Leon to Santiago in 10 days - realistic?

[Neon84]

Hi folks,

Hope you can all shed some light on this.

We're starting our first Camino on May 27th and very much looking forward to it.

We'd planned on starting in Leon and arriving in SdC on June 5th - so 10 days. But just looking at the map, it seems like we might be stretching ourselves a bit and walking 10/11 hours a day.

We do want to enjoy the walk and were wondering if it would be better to start somewhere further down the line, like Ponferrada - what do you think? Is Leon to Santiago in 10 days realistic, or will it be pushing things too far? We're both in our twenties and relatively fit.

Also - will walking so long every day mean that by the time we arrive in towns/villages (late afternoon, probably), all albergues will be taken by then? We don't want to be stuck with a bad/bedbug-riddled (yuck!) option every day - or even worse, with no option for somewhere to sleep at all!

Thanks for your help!

 

[Whalleyranger]

Leon to Santiago is around 300km, so you would be looking at 30km / day. If you're fit enough to do this then you shouldn't have a problem, and if you start walking by 7am you'll have done the 30km by 2pm at the latest.
If you wanted to shave a bit of time off, the first day out of Leon is mostly following the main road, and isn't too inspiring, so you could take the bus to somewhere like Hospital de Orbigo and start walking from there.
Have a look at this excellent site: http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances to help you plan daily distances.
Good luck with your Camino and let us know how you get on.

 

[Neon84]

Thanks Whalleyranger, that's really helpful.

 

[ranthr]

Astorga - Santiago is realistic in ten days with some long days and a very long last day from Arzua to SdC:
Astorga - Foncebadon (4 small albergues, one in chuch, 1 in hotel and 2 other private a)
Foncebadon - Ponferrada (P has a big albergue)
Ponferrada - Villafranca ( at least two or three albergues)
Villafranca - O`Cebreiro ( this is the place I have often found complete)
O`Cebreiro- Triacastela( several albergues, municipal and private)
Triacastela - Sarria (several albergues an also 2 in Barbadelo after som more km)
Sarria - Portomarin ( several albergues, one big municipal and some private)

Portomarin- Palas do Rei (2 at the entrance to town and at least two in town)
Palas -Arzua (long day, cheap hotel at the end of town if the albergues are full)

Arzua- SdC
I have walked these stages several times in spring and autumn and only found the albergues full at O´Cebreiro.
I do not think Leon - SdC in 10 days is realistic. It is easy to get to Astorga by bus or train.
Buen camino!
Randi

 

[Neon84]

Thanks so much ranthr. After doing a bit more research, we have realised that Leon to Santiago in 10 days is probably not realistic and were actually looking at starting in Astorga as an option.

Now our problem is that we need to drop our hire car in Leon (we are driving from Bilbao airport), and the first bus from Leon to Astorga isn't until 10.30am the next morning! So it will be 11.30am or 12pm by the time we start walking from Astorga to Foncebadon.

I think if we can book somewhere to stay in Foncebadon to guarantee a bed for the first night, we will be OK.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[fraluchi]

So it will be 11.30am or 12pm by the time we start walking from Astorga to Foncebadon. I think if we can book somewhere to stay in Foncebadon to guarantee a bed for the first night, we will be OK.

Foncebadon has several albergues now, so you should not be worried. If you find yourself starting late from Astorga, you can eventually stop in Rabanal.
I think, however, that your best bet would be to bus from Leon to Ponferrada. You'll miss the beautiful walk from Rabanal to Molinaseca, but gain a less stressful walk from there onwards.

 

[julie]

I walked Leon to Santiago in 10 days but only because I had lots of time and didn't have to rush. That sounds a bit contrary but I could please myself and, at that stage, just wanted to keep walking so did quite a few 30+km days. However, I had already been walking for three weeks before Leon and I wouldn't like to have to do those distances particularly at the beginning.

Astorga to Santiago in 10 days would be reasonably comfortable and would be my pick.

Perhaps you could catch a train or a bus from Bilbao to Astorga rather than hiring a car. Or take an afternoon train from Leon to Astorga.

You can check out the train timetable on

http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/query.exe/en?L=profi&

 

[Neon84]

Hi frauluchi - we did also think about starting at Ponferrada, but my boyfriend is not keen on missing such a long stretch (he originally wanted to/still wants to start in Leon, but I'd prefer to go at a more leisurely place than rush every day). So Astorga seems like a good compromise.

Hi Julie - yes, we did think about getting a bus or train from Bilbao to Leon or Astorga also, but unfortunately our flight gets in at 3.30pm and it seems that there's only one train and one bus that take that route, and they're both at around 9am in the morning - so it makes more sense to hire a car and drive straight there, rather than staying in Bilbao and getting a train the next morning.

I think we'll get the 10.30am bus from Leon to Astorga on the Sunday morning - unless someone comes up with a better suggestion!

Thanks, guys!

 

[andarilho]

Very helpful thread, thank you! was exactly the query that I had in my mind & the discussion really helped. I'll be flying from Dublin, but hopefully I'll be able to allow about 12 days, ie two weeks off work & allow 2 days for flights & getting to start & returning. Thanks again.

 

[alimay]

Very helpful thread, thank you! was exactly the query that I had in my mind & the discussion really helped. I'll be flying from Dublin, but hopefully I'll be able to allow about 12 days, ie two weeks off work & allow 2 days for flights & getting to start & returning. Thanks again.

Hi there AnFear. I will be doing the same in September, i.e. going from Dublin. Did you fly to Madrid and take a train up to Leon and then bus to Astorga? Did you find 12 days were enough in the end? That's exactly the amount of days I envisage I might need. Thank you! AnBhean

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Astorga? Did you find 12 days were enough in the end?

I have done it in 12 days, so it is doable for almost anyone!! Buen camino.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Hi folks,

Hope you can all shed some light on this.

We're starting our first Camino on May 27th and very much looking forward to it.

We'd planned on starting in Leon and arriving in SdC on June 5th - so 10 days. But just looking at the map, it seems like we might be stretching ourselves a bit and walking 10/11 hours a day.

We do want to enjoy the walk and were wondering if it would be better to start somewhere further down the line, like Ponferrada - what do you think? Is Leon to Santiago in 10 days realistic, or will it be pushing things too far? We're both in our twenties and relatively fit.

Also - will walking so long every day mean that by the time we arrive in towns/villages (late afternoon, probably), all albergues will be taken by then? We don't want to be stuck with a bad/bedbug-riddled (yuck!) option every day - or even worse, with no option for somewhere to sleep at all!

Thanks for your help!

30 km/day and roughly 3.5 km/hour = 10 days & 8.5 hours walking/day

it's doable, but i personally would go a bit slower and perhaps take a bit more in. starting in ponferrada for example. also, the section between león and astorga is not exactly the prettiest stretch.

Buen Camino

(book a day or two ahead in the private albergues and you won't be racing for a bed)

 

[hotelmedicis]

Piece of cake

 

[november_moon]

That wouldn't be enough time for me. My maximum distance in a day was about 26km, which represents about 6-7 hours of walking for me. Day after day, I could sustain about 18-20 km per day with longer or shorter days thrown into the mix. Others are able to cover more ground in a day, but you have to be realistic about what you will be comfortable doing, and you may not actually know until you get there.