Phillypilgrim
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- C F Sept.(2013) Camino de Madrid & Finisterre/Muxia Sept. (2014)
Finisterre/Muia June (2017).
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Life saver...1. Madrid to Tres Cantos 23K (14.2M) Booked at Holiday Inn (Have Priority points to stay for free, so..)
2. Tres Cantos to Colmenar 12K (7.4M) Booked at Hostal el Chiscon.
3. Colmenar to Manzanares 15K (9.3M) Waiting to hear from Hostal El Yelmo, sent an email to book.
4. Manzanares to Cercedilla 19K (11.8M) booked at Hostal Aribel.
5. Cercedilla to Segovia 31K (19.2M) Booked at San Antonia del Real, a SPLURGE.
6. Rest day in Segovia, staying at new albergue this night.
7. Segovia to Ane 21K (13M)
8.Ane to Nieva 13K (8M)
9. Nieva to Coca 20K (12.4M)
10. Coca to Alcazaren 25K (15.5M)
11. Alcazaren to Puente Duero 25K (15.5M)
12. Puente Duero to Penaflor 26K (16M)
13. Penaflor to Medina de Rioseco 24K (15M)
14.Medina de Rioseco to Cuenca de Campos 22K (13.6M)
15. Cuenca de Campos to Santeras de Campos 19K (11.8M)
16. Santeras de Campos to Sahagun 15.5K (9.6M)
Hello, Phillypilgrim, thank you very much for posting your stages, and your experience with the CdM. I'm planning to walk from Avila to Santiago de Compostela this August, and it looks to me like the CdM will be the easier route for a woman in her sixties who's been seriously sedentary for the last fifteen years -- easier than the Via de la Plata, anyway. I have begun training, and I hope to do much of my walking in the wee, pre-dawn hours of the morning in order to avoid the heat of the day. What you have posted will really help with my planning!1. Madrid to Tres Cantos 23K (14.2M) Booked at Holiday Inn (Have Priority points to stay for free, so..)
2. Tres Cantos to Colmenar 12K (7.4M) Booked at Hostal el Chiscon.
3. Colmenar to Manzanares 15K (9.3M) Waiting to hear from Hostal El Yelmo, sent an email to book.
4. Manzanares to Cercedilla 19K (11.8M) booked at Hostal Aribel.
5. Cercedilla to Segovia 31K (19.2M) Booked at San Antonia del Real, a SPLURGE.
6. Rest day in Segovia, staying at new albergue this night.
7. Segovia to Ane 21K (13M)
8.Ane to Nieva 13K (8M)
9. Nieva to Coca 20K (12.4M)
10. Coca to Alcazaren 25K (15.5M)
11. Alcazaren to Puente Duero 25K (15.5M)
12. Puente Duero to Penaflor 26K (16M)
13. Penaflor to Medina de Rioseco 24K (15M)
14.Medina de Rioseco to Cuenca de Campos 22K (13.6M)
15. Cuenca de Campos to Santeras de Campos 19K (11.8M)
16. Santeras de Campos to Sahagun 15.5K (9.6M)
This is really good advice! Thank you. Was it your experience that you could purchase trail-friendly food at each place where you stopped for the night? Or do Camino walkers ship boxes to re-supply points the way wilderness hikers in the US do?Each day bring PLENTY of water (at least 2 liters) and food as there are few (or none) bar/restaurants for food and beverages.
Also, make sure you have cell phone reception for an emergency as there are no pilgrims arriving behind you!!
Hola!Hello, Phillypilgrim, thank you very much for posting your stages, and your experience with the CdM. I'm planning to walk from Avila to Santiago de Compostela this August, and it looks to me like the CdM will be the easier route for a woman in her sixties who's been seriously sedentary for the last fifteen years -- easier than the Via de la Plata, anyway. I have begun training, and I hope to do much of my walking in the wee, pre-dawn hours of the morning in order to avoid the heat of the day. What you have posted will really help with my planning!
Ah, Cuenca de Campos - one of my fondest memories!!!FYI, I spent some time this fall at Cuenca de Campos and the albergue is fine. It's not the fab experience of Villalon, but the town itself (Cuenca, I mean) has a whole lot of cool things going for it, including an innovative workshop where people like me are learning to build things out of adobe and plaster them with earth... There's a very good restaurant in town with rooms above if you find the albergue not to your liking. And a spooky, huge old convent that's really worth poking around, if you can find one of the family who's using it as a grain store/family bunkhouse!
@Phillypilgrim , I took option "B" but later when looking at gps tracks I found out that it doesn't make much difference. At least not for long because quite soon both paths are merging. Maybe next time I'll take option "A" and reportView attachment 15394 Well, let me say again that I loved this walk and EVERYONE I met was so helpful and kind.
But my experience was that there is not the CF infrastructure of many bars open on the trail to provide stops for food/water. Many times I walked through villages to find that I would need to wander around the town off trail to find something open. I just found it easier to have many snacks with me and plenty of water so I could stop whenever I needed to rest and eat. So yes, in my final destination I would stock up at the local mercado for the next day. There were no other pilgrims and I don't speak Spanish, so the rhythm I developed may have been different from others. I agree with Kinkyone, that day one to Tres Cantos was particularly long, hot and nowhere to stop. But I think I may have made an error by taking the left turn to "A" versus "B"!! (see photo)
As I have not walked the CF, or any other Camino yet, a comparison of the infrastructure of the CDM with the CF doesn't mean too much to me. It is comforting to hear that almost every village can offer the basic necessities, even if slightly off the trail. But like you, I do not speak Spanish (though I hope to pick up a little before August!), and that does complicate matters somewhat, so your experience seems relevant and helpful to me. I expect to pick up the CDM at Segovia, and I just assume that between now and then I will figure out the route to walk from Avila to Segovia.View attachment 15394 Well, let me say again that I loved this walk and EVERYONE I met was so helpful and kind.
But my experience was that there is not the CF infrastructure of many bars open on the trail to provide stops for food/water. Many times I walked through villages to find that I would need to wander around the town off trail to find something open. I just found it easier to have many snacks with me and plenty of water so I could stop whenever I needed to rest and eat. So yes, in my final destination I would stock up at the local mercado for the next day. There were no other pilgrims and I don't speak Spanish, so the rhythm I developed may have been different from others. I agree with Kinkyone, that day one to Tres Cantos was particularly long, hot and nowhere to stop. But I think I may have made an error by taking the left turn to "A" versus "B"!! (see photo)
Do you want to change from Levante (Avila) to Madrid (Segovia)? That's approx.70kms to NE. Or vice versa? Because I remember a post that somebody will change from Coca (Madrid) to Medina del Campo (Levante) next year. I can try and search that thread if you wish.As I have not walked the CF, or any other Camino yet, a comparison of the infrastructure of the CDM with the CF doesn't mean too much to me. It is comforting to hear that almost every village can offer the basic necessities, even if slightly off the trail. But like you, I do not speak Spanish (though I hope to pick up a little before August!), and that does complicate matters somewhat, so your experience seems relevant and helpful to me. I expect to pick up the CDM at Segovia, and I just assume that between now and then I will figure out the route to walk from Avila to Segovia.
Yes!! St. John of the Cross draws me there, and I think it is one of the most beautiful places I have visited in Spain: many happy memories, and great anticipation for my coming visit! And by joining the CDM there, I avoid the challenging part that would be hardest on my knees.Ahhhh, Segovia….
KinkyOne, you are very kind!! The short answer to your question is: Avila to Segovia! I will be in Avila to celebrate the Fifth Centenary of St. Teresa's birth. After the celebration finishes, I will begin my walk from Avila to Santiago de Compostela. My initial research pointed me in the direction of the Via de la Plata, but as I read over and over that it is the most challenging Camino to walk, I started looking at other options, and noticed that the CDM passes through Segovia, which is one of my favorite places. I am also drawn to it by the solitude it promises, as I am making the journey for spiritual reasons, not just for amusement. Until now, I had not taken in that Avila was on any recognized Camino. I will have to read about the experiences that some of you have had on the Levante to see if I should just follow it north. Certainly I am already re-thinking my plan of simply following the CF to Santiago de Compostela from where the CDM joins it; I had not considered the impact that sudden contact with lots of people could have.Do you want to change from Levante (Avila) to Madrid (Segovia)? That's approx.70kms to NE. Or vice versa? Because I remember a post that somebody will change from Coca (Madrid) to Medina del Campo (Levante) next year. I can try and search that thread if you wish.
K1
Well, Avila is on Camino de Levante, halfway from Valencia to Santiago, which means approx.560kms in each direction. I only found out that nowKinkyOne, you are very kind!! The short answer to your question is: Avila to Segovia! I will be in Avila to celebrate the Fifth Centenary of St. Teresa's birth. After the celebration finishes, I will begin my walk from Avila to Santiago de Compostela. My initial research pointed me in the direction of the Via de la Plata, but as I read over and over that it is the most challenging Camino to walk, I started looking at other options, and noticed that the CDM passes through Segovia, which is one of my favorite places. I am also drawn to it by the solitude it promises, as I am making the journey for spiritual reasons, not just for amusement. Until now, I had not taken in that Avila was on any recognized Camino. I will have to read about the experiences that some of you have had on the Levante to see if I should just follow it north. Certainly I am already re-thinking my plan of simply following the CF to Santiago de Compostela from where the CDM joins it; I had not considered the impact that sudden contact with lots of people could have.
Hi, Reb,When it comes to wide-open, prayerful spaces given to mysticism, you will find plenty of that on both Levante and Madrid routes -- even though my experiences with both were curtailed by heat exhaustion. (you would think I would LEARN...)
I want to know more about your night in Grajal, KinkyOne. I didn't think that "albergue" had ever opened its doors.
KinkyOne, you are very kind!! The short answer to your question is: Avila to Segovia! I will be in Avila to celebrate the Fifth Centenary of St. Teresa's birth. After the celebration finishes, I will begin my walk from Avila to Santiago de Compostela. My initial research pointed me in the direction of the Via de la Plata, but as I read over and over that it is the most challenging Camino to walk, I started looking at other options, and noticed that the CDM passes through Segovia, which is one of my favorite places. I am also drawn to it by the solitude it promises, as I am making the journey for spiritual reasons, not just for amusement. Until now, I had not taken in that Avila was on any recognized Camino. I will have to read about the experiences that some of you have had on the Levante to see if I should just follow it north. Certainly I am already re-thinking my plan of simply following the CF to Santiago de Compostela from where the CDM joins it; I had not considered the impact that sudden contact with lots of people could have.
how wonderful! Thanks for sharing that. The mayor there is a gem, and the palacio, well... it is a wonderful place, and has a very bumpy history. Good thing you were a worn-out pilgrim disposed to sleeping deeply, because there are supposed to be ghosts in there!
Laurie, Grajal "albergue to be" is in the basement (if you enter through glass doors from Plaza Mayor) of Palacio de Grajal. First when you enter you're immediately in small kitchenette, toilets and showers adjoining. To the left is a about 4mts wide and 15mts long room with brick walls where dormitory was planned. Further on there are stairs with small space to the left which will be the reception desk. So I was told. But it seems to me weird to enter the albergue through kitchen and bathroomsRebakah, isn't the albergue in the former jail/dungeon/prison?
I will be in Avila to celebrate the Fifth Centenary of St. Teresa's birth. After the celebration finishes, I will begin my walk from Avila to Santiago de Compostela. My initial research pointed me in the direction of the Via de la Plata, but as I read over and over that it is the most challenging Camino to walk, I started looking at other options, and noticed that the CDM passes through Segovia, which is one of my favorite places. I am also drawn to it by the solitude it promises, as I am making the journey for spiritual reasons, not just for amusement. Until now, I had not taken in that Avila was on any recognized Camino. I will have to read about the experiences that some of you have had on the Levante to see if I should just follow it north. Certainly I am already re-thinking my plan of simply following the CF to Santiago de Compostela from where the CDM joins it; I had not considered the impact that sudden contact with lots of people could have.
once in Tordesillas go to Puente Duero following the Senda del Duero (not a camino but a GR) in one day
be really careful leaving Medina del Campo. I was walking the Levante one morning, and realized in Rueda that we were instead on the Sureste! (and seeing as we were in Rueda, we had ourselves a glass of wine, and called a cab!)
Hmmm. I just quoted the first option that came to my mind but there are other options and they could be better for some people, depending on each one's plans and preferences so let me quote them with some brief comments.
OPTION A:
To go to Puente Duero as I said above. On the plus side: there's an albergue in Puente Duero, it's easy to get from Puente Duero to Valladolid (hourly municipal buses, bicigrinos will like the "carril bici" -bike line- between Puente Duero and Valladolid...), the next stage -to Ciguñuela- is short. On the minus side, you have to backtrack to Simancas on your way from Puente Duero to Ciguñuela (unless you decide to visit Valladolid and design yourself some sort of route from Valladolid to Ciguñuela).
OPTION B:
To follow the Senda del Duero from Tordesillas to Simancas and once in Simancas continue on the CM to Ciguñuela. This route from Tordesillas to Ciguñuela can be walked in one day and would be the ideal one for those not interested in visiting Valladolid or Simancas (or not having enough time to visit them). There's an albergue in Ciguñuela.
OPTION C:
To follow the Senda del Duero from Tordesillas to Simancas making night in Simancas and continuing next day on the CM. There's no albergue in Simancas but there are accommodations in town and Simancas is nicer than either Puente Duero or Ciguñuela. Simancas is also well-conected with Valladolid both with municipal (urban) buses and interurban buses.
Tip: If exiting Medina del Campo, you cross over an autovía using an elevated pass (for vehicles but pilgrims have to use it too), then you are on the Sureste... You won't cross over an autovía exiting Medina del Campo on the Levante.
Another tip: If you find yourself in Rueda, ask for the buses to Medina del Campo. If their schedule suit you, you would save the taxi fare...
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