Aglass
Andrew
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Walked el Camino Frances in 2003. Did the Primitivo in August 13 and Ruta lebaniega in July 14. Summer 2016 - Camino del Salvador.
One day: Ruta de la Plata into the Sanabres, maybe part of the Norte, and perhaps the Olvidado.
Camino Lebaniego: the perfect short 'camino' (but...)
I have just completed the Camino Lebaniego from San Vicente de la Barquera to Santo Toribio de Liebana on the edge of the Picos de Europa. Complete with its own 'credencial', the route has just (around the end of June 2014). been completely re-routed in parts and re-signed throughout. The concrete and wooden waymarks with the red arrow and distinctive one side of the cross are in pristine condition, not yet defaced by graffiti. It is now offically 65.9km and completely avoids the main road up to Potes. It took me 2 1/2 days and I doubt that any but the very fittest walkers could do it in in just 2 days as suggested in some of the guides.
I have done the 'frances' and 'primitivo' but the scenery on the second and third days of this route easily surpassed the best scenery on those two routes. It was cloudless throughout and you are treated to mountain peaks over 1,000 metres on all sides, narrow and open valleys, forest and river trails. I didn't see a single pilgrim in the three days and found out in the monastery that none had arrived in the previous six days and only about twenty from late June to late July. To plagiarise the slogan used by the Croatian tourist board, you get a real sense of the 'camino as it once was' - peaceful, uncommercialised and with a bit of a sense of adventure.
Many locals don't seem to know about the walk and are a bit hazy about directions. I'd say that 95 percent of the time the arrows and signposting is perfect but it is the five percent when a seemingly essential sign is missing that sometimes leads you astray. But the locals I met were very kind. The owner of a 'posada' phoned ahead to some places asking if they had rooms for later on. The owner of another offered me a huge jug of coffee with the tradional "corbatas", sweets from Unquera. A bar owner drove me at 9.30pm drove me to a little hotel. Needless to say I retraced my steps the next day!
This brings me on to three provisos. There is minimal accommodation. A couple of places which purport to be albergues only cater for groups and in LaFuente I couldn't find any trace of the albergue. I stayed in a lovely rural hotel after about 22km but it isn't typical pilgrim accommodation in style or price. On the second day I stopped just short of Potes, in Tama and again had to retrace my steps. I couldn't find anything else except too close to San Vicente or in Potes. The same applies to food. I didn't pass a single shop till Potes and there were virtually no bars after the first few km. I had a hearty lunch in Cicero just before a 500m uphill climb - not the cleverest idea, particularly in 30 degree plus heat, but it was the first place I had found. Locals are happy to fill your water bottle and there are a few fountains. Finally you have to be comfortable with your own company.
This apart, it is a beautiful walk. Ideal as a standalone if you happen to be in northern Spain or as a diversion from the Camino del Norte or a first stage onto the Vadiniense. The monastery in Santo Toribio is a fitting endpoint, a lovely setting amid the mountains and, for those who believe, it hosts the largest fragment of the Cross. I have lots of photos and a bit more description I can share if anyone is interested.
I have just completed the Camino Lebaniego from San Vicente de la Barquera to Santo Toribio de Liebana on the edge of the Picos de Europa. Complete with its own 'credencial', the route has just (around the end of June 2014). been completely re-routed in parts and re-signed throughout. The concrete and wooden waymarks with the red arrow and distinctive one side of the cross are in pristine condition, not yet defaced by graffiti. It is now offically 65.9km and completely avoids the main road up to Potes. It took me 2 1/2 days and I doubt that any but the very fittest walkers could do it in in just 2 days as suggested in some of the guides.
I have done the 'frances' and 'primitivo' but the scenery on the second and third days of this route easily surpassed the best scenery on those two routes. It was cloudless throughout and you are treated to mountain peaks over 1,000 metres on all sides, narrow and open valleys, forest and river trails. I didn't see a single pilgrim in the three days and found out in the monastery that none had arrived in the previous six days and only about twenty from late June to late July. To plagiarise the slogan used by the Croatian tourist board, you get a real sense of the 'camino as it once was' - peaceful, uncommercialised and with a bit of a sense of adventure.
Many locals don't seem to know about the walk and are a bit hazy about directions. I'd say that 95 percent of the time the arrows and signposting is perfect but it is the five percent when a seemingly essential sign is missing that sometimes leads you astray. But the locals I met were very kind. The owner of a 'posada' phoned ahead to some places asking if they had rooms for later on. The owner of another offered me a huge jug of coffee with the tradional "corbatas", sweets from Unquera. A bar owner drove me at 9.30pm drove me to a little hotel. Needless to say I retraced my steps the next day!
This brings me on to three provisos. There is minimal accommodation. A couple of places which purport to be albergues only cater for groups and in LaFuente I couldn't find any trace of the albergue. I stayed in a lovely rural hotel after about 22km but it isn't typical pilgrim accommodation in style or price. On the second day I stopped just short of Potes, in Tama and again had to retrace my steps. I couldn't find anything else except too close to San Vicente or in Potes. The same applies to food. I didn't pass a single shop till Potes and there were virtually no bars after the first few km. I had a hearty lunch in Cicero just before a 500m uphill climb - not the cleverest idea, particularly in 30 degree plus heat, but it was the first place I had found. Locals are happy to fill your water bottle and there are a few fountains. Finally you have to be comfortable with your own company.
This apart, it is a beautiful walk. Ideal as a standalone if you happen to be in northern Spain or as a diversion from the Camino del Norte or a first stage onto the Vadiniense. The monastery in Santo Toribio is a fitting endpoint, a lovely setting amid the mountains and, for those who believe, it hosts the largest fragment of the Cross. I have lots of photos and a bit more description I can share if anyone is interested.
