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New facilities on the Camino Olvidado

peregrina2000

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I’ve been in touch with Ender recently to see if he and @MikeJS can meet up before Mike heads off the Olvidado to the Salvador. And I got a few new bits of info for people making lists and keeping track of the improvements.

Between Cervera and Guardo, the long stage can now be broken up with a stop in Villanueva de la Peña. There is a new touristic albergue. Apparently quite nice.

Boñar is in the process of renovating a building for an albergue. Doors and new windows already installed, interior work now ongoing.

Vegacervera — in addition to Pablo’s albergue juvenil, which is quite comfortable but may be filled with youth groups, there is the Hotel Chousa Verde, good prices for pilgrims, spa included!

And, if you are going to be walking soon — at Coladilla, a small hamlet after Vegacervera, the camino arrows will take you up and along a very untraveled road. BUT... the app now takes you through an off-road path (not there when I went through in June), which Ender says is quite pretty.

The Olvidado is really rising to the challenge to provide pilgrim facilities! Buen camino, Laurie
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
I
I’ve been in touch with Ender recently to see if he and @MikeJS can meet up before Mike heads off the Olvidado to the Salvador. And I got a few new bits of info for people making lists and keeping track of the improvements.

Between Cervera and Guardo, the long stage can now be broken up with a stop in Villanueva de la Peña. There is a new touristic albergue. Apparently quite nice.

Boñar is in the process of renovating a building for an albergue. Doors and new windows already installed, interior work now ongoing.

Vegacervera — in addition to Pablo’s albergue juvenil, which is quite comfortable but may be filled with youth groups, there is the Hotel Chousa Verde, good prices for pilgrims, spa included!
That's excellent news. The hotel I stayed at in Boñar (? Nisa - the two pensións in the town use a total of 5 letters between them) was fine but a bit depressing. And I can strongly recommend the Chousa in Vegacervera, whose full-length bath was a welcome treat after a wet day. And the local speciality of cecina de chivo was delicious.

Another alternative for shortening the long Cervera-Guardo day is to stay at Santibañez de la Peña at the Bar Mylo, I think 28km from CdP, and then carry on to Velilla del Río Carrión the next day, where there are several decent pensións. Doing that also shortens the beautiful upland route to Puente Almuhey by 5-6km.

The ancient Fuentes Tamáricas wells at Velilla were dry when I stayed there last November. According to Pliny the Elder, that meant I should have been dead within a week, but I've survived almost a year so far, so perhaps he was wrong.
 
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That's excellent news. The hotel I stayed at in Boñar (? Nisa - the two pensións in the town use a total of 5 letters between them) was fine but a bit depressing. And I can strongly recommend the Chousa in Vegacervera, whose full-length bath was a welcome treat after a wet day. And the local speciality of cecina de chivo was delicious.

Another alternative for shortening the long Cervera-Guardo day is to stay at Santibañez de la Peña at the Bar Mylo, I think 28km from CdP, and then carry on to Velilla del Río Carrión the next day, where there are several decent pensións. Doing that also shortens the beautiful upland route to Puente Almuhey by 5-6km.

The ancient Fuentes Tamáricas wells at Velilla were dry when I stayed there last November. According to Pliny the Elder, that meant I should have been dead within a week, but I've survived almost a year so far, so perhaps he was wrong.
I’m in the Nisa in bonar at the moment. Very friendly and lunch and dinner available as well. As for the Chousa, I called ( well Laurie did actually!) and they offered a room at 60 euros! Given it’s only 68 on Booking.com they weren’t doing me or peregrinos any favours. Given they clearly have rooms to spare then I’m not inclined to give them my business!
 
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I

That's excellent news. The hotel I stayed at in Boñar (? Nisa - the two pensións in the town use a total of 5 letters between them) was fine but a bit depressing. And I can strongly recommend the Chousa in Vegacervera, whose full-length bath was a welcome treat after a wet day. And the local speciality of cecina de chivo was delicious.

Another alternative for shortening the long Cervera-Guardo day is to stay at Santibañez de la Peña at the Bar Mylo, I think 28km from CdP, and then carry on to Velilla del Río Carrión the next day, where there are several decent pensións. Doing that also shortens the beautiful upland route to Puente Almuhey by 5-6km.

The ancient Fuentes Tamáricas wells at Velilla were dry when I stayed there last November. According to Pliny the Elder, that meant I should have been dead within a week, but I've survived almost a year so far, so perhaps he was wrong.

Alan, that is a great idea about breaking up the long stage into Guardo and then shortening the stage through Caminayo. Those are two long days, and breaking them up that way into three is a great idea. And, though I really did like the albergue in Guardo, and the owner is wonderful, the location is not very good for taking the Caminayo alternative. Adds at least 1.5 km I would think. So this option is really a great one.

Like Mike, I had a bit of sticker shock at the Chousa price. Ender had told me he had a good pilgrim price, but maybe I didn’t know the secret handshake or something.
 
I was a bit surprised by the price quoted to Mike as I think I paid 35-38€, but I suppose November prices are a lot lower, and perhaps I accidentally gave the secret code when I turned up (pleasantly filled by the annual chivo festival).
 
I was a bit surprised by the price quoted to Mike as I think I paid 35-38€, but I suppose November prices are a lot lower, and perhaps I accidentally gave the secret code when I turned up (pleasantly filled by the annual chivo festival).

I can always count on Alan to introduce me to cultural, historical, and architectural items of interest on the camino. The anual chivo festival (chivo being goat) celebrates the town’s production of Cecina (cured dried meat, usually made from cow, but, I learned, also made from goat!). There are two family owned factories making cecina in Vegacervera, one of which has a little shop where you can buy all kinds of local products, and the other one has a great restaurant. La Cocinona, a little out of the way but definitely worth eating there. I think it might be hard for people like @jungleboy but maybe not. http://www.mesonlacocinona.com/


A little blurb on the fiesta, every November.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I’ve been in touch with Ender recently to see if he and @MikeJS can meet up before Mike heads off the Olvidado to the Salvador. And I got a few new bits of info for people making lists and keeping track of the improvements.

Between Cervera and Guardo, the long stage can now be broken up with a stop in Villanueva de la Peña. There is a new touristic albergue. Apparently quite nice.

Boñar is in the process of renovating a building for an albergue. Doors and new windows already installed, interior work now ongoing.

Vegacervera — in addition to Pablo’s albergue juvenil, which is quite comfortable but may be filled with youth groups, there is the Hotel Chousa Verde, good prices for pilgrims, spa included!

And, if you are going to be walking soon — at Coladilla, a small hamlet after Vegacervera, the camino arrows will take you up and along a very untraveled road. BUT... the app now takes you through an off-road path (not there when I went through in June), which Ender says is quite pretty.

The Olvidado is really rising to the challenge to provide pilgrim facilities! Buen camino, Laurie
Thanks, Laurie. I plan an early fall 2020 for the Olvidado. I'll keeping watching for any/all updates.
 
It is a wonderful camino. Are going on to Santiago? If so what route are you planning?
Yes, I'll be going to Santiago. Thinking that I'll leave the Olvidado down to Ponferrada and then on the Invierno to Santiago but I need more information about the Invierno.
 
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Yes, I'll be going to Santiago. Thinking that I'll leave the Olvidado down to Ponferrada and then on the Invierno to Santiago but I need more information about the Invierno.
Excellent choice. Lots of info, inc a guide, in the Invierno section of this forum and the Wise Pilgrim app for the Invierno is good.
 
This camino is also on my horizon for 2020, hopefully with a couple of amigas. Original plan was to set off 20 April, but perhaps it would be better to leave it until the beginning of May. Who knows what the weather is likely to throw at us these days. Any advice absolutely welcome.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
This camino is also on my horizon for 2020, hopefully with a couple of amigas. Original plan was to set off 20 April, but perhaps it would be better to leave it until the beginning of May. Who knows what the weather is likely to throw at us these days. Any advice absolutely welcome.
Personally, Maggie, I would vote for June or July. Much better chance of better weather, and not tourist season. But I know how life interferes with caminos. I had hoped to start in Alicante in early May and am now looking at May 15. Much later than I would like to go, but hey, better than nothing.

Are you planning on walking the mountain alternatives? That would also make a later start date much more attractive, IMO.

Just checked my notes, and I started in Bilbao on June 19th in 2014.

Last year, I hopped over to the Olvidado after the Vasco, and I started in Aguilar on June 13. (That would correspond roughly to an early June departure from Bilbao).

Are you thinking about an earlier start date because of high summer temps, or something else? I am a heat-phobe myself, but I can’t remember extreme heat either year.

Buen camino, Laurie
 
I am looking for a camino to walk this year and the Olvidado has again arisen on my camino radar. Is it possible now to walk stages of no more than 20-25 km? I have a copy of the recent English guide to the Olvidado (well, of most of it. My printer died at page 35 and I have not yet acquired another.) Is this a practical pilgrimage for an experienced walker of a mature age? I need a knee replacement later this year and am determined to put it off until after my camino, so it must not be too challenging. I believe that this route ends at Ponferrada and I don't know what I might want to do next, as I walked the Invierno this past autumn and it has not endeared itself to me.
I have really not settled on a camino route yet. My priorities are: 1. a religious route with religious sites and a strong spirit of pilgrimage (hard to define, I know) 2. It must be doable for me, with accommodation not too far apart - preferably no 30 km or more days 3. I would prefer a scenic route, but not too challenging. I would appreciate suggestions from any experienced pilgrims. I have already walked the Frances, the Aragones with the Frances from Puenta la Reina, the Vdlp with the Sanabres, and the Madrid with the Invierno. I was considering the Norte, but from what I have heard it is more a holiday route than a pilgrim route. Any suggestions?
 
I loved the Via de Bayona from Irun to Burgos. Completely doable without long stages. And evocatively historic. Once in Burgos, of course, you merge with the Frances. But even in late May this was OK and not too crowded, staying 'off stage' - i.e., in smaller places than the guidebook stage ending towns. San Anton and San Nicholas were so special...and not even full.
Then if you want to be quieter after Leon, you can scoot up to the Olvidado very easily.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.

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