For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
I'm planning to walk from Ourense to Santiago in a couple of weeks, I thought I could do it in 3-4 days. That seems feasible right?
I was also toying with the idea of walking the other way and ending in Ourense to enjoy the thermal baths at the end of the walk rather than the start. I know it's not traditional to be walking away from Santiago but for me its all about the experience.. thoughts?
...I was also toying with the idea of walking the other way and ending in Ourense to enjoy the thermal baths at the end of the walk rather than the start. I know it's not traditional to be walking away from Santiago but for me its all about the experience.. thoughts?
Any advice in general for this particular route?
Thank you!...!
Very good point thank you!I think that walking "backwards" on the Sanabres to Ourense would be quite a challenge. You may already know this, but the caminos in Spain are marked only in one direction, towards Santiago, not like the French GR routes. I'm sure you would find your way, but it might be a bit frustrating.
Thank you for your reply! Yes i'm hearing that finding signs (if i walk towards ourense) can be a bit tricky!Hola, @Jessica22. I have walked this trail in both directions. It is beautiful whichever way you choose.
Ourense - Santiago de Compostela: Day One is a lengthy uphill hike from the river.
Santiago de Compostela - Ourense: Day One (Nov, 2011), it was a challenge finding the signs out of Santiago d C Day. Otherwise I enjoyed the experience. Most days I met pilgrims walking in the opposite direction.
Hola, @Jessica22. I have walked this trail in both directions. It is beautiful whichever way you choose.
Ourense - Santiago de Compostela: Day One is a lengthy uphill hike from the river.
Santiago de Compostela - Ourense: Day One (Nov, 2011), it was a challenge finding the signs out of Santiago d C Day. Otherwise I enjoyed the experience. Most days I met pilgrims walking in the opposite direction.
Hi Jessica22! Welcome to the fórum!
Yes, but it's more than 105 kms so I would allow 4 days.
They are two different experiences. Walking to Santiago de Compostela, you meet other pilgrims, share with them, walk with them (if you want), you may make new friends, you have the route marked/signed and if you miss the right track, anyone will point you in the good direction to Santiago de Compostela. OTOH, walking backwards, you'll walk alone, the route isn't marked/signed (AFAIK) so you would have to figure it out by yourself, you'll probably find well-intentioned locals telling you that you are walking the wrong way and putting you in what they think is the good direction (i.e.: towards Santiago de Compostela), meetings with pilgrims will be brief because you'll be walking opposite directions (e.g.: you couldn't share and/or walk with them next day too if you wanted or you couldn't continue on the road that interesting talk you started on a bar along the route) and you wouldn't get a Compostela (take a look at http://peregrinossantiago.es/eng/pilgrimage/the-compostela if you don't know what's that).
In other words, you should ask yourself: Do you want to make a well-signed pilgrimage with other pilgrims (deciding once on the spot how much you want to interact with them)? or Do you want to make a non-signed hike by yourself?
If you are so interested in going to the thermal baths at the end of what you call the walk and you ended your walk in Santiago de Compostela, you could always take a train or bus back to Ourense and enjoy the thermal baths...
So new questionwalking from Ourense to Santiago in 4 days, where would you recommend stopping each night? The camino sanabres shows ourense-cea, cea-dozon, dozon-silleda, silleda-ponte ulla, ponte ulla- Santiago. But is it possible to do it with one less stop? I can manage around 6-8 hours of walking per day.
Thank you! Great helpHere's what I did a few years ago (post is here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...s-construction-and-misc-from-june-2013.19112/)
Ourense - Castro Dozon (36)
To Silleda (29)
To Outeiro (26)
To Santiago (short short short, maybe 16)
This means you won't get to the monastery at Oseira, If you're interested in that alternative, I walked that way on a previous Camino and can give you suggestions. Stages here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-vdlp.8961/
Thanks for the reply, I'm thinking to go straight from ourense to castro dozon via Cea.. will miss the monastery this time...First day out is long and hard steep climb, not many fountains. Alternative to Oseira is well worth it. Next stage is either 10 km or 35+, I took the longer one and me old body suffered in the heat (40+ in early August), little shade and even less fountains. Great short Camino!
...whichever way I go there are times I am lost. Is there such a thing as a skilled pilgrim?Lovingkindness you are certainly a much more skilled pilgrim than I. I get lost going in the right direction, I shudder to think what would happen to me going in the "wrong direction."
..Both times I walked the Via Sanabres I took the route via Oseira monastery, a wonderful hike. Heading to Santiago (Dec, 2009) I overnighted at the albergues in Cea then Castro Dozón. It was winter and in those days the monastery albergue was too cold for pilgrims. On the reverse journey (Nov, 2011) I overnighted at the monastery albergue which by then had been renovated.So I have discovered from the online sources and blogs that there are 2 ways from Ourense to Cea..one to the left and one to the right. Both have big hills to climb. Has anyone done both as I would like to know if they are both well signed/marked..
So new questionwalking from Ourense to Santiago in 4 days, where would you recommend stopping each night? The camino sanabres shows ourense-cea, cea-dozon, dozon-silleda, silleda-ponte ulla, ponte ulla- Santiago. But is it possible to do it with one less stop? I can manage around 6-8 hours of walking per day.
DO NOT STAY IN OUTEIRO!! Just stayed there three nights ago, and it was the most horrible experience I have ever had in any Albergue! And all other 16 pilgrims felt the same!Here's what I did a few years ago (post is here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...s-construction-and-misc-from-june-2013.19112/)
Ourense - Castro Dozon (36)
To Silleda (29)
To Outeiro (26)
To Santiago (short short short, maybe 16)
This means you won't get to the monastery at Oseira, If you're interested in that alternative, I walked that way on a previous Camino and can give you suggestions. Stages here: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-stages-on-the-vdlp.8961/
Hello, again, Laurie. I hope my last reply didn't sound snippy...I didn't intend it to. I get a bit carried away with wordsLovingkindness you are certainly a much more skilled pilgrim than I. I get lost going in the right direction, I shudder to think what would happen to me going in the "wrong direction."
Does sound as if you caught Pilar on a very off day. I've stayed three times in the albergue at O Outeiro and found it fine. Each time was in December and there wasn't much heating and it went off at 10pm, but I'm sure there were blankets, as I never carry a sleeping bag, so I would remember a chilly night. Twice I've had the albergue to myself, and one time was with my Estonian friend: Pilar didn't offer to feed us, and anyway we had provisions from the Ponte Ulla Día. It is nice to be able to get to Santiago so quickly, but I like Ponte Ulla very much as well. The one time I stayed there (in the private "albergue" in the truck stop - single simple en suite room 10 or 12€, if memory serves) I had a really excellent meal at the Villa Verde, in town near the river. Quite pricey but very tasty and good value (it has a "bib gourmande" in the Michelin, meaning "good food at reasonable prices"). Looking forward to eating there again this autumn, dv.DO NOT STAY IN OUTEIRO!! Just stayed there three nights ago, and it was the most horrible experience I have ever had in any Albergue! And all other 16 pilgrims felt the same!
Here's why: Pilar the hospitalera refused to turn the heat on, though several pilgrims asked her to - myself included, because it was a very cold night. There were no blankets available, either and she claimed that all the Xunta de Galicia albergues stopped using heat on the 1st of May (not true in Cea which is also a XofG Albergue) and that they no longer had blankets due to bed bugs; she said they had to burn all mattresses, pillows and bedding. My observation is that the Albergue is not very clean and the lack of cleanliness contributed to the bed bug infestation. Both the men and women's bathrooms did not have enough toilet paper. When an elderly pilgrim arrived and requested a lower bunk bed because he had arthritis, Pilar refused to open the second dormitory to accommodate him.
There were 2 French pilgrims who made some written remarks about the hospitalera's lack of hospitality and kindness on the notebook for comments, but as soon as Pilar became aware of this, she collected the notebook and took it with her when she left, but not before getting into a loud argument with these 2 pilgrims and another lady.
Tomorrow morning I will be reporting her to the Xunta de Galicia, which happens to be right across the street from my hotel
Right before Outeiro, and shortly after it too, there are other reasonable sleeping options.
Hi LK, I'm sorry to say that though I had planned on doing just that, the weather stopped me from going ahead to the monasteryHello, @manoll. Did you pass by the monastery on your way to Santiago dC? Did you meet Brother Luis at Oseira? An interesting fellow. He was my hospitalero 'back in the day'. Here's how it was in 2011:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/staying-oseira-monastery.10905/#post-105249
Cheers
LK
Re Outeiro: I stayed there twice as it makes for an early arrival in Santiago as it is only 16 km. What is unfortunate about the albergue situation is this: Pilar runs it as if it were hers - I assume that she has a special deal with the Junta - and takes advantage of the situation. There are no other services around. She has a little wooden house in the back where she keeps food and cooks for pilgrims. The prices are above market prices and I have always found her unpleasant unless you are willing to order food with her.
What a group of us did both times was buy food at the Día in Ponte Ulla and cook together. There are just enough utensils in the kitchen to do this. She won't like it but you of course have the right to do this. Some people stay in Ponte Ulla.
Does sound as if you caught Pilar on a very off day. I've stayed three times in the albergue at O Outeiro and found it fine. Each time was in December and there wasn't much heating and it went off at 10pm, but I'm sure there were blankets, as I never carry a sleeping bag, so I would remember a chilly night. Twice I've had the albergue to myself, and one time was with my Estonian friend: Pilar didn't offer to feed us, and anyway we had provisions from the Ponte Ulla Día. It is nice to be able to get to Santiago so quickly, but I like Ponte Ulla very much as well. The one time I stayed there (in the private "albergue" in the truck stop - single simple en suite room 10 or 12€, if memory serves) I had a really excellent meal at the Villa Verde, in town near the river. Quite pricey but very tasty and good value (it has a "bib gourmande" in the Michelin, meaning "good food at reasonable prices"). Looking forward to eating there again this autumn, dv.
Hello again Lovingkindness! I did read your post about your Oseira Monastery experience with Brother Luis. It really seems to have been such a pleasant and memorable event of your Camino back in 2011! How fortunate you were to be thereHello, @manoll. Did you pass by the monastery on your way to Santiago dC? Did you meet Brother Luis at Oseira? An interesting fellow. He was my hospitalero 'back in the day'. Here's how it was in 2011:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/staying-oseira-monastery.10905/#post-105249
Cheers
LK
Lucky you! Pilar must've liked youHi there, @manoll. I've stayed in Outeiro twice, the first time with sleeping bag, the second time under blankets given with a smile......the only unpleasantness was a vicious little dog.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?