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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

The Other, Other way into Burgos

aname4me

aname4me
Time of past OR future Camino
2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, (2021)
Just past San Juan de Ortega, about 20 Km before Burgos, there is a sign that shows and alternate route into Burgos.
Go to Google Earth and paste in... 42°22'34.21"N 3°26'28.55"W
There is a Photo, near this spot, and it shows the alternate route sign.

So.... Here are my Questions

Has anyone done this route, and can you write about it?
Can someone refer me to, where it is described?
Is there a map (or GPS Waypoints)?
Do you walk down busy roads, or beside them?
Is it well marked?
Were there places to stay, and get Coffee (and pee)?
 
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This picture shows sign.
This picture shows alternative camino along paved stretch on left, camino on dirt road heading right.

The webpage at http://www.galiciaguide.com/Stage-12.html says:

From San Juan de Ortega there are two routes to Burgos but the other, passing through the villages of Santovenia de Oca, Zalduendo, Ibeas de Juarros, Castrillo del Val, San Medel, Castañares, Villayuda, is hardly used ...
So the alternative road, Plaza Mayor, looks like it heads south-west to highways BU-V-7012 and N-120 and then follows N-120 west to Burgos. See this map: https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=42.352435,-3.545012&z=13&t=m

I'm glad I didn't take it.
 
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€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
[QUOTE="

From San Juan de Ortega there are two routes to Burgos but the other, passing through the villages of Santovenia de Oca, Zalduendo, Ibeas de Juarros, Castrillo del Val, San Medel, Castañares, Villayuda, is hardly used ...
[/QUOTE]​

That is the route I'm looking at....

I've tried to figure it out on Google Earth.
It starts with a walk down a quiet road, then (at the Truck Stop) there is a marked path beside a busy road.
Then I lose it.
 
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[QUOTE="

From San Juan de Ortega there are two routes to Burgos but the other, passing through the villages of Santovenia de Oca, Zalduendo, Ibeas de Juarros, Castrillo del Val, San Medel, Castañares, Villayuda, is hardly used ...

That is the route I'm looking at....

I've tried to figure it out on Google Earth.
It starts with a walk down a quiet road, then (at the Truck Stop) there is a marked path beside a busy road.
Then I lose it.[/QUOTE]


Looks like its hardly used ... except by cars, buses, and trucks ... until you get to Castanares and are able to get to the riverside paths.

Sometimes there is a good reason for why its the road less traveled.
 
I think that's just the road route from that point, for those driving towards Burgos. It meets the main road. A car couldn't follow the exact Camino route via Atapuerca and over the hill.
 
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Once out of 10 times walking to Burgos I followed that "other, other route" as did pelotons of helpful Sunday cyclists.

November 1, 2011

Walking into Burgos is always chaotic due to heavy vehicular traffic parallel to the path. From the village of Ages two ways exist; one which I just used follows a pastoral farming road up to the busy N120 highway. Then it is a long 25 km slog on an old path often shared with many racing bikers. These sleek speedy guys upon seeing my slow pace and white hair were often kind enough to stop and ask if I needed anything. All I needed was lots more pep!

Nevertheless after six hours or so and two Cokes I finally made it into Burgos. No wonder that some pilgrims bus into the city. After crossing the eastern city what a wonderful relief it was to arrive at the busy sleek municipal albergue centrally located near the majestic cathedral!

 
This was the alternate route I was told about in Belarado, unfortunately I was not given the correct turning instructions. Still I did see the museum display at Atapuerca and bloody rocky route !
 
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.
I went to burgos via the river route with a Mexican I met that day. I am more of a maps person and he wasn't. I was looking for the town called option to take the turn as per the brierly map. It was only when he pointed out to me the option wasent a town but a marker to indicate a choice on the map that I realised that there had been a lot of towns called option to that point..... We had a good laugh about it... I Hope ti discard the map next time following his example.
 
A few years ago, I ended my Camino in Burgos and had a couple of days spare before flying home. I spent one day visiting the Cartuja de Miraflores and had to walk along the river out of town. This demonstrated to me the pleasure of this river route and I resolved to use it next time I walked the Camino. Instead of agonising about finding the "correct" way, I realised that all I had to do was get to the river, find a way to cross it and then everything would be fine. It was! Just "get to the river"!
 
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I have been playing with Google Earth, trying to construct this Alternate Route.
I (hopefully) have attached a file that should (I have never done this before) open Google Earth and show the Other Other Route into Burgos (in Blue)
 

Attachments

  • The Other Other route to Burgos.kmz
    1.9 KB · Views: 34
I (hopefully) have attached a file that should (I have never done this before) open Google Earth and show the Other Other Route into Burgos (in Blue)
If the above doesn't work for you (it didn't for me) try this link instead (track in red though.)

Thank you @aname4me. The above uses your data but massaged. When you uploaded your file the file name got changed by the forum software and that is what probably kept it from working for me (that and also a weird OS and old-dated browser).
 
I have attached (hopefully) an file, which is a picture of the sign for this alternate route.
It is what started my quest.
I have completed the Camino in 2013 and 2015. Both times I saw this sign and it made me wonder.
It is located 300m past San Juan de Ortega, (3.2Km before Ages) where you leave the road ,to follow the main Camino trail.


Shortly after the Other Other Route crosses the E5 (or AP1) Freeway, it joins the Burgos River Way trail into Burgos (just past the Blue pedestrian bridge).

I am still interested if someone has walked (or cycled?) this route and can describe it?
A map of the true route, would be nice.The Other Other Route into Burgos.JPG
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Please see my post above in this thread. I walked in November 2011 from Ages to Zaldueno crossing pastures on a simple dirt path. From Zaldueno on I followed the gravel camino path along the N120 through the small villages shown on your schematic map poster. Eventually a few villages had cafes but there were no albergues along the route.
 
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That thread discusses the route once you cross the AP-1 near the north-east end of the airport runway. That alternative route heads to Castanares and then follows the river into the city. The regular route goes to Villafria and then into town by city streets.

It sounds like a more pleasant route than the latter......
 
It sounds like a more pleasant route than the latter......
Its a beautiful way in, especially when you reach the parkland and walk along the river into Burgos. You will also pass a lovely campsite which gives pilgrim rates to campers and to those hiring the permanent tents or chalets. Its the way I would choose again.
 
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Its a beautiful way in, especially when you reach the parkland and walk along the river into Burgos. You will also pass a lovely campsite which gives pilgrim rates to campers and to those hiring the permanent tents or chalets. Its the way I would choose again.

If memory serves, this particular route was mentioned in "The Way, My Way" by Bill Bennet, and as a far better alternative than walking on hot pavement by car dealerships.
 
It has only taken me four tries to manage the riverside walk into Burgos - and having found it I will never go the other way again. It was only after I downloaded the detailed photographs posted in this wonderful Camino Resource that I managed it; https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/burgos-river-way.480/

That is very useful, thanks. I took the industrial route into Burgos last year and it is a soul-deadening experience - mile after mile of factories, car showrooms and the like. So I did the clever thing (as did several others) - I hopped on a passing bus to the city centre.
 
That is very useful, thanks. I took the industrial route into Burgos last year and it is a soul-deadening experience - mile after mile of factories, car showrooms and the like. So I did the clever thing (as did several others) - I hopped on a passing bus to the city centre.
Yes, the way into town going by the river was much better than the way via the streets. What Peg and I did was to follow the camino past the airport to Villafria where there were a number of hotels. We picked the first, Hostel Buenos Aires, to spend two nights. It was set back from the street, had an adjoining restaurant and a cafeteria and patio next to the bus stop. {Picture} and {Aerial view} The style inside was outdated but it really was a nice place. From there we took the bus into town for afternoon errands (eye glass repair, book search, etc.) The next day we bussed into town again for touring, picking up other pilgrims from the hotels along the way. The bus route went right along the camino and the walking would have been horrible on the feet and eyes. The next day we backtracked to the other side of the airport and coninued walking the camino by the river route passing some of the places we visited on our rest day. We actually took an alternative route to the alternative route and so I was able to get a picture of the main alternative in use.
D16100-HOR.jpg D16200-HOR.jpg
 
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That is very useful, thanks. I took the industrial route into Burgos last year and it is a soul-deadening experience - mile after mile of factories, car showrooms and the like. So I did the clever thing (as did several others) - I hopped on a passing bus to the city centre.
Ha ha I did that too - walking in to Burgos the way you did almost made me want to quit.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I took the industrial route into Burgos last year and it is a soul-deadening experience - mile after mile of factories, car showrooms and the like.

I've walked into Burgos that way once, and whilst there's some unpleasantness to it, there's also some undeniable relief when you finally reach the outskirts of the city proper -- like stepping out of nightmare suburbia into civilisation.

But yes, there are at least four alternative routes, and even the one passing through an abandoned industrial zone converted into slums is marginally better.
 
I have attached (hopefully) an file, which is a picture of the sign for this alternate route.
It is what started my quest.
I have completed the Camino in 2013 and 2015. Both times I saw this sign and it made me wonder.
It is located 300m past San Juan de Ortega, (3.2Km before Ages) where you leave the road ,to follow the main Camino trail.


Shortly after the Other Other Route crosses the E5 (or AP1) Freeway, it joins the Burgos River Way trail into Burgos (just past the Blue pedestrian bridge).

I am still interested if someone has walked (or cycled?) this route and can describe it?
A map of the true route, would be nice.View attachment 32423

Thank you so much for this post. I see it joins the river route at Castanares. Noted for my next camino into Burgos :)
Jill
 
Just past San Juan de Ortega, about 20 Km before Burgos, there is a sign that shows and alternate route into Burgos.
Go to Google Earth and paste in... 42°22'34.21"N 3°26'28.55"W
There is a Photo, near this spot, and it shows the alternate route sign.

So.... Here are my Questions

Has anyone done this route, and can you write about it?
Can someone refer me to, where it is described?
Is there a map (or GPS Waypoints)?
Do you walk down busy roads, or beside them?
Is it well marked?
Were there places to stay, and get Coffee (and pee)?
OK... At the end of September I walked this Other-Other route into Burgos. It was a sunny, dry day.

From the sign, just past San Juan de Ortega, you walk down a road. There is no path and no arrows, the road had almost no traffic (mostly vans shuttling Camino bags). A quiet 3.5Km walk. Can't get lost.
At Hwy N120 there is a Truck Stop. You turn right here. There is now a well marked Camino trail with concrete marker that follows Hwy N120 . It is about 7 Km to Ibeas de Juarros, and another 2 Km to Los Tomillares. This path continues on, following Hwy N120, to the other side of the big Hwy A1 E5... and on to Castanares (near the Airport).

At Los Tomillares, we turned toward San Medel, and left the path (with all the markings) and walked through San Medel, along Urb. Rio Arianzon M1 (a paved road). Then followed a treed trail, crossing the big Hwy A1 E5 under the Toll Booths. The trail continues and joins the “Alternate River Route” into Burgos” near Castanares (were you cross the footbridge over the river).

Conclusions....
This is an alternate route, for repeat walkers, looking for a little change.
Walking beside a busy Hwy, is never my favorite, even if you are on your own trail.
I'm glad we turned at Los Tomillares, and went toward San Medel. Much quieter. A bit stony at times.
There are NO Albergues on this route! You must stay at San Juan de Ortega and in Burgos.
After Los Tomillares, there is NO water.
If you choose to try this route.... before you leave home, go to Google Earth and print out your “map”.
 

Attachments

  • San Medel to Castanares.PNG
    San Medel to Castanares.PNG
    1.9 MB · Views: 22
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Or you can continue from San Juan Oretega to Ages and pick up the simple farm road behind the church. This will eventually pass the ancient bridge photographed below. The farm road will join highway N120 the hamlet Zalduendo . At N120 turn right follow the alternate camino path described above by aname4me111Bridge out of Ages.jpg

Good luck and Bien camino!
 
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It is all road, or all along the road, and is not a great alternative to the forest to Ages. I suppose that for cyclists looking to avoid the walking trail it would be good but otherwise it is not very good.
 
I just happen to be reading El Gran Caminante, at the part where Antxon is walking towards Burgos, and is joined by a camino angel, who promises him a shortcut. I tried to match the route he describes with the diagram above, but couldn’t. Then I read that Antxon suspects that his companion is trying to confuse him so that he does not learn the way and tell it to others!
 
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