does everyone think....

[Kiwi-family]

they are getting lost when leaving Ponferrada?
(we did because the guidebook directions did not match the arrows - we followed the arrows and were not lost, but did feel as if we might have been....as we were standing on a street corner wondering whether to follow the instinct or not, another lady latched on to us and asked if she could walk with us as she was lost!)
a number of recent blog posts have made mention of getting lost on leaving Ponferrada, so it has made me wonder if it is an essential frances experience?

 

[tyrrek]

I don't remember it being too bad really. You walk up by a main road for a while then turn left along a quieter road, I think. Logrono is the one that I get slightly lost in, but even if you're just looking for a pharmacy etc local people will see you're off route and point you back to the Camino! Buen Camino!

 

[richeyboy]

:? Your'e right, Tyrrek, you just walk up the main road and then turn left along a quieter one. The trouble is that you have to find the correct main road first and when I did it the signs were 'iffy' but that could have been me not paying attention. Also I had a guide book with no sense of scale which did not help. Still I did find the locals helpful.

 

[clearskiescamino]

I found it tricky getting out of Ponferrada, it took me a while to find an arrow or sign but a local pointed me in the right direction.
Tyrekk, I'm starting in Logrono in a few weeks. I hope I don't find it difficult to find the route

 

[annelise]

I too had difficulty out of logrono - but latched on behind some peregrinos who seemed able to catch the sometimes rather obscure markings. But when I lost them at some time (when I stopped to adjust layers), I myself became rather lost too - no obvious signage to be seen. Had to walk backwards to see whether I had missed a sign, but not so - only a rather long stretch without (clear) signage.

 

[Thengel1]

There were a few short stretches where I was going more on instinct than clear markings. I did find the walking that morning particularly pleasant considering a lot of it was on asphalt.

I also found Logrono a little challenging. I was never lost, but there were a couple of moments where I wasn't seeing the way to go clearly. Twice I took a few steps down what turned out to be the wrong path ( not intending to go far, just hoping to see a sign in confirmation), when a local person pointed out to me the right path.

This may not be the right place to make this observation but... there were times when I would come to a junction when it wasn't immediately obvious how to proceed. I would look down, half blindly reaching for my guidebook, thinking to myself that I could use a little hint here. I would look up, and instantly there would a clear marking that somehow I hadn't seen before. Now, look, I am not strongly religious, and what beliefs I do have don't extend to believing in a God who has time and interest to provide directions to one pilgrim. The thing is, this didn't happen once or twice, it happened a LOT.

 

[tyrrek]

Tyrekk, I'm starting in Logrono in a few weeks. I hope I don't find it difficult to find the route

No you'll be fine. Leaving Logrono is lovely as you walk through the park to the lake. The locals there really seem to embrace pilgrims. As they're out on their morning walk, some might pass you and say 'Buen Camino' with considerable enthusiasm. Then when you get up by the motorway you'll see the makeshift crosses in the fence. Add your own if you feel inclined!

I should recommend Logrono as a starting point more often really! Buen Camino!

 

[mspath]

...there were times when I would come to a junction when it wasn't immediately obvious how to proceed. I would look down, half blindly reaching for my guidebook, thinking to myself that I could use a little hint here. I would look up, and instantly there would a clear marking that somehow I hadn't seen before. Now, look, I am not strongly religious, and what beliefs I do have don't extend to believing in a God who has time and interest to provide directions to one pilgrim. The thing is, this didn't happen once or twice, it happened a LOT.

As Thengel1 implies on the Camino as in ordinary life we never know how help might come. Nevertheless we should always be most grateful for it.

Early in March 2009 a young Spanish woman and I set off through heavy rain one morning from Hospital de Orbigo towards Astorga; we intended to follow the slightly northern camino alternative route. Although the wet path was very muddy and quite slippery, the dense colors of the landscape were lovely. All was terra cotta, umber, and deepest green; we, however, were soaked. Somewhere between Santibáñez de Valdeiglesias and San Justo de la Vega we lost the path within a dark and rather eerie rain drenched holm oak wood.

Perplexed we slowly started to back track. Suddenly a small puppy appeared out of the dripping dense vegetation. After twice circling our muddy boots the puppy moved towards the west, stopped and moved again. Eventually he walked with us for the longest time as if he were our guide. When at last on the distant horizon the towers of the Astorga cathedral could be glimpsed through the fog, the puppy turned east and left. His job was done; we could see our goal.

Margaret Meredith

 

[katehawk]

Yes, I, too, found leaving Ponferrada confusing. There were arrows along the busy route out of town, but it was not clear which road the arrows were pointing toward. At one point, I stood on a corner at a major intersection, at the edge of town, with another peregrino who was as confused as I. (We were the only two in sight.) Even though there was an arrow, it wasn't clear if we were to go right or straight because of the angle of the roads and the positioning of the sign. We eventually decided on straight, which turned out to be the correct choice.

I read many posts before I began my Camino that said it's impossible to get lost. I think that's probably true in the big sense of being lost, but there were certainly many times when I wondered if I was on the right path, missed an arrow or some such thing. I walked alone 90% of the time (by choice) and there were plenty of times when there was no one else in sight, contrary to what others might say. I think being by myself made me question the trail more often than if I had been walking with others.

Margaret, I loved your dog story.
Katherine

Katherine

 

[Wotever]

The arrows in Pamplona led me down a river and then nothing..... It was breakfast time and rather than puzzle any longer I had the nicest/friendliest breakfast of my camino. I then asked a local and was escorted a few blocks to get back on route.
With reference to the 'puppy guide' - I too was accompanied by a small bird that flew just ahead of me at knee height for 2 days.

 

[KinkyOne]

Wow, such nice stories, puppy & bird guides, I'm kind of sad I have so strong sense of orientation that I'm almost sure that such would never happen to me. Even when I go to pick mushrooms in the unknown forest I can easily find my way back to the starting point. With no thinking of direction. So I've never had any problems with getting out of Logrono or Ponferrada. But I got lost in the morning leaving Belorado. Yes, yes, I know, 7 different arrows - on the asphalt, on the house, on the tree, on the bridge, ..., but I just went straight on and on...
An hour later (sun was in the exactly right direction!!!) an old man in the nearby field started to yell and make funny gestures. Only then I realized that I was "somewhere else" with my thoughts, thanked him and returned. But altogether it was one of the nicest experiences on my way!

Camino Frances is really very well signed, but still you can go "the wrong way" :lol:

 

[dougfitz]

There were two things that struck me about Ponferrada. The first was the paucity of arrows in the town, but even more disconcerting was that at some point I found myself walking into the morning sun. Fortunately, I persevered, and shortly afterwards the marked path turned back to the west.