Help Needed

[Jakepatrickwood]

I am planning to walk from Santiago De Compostela to Salamanca in about two weeks... can anybody help me plan my route? Or has any 'Do's' and 'don'ts' ... this is my first Camino ever.

 

[SabsP]

Hi and welcome.
Do I understand you want to walk away from Santiago in the direction of Salamanca?

 

[Jeff Crawley]

If you DO want to go from SdC to Salamanca then it's the Camino Frances to Astorga and the Camino de la Plata to Salamanca - take a look at the Gronze sites.

Camino Frances

De La Plata

The main problem I found walking "the wrong way" is that you can't see yellow arrows and waymarkers very easily.

 

[Jakepatrickwood]

Hi and welcome.
Do I understand you want to walk away from Santiago in the direction of Salamanca?

Yes, indeed..

 

[Jakepatrickwood]

Yes, indeed..

I am going to start in Ourense, to Salamanca

 

[Jakepatrickwood]

If you DO want to go from SdC to Salamanca then it's the Camino Frances to Astorga and the Camino de la Plata to Salamanca - take a look at the Gronze sites.

Camino Frances

De La Plata

The main problem I found walking "the wrong way" is that you can't see yellow arrows and waymarkers very easily.

From where and to where did you walk the wrong way?

 

[MileHighPair]

Jake (if you are a real person, not a BOT), why don't you just walk from Salamanca? Or start in Zamora and make it to Santiago. If you do stick with your plans, I would recommend a gps app of some sort (I use Maps.me), then download a gpx file for the Sanabres/Via de la Plata from the Wikiloc website. If you can follow the gps track, it won't be quite so difficult, as finding the way markers will be troublesome going "backwards", especially as your first camino. Buen Camino whatever you decide.

 

[Jakepatrickwood]

Not a BOT dude, but thanks for that advice I presume that there will be plenty of pilgrims making their way to santiago who I will corss paths with

 

[C clearly]

'Do's' and 'don'ts' ... this is my first Camino ever

DO get a KML track for maps.me, and just follow it on your phone.
DO look at the stages for walking the other direction, to get information on accommodation, etc.
DON'T consider this a "first Camino" as you are not walking the pilgrimage to Santiago. It seems more like a novelty long distance walk.
DO check whether you can use a credencial and pilgrim albergues if you are not walking to Santiago. (I don't know.)
DO read all of the threads you can about footwear, blisters, albergue etiquette, packing, etc., as they would still apply.

 

[MaryLynn]

You have a very challenging Camino planned! You should not assume that you will meet plenty of pilgrims passing you on their way to Santiago--the Via de La Plata is not a busy route like the Camino Frances; and you might want to re-consider walking it in August, when the high temperatures are downright dangerous.

 

[hel&scott]

@C clearly has given you some good advice. The route between Orence and Salamanca is an interesting one, the markings are ok if you are heading towards Santiago but not so if you are going the other way. Having walked the Portuguse route in reverse I can confirm its not easy finding arrows which are painted on the other side of trees etc and you can spend a lot of time at cross roads looking for them. It's not like the other European trails that place markers which can be read from either direction.

While @marylynn has a point over the late summer heat, the section you are looking at tends to have some cover and isn't as hot as the southern section of the Vdlp. I don't know your fitness level or hiking experience so I can't really comment further. But if you prepare well, take good maps and Gps, and don't mind getting lost you should be ok.

 

[Harington]

If you DO want to go from SdC to Salamanca then it's the Camino Frances to Astorga and the Camino de la Plata to Salamanca - take a look at the Gronze sites.

Camino Frances

De La Plata

The main problem I found walking "the wrong way" is that you can't see yellow arrows and waymarkers very easily.

Or the Sanabrés via Ourense