La Virgen to Hospital del Orbigo: via Mazarife or Villadangos?

[mai]

I would like to seek inputs about the stage from La Virgen del Camino to Hospital del Orbigo.
According to Brierley’s book, it seems not very pleasant to walk along the road N-120. If to walk the green route, it will take more 2.6 km. I wonder if more pilgrims prefer the green route than the other one?

Last year I skipped some stages after Leon. Any experiences about this route will be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[SabsP]

Without a doubt the green route!
Bar Tio Pepe/ albergue in Vilar de Mazarife is wonderful.
After that I can recommend you the wonderful albergue of Villares de Orbigo with the friendly owner Christine.

 

[mai]

@SabineP, thank you very much for quick input.
My heart tells that I should take the green route, and want to make sure again.
Villages de Orbigo is already on my list, and will include Tio Pepe on the list as well.

Thank you again.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Without a doubt the green route!
Bar Tio Pepe/ albergue in Vilar de Mazarife is wonderful.
After that I can recommend you the wonderful albergue of Villares de Orbigo with the friendly owner Christine.

Totally agree with @SabineP. There is BarTio Pepe in Vilar with its good food and lovely courtyard, and a small tienda a block or two from there to restock, and then a beautiful walk to Villares de Orbigo after Hospital. This beats road walking any day in my world.

Buen Camino,
Paul

 

[mspath]

Check out these earlier comments re the Green Route

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-from-virgen-del-camino.56392/

Good luck and Buen camino!

 

[C clearly]

Without a doubt the green route!

Agree - take the Mazarife route.

In my opinion, the other route is one of the most tedious days on the whole camino Frances.

 

[mai]

Thank you so much for the various information. I will take the green route definitely. The only problem is that there are many good Albergues from Oncina to Villares de Orbigo!! Hard decision to choose which one to stay....

 

[Judy's Way]

Leon to Vilar de Mazarife was wonderful and Antonia de Padua in Mazarife was one of our favourite albergues because of Pepe Giner, the delicious communal dinner by the fire and breakfast, and the queimada ritual given by Pepe. Also the hosts went out of their way to help a pilgrim who had lost his wallet on the first day of his journey. Here are details of our Day 32: http://throughourlookingglass.ca/in...r-11-2015-22-2-km-leon-to-villar-de-mazarife/.

Our dinner at Antonia de Padua consisted of salad, gazpacho, vegetarian paella, crepes with whipping cream and a strawberry. Pepe’s queimada ritual was one of the highlights of our journey to that point. After our daughter told us about the queimada ritual she experienced two years previous, we put it at the top of our Camino bucket list. We knew it would be by chance that we would get to experience it; it isn’t something you can plan on, make a reservation for, or order.

Quite often breakfasts are sparse, but the one we had in the morning was complete with muesli, toast, churros, muffins, yogurt, orange juice, and cafe con leche.

Unfortunately we don’t know enough Spanish to convey to Pepe just how much we enjoyed our stay at his albergue and the queimada ritual in particular, so we expressed our appreciation non-verbally with hugs, kisses, and hand-shakes when we left in the morning.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Yep its the green route. By the time you have walked the 8km from Leon to La Virgin you will have had your total fill of walking beside major roads. Once you pass over the motorway and get onto the dirt road (just after Fresno) you will enjoy the peace and reasonable quiet. As you will be a seasoned pilgrim by Leon the extra 2/3 km will be nothing.
Accommodation choice: If you can get it I think the Casa de Jesus or The Pepe alberques are the better options (imho).

 

[LTfit]

Without a doubt the green route!
Bar Tio Pepe/ albergue in Vilar de Mazarife is wonderful.
After that I can recommend you the wonderful albergue of Villares de Orb with the friendly owner Christine.

I concur with Sabine! I've done the "green" route three times and the route along the highway one (second time around as already knew the alternative). I've walked many different Caminos and the highway stage was IMHO the most unpleasant with trucks and cars zooming by the whole way.

 

[Davey Boyd]

I concur too! Tio Pepe in Mazarife, or a bit further and visit Coco the parrot at albergue Santa Lucia in Vilavante!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

On the way to Mazarife, besides the agricultural fields, there are wild flower meadows.

 

[Lisakline]

Green, drug eremy. Am in albergue in Orcina, great place! Forget the car route. This is beautiful.

 

[Lisakline]

Green, definetely. Am in albergue in Orcina, great place! Forget the car route. This is beautiful.

 

[Carol06]

La Virgen del Camino was a stop over for us last time and it was a very strange place. The locals made us feel very uncomfortable and we had trouble finding food. We were very happy to leave the next day. I don't like to be negative about a place but it was creepy.

 

[Judy's Way]

La Virgen del Camino was a stop over for us last time and it was a very strange place. The locals made us feel very uncomfortable and we had trouble finding food. We were very happy to leave the next day. I don't like to be negative about a place but it was creepy.

I can understand getting the impression that Mazarife was a bit strange or creepy. When we were there, so few people were out and about and there was a big tower (water?) looming above. There was another small town on the Camino Frances that we described as a strange little ghost town or "alternative universe": Calzadilla de los Hermanillos. There were hardly any people or cars but a fender bender took place. There were only two cars parked on the street and they weren't going anywhere when the car in front backed into the one behind. Maybe our arrival in both towns coincided with siesta time.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Wait, @Judy’s Way are you talking about La Virgen del Camino (which is what the original post is about), or Vilar de Mazarife, about 20k from La Virgen?
Of course every day is different and every impression is unique, but I found Vilar to be warm and accommodating, the reverse of the vibe the original poster got from La Virgen.
All the best,
Paul

 

[Judy's Way]

Wait, @Judy’s Way are you talking about La Virgen del Camino (which is what the original post is about), or Vilar de Mazarife, about 20k from La Virgen?
Of course every day is different and every impression is unique, but I found Vilar to be warm and accommodating, the reverse of the vibe the original poster got from La Virgen.

Hi Paul, Our first impression of Vilar de Mazarife was that it was a bit strange because of how empty the streets were and the fact that the water tower loomed above. That was a first impression, though, and it might have been because it was siesta time. Our arrival in Calzadilla was similar. We liked both towns very much, however, which shows how we can't judge a place by that "first impression." In fact, our experience in Mazarife was a highlight of our entire journey to that point (Day 32): http://throughourlookingglass.ca/in...r-11-2015-22-2-km-leon-to-villar-de-mazarife/. I am sorry to miss Mazarife on my second Camino this spring since I will only go as far as Leon before going to Oviedo to walk the Primitivo.

 

[La Rubia]

If you take the green route, I highly recommend Molino Galochas, a casa rural in Villavante. Wonderful owners, and we had a veritable UN at our dinner table. AND I landed my first joke in Spanish, which was memorable in and of itself.

 

[Vacajoe]

Casa de Jesus! Can’t go wrong with an albuergue run by the the son of god! . Take the rural route and visit — DEFINITELY VISIT!!!!! — the pilgrim “Humanitarian Help Point” just past Fresno. Nicest guy in the world with a clean toilet and fresh-squeezed OJ.