My (provisional) stages - June 2018

[amancio]

I will be with a group of childhood friends, between 6 and 10 of us, so advanced booking is essential.

These are my planned stages

Borrenes casa rural cornatel

Sobradelo pension Mar Bar

A Rua Albergue with Asuncion

Quiroga Enormous hostel available

Monforte Only pensions

Chantada Pension Yoel, but I heard there is some interesting rural house nearby

Rodeiro Hospedaxe O Guerra, also Pension Carpinteira

Silleda or Bandeira, 37 or 44 km, depending, both good albergues

Santiago Seminario Menor

On average, nearly 30 km per day. Now that I see it, the Camino de Invierno has very few albergues, and even the one in Villamartín seems to be closed... Still, some pensions, like the one in Sobradelo, offer accommodation for 10 euro or so, I hope it works all right.

I wish I had additional time to do the Valle del Silencio walk, I have visited Peñalba de Santiago by car and it is a stunning place, it was autumn, all colors in the forest, and a massive frost in a sunny day. Amazing!

Also, between Borrenes and Sobradelo I will try to find some way to walk through As Medulas site directly, instead of going to the As Medulas village and then go visit the site.

I will post a lot of questions in the next few months, I am sure. Still, I will be here at home in Granada in May, in case some beer has to be drunk

 

[Kanga]

Sounds like a challenging walk. I hope your friends are fit! An average of 30km a day would be too much for me. Enjoy the planning and Buen Camino.

 

[peregrina2000]

Those first two days are an interesting idea, Amancio. I always wondered where people would stay if they spent the first night in Borrenes and you have answered the question. If you do find a route directly through As Médulas, it would really be helpful for others, because I know that pilgrims who walk the first day to Puente Domingo Flórez usually do not stop to see As Médulas and that is a shame.

I hope your friends don't accuse you of a "bait and switch" because those first three days are quite different from the last 6! Any way you do it, though, the Invierno is a wonderful place to be with close childhood friends. Are you sure Asún can take in 6-10 of you?

BTW, Amancio, I am getting updated information on polideportivos. I know so far that the Centro Social in Priaranza del Bierzo and the Polideportivo in Puente de Domingo Flórez will take pilgrims, but I know that those places aren't on your list. I hope to have info on a few more possibilities in a few days, at least if these ayuntamientos will respond to me!

 

[LTfit]

As Laurie said, I question whether Asún has space for you all. It is her house, not an albergue and I recall only one room with single beds (no bunkbeds).

Although I have only walked as far as A Rúa (took the train to A Gudiña to contine on the Sanabrés) Laurie and I stopped to visit As Medulas. IMHO this is a must, it definitely was a highlight for me!

Off topic but a few days ago I passed by the start of the Invierno in Ponferrada. As I understand, this Camino was to be followed to avoid snow in O Cebreiro in the winter. Well I can attest that there was definitely snow on the mountain top!