Last 100k northern roue

[doy]

Hi all arriving in Santiago with a group of 8/10 first time pilgrims in August for one week. Looking for starting point on northern route to qualify for a compestella. Also would anyone have links or phone no.s for private transfer (mini bus or people carrier) to starting point, as we are arriving at the airport in the evening public transport may not be viable, as we hope to start walking early the next morning. All tips graciously recieved thanks.Dave

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Vilalba to Santiago is just about 100km. I don't know how easy it is to get there!

 

[mikevasey]

Hi doy,

Baamonde is 103km. Vilalba is 124km. Their is a train service from Lugo to A Coruna(ferrol ?) which goes through Baamonde and stops about once or twice a day. Vilalba is a lot bigger place with hotels, pensions and other places to stay and more buses passing through. The pilgrim hostel in Vilalba is also a a fire station and the hospitalero was also a bombinero('a'? they were female). They are both big Pilgrim Hostels, and there are both very good places to eat nearby if you get there late, the one in Baamonde is a pilgrim 'institution', i think its called 'Cafe or Bar Galicia'.

The Santiago Airport website gives details of how to get there and away and also lists a telephone number for a taxi firm, the message is in English so hopefully the firm has someone who speaks English as well.

Mike

 

[doy]

Thanks Mike for your valueable advice reguarding the northern route. Just want to run a couple of things by you before we head out on Tuesday. We have decided to start our camino in Baamonde as it will allow us an extra day in Santiago at the end of the week which we could use for a day trip to Finnister/Muxia . Could you clarify if starting in Baamonde qualifies for a compestella as I am reading conflicting reports. Secondly would we be allowed stay in the official hostel in Baamonde on our first night after getting off the bus from the airport which arrives in Baamonde at 18.30 Ive noticed its fairly large 94 beds. We have already aquired our pilgrim passports here in Dublin today and have already collected 2 stamps in them from St.James church and St.James Gate (Guinness Brewry). Finally could you reccomend a left luggage service in Santiago for a couple of bags to collect on our return.A lot of Questions I know but just anxious to get the first night sorted before I relax and start walking .Thanks Dave.

 

[mikevasey]

Hi Dave, i just checked the website http://www.xacobeo.es/en, if you go onto northern way and look at the distances between towns, it gives Baamonde at 99.18km from Santiago. The problem is you cant even walk out of town to a shop or anything and get a stamp because there isnt anything apart from a Repsol garage about 5km away. I saw a thread on this site a few weeks ago where Ivar said that last year two people walked all the routes in Galicia with a GPS and measured the distance between places, so the distances given on the Xacobeo should be quite accurate.

You have two options for left luggage, you can either send it Poste Restante or try this thread http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/discuss-news-from-santiago/topic10737.html it gives details of options and possibly another way to get Vilalba.

Sorry about misleading you with the distances but i saw at least 3 sources with Baamonde at more than 100km, one of them was my German guidebook and as some one on here remarked about 'Teutonic precision' to one set of distance markers, i was relying on it with my guide book.

Mike

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Baamonde. Just as the Camino leaves the road out of Baamonde and crosses the railway line there is a marker showing 99.8 km - my 2006 photograph shows that. This means that Baamonde is on the 100km line. Just over? Just short?

Vilalbo is clearly over the marker.

In 2006 I took a bus to Lugo from SDC airport and the then caught a bus direct to Vilalba. The albergue is down the slight hill, ie away from Baamonde but in easy walking distance. Not sure if you could this by bus later in the day. The SDC to Lugo bus is Empressa Freira, then Arriva to Vilalba.

http://www.empresafreire.com/html/ingles/seccion3a.php

http://arriva.es/?zona=galicia&fecha=08 ... A#buscador

The problem is that the last bus is 18.30 from Lugo is with Lugo E.S. Probably too late.

 

[mikevasey]

There isnt a marker at 100 km on the Norte like the Frances. but if i remember my days walking there was one showing 101+km. I dont know if they would accept a photo with you next to it in the pilgrims office. If they did it would just be a matter of doing it in reverse out of Baamonde the evening you arrive, the hospitalero may even be able to help you. I only spotted the garage because i was thirsty, there may have been many other things which escaped my attention closer to Baamonde but over the 100km line, and a possible sello.

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

The trouble is that they might say, you took a taxi to the marker.

Mind you they could say the same about the Vilalba stamp that clearly puts you over the 100km.

I guess that to be sure its go to Vilalba and then walk. The pilgrim office just simply have to take us on trust and our own conscience.

 

[mikevasey]

The trouble is that they might say, you took a taxi to the marker.

They can use any method they want to get to the marker, its what they do afterwards that is important.. Maybe a couple of photos will help as an illustration to the pilgrim office

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Tranquillo! Baamonde is accepted as the start of the 100 kms on the Camino del Norte.

Buen Camino!

John

 

[Thornley]

Baamonde is a dive
I would not hesitate to start before this place and stay in a lovely alberque 7 km past which is situated in the woods
Supermarket in Baamonde.
Have just finished and that town stands out as the worst with most of the people we saw for 4 weeks as the worst.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

OK but the question was where does the final 100 kms start on the Camino del Norte and that's Baamonde!

 

[doy]

Thanks lads for the advice , put it all to the group whom seem happy to start in Vilalba and try make Santiago in 5 days allowing us the spare day at the end of the week to visit Finnister. Will post a report on my return next week. Thanks and Buen Camino. Dave :shock:

 

[peregrina2000]

Just a little off topic, but I would like to stick up for Baamonde. True, it is essentially a crossroads with a few houses built around it, BUT

-- the albergue there was fabulous (at least it was four years ago when I walked it), and the hospitalera was extremely kind. Small rooms, an extremely old and rehabb-ed building, with a nice small outdoor space for hanging clothes and sitting around.

-- the Restaurante Galicia has outstanding food, and the owner of the restaurant is a true Camino Character. He serves a queimada to rival Jesus Jato's, though I am no expert. But it is equally dramatic.

-- there is an odd little museum of statuary that I don't remember a whole lot about, but it's mainly in the front yard of the sculptor if my memory is right. The church is quite nice and the hospitalera opens it up for everyone to go in in the late afternoon.

Now Villaba on the other hand ..... the albergue is about 1.5 km from the center, it's near/in an industrial park, is a modern black box with not much upkeep. But the Norte is a true maravilla!

Laurie

 

[mikevasey]

Just a little off topic, but I would like to stick up for Baamonde. True, it is essentially a crossroads with a few houses built around it, BUT

And there is a very beautiful area to go swimming on the nearby river, just ask the hospitalero he will give you directions, its no more than 500-600m from the albergue.

 

[marthac]

I walked last year starting in Baamonde and got my Compostella. I really liked Baamonde too. Great restaurant, great carving in a tree, fine albergue.

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

My 2006 stay at Baamonde was excellent and the restaurant fabulous.

I have walked through another small town, Hornillos del Camino on 4 occasions and every visit has been markedly different, so I guess you can catch a place on a bad day and the impression may be distorted.

 

[Thornley]

Mike and Laurie have given me great advice and assistance on questions i have asked them on PM but i must say that things have really changed on the Norte in the last 3-4 yrs.
We have done Frances , Portuguese and Le Puy and we make allowances always for ALL matters.
We were there on 26/7 and by 12.30pm 50 people were there.
We have no idea where they came from as we walked from Vilalba and left early after staying in a lovely pension.
By 4 pm the albergue was full according to the boss.......90 plus beds.
The cafe next door treated the pilgrims as second class ...and that was the opinion from Brazilian, German and Italian young pilgrims when we returned after lunch.
We older ones went to the lovely restr. Galicia for lunch.
We older ones went to the other lovely restr. called Casa Lobrego for dinner. It was magnificent and is beside the museum. Galicia only opened for lunch.
The bikes started arriving at 9pm and they were entitled to the facilities of the albergue.

At 3 am .....yes 3 am a group of five polish girls decided to leave for Miraz as there is only the 20 plus beds.The movement started many.
By 5am Peter a german man who had walked from Paris said to the remaining walking pilgrims
" Lets go the lights will be handy " Most of us had breakfast at Miraz.....the polish girls received a lecture about consideration as they had there bags in the foyer of Miraz for that evening.The lecture came from the people running Miraz who gave them breakfast ....and suggested a bit of cleaning would help.
Most continued onwards to Sobrado and actually had a wonderful walk.....we/they had the time.
Whilst at Miraz donating for breakfast before leaving they told us that Baamoonde was booked out for the coming day also.
There are some wonderful private albergues in this vicinity which one would consider.
If you are walking this last 100km bring a tent as Miraz had 30 plus in the field beside the albergue.
The difference between these two towns cannot be measured.
Maybe too much success in one with the other operating on donations and twice the quality since the renovations.
If you think Baamonde has lovely facilities you have not been to Miraz.
**** Please do not forget the private albergue 7km after Baamonde which is in the forrest, its lovely and many wiser people continued straight through Baamonde to there..we only found out later.

 

[peregrina2000]

Wow, Thornley,

I suppose it's no surprise to read about how the Norte has suffered the same "massification" (not sure if that's a word in English) as the others. But it sounds like the facilities are not keeping up with the numbers of peregrinos. I guess we have to hope that the forces of the marketplace will produce more infrastructure.

I agree with you completely that the Miraz albergue is a true stand-out. I was lucky enough to be there with about 8 or 9 others, as well as two hospitaleros. Maybe now that the crowds are so huge there will be more private initiative, including a bar with some real food!

Tell us more about your Camino -- did you stay in Sobrado? And from there over to Melide? I remember that the Sobrado albergue, despite its surroundings and large size, was falling into total lack of hygiene. Some of our group, Italians, I believe, suggested to the monks that they explore connections with their national fraternity to see if some collaboration for hospitaleros could be worked out, but at that time no one was interested. I wonder if that has changed.
Buen camino, Laurie

 

[mikevasey]

Sobrado is an incredible location, but the albergue had a run down feeling to it and it felt like we were intruding into the monks world, and maybe we were. Its a pity about the Italian fraternity or a similar organisation not being invited to help out, it would seem to be a win win situation, by passing activities that are not wanted by one set of people to another set who really want to be there. It would be similar to Ronsecavalles where the Dutch volunteers bring something very positive to the experience.

 

[Thornley]

Hi Mike and Laurie,
Nothing has change in Sobrado, nothing.
Because of the distance we walked , from Baamonde we arrived mid afternoon [ after the very early rise] and they were having a few hours break from the bookings. The minister of war asked a pilgrim we knew who was already in how many where there [ she remembered your earlier warnings Laurie] and when told " plenty " she headed with the pass ports to the nice hotel across the road.
A very kind and lovely lady , wonderful room .
Had a lovely 9 euro pilgrims meal later in the evening so a day that commenced badly around 3 am ended well.
The talk on the way the next morning was that the beds need improving [ noisy if any movement] and we made the right move.
Its funny but we seem to relax more in pensions when we know we can rise at 5.30 - 6.00 , take our time as the Ospray is already packed and start off without annoying others.
** Looking back i would recommend """not""" using the Tapia albergue unless some serious thoughts go there.
Definitely stay in Tapia as the E9 from there is wonderful.
The old darling that runs La Isla should be seconded to Tapia.

Still had a great time and both of you enjoy your coming ways.
David