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Road option to avoid Villavieja

jennysa

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
CF 2011,2012 2013,2014, 2015 Aragones 2012, 2017 2018 Via Francigena 2016,2017 Primitivo 2018,2019
Can someone who has walked the shortened version of Day 1 by cutting across on the N-536 just after Santalla Del Bierzo, to go straight to Borrenes so as to avoid the loop to Villavieja, comment on it please?. I see that it saves 3 kms but I have also read somewhere else that it is to be avoided at all costs because it is very dangerous walking along the road. The thought of saving 3 kms on Day 1 to Las Medulas is very appealing plus it gives one more time to spend at Las Medulas to visit the museum.
 
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If you don’t find anyone who has walked it, you could take a look on streetview on google maps to see what the road looks like. Here are a couple of shots. I’m sure most of us have walked on roads like this on one camino or another but it is not fun (or safe), and this would be about 5 km.

If you are walking from Ponferrada and worry that the day would be too long to give you time to enjoy Las Médulas, another option would be to take a cab from Ponferrada to one of several towns along the way — Toral de Mayo, 5.8 kms, another 3.1 to Villalibre,another 1.6 to Priaranza. But you probably already know that I think it would be a shame to miss out on the loveliest part of that day (up to Villavieja and then up to the castle) and also to miss out on the pretty little village itself and the castle views.
 
If you look at the map on the app you'll find that there are three ways to get from Santalla to Borrenes. The first (in yellow) is the official route, which takes you up to the village of Villavieja and back down past Cornatel Castle. The second (in green) is to follow the main road, which is very windy and pretty dangerous. The third one is marked in blue and indicated as a shortcut. There's a photo on the app of this shortcut, which is just after the chapel; it takes you up and over the main road and then up again to the slate factory at the top.

I've done all three routes. The road walk is definitely to be avoided. The shortcut, if you want to miss the beautiful walk up to Villavieja and the castle, saves you plenty of time.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
You are right - it doesn't look safe. Thanks for all the suggestions. I have been to Las Medulas 3 times by taxi from Ponferrada but my friends that I am walking with have not been there before.
 
Hi, Jenny,
I just moved the posts to their own separate thread to make it easier to follow the discussion. Charrito’s post is very helpful and corrects my incorrect assumption that you had to do this on the side of the highway.

Charrito said:
If you look at the map on the app you'll find that there are three ways to get from Santalla to Borrenes.
Click to expand...

@Charrito, hope you come back to tell us what app and what map you are referring to!

So it sounds like there is a safer way to do this, but I still think it’d be a shame to miss the section to Villavieja and on up to Cornatel. Sorry, I know I’ve given my opinion and it’s of course up to you!
 
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This is brilliant, @Charrito. And yes it saves a lot of distance. Like Laurie, I felt that part between Villavirja and the castle were really special, but this is worth tryng - especially for those who have done the Invieno multiple times or who are short of time.

On OSMand the yellow is the camino, anf it (the dotted line) very neatly cuts across both the meanders of the road and the much longer way upslope via Villavieja and the castle.

I was wondering about the slope, so I went to the IGN topographic map - to see that yeah, it goes up, but less and much more gently than the way up to the castle.

One place that may need a bit of care is around that quarry - the topo map is a bit ambiguous, but Google Map on sattelite view makes it clear you need to stay near the road through there. It is public access though, yes?
 
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The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
It’s a short but fairly steep climb to the ro
A short but steepis
h climb to the road, then another short but steepish climb to the slate quarry.
 
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