galisteo to ourense in 19 days - realistic?

[cajunun]

I am hoping to walk part of the VdlP in September 2015. I'm trying to decide where to start from in order to meet my daughter in Ourense on 28 September and then walk into Santiago for the 3 October.
Where is a good place to start? I'm reasonably fit, have walked the camino frances twice, so know roughly what to expect. In considering where I start, I also need to consider the transport to the starting point, probably from Santiago, but could be from Madrid (or large city where a flight from London will land). Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Cajunn,
By my calculations, it's about 500 km from Galisteo to Ourense. If you have 19 walking days, that will give you about 26 km a day average. How does that compare with your distances on the Frances? That section of the Vdlp doesn't have too much elevation gain, though there's the occasional slog up, for instance going into Banos de Montemayor.

Galisteo can't possibly have much in the way of public transportation, but I would think it would be much easier to get there from Madrid than from Santiago. Once you decide where you want to start, I think you should start a new thread in the "Traveling to the Camino" section with the title being specifically about transportation because there are several magicians on the forum when it comes to answering transportation questions (Castilian, whariwarangi, and falcon come most quickly to mind). Buen camino, Laurie

 

[alansykes]

Last time I did it in 18 days walking between Galisteo and Ourense, with a couple of extra days off en route: my stages were: Grimaldo (c20km before Galisteo), Carcaboso, Aldeanueva del Camino, Puerta de Béjar, Fuenterroble, Morille, Salamanca, El Cubo de Tierra del Vino, Zamora, Granja de Moreruela, Tábara, Calzadilla de Tera, Mombuey, Puebla de Sanabria, Lubián, A Gudiña, Campobecerros, Vilar de Barrio, Ourense.

There is a daily bus at just after 1pm from Plasencia to Galisteo, Plasencia is 3 hours by train from Madrid. Godesalco has a useful tool for working out your stages. My first camino, when I was a young and fit and over-hurried 49 year old, I did Galisteo to Ourense in only 15 days, but nowadays I prefer to go more slowly and take rest days and generally enjoy the views.

Fast or slow, the VdlP has so much to offer and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

 

[Harington]

I am hoping to walk part of the VdlP in September 2015. I'm trying to decide where to start from in order to meet my daughter in Ourense on 28 September and then walk into Santiago for the 3 October.
Where is a good place to start? I'm reasonably fit, have walked the camino frances twice, so know roughly what to expect. In considering where I start, I also need to consider the transport to the starting point, probably from Santiago, but could be from Madrid (or large city where a flight from London will land). Any advice would be very much appreciated.

I am an oldie (I was 66 at the time), and did Galisteo-Ourense in 18 days...but really you want time to spend in Salamanca and Zamora.

 

[cajunun]

Thanks so much for the information. I've checked out the Madrid - Plasencia link and can see how it might work well. Would anyone know what a taxi cost from Placencia to Galisteo (about 22kms) would be?

 

[Magwood]

I walked that route this year in twenty days, a couple of very short days (virtual days off) and others in the 20 - 35 km range. I could easily have done this stage in eighteen or nineteen days, but I was already camino fit by this point, having walked nearly 700 km's from Málaga on the Mozárabe.

You are welcome to look at my blog and see the stages that I walked
http://www.magwood.me/camino-mozarabe/

Try and make time for a relaxing session in one of the thermal baths in Ourense.
Buen camino!

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks so much for the information. I've checked out the Madrid - Plasencia link and can see how it might work well. Would anyone know what a taxi cost from Placencia to Galisteo (about 22kms) would be?

Hi, cajunun, I called Radio Taxi in Plasencia http://www.taxiplasencia.com (I have a calling card that charges me three cents a minute to call Spain).

If it's during the week, daytime, 22 euros (that's consistent with my experience of 1 euro per km for longer distances). If it's night time or weekends, 28. When you get there, you can call this number 34 927 09 04 24 and they will send you a taxi in a few minutes. Or I imagine if you arrive by train or bus, there will be taxis waiting there and they will charge you the same amount. Ask first, though. Buen camino, Laurie