as are many local bars in small villages.

In Boñar I stayed at Hostal Nisi. I couldn't help but noticing the similarities in both standard and name between Hostal Nisi in Boñar and Hostal Niza, on the Camino de Invierno... They looked about the same. Elderly owners, very basic rooms and a bit outdated. But I got everything I needed so I am not complaining.

When I got to Nisi I didn't really know where the main entrance was. I had to walk through the dining area to pay the ladies in charge. I recognized Antonio, from the albergue in Guardo, who was having lunch at one of the tables. I was glad to run into him again! We found out that we had both stayed at Hostal El Cruce the day before, in Cistierna, without seeing each other. It is true that I stayed mostly in my room that evening because I was so tired...

I wanted to pay the ladies with my card: the machine was broken. Did they have change? No. Antonio came to my rescue and bailed me out with 20 euros which I think is the special price for peregrinos. He later told me that he found the hostal and its costumers "peculiar" and that he had asked for lunch just to be able to sit down and observe the dining area... I understood what he meant. The costumers were exclusively elderly people, and everybody sat alone, at separate tables, without interacting with each other...

I spent the evening doing laundry at the laundromat, buying food, getting change so I could repay Antonio, and hiding in the cosy cafés from the intermittent rain. I liked Boñar! The next day I would stay in La Robla, where I had already been once when I walked the Camino Salvador in 2016.

Tag along! ...in retrospect!

 

[peregrina2000]

price for peregrinos. He later told me that he found the hostal and its costumers "peculiar" and that he had asked for lunch just to be able to sit down and observe the dining area... I understood what he meant. The costumers were exclusively elderly people, and everybody sat alone, at separate tables, without interacting with each other...

My understanding is that the owner of Hostal Nisi has a floor dedicated exclusively to rooms for elderly people from the area who have no families to care for them. She subsidizes this floor with the income she gets from us, her paying customers. That surely puts her in the Camino Angel category! I know that others have also commented on and been put off by the other residents of the Nisi, but I’m guessing they don’t know the whole story.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 5: Boñar - La Robla, 33 kms

Antonio wakes up before 5 every morning and starts walking *gasp* so I never see him on the Camino. As for me, I managed to leave Hostal Nisi at about 6 a.m. It was still dark, and chilly after the rain that had fallen the evening before.

I don't remember a lot from this stage. The Wikiloc stayed mainly on the road CL-626, but the arrows took me to other places nearby. For example to the Ermita de Boina. A little church in the middle of nowhere: perfect for lunch! I sat down in the shadow on a bench and enjoyed the silence. Then, out of nowhere, forty children with an agitated teacher appeared from behind the corner. Within minutes they had occupied the lawn. The children gathered around me where I sat on the bench, and the teacher started yelling instructions to us. I guessed lunchtime was over so I made my excuses and left.

Back on the CL-626 I passed a Canadian theme park: Rancho Canada. With horses, totem poles and tipis in the garden. Because as we all know, that is what Canada consists of *eye-rolling*. Further down the road, the bar-restaurant Dingo (Aussie themed then??) was off Camino, in Candanedo de Fenar, but I happily did the detour because it was the first place where I could get coffee that day. The way to the bar was indicated from the Camino so it was easy to find and get back again.

La Robla is a large town. There was a slog on pavement to get there... As usual, when I revisit towns on the Camino, I didn't remember having been there before (in 2016) so it was like a brand new place to me.

As La Robla is at the crossroads of two caminos, the Salvador and the Olvidado, I thought things could get rowdy in the albergue. There were so many people walking the Salvador last time, I thought there would be a full house... Salvador and Olvidado pilgrims battling it out... Or maybe I was just trying to find an excuse to stay in a hostal. Who can resist the cobalt blue facade of quaint Hostal Milana? 29 euros seemed a reasonable price so I fell for it. It was fine, except for a group of Spanish guys who travelled together and occupied all the other rooms in the corridor. So I was in for a rowdy night anyway... These people had no intention of going to sleep at 9 p.m. How rude! Furthermore, my door would only lock from the outside, not from the inside (don't ask me how that works). So a few of them stumbled into my room later, thinking it was theirs.

Next stop would be Riello, a small place without accommodation. But I had contacted Laura, ex-hospitalera on the Camino Francés, to pick me up and take me to her pensión La Magia de las Nubes 7 kms from there. So that is where I was heading the next day!

Stay tuned!

 

[VNwalking]

I sat down in the shadow on a bench and enjoyed the silence. Then, out of nowhere, forty children with an agitated teacher appeared from behind the corner.

You are a noisy kid magnet, BP. Sheesh.

So a few of them stumbled into my room later, thinking it was theirs.

That sounds nice.
(What a night that must have been...Solo woman here, and I have to say I wouldn't have felt at ease.)

 

[WestKirsty]

Back on the CL-626 I passed a Canadian theme park: Rancho Canada. With horses, totem poles and tipis in the garden. Because as we all know, that is what Canada consists of *eye-rolling*.

Wait, what!?? Ok, I was thinking I need to walk the Olvidado again to see our photos but now I definitely need to walk again and do the "A" routes to see a Canadian theme park!? In Spain!? I need to see this! My family and friends back home - in Canada - wouldn't believe me!

Looking forward to hearing what happened next for you!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Wait, what!?? Ok, I was thinking I need to walk the Olvidado again to see our photos but now I definitely need to walk again and do the "A" routes to see a Canadian theme park!? In Spain!? I need to see this! My family and friends back home - in Canada - wouldn't believe me!

Looking forward to hearing what happened next for you!

I was thirsty for coffee, but it looked as if I had to walk right into the patio where families with children were riding horses among the totem poles... Maybe their café is a Tim Hortons

 

[WestKirsty]

I was thirsty for coffee, but it looked as if I had to walk right into the patio where families with children were riding horses among the totem poles... Maybe their café is a Tim Hortons

I genuinely cannot imagine how much I would freak out if I came across a Timmies (aka Tim Hortons) on a Camino. Worlds colliding!! I couldn't handle it!

I am so curious what other little hidden gems you came across!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 6: La Robla - Riello, 34 kms

This is actually two stages according to Gronze. But I thought I might as well do both the same day.

I forgot to tell you about the fences along the way. There are electric fences that you have to get past. Ok, not like in a state prison. It is just a wire hanging between poles. At least I think they are electric. I grabbed a wire that I was sure was just a rope, and it stung me! From thereon I was afraid to touch any of them!!

I learned it is so much easier to lay down and roll over like a dog, under the wire, than crawl on my knees and elbow as if I was in a boot camp. But sometimes it required some acrobatics not to touch it. I think it was on this stage that I got to a wire I didn't know how to tackle, and I got between a cow and her calf... She clearly wanted to get rid of me. She swayed her head and her horns inches from my stomach and followed me until I was on the opposite side. The first time I got threatened by a cow..!

I had breakfast in La Magdalena, a town scattered along the road CL-626. The next village, Canales, was practically the same town as La Magdalena: they were that close to each other. I saw the albergue in Canales to my right, with phone numbers to call. It looked like a nice place to spend the night.

After Canales the trail veered brutally uphill. Before I started the climb, I saw a young couple that I recognized from a café in La Magdalena half an hour earlier. They asked me if I needed water, or something to eat, and that I could come with them to their house since they lived nearby. I declined, but remained impressed how kind and helpful people are towards strangers!

It was very steep, but the views were nice. I wondered what would happen if my backpack would pull me backwards... I would probably roll like a beer can all the way back to Canales. And those black flies followed me up the mountains. I had to choose between using my tilley hat as a weapon against the flies, or keeping it on my head to protect me from the increasing sun. I couldn't get away with a brisk walk either, as I was struggling slowly uphill.

The Wikiloc I glanced at often stayed on the road LE-493 instead of on the Camino. Due to rain according to its author. As for me, I dutifully followed the arrows: a long way down from the hills to a dry creek, then up again to a town I thought was Riello... but I still had several kms to go. I only found the detour through the hamlet of Oterico unnecessary. You can just stay on the road LE-493. There will be a gas station with a store on your right side.

There are two bar-restaurants next to each other at the plaza in Riello. Hospitalera Laura works in the one called Villamor de Riello. We had decided I would meet her, or Ana, in the bar. I only had time to make eye contact and say hello to Laura, as she was busy working in the kitchen and I didn't want to disturb her. I didn't know how long it would be before we would go by car to their house La Magia de las Nubes. And I didn't care! I was so happy to finally be in Riello, and in a bar. I ordered things to drink and eat while I talked with the other costumers who asked me about my Camino. Everyone was so friendly!

After an hour or so Ana emerged from the kitchen, walked right up to me with a big smile and said: You're coming with me! So we jumped into her car. Ana is so cool and easy to talk to! She told me about their work, their home, their cats, that Laura had been a hospitalera in Mansilla de las Mulas on the Camino Francés for more than 20 years, and that she herself is a therapist. I didn't need to ask what kind of therapist Ana was: I could hear the sound of bracelets and calming crystals as soon as she came towards me in the bar..! Their house is also inspired by alternative therapy. (I imagine Casa Solana on the Camino de Invierno as similar? But I have never been there, only heard about it.)

So Ana works mainly with therapy, yoga, female empowerment and so on. But, as she told me as we were driving towards their pueblo Robledo de Amaña, she needed to pay the bills. That is why she had taken a job as a cook at the bar in Riello. Eventually she got Laura to start working there too, although Laura claimed: "I had never peeled a potato in my life!"

My room in La Magia de las Nubes was refreshingly cool and equipped with everything I needed. Unfortunately I couldn't let the cute cats in since people could be allergic. In the middle of the countryside everything was quiet and I dozed off for a while... In the evening Laura made me a meal; in the morning I would have breakfast: 20 euros for it all. Finally I had people to talk to, after a pretty lonely Camino Viejo..! We talked about the different Caminos, then a bit about the upcoming elections. After a conversation on the phone with her mother, it turned out Laura and her mother knew people from a tiny village in my country - where my parents have lived... It's a small world.

I contacted the hospitalera in Fasgar, which is just as small as Riello, and got instructions how to get access to the albergue next day. Thanks to La Magia de las Nubes I knew I would be well rested to take on another stage!

I'll be right back!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 7: Riello - Fasgar, 28 kms

Ana drove me back to Riello in the morning. After a big hug I started walking, with a boost of energy from Ana and Laura's company and after good night's sleep in La Magia de las Nubes.

I had to roll under several supposedly electric fences to reach the first bar of the day, in El Castillo. I had read a Wikilocker's experience of this stage, who claimed no bars would be open. But I found the one in El Castillo and then, by chance, another one in Barrio del Puente. When I got to Barrio del Puente the bar was locked and shut. But I thought: I might as well eat my lunch here, at the bridge, and see if someone shows up... After only 15 minutes a lady drove up to me and asked me to move from her parking spot: it was the owner of the café! By then, several thirsty villagers had gathered around the entrance to have their first coffee of the day.

The hospitalera in Fasgar would be away for the weekend. So she had given me instructions how to access the albergue. But the bar where I would get the code and the key was closed. I asked a random woman who in turn knocked on a door on the other side of the street. A sweet little lady appeared and handed me the code. Well there were already people inside the albergue: Antonio, and a new acquaintance: Juan Luis.

Antonio had stayed in Riello last night. Now how is this possible, you may ask, if there is no accommodation in Riello? Well since he is a Catholic priest he was invited to stay the night in the priest's house in Riello. This way he can easily couch-surf in small villages... Not fair!

The bar opened in the evening, next to the albergue. But there was nothing to eat and no store in the village. For dinner, the three of us shared what we had brought in our backpacks: bread, cheese, ham... Luckily there was some food in the cupboard that the hospitalera said we could take: pasta, peas, soups, canned food, and even enough for breakfast in the morning. The lady who had helped me with the code appeared with a bag of fruits, for free. I didn't have to starve this evening either. Juan Luis tried to force-feed me and wanted me to take as much as possible of his food. I must have looked malnourished after my hungry weeks on the Camino Viejo..!

The albergue is 15 euros and perfectly fine to spend the night. There is a kitchen so you can cook, and perhaps basic food in the cupboard, but of course you need to bring your own food to be sure. Everyone knows everyone in the village and they seem to like the presence of pilgrims. Juan Luis and I chatted with the jolly barman who told us about his own Camino de Invierno a few years ago.

In the evening Juan Luis, Antonio and I sat down with the other villagers to watch a game where elderly men would throw markers at a set of wooden poles. We had our theories what the game was about. But in the end we didn't understand anything. The men swore angrily and spat on the ground wherever the markers ended up; if they hit the wooden poles or if they missed them.

As it was Saturday night the villagers kept drinking and singing long after we had gone to sleep. Right under our windows. They ended the party with fireworks! After this, things calmed down and I slept very well in the albergue. At this altitude, it even got a bit chilly during the night.

More stages coming up soon!

 

[laineylainey]

loving your Olvidado "story"

 

[LTfit]

Interesting following you "after the fact" as you followed completely different stages. Sometimes I wondered if we walked the same Camino!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 8: Fasgar - Quintana de Fuseros, 25 kms

It was so cold in the morning! I was going to reach the second highest point on any Camino in Spain: 1.600 mtrs, at the field Campo de Santiago. Or rather, at the hill where the trail starts to descend towards the said field.

When I got to the top and the info board about the Campo de Santiago beneath me, it was freezing. I thought of early riser Antonio who must have been here more than an hour ago. It must have been even colder and darker then. If this is the weather in July, I wonder what other seasons are like..!

The field itself is stunning: a giant flatland surrounded by mountain tops of more than 2000 mtrs. There is a legend of what happened there: Santiago had fought the Moors and someone had captured a bear and then they threw together an ermita to celebrate the whole thing and I don't know what... It was so cold I couldn't concentrate on the info board. I hurried down between grazing cows and horses and hoped temperatures would rise now that the sun was coming up.

People had warned me about the difficult descent from Campo de Santiago to the next village, several kms away. I walked as slowly as possible down a narrow, rocky path with gnarly stones and pebbles. It was extremely tiring and the trail just got worse the further I went... As it flattened out and I approached the first village of the day - Martín Moro Toledano, now in the Bierzo region - Juan Luis caught up with me. He was not ok. He had slipped and fallen on the rocks: three of his fingers were damaged. There was no blood, but he couldn't move the fingers and they started to get swollen. He stopped to put on a bandage. I continued to Igüeña, now on a much easier gravel road. When I got there I could finally rest my legs in the two busy bars along the main street.

Quintana de Fuseros is not a place where pilgrims normally stay. Gronze says the end of the stage is Igüeña where there is an albergue. Probably because the hard descent from Campo de Santiago is enough for the day. But I thought Igüeña (18 kms from Fasgar) would be too short. And I wanted to even out the distance to Congosto the next day. I got hold of a casa rural El Caruzal in Quintana, 35 euros. So from Igüeña I walked 7 kms more to Quintana. The terrain was easy but I was tired from the previous stretch.

Before I entered Quintana de Fuseros a villager stopped me. He said I shouldn't stay in Quintana, because there was nothing to eat there. I guess he meant there was no shop or restaurant in town, which I already knew from Google Maps. But the bar Bombay was open. I immediately went there and asked when they would close: probably not until midnight. This reassured me. I don't need big meals in the evening, just something to nibble on and I will be fine!

The Bombay was full of people. I had to struggle to reach the counter and be able to order; my backpack must have smacked a few costumers left and right in the process. Everyone seemed to be glued to the TV-screen and they were screaming and shouting at it. Later I understood it was the live Wimbledon final and that a Spanish guy won. No wonder it was a riot in there.

I was about to leave the Bombay and walk the 100 mtrs to the casa rural when I heard Juan Luis shouting to me. He had been in the bar but I didn't see him in the crowd. When he heard there was a casa rural in town, he decided to go with me to see if there was another room available. So in the end we both stayed at El Caruzal, which is a big house that the owner has turned into a casa rural. The lady made us dinner and prepared breakfast, so it all amounted to 40 euros/person in the end. We could use the washing machine for free. She had been one of the people running the only restaurant in town, in front of the Bombay, but they had to close it a few months ago.

The three of us chatted in the kitchen as she prepared dinner. She told us funny things about her Caminos, her work as a food truck driver in the region, and the village of Quintana. She travelled constantly between Madrid and Quintana and had arrived from the capital only a few hours ago. She was a bit stressed and couldn't find the stamp anywhere, although she searched through the whole house... We tried to convince her it wasn't that important to us. In the end we made her write the name of the casa rural and draw a doodle in our credenciales instead. She had walked part of the Olvidado and informed us about alternative routes in the area for the next day. I listened politely, but as I am constantly scared of getting lost I knew I would probably not be exploring any of them.

While Juan Luis meticulously imitated farm animals he had seen along the way (for his infant grandchild on Skype) I went to bed to rest my legs. Next stop would be Congosto, as I had decided to walk from Congosto to Villafranca del Bierzo as my last stage.

Hang on!

 

[laineylainey]

How are Juan Luis's fingers, hopefully nothing broken?

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

How are Juan Luis's fingers, hopefully nothing broken?

I know, that was the first thing I asked him, but he said they weren't broken... At least they didn't get any worse and after a couple of days they weren't swollen anymore. I got a WhatsApp and a photo of him in Praza do Obradoiro two days ago so he arrived alive and well in Santiago!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 9: Quintana de Fuseros - Congosto, 27 kms

Juan Luis is 30 years older than me and wakes up one hour later in the morning. Still he catches up with me before the first or second town along the way. I wish I will have his speed when I am his age..!

Today I walked slower than usual. It was flat the first part from Quintana through a couple of small villages. Then a lot of ups-and-downs, an overgrown path, a goat trail so steep downhill I had to hang on to the trunks by my side not to tumble down... Above all, the hill between Noceda del Bierzo (where there is an albergue) and Labaniego was murderous.

Before Losada I met a farmer walking with his three dogs. We were heading in the same direction so we talked for a while. He proposed I stay on the road into Losada because the Camino makes unnecessary detours... If I follow villagers' advice it is not cheating, right? I took it as a permission to walk into Losada on my beloved asphalt.

In Losada the bar at the community swimming pool was open and Juan Luis was already there. The woman in charge was so energetic and chatty that I mistook her for the owner of the bar La Madrileña, who @WestKirsty had told me about and who I would meet further down the Camino. She threw a load of muffins, biscuits and croissants on our table but would only charge us for the coffee. We stayed a long time talking and laughing with her.

One topic of conversation, that would come up in other bars as well, was the detour we would have to make the next day from Congosto to Cubillos del Sil. It takes 13 kms to do a U-turn around the lake Embalse de Bárcena, while it is only 2-3 kms as the crow flies. Juan Luis wondered why one couldn't just build a bridge over the narrowest part of the lake; the woman shrieked and said she would never step on it as she is afraid of heights. Jokes aside, she said people in the vicinity had already wanted that bridge to be built and now they hoped that the politicians would get their act together and make it come true. It would shorten the next stage with 10 kms...

The Camino takes you on a hike to the Sanctuary of Virgen de la Peña just before Congosto. We didn't want to go all the way up there but suddenly we noticed that was where we were heading... I fished out Google Maps and took us down to Congosto as fast as possible.

Since it was Monday the restaurant where the hospitalera works was closed and it is the only game in town. Through WhatsApp I had ordered dinner that she would prepare for me, and it waited for me when I stepped into the albergue. The albergue consists of three barracks next to the football field that were previously changing rooms and showers. It looks absolutely hideous from the outside, while it is clean and cleverly constructed on the inside: bunkbeds, AC, showers, toilet, and even a small "kitchen" in a corner with a coffee machine, microwave oven, and a box with breakfast for the next day. All donativo. (The dinner I ordered through WhatsApp was 7 euros though.) As I had been the first one to call yesterday I got building number 1 for myself. Had another pilgrim come along he would have had to share one of the other barracks with Juan Luis, according to the the hospitalera's mother and her friend who laid out the rules for us. Apparently, first caller gets the grand suit all to him-/herself.

We thought Antonio would be waiting for us in the albergue. But the ladies told us he had chosen to continue to Ponferrada..! From Igüeña! That must be close to 50 kms!! Unfortunately we wouldn't see him again.

The bar La Peña is right at the other side of the football field and luckily open on Mondays. I mooched their wifi and made several bookings in advance on the Invierno (a Camino that starts in Ponferrada) to be sure I could stay in my favorite places there.

I flipped through the register in the albergue. Almost everyone had come from Igüeña, not Quintana de Fuseros. I saw @WestKirsty's name and, further back, @Sara_Dhooma... I felt honored to stay in the same place as legendary pilgrims!

I needed a good night's sleep to prepare for the last stage of 35 kms, where I would have to walk nine of them on the Camino Francés to Villafranca del Bierzo. After meeting so few pilgrims on the Baztán, the Viejo and the Olvidado, I knew I was in for a change tomorrow...

Last chapter coming up soon!

 

[laineylainey]

Day 9: Quintana de Fuseros - Congosto, 27 kms

Juan Luis is 30 years older than me and wakes up one hour later in the morning. Still he catches up with me before the first or second town along the way. I wish I will have his speed when I am his age..!

Today I walked slower than usual. It was flat the first part from Quintana through a couple of small villages. Then a lot of ups-and-downs, an overgrown path, a goat trail so steep downhill I had to hang on to the trunks by my side not to tumble down... Above all, the hill between Noceda del Bierzo (where there is an albergue) and Labaniego was murderous.

Before Losada I met a farmer walking with his three dogs. We were heading in the same direction so we talked for a while. He proposed I stay on the road into Losada because the Camino makes unnecessary detours... If I follow villagers' advice it is not cheating, right? I took it as a permission to walk into Losada on my beloved asphalt.

In Losada the bar at the community swimming pool was open and Juan Luis was already there. The woman in charge was so energetic and chatty that I mistook her for the owner of the bar La Madrileña, who @WestKirsty had told me about and who I would meet further down the Camino. She threw a load of muffins, biscuits and croissants on our table but would only charge the coffee. We stayed a long time talking and laughing with her.

One topic of conversation, that would come up in other bars as well, was the detour we would have to make the next day from Congosto to Cubillos del Sil. It takes 13 kms to do a U-turn around the lake Embalse de Bárcena, while it is only 2-3 kms as the crow flies. Juan Luis wondered why one couldn't just build a bridge over the narrowest part of the lake; the woman shrieked and said she would never step on it as she is afraid of heights. Jokes aside, she said people in the vicinity had already wanted that bridge to be built and now they hoped that the politicians would get their act together and make it come true. It would shorten the next stage with 10 kms...

The Camino takes you on a hike to the Sanctuary of Virgen de la Peña just before Congosto. We didn't want to go all the way up there but suddenly we noticed that was where we were heading... I fished out Google Maps and took us down to Congosto as fast as possible.

Since it was Monday the restaurant where the hospitalera works was closed and it is the only game in town. Through WhatsApp I had ordered dinner that she would prepare for me, and it waited for me when I stepped into the albergue. The albergue consists of three barracks next to the football field that were previously changing rooms and showers. It looks absolutely hideous from the outside, while it is clean and cleverly constructed on the inside: bunkbeds, AC, showers, toilet, and even a small "kitchen" in a corner with a coffee machine, microwave oven, and a box with breakfast for the next day. All donativo. (The dinner I ordered through WhatsApp was 7 euros though.) As I had been the first one to call yesterday I got building number 1 for myself. Had another pilgrim come along he would have had to share one of the other barracks with Juan Luis, according to the the hospitalera's mother and her friend who laid out the rules for us. Apparently, first caller gets the grand suit all to him-/herself.

We thought Antonio would be waiting for us in the albergue. But the ladies told us he had chosen to continue to Ponferrada..! From Igüeña! That must be close to 50 kms!! Unfortunately we wouldn't see him again.

The bar La Peña is right at the other side of the football field and luckily open on Mondays. I mooched their wifi and made several bookings in advance on the Invierno (a Camino that starts in Ponferrada) to be sure I could stay in my favorite places there.

I flipped through the register in the albergue. Almost everyone had come from Igüeña, not Quintana de Fuseros. I saw @WestKirsty's name and, further back, @SaraDhooma... I felt honored to stay in the same place as legendary pilgrims!

I needed a good night's sleep to prepare for the last stage of 34 kms, where I would have to walk nine of them on the Camino Francés to Villafranca del Bierzo. After meeting so few pilgrims on the Baztán, the Viejo and the Olvidado, I knew I was in for a change tomorrow...

Last chapter coming up soon!

"The Camino takes you on a hike to the Sanctuary of Virgen de la Peña just before Congosto. We didn't want to go all the way up there but suddenly we noticed that was where we were heading... I fished out Google Maps and took us down to Congosto as fast as possible"

Can I ask which routes are you following? I have downloaded Enders, peeps you too?

 

[peregrina2000]

Ender’s tracks do definitely go up to the Sanctuary, from where there is a nice view over the reservoir. I find reservoirs to be pretty depressing places, especially since they so often have buried a few villages as part of the process. But anyway… I did follow the tracks up to the Sanctuary.

If you navigate with his tracks, though, it will be very obvious how to continue on to Congosto without ascending, because the walk up to the Sanctuary goes up and down and rejoins the camino at the place it left it. You can see it on this screen shot.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

"The Camino takes you on a hike to the Sanctuary of Virgen de la Peña just before Congosto. We didn't want to go all the way up there but suddenly we noticed that was where we were heading... I fished out Google Maps and took us down to Congosto as fast as possible"

Can I ask which routes are you following? I have downloaded Enders, peeps you too?

Neither of us had a working Wikiloc, so we followed the arrows. The lady in the bar in Losada said there would be a sign saying "Congosto" where we could leave the arrows, but we never saw that sign so we followed the arrows until we realized we were going too far uphill (towards the sanctuary).

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Ender’s tracks do definitely go up to the Sanctuary, from where there is a nice view over the reservoir. I find reservoirs to be pretty depressing places, especially since they so often have buried a few villages as part of the process. But anyway… I did follow the tracks up to the Sanctuary.

If you navigate with his tracks, though, it will be very obvious how to continue on to Congosto without ascending, because the walk up to the Sanctuary goes up and down and rejoins the camino at the place it left it. You can see it on this screen shot.

View attachment 153570

I can't navigate with it in the sense that it beeps if I get off track. I usually took screenshots of other Wikilockers' trails and used them as regular maps... Or just relying on the waymarks.

 

[LTfit]

I can't navigate with it in the sense that it beeps if I get off track. I usually took screenshots of other Wikilockers' trails and used them as regular maps... Or just relying on the waymarks.

I would still be up in the monte somewhere if it weren't for Cuñarro's (Ender's) Wikiloc tracks. Although they weren't perfect on two or three occasions due to overgrowth and/or confusion they were a lifesaver.

 

[peregrina2000]

I can't navigate with it in the sense that it beeps if I get off track. I usually took screenshots of other Wikilockers' trails and used them as regular maps... Or just relying on the waymarks.

BP, I think you need a wikiloc intervention.

We can help you figure this out. Especially if you are going to keep on walking untravelled and slightly remote caminos! You had a few experiences this year that diddn’t seem to be particularly enjoyable for you and that would not have happened if you had been using wikiloc. Not trying to push, but I know that several of us would enjoy helping if you are interested.

 

[VNwalking]

BP, I think you need a wikiloc intervention.

Hee hee.
Or something.
Seriously.

would not have happened if you had been using wikiloc.

Or OSMand. Or any other map app that you feel at ease using offline. I'm not as fond of Wikiloc as my fellow peregrinas. But I sometimes download tracks from there an use it on the app I like a lot more.

Bottom line...wandering around in the wilderness is overrated. Getting lost can be fun. But it can also kill you. I hated and resisted map apps for years until I got seriously lost without one, relying on waymarkers and map screenshots. It was a superb day in the end, but that was dumb luck.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

You had a few experiences this year that diddn’t seem to be particularly enjoyable for you

Near-death experiences..!

I got the Wikiloc app and registered (it says you have to register i.e. pay to give you your position on the map?!) and chose "free trial 14 days" but it keeps telling me to pay!!

 

[VNwalking]

Never mind paying for Wikiloc, BP
Just download tracks from there.

OSMand doesn't pester you to pay. Download the free map for (ALL of) Spain, overlay the Wikiloc tracks on it and you're good to go.

 

[WestKirsty]

I'm looking forward to reading the last chapter but also quite sad all this fun Camino time is coming to a close. It's been really great following you online so close to my own little adventure; really brings back great memories as I deal with the usual post-Camino blues. Any chance you'll be writing about the Invierno too??

I flipped through the register in the albergue. Almost everyone had come from Igüeña, not Quintana de Fuseros. I saw @WestKirsty's name and, further back, @SaraDhooma... I felt honored to stay in the same place as legendary pilgrims!

This was too kind of you! Made me smile though I looked through that book as well and was surprised to see that a woman walked last year from my parents' town on Vancouver Island (Sooke, for any Canadians who might know the place!). Igueña is a loooong way from Sooke!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

I'm looking forward to reading the last chapter

Coming up soon!

Any chance you'll be writing about the Invierno too??

No!! I have walked & written about the Invierno so many times it would just be rehashing the same old story all over again. But recap: I arrived in Santiago from the Invierno/Sanabrés yesterday, and will take the train to Ferrol in two hours to walk the Inglés. I will be back again in Santiago in four or five days..!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Never mind paying for Wikiloc, BP
Just download tracks from there.

OSMand doesn't pester you to pay. Download the free map for (ALL of) Spain, overlay the Wikiloc tracks on it and you're good to go.

Thanks, I will try... I am heading for the Inglés today though. From what I have heard, it is not easy to get lost there

 

[VNwalking]

From what I have heard, it is not easy to get lost there

You'll find a way, if there is one.

Buen camino, BP - May the crowds of teenagers be somewhere else!

(I walked from A Coruña and it required an eagle eye to get out of the city, but after that it was a breeze.)

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Day 10: Congosto - Villafranca del Bierzo (Ponferrada), 35 kms

I was excited about reaching Villafranca del Bierzo this day, where I hadn't been since 2009. I was not excited about the stroll around the Embalse de Bárcena in the morning though. After more than two hours of walking next to the lake we were back almost were we started. We could see Congosto and the sanctuary in front of us again, really close but on the other side of the water.

I told Juan Luis we had to visit the bar La Madrileña in Cubillos del Sil, so we went there to have breakfast. The owner was happy to see us and she was just as nice as other pilgrims have described her. I went straight to the corner with the pilgrim photos to check it out. As she noticed that I knew what the corner was about, we immediately started talking Camino things. A few of the other costumers also chimed in. She said she needed a larger wall because she had too many photos of pilgrims now... She asked if we had seen any bears this morning, as another pilgrim recently encountered a mama with her cubs near the lake. That sounded ominous. Heck, I even get threatened by cows on the Camino! (See previous installments.) But I remembered the reassuring words that young priest Antonio had said to me about bears when we were in Fasgar: "The bears won't attack. And if they do, I will personally take care of your burial."

Señora Madrileña lamented the lack of bridge between Cubillos del Sil, we talked a bit about the upcoming elections, and Juan Luis explained the story behind his bandaged fingers to inquiring costumers. Finally she took the mandatory picture of us two holding a wooden sign with the words "Camino Olvidado". Hopefully we will end up on the wall of fame soon! A visit to La Madrileña is highly recommended.

A lot of road walking this stage so I don't have much to say about the terrain. We rapidly approached the town of Cacabelos on the Camino Francés. I wondered where we would join it. Then, in front of us, a couple of pilgrims suddenly crossed the road. We knew that at that spot exactly, the Camino Olvidado ended. And within five minutes I had seen more pilgrims than in the past four weeks put together..!

Still, walking through Cacabelos there weren't as many pilgrims as I had thought. It was afternoon and very hot so most of them had probably stopped for the day. Only a handful of us continued nine more kms towards Villafranca del Bierzo. I got separated from Juan Luis the last kms and walked totally alone the last hour into Villafranca. Not the crowd I had imagined on the Camino Francés..!

As usual, I had no memories of this part of the Camino or of Villafranca del Bierzo from 2009. Camino Francés is always new territory for me. But why is everything so quirky there? Quirky cafés with quirky handmade signs, quirky bohemian handicraft, quirky hippie rest areas, quirky flower pots... I concluded that the Camino Francés is best savored in small doses. Nine kms were enough this time.

Juan Luis and I ran into each other again in Villafranca. We celebrated our arrival with a meal at the plaza and communicated with Antonio through WhatsApp. Antonio would be one stage ahead of me on the Camino de Invierno from Ponferrada.

Juan Luis would take the bus to Ferrol to walk the Camino Inglés and I would take another bus to Ponferrada to walk the Invierno. We thought we had said farewell to each other, but an hour later he stumbled into my bus before we left Villafranca. There is no direct bus to Ferrol from Villafranca so he had to go to Ponferrada first. At the bus station in Ponferrada, we finally parted ways.

In Ponferrada I stayed at Hostal Rio Selmo (35 euros). A most unpleasant experience. For two reasons: 1) Compulsive English-speaking staff. The guy at the reception insisted on speaking English to me. All. The. Time. I politely answered in Spanish, through gritted teeth and with a strained smile on my face. Apparently my Spanish is not good enough to keep up a conversation in Ponferrada. 2) Bed bugs. In the morning, there was blood on my sheets and I saw one of the culprits that I had squished during my sleep. It was the first thing I told the hospitaleros in Casa Rosa at the albergue in Puente de Domingo Flórez later that day, because I didn't want to spread it to them. They put my clothes in a black plastic bag and left it in the sun during the afternoon to suffocate any bedbug that dared to travel with me. Of course I reported this to the linguistically challenged guy and his lethargic colleagues at Rio Selmo as I left Ponferrada in the morning. But they didn't raise an eyebrow.

But... Now we are getting into the Camino de Invierno. And that, my friends, is a whole other story.

This has been the Olvidado report! Thanks for following!

THE END

 

[laineylainey]

Fabulous story, thank you so much, I start my own Olvidado adventure the 1st Sept and again different stages to yourself and @VNwalking. At 70 now I am much more of a, less than 30k a day kind of gal, especially with steep ascents and descents Having enjoyed now 4 reports of the walk from also @WestKirsty and on YouTube Sara Dhooma, I am starting to recognise that this may well be mixed bag of pleasures and wrong turns! Still I am going to reply on Enders trails on Wikilocs and see what happens.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Wow, september sounds good to avoid the heat. Although it hasn't been that hot in Northern Spain this summer.

I also like to watch Sara's videos but it seems she stopped posting after Boñar?? That is strange.

Ok, perfect! You will post about your Olvidado here - then I can use it when I walk the first part of the Olvidado that I haven't done yet!

 

[laineylainey]

Well, if it's useful , of course I will post. Just realised though, watching Sara's YouTube videos (yes, finishing at Boñar, for some reason?), that my early stages match hers but not always and with perhaps different accommodation options?
But just to say, my stages in the first week and a bit won't be over 30K!!
I just think it is wonderful to share experiences. It is what this forum is all about really, for me.

 

[LTfit]

Reading here about your varied experiences doing the same Camino has been interesting. I'm generally not interested in watching or reading videos/vlogs/blogs of a route that I'm planning to walk but I did watch Sara's first day on the Olvidado. I have tremendous respect for her but I don't see the added advantage of watching her videos. Of course if I had (from what I've heard) I may not have gotten into the predicament after Cervera de Pisuerga with the closed barbed wire gate! @laineylainey you have been forewarned.

And @Bad Pilgrim I'll take great interest in hearing about your travails Bilbao - Aguilar de Campoo. I still wonder what went wrong in two particular spots, even using Wikiloc tracks.

 

[laineylainey]

Thanks for the reminder about that stretch before/after Cervera de Pisuerga. Could someone try to give me an idea of where the confusion about the path is? I have taken a note from someone that I should ignore arrows pointing to a meadow and just continue along the road until a sign on the guardrail?

 

[LTfit]

Thanks for the reminder about that stretch before/after Cervera de Pisuerga. Could someone try to give me an idea of where the confusion about the path is? I have taken a note from someone that I should ignore arrows pointing to a meadow and just continue along the road until a sign on the guardrail?

Exactly!

 

[laineylainey]

And is there, are there other place/ places where barbed wire fences need negotiating?

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks for the reminder about that stretch before/after Cervera de Pisuerga. Could someone try to give me an idea of where the confusion about the path is? I have taken a note from someone that I should ignore arrows pointing to a meadow and just continue along the road until a sign on the guardrail?

And just to add a bit more detail from memory (BP and LT correct me if I’m wrong). You are on a road leaving Cervera. Soon after leaving town, the camino arrows will take you off road to the left. Do not take that turn-off but continue straight on the road. A bit further ahead, the arrows will take you off to the right. And that’s where you start to go up to the abandoned coal mine.

The first time I walked the Olvidado that turnoff wasn’t even there. When I saw it the next time, for some reason I just ignored it, because I knew that all it was going to do was take you off road and bring you back to the turnoff that goes up to the abandoned coal mine. Am I not one who usually ignores the arrows, but it looks like it was a good decision in this case

 

[laineylainey]

Yes, I have made a note of that, thanks @peregrina2000. There was a comment about losing time and adding distance by diverting left out of Cervera instead of just following the road.

 

[LTfit]

And just to add a bit more detail from memory (BP and LT correct me if I’m wrong). You are on a road leaving Cervera. Soon after leaving town, the camino arrows will take you off road to the left. Do not take that turn-off but continue straight on the road. A bit further ahead, the arrows will take you off to the right. And that’s where you start to go up to the abandoned coal mine.

The first time I walked the Olvidado that turnoff wasn’t even there. When I saw it the next time, for some reason I just ignored it, because I knew that all it was going to do was take you off road and bring you back to the turnoff that goes up to the abandoned coal mine. Am I not one who usually ignores the arrows, but it looks like it was a good decision in this case

Sounds right except that I thought the arrows took me up to the right. Either way DON'T go up through the brush and stay on the road. Besides the fact that it's a detour and you can't get through the fence unless between the barbed wires which I did, it takes you to the road where you have to backtrack to find the arrows on the guardrail.

 

[LTfit]

And is there, are there other place/ places where barbed wire fences need negotiating?

I also had that problem during the stage before reaching Olea but that's because the "track" took me through thick overgrowth with an invisible path. I had to make my own way keeping as close as I could to the track and ended up having to negotiate another barbed wire fence to do so. Look at my thread for pictures and details. Hopefully you won't have the same problem.

 

[Sara_Dhooma]

@Bad Pilgrim what a delightful account of your Olvidado adventures!
Brings back so many memories!

And nightmares - the FLIES!!!!!!!!! Worst flies I've ever encountered in Spain.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

And @Bad Pilgrim I'll take great interest in hearing about your travails Bilbao - Aguilar de Campoo. I still wonder what went wrong in two particular spots, even using Wikiloc tracks.

Who knows - I might even have got access to a functional Wikiloc by then !! I have 11 months to learn until next summer !

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

And is there, are there other place/ places where barbed wire fences need negotiating?

From Aguilar to Villafranca, not that I know of!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

@Bad Pilgrim what a delightful account of your Olvidado adventures!
Brings back so many memories!

And nightmares - the FLIES!!!!!!!!! Worst flies I've ever encountered in Spain.

Hi Sara!

I will watch your episode 14 of the Olvidado vlog as soon as I can - they bring back memories as well!

Resting my feet in Betanzos on the Camino Inglés right now !

The flies on the Olvidado, ah ha ha!! I hated them! But they got a taste of my tilley hat that I swung as a machete in front of me..!