The difference

[Helen Mannersjö]

Can anyone tell me about the different between Levante and Sureste ? When I look at the maps they look the same exept for that one camino starting in Alicante and the other in Valencia.

Thanks <3

Helen

 

[Deleted member 3000]

They join eventually. Only the beginning is different.

 

[KinkyOne]

Can anyone tell me about the different between Levante and Sureste ? When I look at the maps they look the same exept for that one camino starting in Alicante and the other in Valencia.

Thanks <3

Helen

They are not the same but they do join here and there. In general they start and end at completely different spots. I think @Bad Pilgrim (first one I can think about) could answer more exactly because he had walked both Caminos.

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Okey, thanks both of you

 

[Donovan]

Helen,

This is a rough guide to the two routes from their respective starting points in Valencia (Levante) and Alicante (Sureste)

• They join near Albacete
  
  
• Separate at Minaya
  
  
• Rejoin at El Toboso
  
  
• Separate at Tembleque
  
  
• Rejoin at Almenocid de Toledo
  
  
• Separate at Rielves
  
  
• Cross at Escalona
  
  
• Rejoin at Cebreros
  
  
• Separate at Medina del Campo

The Levante then goes to Zamora, while the Sureste goes to Benavente.

It is worth knowing where the routes separate so you can choose the right one to follow. The arrow markings are the same for both routes.

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Helen,

This is a rough guide to the two routes from their respective starting points in Valencia (Levante) and Alicante (Sureste)

• They join near Albacete
  
  
• Separate at Minaya
  
  
• Rejoin at El Toboso
  
  
• Separate at Tembleque
  
  
• Rejoin at Almenocid de Toledo
  
  
• Separate at Rielves
  
  
• Cross at Escalona
  
  
• Rejoin at Cebreros
  
  
• Separate at Medina del Campo

The Levante then goes to Zamora, while the Sureste goes to Benavente.

It is worth knowing where the routes separate so you can choose the right one to follow. The arrow markings are the same for both routes.

I dont really care if we walk the Levante or the Sureste. The less asphalt the better. It seems strange that Peregrinos back in the old days should have made two caminos so near to each other. After they joined the first time i Albacete they should have been one until they seperated for the last time. Is one of them origin ?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It seems strange that Peregrinos back in the old days should have made two caminos so near to each other.

The old routes followed the Roman roads, which now are mostly paved. After all, they were the most direct route available, and after ox carts, cars followed them. Modern walking routes are based on the easement rights that the local governments can get to cross private land. That is why most of them have a lot of road and road shoulder sections -- the government already has rights to that land! There are a lot of old Roman road sections and Roman ruins in the area you will be walking. Look for them. Buen camino!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

I dont really care if we walk the Levante or the Sureste. The less asphalt the better. It seems strange that Peregrinos back in the old days should have made two caminos so near to each other. After they joined the first time i Albacete they should have been one until they seperated for the last time. Is one of them origin ?

Hi,

The explanation that has been given to me is that Sureste is the origin and that the Levante is a recent invention.

As for the asphalt, you will have less of it on your first stages if you leave from Alicante.

Once in Albacete you have the chance of going from one to the other when it's possible! If you don't care which one it is. In Medina del Campo they separate for the last time - do you know where you will go from there?

Yes I did both of them separately, careful not to mix them up. If I would do it once again I would be changing between them, as you will do, picking the best from both of them (for example in terms of accomodations...). I never think of asphalt when I walk, but if you want I can try to recall the status of the stages where they diverge (exactly as Donovan pointed out above)?

/BP

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

The arrow markings are the same for both routes.

Donovan, are you sure? I remember the Sureste has a blue background with the yellow arrows (like the Swedish flag, Helena!) while the Levante uses the regular yellow arrows known from many other routes.

As the Caminos are crossing at several points, this is a way to distinguish between them. For example, In Minaya there is a large yellow arrow on a blue background that has fooled many a pilgrim and that made the Levanters go on the Sureste...

/BP

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Thanks for your answer How will we know if we walk on the Sureste or Levante ? Does the signs tell us ? My feet really hates asphalt so if its possible to not walk on that, I will prefer that. We have no problem walking long stages and we also use to sleep where we like it most. It can be albuerges, hostels, a room over a bar and even hotels, it doesnt matter. We dont want to end up at the Camino France (to many people) and we have already done the VdLp/Sanbres so we are thinking of walking over to Portugal and ending the Portuguis way if its possible.

Helen

 

[KinkyOne]

Donovan, are you sure? I remember the Sureste has a blue background with the yellow arrows (like the Swedish flag, Helena!) while the Levante uses the regular yellow arrows known from many other routes.

As the Caminos are crossing at several points, this is a way to distinguish between them. For example, In Minaya there is a large yellow arrow on a blue background that has fooled many a pilgrim and that made the Levanters go on the Sureste...

/BP

Not completely sure of this blue+yellow solely for Sureste because I remember one of those after la Font de la Figuera on the way to Alpera/Almansa. And also later on when they criss-cross but I'm sure I was always walking on Levante.
But definitely in 2014 where both routes share the track the signage was better. That means Sureste is better marked or at least the paint was newer.

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

Thanks for your answer How will we know if we walk on the Sureste or Levante ? Does the signs tell us ? My feet really hates asphalt so if its possible to not walk on that, I will prefer that. We have no problem walking long stages and we also use to sleep where we like it most. It can be albuerges, hostels, a room over a bar and even hotels, it doesnt matter. We dont want to end up at the Camino France (to many people) and we have already done the VdLp/Sanbres so we are thinking of walking over to Portugal and ending the Portuguis way if its possible.

Helen

Okey blue and yellow Thats easy to remember

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

And none of you know about any guidbook for the Sureste ?

 

[KinkyOne]

And none of you know about any guidbook for the Sureste ?

Here you have some of them:
http://caminodelsureste.es.tl/
http://www.mundicamino.com/los-caminos/57/camino-del-sureste/
http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/camino-del-sureste/etapas
http://www.todocaminosantiago.com/en/camino-del-sureste/
http://www.amigosdelcamino.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=174&Itemid=130&lang=es
http://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=4455745

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

How will we know if we walk on the Sureste or Levante ? Does the signs tell us ?

If I'm not mistaken, the official marking for the Sureste is a yellow arrow with a blue background. Now, I don't think there was a blue background to each and every little arrow I saw on the Sureste. But whenever they split, as in Minaya, those painting them must have made an extra effort so it's clear to see. I also remember that when entering el Toboso, where they merge again as Donovan pointed out in his post, I saw this blue background on an arrow coming from the left (the Sureste) when I was still on the Levante.

It is true that some pilgrims have taken a wrong turn because of this and it really is confusing that the two routes are almost the same. I asked the hospitaleros why the Asociaciones can't get together and make one Camino out of them (I asked the famous Juan, in Villa de Don Fadrique, amongst others) and most of them agreed... But it is how it is...

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Not completely sure of this blue+yellow solely for Sureste because I remember one of those after la Font de la Figuera on the way to Alpera/Almansa. And also later on when they criss-cross but I'm sure I was always walking on Levante.
But definitely in 2014 where both routes share the track the signage was better. That means Sureste is better marked or at least the paint was newer.

I think I remember seeing something similar yes... But they are exceptions: in general, the blue background signals Sureste. In Minaya, for example, it's important to know.

I think that the signage was slightly better on the Sureste, although there were more spots where the map and the signage differed. There were changes, or added alternatives, that weren't on the map (map from 2010 or 2011). The Levante maps were more reliable in this respect.

BP

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Here you have some of them:
http://caminodelsureste.es.tl/
http://www.mundicamino.com/los-caminos/57/camino-del-sureste/
http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/camino-del-sureste/etapas
http://www.todocaminosantiago.com/en/camino-del-sureste/
http://www.amigosdelcamino.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=174&Itemid=130&lang=es
http://es.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=4455745

K1, are those all in Spanish (I'm too lazy to open them aaaall...). Cause I think Helen wants them in English. Do you know any? I used them in Spanish so I don't think I can help her.

Thanks

BP

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

we also use to sleep where we like it most. It can be albuerges, hostels, a room over a bar and even hotels, it doesnt matter.

Both on the Sureste and on the Levante you will encounter a wide range of accomodations: from a polideportivo (free) to hostals of 25 euros. The most expensive place for me was Arévalo (35 euros. But there's also a polideportivo, I've heard).

Albergues of the Sureste sometimes have hospitaleros that work for the Asociación de Sureste (Villa de Don Fadrique, Villanueva de Bogas...) but I don't think this was the case on the Levante... ever? Or can anyone who remembers more of the Levante prove me wrong? I remember this as the only difference in terms of albergues. There are as many albergues on the Levante as the Sureste. It's just that sometimes you have to choose a Polideportivo or a hostal/hotel instead.

BP

 

[peregrina2000]

I walked the Levante and loved it. When I walked a few years ago, we calculated that there were albergues in about half, or a little more, of the stages. And the number was increasing. BUT.. The first four days are all asphalt, that was a killer. I knew of a couple of places where there could be confusion (Medina del Campo being one of them, but the rest I have alerted to in my post from several years ago). The Levante has an English language guide published by the amigos association in Valencia, but I don't know of any English guide to the Sureste.

There are several other longer caminos starting from that neck of the woods -- Catalan, Ebro, Castellano-Aragones, so you may have more possibilities than you think! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[KinkyOne]

K1, are those all in Spanish (I'm too lazy to open them aaaall...). Cause I think Helen wants them in English. Do you know any? I used them in Spanish so I don't think I can help her.

Thanks

BP

Yeah, all of them in Spanish
But if you walk such less traveled routes better know some Spanish. I do translate some fragments here and there into English (Google Translate is enough to get by) but it also helps me adjust to talking Spanish if I read my compiled guide also in Spanish.

Maybe Asociacion in Alicante has English (printed?) version for Sureste. I know there is English one for Levante but I didn't use it.

 

[Helen Mannersjö]

I do speak some Spanish an I understund and read better than I speak. So mayby a good Spanish guidbook would be better than nothing.

And thank you all for the help. Your great

Helen

 

[KinkyOne]

Your great

We know that, thanks

 

[Donovan]

Donovan, are you sure? I remember the Sureste has a blue background with the yellow arrows (like the Swedish flag, Helena!) while the Levante uses the regular yellow arrows known from many other routes.

Hi BP, I was aware of the “blue background = Sureste” theory, but after seeing a number of inconsistencies I decided the theory was unreliable. As others have commented, there were several Sureste arrows without a blue background (at Tembleque and Medina del Campo for instance). I also saw many arrows on the Levante which were on a blue background. Some may have been on stages where the caminos were the same, but there were certainly some where the Levante was separated from the Sureste.

 

[Donovan]

Both on the Sureste and on the Levante you will encounter a wide range of accomodations: from a polideportivo (free) to hostals of 25 euros. The most expensive place for me was Arévalo (35 euros. But there's also a polideportivo, I've heard)."

There is a room attached to the polideportivo with two bunks (four beds), hot shower and toilet. No kitchen of any description, but plenty of eating places nearby. The room has its own locked entrance and you get the key from the police office in the town.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

I do speak some Spanish an I understund and read better than I speak. So mayby a good Spanish guidbook would be better than nothing.

And thank you all for the help. Your great

Helen

Helen, I posted a compilation of accomodations for the Sureste in the ressources section. It's in Spanish but easy to interpret: teléfono/telephone... so I guess everyone can use it. Här är direktlänken:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...tion-on-the-camino-del-sureste-june-2014.506/

Lycka till!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

And none of you know about any guidbook for the Sureste ?

You can write to one of the authors of the guidebook of the Sureste to find out if there's a version in English:

pacoserrae@gmail.com

Du träffar honom i alberguet i Novelda om du tar Sureste-vägen, där han är hospitalero (jag har dock inte träffat honom...). Typ första etappen från Alicante.

I bloggen som jag skrev i Sureste-tråden så är det den guideboken (fast spanska versionen) som jag hänvisar till i slutet av varje etapp när jag nämner "skillnader mot guideboken". Så i min blogg finns i alla fall några uppdateringar, om guideboken skulle ha några år på nacken menar jag.

But do consider the Levante/Valencia as well. The only major difference is the asphalt, as Laurie pointed out above. I think both are equal in terms of culture, interesting towns, landscape, accomodations, very kind people along the way... I know, it's difficult to choose!!

/BP

 

[alansykes]

There is a room attached to the polideportivo with two bunks (four beds), hot shower and toilet. No kitchen of any description, but plenty of eating places nearby. The room has its own locked entrance and you get the key from the police office in the town.

Try not to arrive in Arévalo on a Friday or Saturday as the sports hall above the "albergue" is used for enormously loud and popular basketball matches and you won't get any sleep until 3am. Likewise the albergue in Higueruela is in the community centre and the local band or orchestra apparently practices there until late at night some nights (fortunately not Sunday night when I was there).

You can write to one of the authors of the guidebook of the Sureste to find out if there's a version in English:

pacoserrae@gmail.com

m

There were lots of copies of Paco Serra's guide in his very luxurious free albergue in Novelda (a posh first floor flat with 4 bedrooms, kitchen and washing machine). Unless it's been revised, it's quite out of date (last Holy Year, 2010) so won't have the many new albergues (Alpera, San Clemente etc) and I've never heard of an English edition. It's also very heavy.

Although the Sureste joins the Vía de la Plata in Benavente, taking you to the Francés at Astorga if you want, it is also signed to join the Sanabrés at Santa Marta de Tera (home of the oldest statue of Santiago), which is the way I went.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Try not to arrive in Arévalo on a Friday or Saturday as the sports hall above the "albergue" is used for enormously loud and popular basketball matches and you won't get any sleep until 3am. Likewise the albergue in Higueruela is in the community centre and the local band or orchestra apparently practices there until late at night some nights (fortunately not Sunday night when I was there).

Thanks Alan,

In Higueruela I don't know about the albergue: I stayed in a pensión (the only one in town?) that I can truly recommend in case of a musical terrorattack... :O)

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Unless it's been revised, it's quite out of date (last Holy Year, 2010) so won't have the many new albergues (Alpera, San Clemente etc) and I've never heard of an English edition. It's also very heavy.

Yes that's the one I had on the Sureste. I still found it useful. There were some differences, which I included in my blog/posts in my thread on the Sureste Forum. Apart from these differences, it followed the Camino almost perfectly in 2015. Although what is missing of course are the new albergues, that is true. But Alpera and San Clemente is not on the Sureste...?

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

so won't have the many new albergues (Alpera, San Clemente etc)

Sorry for the many posts: just adding that even if the guidebook is from 2010, there's a list from the Asociación with the accomodations that's from June 2014. I already sent it to Helen (who started this thread).

Byyyye

BP