Slower [easier?!] route from Astorga to Sarria?

[Tomsuns]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

 

[SabsP]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

Hi and welcome on this forum. You will find a wealth of information here.
Sure, you can add extra nights if you want to.

Lots of us here find the website Gronze a good tool because it gives you a nice idea about all the in between villages ( from the classic stops in the guides ) and also an elevation profile.

Camino Francés | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés es el Camino de Santiago en el que confluyen la mayoría de las vías medievales de peregrinación europeas, siendo por tanto el camino de mayor relevancia histórica y el más seguido por los peregrinos. Su punto de inicio, hoy en día, tanto puede considerarse Roncesvalles como...

www.gronze.com

An example : when I first walked the Camino Francés I slept in Vega de Valcarce and only walked to O Cebreiro that day.

Enjoy your preparations!

 

[trecile]

I don't know what you mean by a shorter route. You can just walk shorter stages. There are plenty of towns to stop in.

This site can help you plan your own stages.

Planificador - Camino de Santiago - Godesalco.com

Perfiles altitudinales, planificación de etapas y archivos GPS para el Camino de Santiago.

godesalco.com

 

[Turga]

As stated in the posts above, good options to make shorter stages - and if you feel you need to take a bus/taxi sometimes, don't feel bad about it, many people do that.

Buen Camino!

 

[Rebequa]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

Good idea to walk short stages and savor the walk! If you take one taxi, I would make it Acebo to Molinaseca. Plenty of people walk it, but it’s sheer rock instead of dirt, and at least as challenging as SJPP to Roncesvalles in my experiences from 2021 and June 2023. I’m in my early 50’s, if that helps to gauge whether this is helpful for you.

 

[Turga]

If you take one taxi, I would make it Acebo to Molinaseca.

That’s good advice. With bad knees, the descent from Cruz de Ferro will be a challenge. You can choose to walk on the road instead of the trail, but still it’s a long descent. There used to be and probably still are posters by the Cruz with telephone numbers to taxis, but you could also ask for numbers at your accommodation before you leave in the morning.

 

[Tomsuns]

Thank you so much!!! And to clarify - yes, I mean shorter stages - good places to overnight on this stretch to break up the longer days ...

 

[J Willhaus]

We usually only walk about 10 miles or 16 km per day. This allows us to see what we want and take our time. The Camino Frances has plenty of stops to allow this pace. Don't feel you have to "keep up" with others and enjoy the smaller in between towns along your pilgrimage

 

[David Tallan]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

Just want to start by saying that Leon to Santiago is a whole Camino, not a half of a Camino. A half of a Camino is only when you stop halfway between your starting point and Santiago.

On our 2016 Camino Frances we stopped in Riego de Ambros, which broke the descent from the Cruz de Ferro to Molinaseca in two. Just from Riego de Ambros to Molinaseca was bad enough.

If you stayed in La Faba and Filloval, that would break the ascent to and descent from O Cebreiro.

If you've got bad knees, I highly recommend hiking poles.

 

[Marian Patricia]

We did Leon to Santiago in 19 days. Many days we could have walked a lot further. We broke it down as follows: Leon to Villar de Mazarife, Hospital de Orbigo, Murias de Rechivaldo, Rabanal, El Acebo, Molinaseca, Componaraya, Villafranca del Bierzo, Vega de Valcarce, O Cebreiro, Biduedo, Samos, Rente, Portomarin, Castromaior, Palas de Rei, Melide, Salceda, O Pedrouzo and Santiago de Compostela. We were in our mid-60s and I have bad knees but all of it was manageable for me, with the day from El Acebo to Molinaseca being the most challenging (downhill and rocky). That day is wise to keep short, especiallly if you have bad knees. O Cebreiro was not bad for me at all, but it is a day many find very challenging due to the constant uphill and if this is the case, would be wise to make that day shorter. But 19 days to do what we did was more than we needed, although we had time to relax and enjoy our surroundings many days - go exploring, etc. and we never took a day off at all.

 

[Cindy McGuire]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

We have done the entire Camino Frances and have broken up all the stages to accommodate our age. Just use the Brierly guide and look for the distances you want. Then check something like Booking.com for places to stay. You can easily make your own journey.

 

[williamlittig]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

Try using godesalco.com & gronze.com to limit your mileage.

 

[Linda693]

Good idea to walk short stages and savor the walk! If you take one taxi, I would make it Acebo to Molinaseca. Plenty of people walk it, but it’s sheer rock instead of dirt, and at least as challenging as SJPP to Roncesvalles in my experiences from 2021 and June 2023. I’m in my early 50’s, if that helps to gauge whether this is helpful for you.

And especially don’t do that section if it’s raining or dark!!

 

[Richard Smith]

An example : when I first walked the Camino Francés I slept in Vega de Valcarce and only walked to O Cebreiro that day.

+1 for this option, it made the climb too Cebriero easy.

 

[hokiebobwise]

Be wary of the "scenic" routes. Yes, they are scenic but the elevation gain to see the scenery is a challenge. We overnighted in Villafranca del bierzo. When crossing the bridge you go straight to Pereje or turn right for a steep climb to Pradela, +1.7km overall for the stage. I didn't realize 2/3 of the 8km was going to be uphill, and steep was an understatement for many parts. I had a full night's rest, at 47 and my son 19, and I probably stopped 5x to catch my breath. It was much harder, on me, than the walk to O Cebreiro.

Coming down from Cruz was also a challenge on the knees and quads. I would do it again but I'd be sure to have poles and no a "camino provided" stick.

Bob

 

[trecile]

Be wary of the "scenic" routes. Yes, they are scenic but the elevation gain to see the scenery is a challenge. We overnighted in Villafranca del bierzo. When crossing the bridge you go straight to Pereje or turn right for a steep climb to Pradela, +1.7km overall for the stage. I didn't realize 2/3 of the 8km was going to be uphill, and steep was an understatement for many parts. I had a full night's rest, at 47 and my son 19, and I probably stopped 5x to catch my breath. It was much harder, on me, than the walk to O Cebreiro.

Yes, it's definitely the more difficult route out of Villafranca del Bierzo, but it is beautiful. I did it at age 59, which was a while ago, so I don't remember how many times I had to stop.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

On our 2016 Camino Frances we stopped in Riego de Ambros, which broke the descent from the Cruz de Ferro to Molinaseca in two.

If anyone wants to walk this section but has physical problems then David's selection would be my recommendation because it means that you walk the most difficult part when you are fresh in the morning rather than when you are tired from the rest of a days walking.

There is also a very nice albergue in Riego de Ambros (https://maps.app.goo.gl/aWZhYfMsu34sKZHcA) and a selection of other albergues.

 

[Wippe]

Hola! My husband and I are setting out to do our first half of a Camino in Sept, from Leon to Santiago. He's quite fit but I've got some bad feet and knees that'll slow me down in the hills.

Wondered if anyone has added stops on those big uphill/downhill stages that broke up the elevation into different days? Can't find any recs for a slower route through the area ... We have 3 weeks so happy to spend more time as needed!

And not too proud to jump in a taxi/bus if there are stretches that are best to do that!

Many thanks for any tips!
Maryann & Don

Hello Maryann, take your pace. I am 76 yrs old with two new knie prothesis since september 2022. I got an idea ( been sitting with bad knies for five yrs ) - No training, walking alone for 7-8hrs a day . Made from Leon to Santiago in 12 days. You have good time to walk short stages and to take rest days in between. I wish you two a Buon Camino. P.S. I am walking from Porto to Santiago in September.