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My husband and I were hospitaleros at Ourense albergue a while back. There is a big and fascinating cemetery attached to the rear, and gardens behind the adjoining monastery buildings. Ourense is a great place to be a pilgrim -- it's got those thermal baths, lots of transport links, bars, shopping, restaurants, and IMHO the very best farmer's market ever.
It is a tough place to be hospi in, however. The building acoustics are very strange (hard to hear one another), the kitchen is practically unusable, the hospi quarters are damp and noisy, and many of the 100-km pilgrims start their journey there -- they don't yet know the pilgrim etiquette, and they want to stay out all night partying.
As for the routes out of town, I walked the RH route. It may not be AS steep as the left, but it goes up and up for HOURS. It is really a tough day's hike whichever way you go.
Agree, just have to take those stairs up to the right at the end of the river path, turn left and left again and you are on the main drag into the Ourense. But still have to cross the old city center to get to muni albergue.Walked along the river into Ourense. Much nicer than the other way.
Thank you for posting. We’re heading that way in October.Since there are a fair number of people who are walking the Vdlp this year, I thought I would offer my two cents on Ourense -- these topics have been discussed before but I think bear repeating.
First, going in to Ourense. There is a lengthy discussion here camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic5483.html, but if you just want to know how to avoid the industrial slog into Ourense, here's what to do.
As you are getting close to the city, after having gone through the little town of Seixalbo with its old stone houses, you will see the Peugeot building. Big signs. At that point, the Camino arrow goes to the right, and then the Burgos-like entrance to town begins. If you turn left, you will find yourself immediately on a path on the side of a river. It's lovely. Just stay on it. You will have to cross a busy street when you get to the Ford Motor company building, but you will easily see the river path after you cross the street. You can stay on it till the very end, which is when the river merges into another river. At that point, turn right, and you will walk into As Burgas, and you are then very close to the center. You may need directions, but if you ask for the Cathedral you'll get very close to the albergue.
When you leave Ourense, you have a choice as well. Again, there is a long thread on the topic. camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic5714.html
I think I am right to say that the LH route is more rural and further from the highway. It was very pretty the day I walked it. I had planned to take the RH route because of the hospitalero's dire warnings, but I missed the turn-off.
I also think the ascent on the LH may be steeper, so you can choose between longer and more gradual vs. shorter and steeper, but in both cases you wind up at the same place.
Buen camino, Laurie
Yup, sorry. I had just re-read the thread and people used RH and LH, I should be clearer.What does RH stands for? Is this the right or the left option after the river? I think I remember that petrol station.
RH = right-hand???
I'm sorry too because the thread is so old I just jumped to last hence the questionYup, sorry. I had just re-read the thread and people used RH and LH, I should be clearer.
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