Starting our Camino in Leon

[Ian and Helen Miller]

• Hi we are starting our camino in Leon on 16th Sept, we are excited and very grateful that we have been given the chance to be part of this, I am in my middle seventies, and my wife in her sixties, and we have a couple of questions that we are looking to find the answers to. We are doing this camino on faith and we have only booked hostels on our first night in Leon and the last three nights in Santiago. Both accommondations refer to having Rain Showers in the bathrooms, can anyone tell us just what is a Rain Shower. Also we plan to walk fairly slowly,about 3/4kms per hour and for maybe 3/5 hours per day, do the hostels and/or albergues close in the afternoon for sesta Sorry about the spelling. Thanks in advance.

 

[mspath]

Hi Ian,

Welcome to the Forum!
You and your wife must be very excited as you plan your September camino.

A rain shower head is a large disk which showers a wider area of your body then the usual smaller head. Thus, you feel as if caught in a shower without an umbrella. See more in this link.

Albergues/hostels generally do not close at siesta time but there no standard rule. Generally most open early afternoon and stay open until their evening closing.

Enjoy your planning and Buen camino to you both!

 

[Fletchonides]

Welcome Ian.
A Rain Shower is a type of shower head which is quite large, and the water tends to come straight down at a slightly lower pressure than narrow shower heads. I like them.

Hostels and albergues tend to close from 8am till 12.30/1pm typically, to allow time for cleaning getting ready for the next pilgrims. They don't take a siesta as that is when most pilgrims will be arriving.

 

[mspath]

Ian,

Here is some further info for planning your journey.

Following the camino leaving Leon can be dreary. However, it is only 7 km to La Virgen del Camino and an extraordinary 20th century church. The town is named for a famous 15th century figure of the Virgin holding the dead body of Christ. Today the figure is in a splendid church designed in the 1960s by a Dominican monk, Francisco Coello, a follower of the Brutalist style of Le Corbusier. Located directly on the Camino Frances at Av Astorga, 87, in the midst of chaotic suburb the church is a superbly maintained architectural gem as well as a haven of peace. Be sure to enter it; the calm interior is splendidly lit with deep chrome yellow glass.

Opposite the church you can choose to either continue on the main camino which parallels the highway or pick up the peaceful alternative camino route going slightly southwest towards Villar de Mazarife. It is always very pleasant to escape the N120 highway noise and suburban sprawl while crossing wide flat plains up to V de M where there are several pilgrim albergues and regular accommodation. From V d M the alternative camino continues to Hospital de Órbigo to rejoin the main CF. You can read more about the alternative more rural route in this earlier Forum thread .

Hospital de Orbigo offers many accommodation options; my favorite is the Albergue Verde. They accept reservations and offer wonderful group meals each evening. Leaving HdO turn right to follow the camino towards Astorga via Santibanez de Valdeiglesias on a wonderful rolling rural path.

Carpe diem!

 

[Ahaj]

I have just completed the second half of my Camino and this time I started in Leon and finished by walking from Finisterre to Muxia. I am not keen on walking the industrial outskirts of cities after my first Camino so I started my first day by taking the bus to La Virgen deal Camino and then taking the alternative route mspath mentions. Highly recommend this as I had the most special and glorious first day back.

 

[Eddie Ashburner]

Leaving Santibanez for Astorga this year (2016) in April was a nightmare. The works in progress have destroyed any rural path and it's a sea of mud. Dangerous in the wet and not recommended unfortunately.

 

[november_moon]

Is that 3 to 4 kmh as your pace? If so, that sounds pretty average. Some walk faster, but most dont. At 3-5 hours per day, that will take you 9-20 km per day. 9 is on the short side, but 20 is pretty common, so you won't be going as slow as you may think

 

[Ian and Helen Miller]

Is that 3 to 4 kmh as your pace? If so, that sounds pretty average. Some walk faster, but most dont. At 3-5 hours per day, that will take you 9-20 km per day. 9 is on the short side, but 20 is pretty common, so you won't be going as slow as you may think

 

[Ian and Helen Miller]

Thank you all for your info, what a great group o people you all are,just so very kind. Ian,