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hel&scott

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2004 St Jean - Santiago, 2008 &18 Seville - Finesterre, 2010 Ferrol - Lisbon, 2012 from Cartehenga.
Given the few entries in this section of the forum I guess this route is not well travelled....

We are currently looking at out walking options for our next trip and have been considering this route, or starting in Barcelona and going via Zaragoza etc.

Any English guide recommendations? I note that the one listed on the CSJ site is out of print and I am not sure my rusty schoolgirl French / Spanish is up to using these recently updated guides.

Cheers
 
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I think the English guide mentioned in the CSJ page is a translation of the 2009 Spanish Guide. When I walked it in autumn 2009, I used the Spanish guide which I found to be very good.

You should bear in mind that it is solitary - I did not meet other pilgrims until the route joined the VDLP at Zamora (people along the way said there would probably be a few others if I'd walked in the spring). Apart from Toledo, I only met one person who spoke English. I think it is necessary to have basic Spanish (I'd done a year of classes), particularly as the few pilgrims means basic infrastructure.

Also bear in mind that it can be physically testing. There are some 40km stages. Some of these are because of availability of accommodation, others because there is nothing at all between the start and finish (you have to carry a lot of water).

I think it's a great route. Good planning. I've put as much information as possible on my blog (address below). There are at least a couple of people on the forum who've walked it in the last few years who should be able to give some info too. Please ask me if I can help,

Andy
 
Andy, is this trail waymarked enough to not get lost?
 
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I got lost a couple of times - but not too badly - just the sort of thing that adds an hour onto the day. The combination of the very good maps in the Spanish Guide, arrows and a compass did me fine. (and oddly it was finding my way out of towns that was often worse than remote countryside)

That said, the marking on the VDLP was much better than the Levante. On the Levante if you haven't seen an arrow for a couple of km's then you might have missed it - or you might not.

Andy
 
We (my wife and i ) did walk the Levante from Valencia to Escalona last May.
Am afraid this Camino is far away from the others we walked, marking is at times good but often poor and non existent at times, accomodation is scarce and often very basic ,and some hospitality available in the 'polideportivos' is often conflicting with the users of these premises ,so you have to wait the basket game to be finished before going to bed (on matresses on the floor)...
Have only met three german women on the way , and they too weren't too happy about this itinerary...
Wish you all the best..
Giorgio and Elisa
 
andy.d said:
..oddly it was finding my way out of towns that was often worse than remote countryside...

Yes its often the case and not helped when you leave early and it's dark, we've got into the habit of checking out the way outa town the night before to avoid starting the day off on the wrong foot.

Take your point about the maps too, having learnt the hard way doing reverse trips that there is little value in having a guide with sketch maps as when you do stray off the way there is little to refer to to figure out where you are and how to get back on track... figured it would be more isolated then the VDLP which is part of the attraction.
 
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hel&scott said:
Yes its often the case and not helped when you leave early and it's dark, we've got into the habit of checking out the way outa town the night before to avoid starting the day off on the wrong foot.

I know! I did this every afternoon or evening so I could start with the dawn without messing about - I especially wanted to get some miles walked before the heat. I couldn't go earlier as I deemed it to be a bit risky to follow the signage.

I was really referring to the repeated experience of getting lost walking through pueblos during the day.

Andy
 
I walked the Camino Sureste from Ávila to Astorga (I was heading for León and Cd Salvador/Primitivo) last september, and found the camino very well marked. It joins Via de la Plata in Benavente. I know for the Levante-route this info is important only to Medina del Campo, but if anyone plans to walk the Sureste, it's no problem all the way to Astorga (and Santiago of course)

Anyway, I find it very strange that the Levante route ( Mundicamino ) has Hernansancho as the chosen albergue after Ávila (great albergue in Ávila, too). 3,5 km earlier you will have a quite new, nice and very well equipped albergue in Gotarrendura. The next day to Arévalo will not be more than 24 km.

This link is to the Amigos del Camino en Ávila's list of albergues from Alicante to Medina del Campo (and to Benavente)

Oyvind
 
I cannot speak for the Barcelona-Zaragoza-Logroño run, never having done it, but I have spoken with pilgrims who have, and who confirm what other posters have said about its distance and flatness. I have twice walked Montserrat (just near Barcelona)-Huesca-Jaca twice and the marking improved greatly from 2007 to 2009 and is now quite good. Do a search on the board for more detailed discussion. I only met two other pilgrims in about six weeks of hiking, although there were some before and after. Locals knew about the Camino and were very warm and helpful—very little English is spoken and you will need at least eating and directional Spanish.
 
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€149,-
[quote="oylero"e]
This link is to the Amigos del Camino en Ávila's list of albergues from Alicante to Medina del Campo (and to Benavente)

Oyvind[/quote]

Thanks, will add this to the growing list of tips
 
Last summer I walked four or five days of the Levante, from a town just after Arevalo onward to Toro. It kicked my butt! That said, we only were lost once. In Medina del Campo the Camino Sureste meets the Levante, and they both leave town in different directions -- we followed yellow arrows, but took the path straight north. We came to our senses in Rueda, and realized we had followed the Sureste rather than the Levante arrows! (most people go to Rueda to LOSE their senses -- they make nice white table wine there. But this is what happens when a Scot walks with a guy called Johnnie Walker.)

So when in Medina, be very sure you hang a LEFT at the church of Santiago, and NOT a right. The Levante has its own set of arrows that way that will take you to Siete Iglesias. Which is its own adventure... :wink:

Reb.
 
Okay - keep left.. will add this to the list of instructions (and not just a political mantra).

Heading off today to catch up with Scott in Barcelona, plans are at this stage to start in Cartegena and link up with the Valencia route just bast Chinchilla... well thats the plan...

Plenty of print outs from Peter Robins fantastic web site so if we get lost we'll have no-one to blame but ourselves!

Cheers Hel
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.

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