CliffBarnes
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Porto x2
Ingles
Baztan
I'm just back from the Camino del Salvador and will give a small report of my journey.
I decided to do it in five stages and stay in private accommodation.
My first stage was Leon to La Robla. I followed the river path all the way to Carbajal. Walk down the steps on your left when you see the airplane roundabout and your there. Follow this all the way for six km until you meet an obvious track on your right ,close to the town , with a large pipe running the length of the track. Follow the pipe up to the Main Street and your there.
It was 0830 on a Sunday morning when I passed through so the bars were not open yet, but there's a fountain at the top of the village.
There's a couple of good up and downs now over the next 6km dotted with fountains along the way. Soon, you'll pass through Cabanillas and La Seca before coming into Cascantes, where there's a good bar with food ,wine and a sello.
Your now only 5km from La Robla. There's a marked option to turn left after the village but you'll miss walking past the Emerita del Celada and getting a good look at the power plant.
There were no shops open as I walked through but all the bars and restaurants were so food wasn't a problem. I stayed at Bar Mundo, 15€ for a twin room.
My second stage was for La Robla to Poladura de la Tercia. There is no reason to rush on this stage because Poladura is very quiet. I had booked the casa rural AND booked dinner too. Even if you're staying in the albergue you should book dinner here because otherwise you will starve. The bar serves drinks and drinks only. The albergue has cooking facilities if you've brought food .
So, leave La Robla out the main road and within an hour you'll be at the Chapel of Good Success. The cafe opposite was open at 8 am on the Bank Holiday so I assume you can count on it being open on a Sunday too. It's a good spot for breakfast. After another hour you'll find yourself in Pola de Gordon which has plenty of bars, cafes and shops. The shops were closed because of the holiday but just outside the town on your way, there's a 24/7 petrol station with basic shop, cafe and bathroom. Very handy if you get caught out on a Sunday. Your now on a quiet road till Buiza which has a very good albergue.
The walk from La Buiza to Poladura is great. 3km of huffin an puffin then 6with your mouth open looking around you. The fabled Great Divide is well marked and won't be missed. As mentioned before, the bar is open but only for drinks.
Day three and I was up early for my longest stage, Poladura to Campomanes. Easily the best stage I've ever walked. Some people split this stage in two by staying at Pajeras but I bypassed there and went straight to San Miguel. Make sure you fill your bottle before you leave.
You start the day with a good accent up to the cross then to the Cante de la Tusa, the high point. You then have a nice decent all the way to Pajares pass. The meson beside the church was closed as I passed by but the bar opposite the old parador was open ,with three big tortillas sitting on the counter waiting for the starving pilgrims . The views from the parador are stunning.
The route now goods back behind the bar and up over the hill. This is where the toughest part begins, going down to San Miguel. Walk as slow as you can and take plenty of rests. Your hamstrings will thank you for it!
From here to Campomanes, the route goes up and down a couple of times along quiet roads, through fields and along a path overlooking over a valley. Make sure you take the Santa Marina option/arrow and not the scallop shell. The Campomanes arrow was the only one I almost missed. Too busy looking around!
There's not a whole lot going on in Campomanes, there's six bars and a restaurant that opens after eight. I stayed in Casa Rural Abad , 20€ for a twin room and they wash your clothes too if needed. Then, being the good pilgrim that I am, I went for a stroll out as far as Santa Cristina de Lena, because I wanted to see the inside and get a holy stamp. It was well worth it.
My fourth stage was from Campomanes to Mieres del Camin. A very easy stage . Flat and mostly on road, but with plenty of pit stops and good things to see. Pola De Lana is a decent sized town with a nice square, good bars and some fancy buildings. It's a good place for a late breakfast. You then follow the road all the way to Ujo, passing by a couple of villages along the way with cafes. The marked camino doesn't send you into Ujo but I'd advise walking in and having a coffee or beer. It doesn't add any extra onto the route. Ujo has an interesting church that was moved in 1921 to make way for the railway. There are also shops and cafes and the last chance to go to the bathroom before Mieres. To get back onto the camino just walk down any of the streets on the right and 100m later your back at the river path all the way to Mieres,easy. There are plenty of Pensions and shops here . The albergue is about 2.5km outside the town in a sad looking area. You are now also deep into cider country so roll up those sleeves pilgrim!
My final stage into Oviedo was a good healthy 20km up and over too hills . The first half was on a quiet road and the second on a path. The halfway for the day is Olleniego with two shops and 5 bars for food. The last ten km into Oviedo is great with a lovely trail and some great views of countryside. The entrance into the city is very straightforward and too soon your at the Cathedral.
Overall, it's a great camino. It's very well marked and there are plenty of options for accommodation. Provided you bring some food after Pola de Gordon, you won't go hungry. Mieres is a great spot! Enders guide is all you need but Laurie and Rebecca's guide compliment it well. Walking between La Buiza and Poladura was the only time I saw pilgrims on the trail, even though they were out there. Oviedo is a great town. I deliberately don't see all the sites because I'm definitely doing this again.
Fair play to everyone that has marked this route. They've done an excellent job.
I decided to do it in five stages and stay in private accommodation.
My first stage was Leon to La Robla. I followed the river path all the way to Carbajal. Walk down the steps on your left when you see the airplane roundabout and your there. Follow this all the way for six km until you meet an obvious track on your right ,close to the town , with a large pipe running the length of the track. Follow the pipe up to the Main Street and your there.
It was 0830 on a Sunday morning when I passed through so the bars were not open yet, but there's a fountain at the top of the village.
There's a couple of good up and downs now over the next 6km dotted with fountains along the way. Soon, you'll pass through Cabanillas and La Seca before coming into Cascantes, where there's a good bar with food ,wine and a sello.
Your now only 5km from La Robla. There's a marked option to turn left after the village but you'll miss walking past the Emerita del Celada and getting a good look at the power plant.
There were no shops open as I walked through but all the bars and restaurants were so food wasn't a problem. I stayed at Bar Mundo, 15€ for a twin room.
My second stage was for La Robla to Poladura de la Tercia. There is no reason to rush on this stage because Poladura is very quiet. I had booked the casa rural AND booked dinner too. Even if you're staying in the albergue you should book dinner here because otherwise you will starve. The bar serves drinks and drinks only. The albergue has cooking facilities if you've brought food .
So, leave La Robla out the main road and within an hour you'll be at the Chapel of Good Success. The cafe opposite was open at 8 am on the Bank Holiday so I assume you can count on it being open on a Sunday too. It's a good spot for breakfast. After another hour you'll find yourself in Pola de Gordon which has plenty of bars, cafes and shops. The shops were closed because of the holiday but just outside the town on your way, there's a 24/7 petrol station with basic shop, cafe and bathroom. Very handy if you get caught out on a Sunday. Your now on a quiet road till Buiza which has a very good albergue.
The walk from La Buiza to Poladura is great. 3km of huffin an puffin then 6with your mouth open looking around you. The fabled Great Divide is well marked and won't be missed. As mentioned before, the bar is open but only for drinks.
Day three and I was up early for my longest stage, Poladura to Campomanes. Easily the best stage I've ever walked. Some people split this stage in two by staying at Pajeras but I bypassed there and went straight to San Miguel. Make sure you fill your bottle before you leave.
You start the day with a good accent up to the cross then to the Cante de la Tusa, the high point. You then have a nice decent all the way to Pajares pass. The meson beside the church was closed as I passed by but the bar opposite the old parador was open ,with three big tortillas sitting on the counter waiting for the starving pilgrims . The views from the parador are stunning.
The route now goods back behind the bar and up over the hill. This is where the toughest part begins, going down to San Miguel. Walk as slow as you can and take plenty of rests. Your hamstrings will thank you for it!
From here to Campomanes, the route goes up and down a couple of times along quiet roads, through fields and along a path overlooking over a valley. Make sure you take the Santa Marina option/arrow and not the scallop shell. The Campomanes arrow was the only one I almost missed. Too busy looking around!
There's not a whole lot going on in Campomanes, there's six bars and a restaurant that opens after eight. I stayed in Casa Rural Abad , 20€ for a twin room and they wash your clothes too if needed. Then, being the good pilgrim that I am, I went for a stroll out as far as Santa Cristina de Lena, because I wanted to see the inside and get a holy stamp. It was well worth it.
My fourth stage was from Campomanes to Mieres del Camin. A very easy stage . Flat and mostly on road, but with plenty of pit stops and good things to see. Pola De Lana is a decent sized town with a nice square, good bars and some fancy buildings. It's a good place for a late breakfast. You then follow the road all the way to Ujo, passing by a couple of villages along the way with cafes. The marked camino doesn't send you into Ujo but I'd advise walking in and having a coffee or beer. It doesn't add any extra onto the route. Ujo has an interesting church that was moved in 1921 to make way for the railway. There are also shops and cafes and the last chance to go to the bathroom before Mieres. To get back onto the camino just walk down any of the streets on the right and 100m later your back at the river path all the way to Mieres,easy. There are plenty of Pensions and shops here . The albergue is about 2.5km outside the town in a sad looking area. You are now also deep into cider country so roll up those sleeves pilgrim!
My final stage into Oviedo was a good healthy 20km up and over too hills . The first half was on a quiet road and the second on a path. The halfway for the day is Olleniego with two shops and 5 bars for food. The last ten km into Oviedo is great with a lovely trail and some great views of countryside. The entrance into the city is very straightforward and too soon your at the Cathedral.
Overall, it's a great camino. It's very well marked and there are plenty of options for accommodation. Provided you bring some food after Pola de Gordon, you won't go hungry. Mieres is a great spot! Enders guide is all you need but Laurie and Rebecca's guide compliment it well. Walking between La Buiza and Poladura was the only time I saw pilgrims on the trail, even though they were out there. Oviedo is a great town. I deliberately don't see all the sites because I'm definitely doing this again.
Fair play to everyone that has marked this route. They've done an excellent job.
