Sarria to Santiago by bike in July

[Lucky Sprite]

Hello I'm starting/continuing my bike camino in Logrono on Sunday 3 July and due to time constraints may not get beyond Sarria but just say I do... would it be hellishly busy from Sarria onwards? Judging by the photos it's single file all the way. How would a cyclist cope with this? Also I read a really off putting post today about how frenetic that last stretch is at the moment. I'm renting a mtb in Logrono but am beginning to wonder if I'd be better with a hybrid. I'm carrying stuff in a pannier.
All suggestions appreciated.

 

[mspath]

You might cope by biking the parallel roads.

 

[Lucky Sprite]

You might cope by biking the parallel roads.

Aha is that simple enough to do then? My sense of direction isn't great but if they are obvious roads that should be ok then

 

[mspath]

Aha is that simple enough to do then? My sense of direction isn't great but if they are obvious roads that should be ok then

As a start you might follow LU 633 out of Sarria west to O Hospital to pick up LU P 3305 stopping where you wish at albergues towns along the way. Once you get the knack there'll be no stopping you!

Good luck and Buen camino!

 

[Lucky Sprite]

Ok that's very helpful would a montain bike be my best bet?

 

[mspath]

Since I am not up to date on the best type bike for your camimo I can't answer your querry.

Do check out the Forum topic
Biking the Camino for lots of helpful tips.

Here is a good Google map of the CF route and halts. Zoom in on the area west of Sarria to plot a possible parallel route on small roads.

Happy planning and Buen camino!

 

[november_moon]

There was definitely an uptick in people past Sarria, but we didn't find it nearly as crowded as we expected - we arrived in Santiago a little over a week ago. We stayed "off-stage" for the most part, so we weren't walking with the waves of pilgrims. There were people around, but I would say that at least half the time between Sarria and Santiago, we were on the trail by ourselves without other pilgrims in sight.

Taking roads when you can is definitely a good choice though - there are some parts of the path that are pretty narrow and the conflict between walkers and cyclists is thick. Other parts are wide enough to accommodate bikes and walkers, but you'll definitely want a mountain bike if you aren't planning to use the paved roads exclusively.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Get yourself a copy of the Michelin : Camino de Santiago. I used this guide (as well as Brierley). As mspath correctly points out you can ride the parallel roads. I did follow the much of the walkers Camino to Portomarin (from Sarria), but from there it was easier, safer (for me and the pilgrims) to follow the LU-633 to Palas de Rei. From Palas I tried to follow the walkers path but eventually returned to the road, all the way to SDC (you end up on the N547. When (if?) you get to the BIG roundabout (11 km East of Santiago) you can resume following the pilgrims walking trail - its a series of minor roads. Just be careful coming down from the Monte do Gozo - the tourist pilgrims have ZERO road sense. I almost hit 6 or 7 of these idiots.
One other point - you should be able to follow the pilgrim trail from Leon to Rabanal (via Astorga), but I would recommend following the road up to the Cruz de Ferro and definitely follow the road down to Ponferrada. Good luck and Buen Camino.

 

[Lucky Sprite]

Thanks for the good advice here. Is the Michelin guide easy to get over there? I've left it a bit late to buy it here. Wot time did u start in the morning? Did you manage to find beds ok?
I hope you enjoyed your camino I'm getting really excited now! 2 days to go!

 

[Lucky Sprite]

Since I am not up to date on the best type bike for your camimo I can't answer your querry.

Do check out the Forum topic
Biking the Camino for lots of helpful tips.

Here is a good Google map of the CF route and halts. Zoom in on the area west of Sarria to plot a possible parallel route on small roads.

Happy planning and Buen camino!

Thanks that's really helpful

 

[Saint Mike II]

Thanks for the good advice here. Is the Michelin guide easy to get over there? I've left it a bit late to buy it here. Wot time did u start in the morning? Did you manage to find beds ok?
I hope you enjoyed your camino I'm getting really excited now! 2 days to go!

I am not sure if you can get one in Spain or France - I bought mine on line. As I rode in Sept I usually started around 8.30 (or whenever I was kicked out). One issue I faced was that as Spain uses European Central Time (plus 1 ahead of London), but as most of Spain is in fact WEST of London the sun rises in the Galicia region was often after 8.30 so I was almost riding in the dark. If you are riding in July sun-up will usually be around 7.30 am, which is probably a civilised time to start - after coffee and snack.

 

[Ajrk]

Hello I'm starting/continuing my bike camino in Logrono on Sunday 3 July and due to time constraints may not get beyond Sarria but just say I do... would it be hellishly busy from Sarria onwards? Judging by the photos it's single file all the way. How would a cyclist cope with this? Also I read a really off putting post today about how frenetic that last stretch is at the moment. I'm renting a mtb in Logrono but am beginning to wonder if I'd be better with a hybrid. I'm carrying stuff in a pannier.
All suggestions appreciated.

Hi there Lucky Sprite
I would definitely recommend using a mountain bike V a hybrid .I just completed the Frances on one in May and off road you need it but it works fine on the Tarmac road where the hybrid is really only good for road use . Yes it can get a bit crowded on the trail but you have the luxury of starting later on a bike so the crowd has spread out at that stage and easier to pass a lot of the trail runs alongside the road so use that when possible. If you have a smartphone I totally recommend using an app called TrekRight that was all I needed I brought a guide book with me but only studied that at night TrekRight lets you download the maps to your phone so you don't use any data while using it just GPS so you can see exactly where you are in relation to the trail / road
Alan

 

[Lucky Sprite]

Thanks Alan will check it out 2nite