The River Route into Burgos

[Bert45]

If you have walked the river route into Burgos, can you tell me if it is well-signposted/waymarked? Is it signposted/waymarked at all? Thanks.

 

[wisepilgrim]

The route itself is well marked with arrows, but the very start of the route is not. Or it might be. Or it might not be.

The war continues, and some days the start has an arrow and sometimes it does not.

In any event, when you arrive to Castañares do NOT turn right along the road (a long industrial slog). Instead cross the road and make your way past the kids park and to the cement factory. From there turn right (north) to follow the river.

It is not hard to find and it is the best way into Burgos.

 

[wisepilgrim]

A more visual view.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

The route itself is well marked with arrows, but the very start of the route is not. Or it might be. Or it might not be.

The war continues, and some days the start has an arrow and sometimes it does not.

In any event, when you arrive to Castañares do NOT turn right along the road (a long industrial slog). Instead cross the road and make your way past the kids park and to the cement factory. From there turn right (north) to follow the river.

It is not hard to find and it is the best way into Burgos.

I've long believed the best way into Burgos is a bus from the hotel Buenos Aires at Villafria

 

[psheehan]

This is the arrow on the road at the turn off when I walked the river route August 2021.

 

[wisepilgrim]

I've long believed the best way into Burgos is a bus from the hotel Buenos Aires at Villafria

Reading Villafria makes my feet hurt. That is one place that should be avoided at all costs. Better to sit by the river Cid style.

 

[Bert45]

Thanks, all of you.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Here's a resource for that. I think there are others too.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/burgos-river-route.761/

 

[Pilgrim9]

If you have walked the river route into Burgos, can you tell me if it is well-signposted/waymarked? Is it signposted/waymarked at all? Thanks.

When I walked it in June of 2022, once I had progressed beyond the left edge of the map helpfully provided by Wise Pilgrim in post #3 above, I entered some scruffy territory resembling waste land where I felt it necessary to maintain good situational awareness including keeping a wary eye on other folks. I would not want to go through there after dusk.

The "official" river route trail through that scruffy area was not well enough marked for me to follow it. Perhaps there were markings that I missed. Anyway, I had to pause frequently to study the myriad little trails shown on the OsmAnd electronic map that I was using, and choose one of them.

At 42.34139 degrees North, 3.64943 degrees West, the dodgy narrow dirt path I was on intercepted a much nicer very-newly-paved multi-use trail through the woods. I turned right (west) onto that and it led me all the way into the centre of Burgos. That paved multi-use trail got better and better the further I proceeded west, with more families with kids, streetlights, benches, etc.

From Castañares to the centre of Burgos is about 4 kilometres.

 

[Bert45]

Thanks to all the above. I'm sure I'll be fine.

 

[Bill Krueger]

Just walked it last week, be sure to turn left just after the overpass near a bus stop and some apartments around an open field. Go along the path keeping the airport on your right. Cross the highway as described above and go through the park keeping the river on your right. A little dicey at first but if you keep the river on your right you won’t go wrong. About the time it feels endless you will see arrows telling you to cross the river. Follow up a couple of blocks then a left turn that will take you into the old city through an stone portal. Burgos is an awesome city! Tour the Cathedral and see the Museum of Human Evolution that completes the story of Atapuerca. Buen Camino!!!

 

[lcarneyfarwell]

The route itself is well marked with arrows, but the very start of the route is not. Or it might be. Or it might not be.

The war continues, and some days the start has an arrow and sometimes it does not.

In any event, when you arrive to Castañares do NOT turn right along the road (a long industrial slog). Instead cross the road and make your way past the kids park and to the cement factory. From there turn right (north) to follow the river.

It is not hard to find and it is the best way into Burgos.

Unfortunately, the route was not marked when we went thru in June so we took the other route. It was the worst 5 miles of the Camino. All concrete and heat. I recommend you make sure you ask someone exactly where it is before you head about.

 

[trecile]

Here's a resource for that. I think there are others too.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/burgos-river-route.761/

This is a great resource. I've passed it on to other pilgrims. It's a PDF with pictures to guide you on the way.
Here's an example

 

[lcarneyfarwell]

This is a great resource. I've passed it on to other pilgrims. It's a PDF with pictures to guide you on the way.
Here's an example

View attachment 132486

I wish we had this back in June.

 

[Derek Taylor]

For those that walked it recently did you use any navigation like the Buen Camino App which appears to clearly show the routes and also shows you where you are on the map/route?

I walked this in 2017 and when I hit the junction I asked a local which way to go and they sent me the concrete way. Worst section I’ve done according to my feet….

 

[Manolitoway]

I walked this route last 5 August, and I just followed the crane going left
View attachment video_20220805_082517.mp4
.

 

[A Kerryman]

If you have walked the river route into Burgos, can you tell me if it is well-signposted/waymarked? Is it signposted/waymarked at all? Thanks.

This is a brilliant video by Camino Guide
He explains and shows the route.

 

[Angus Strongbear]

I went the main Villafria way in 2018 and hated every minute of it. I went the River route in 2019, and still have memories of how lovely it was. I even overnighted in Castanares and had a great time with the locals at a bar. In 2019, there were no arrows whatsoever showing the turnoff for the river route, but I had studied it on Google maps ahead of time, so knew what it looked like. From memory I don't recall arrows before Castanares, but the airport should be on your right side. From Castanares onward, I believe there were arrows at the turn points. In 2018 through Villafria, there were many peregrinos, and I heard a lot of complaining. In 2019, on the river route, I saw not even one other pilgrim.

 

[Bert45]

Just walked it last week, be sure to turn left just after the overpass near a bus stop and some apartments around an open field. Go along the path keeping the airport on your right. Cross the highway as described above and go through the park keeping the river on your right. A little dicey at first but if you keep the river on your right you won’t go wrong. About the time it feels endless you will see arrows telling you to cross the river. Follow up a couple of blocks then a left turn that will take you into the old city through an stone portal. Burgos is an awesome city! Tour the Cathedral and see the Museum of Human Evolution that completes the story of Atapuerca. Buen Camino!!!

Thanks, Bill. Surely it's a right turn to cross the river and go through the Arco de Santa María. I have been to Burgos a couple of times and I can agree that it is awesome. I have toured the Cathedral, but I have not seen the Museum of Human Evolution.

 

[Bert45]

Unfortunately, the route was not marked when we went thru in June so we took the other route. It was the worst 5 miles of the Camino. All concrete and heat. I recommend you make sure you ask someone exactly where it is before you head about.

That was the reason for my post. But now I have the image of the turn off the road in my mind. After that it seems fairly straightforward.

 

[trecile]

If you use an app like Wise Pilgrim or Buen Camino you should be able to follow the alternate route on the app.

Here's a screenshot from the Buen Camino app - the river route is shown in blue. The main route is yellow and follows the (also yellow) road.

 

[trecile]

Another useful map app for the Camino and other trails is mapy.cz. It has all the major Caminos already built in, along with many other hiking and cycling trails.

Here's a screenshot from mapy.cz of the two routes going into Burgos (in dark blue)

 

[Bert45]

I am technophobic and I do not have a smartphone or apps. That's why I need yellow arrows, or, failing that, a written or pictorial print-out that I can take with me. [I'm not actually scared of technology, I just don't want to learn how to use it.]

 

[Blue Tang]

I am technophobic and I do not have a smartphone or apps. That's why I need yellow arrows, or, failing that, a written or pictorial print-out that I can take with me. [I'm not actually scared of technology, I just don't want to learn how to use it.]

You're in luck, then, Bert45. Very little tech is needed. Just print out the pdf file linked by Rick of Rick and Peg and carry it with you. Also watch the YouTube video by Camino Guide, linked above. I walked this path last week, September 3, without a guide, and I would not characterize it as "well" sign-posted. However, the linked pdf file (with its own yellow arrows) is a perfect and accurate guide.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/burgos-river-route.761/

 

[Stephan the Painter]

If you plug this address into your cell phone navigation app you’ll be right there:

C. Cam. de Santiago, 2C, 09192 Orbaneja Riopico, Burgos,Spain

Right before it you walk through the town of Orbaneja Riopico , Cross the highway, and it’s your first left a couple hundred yards past the highway. It’s a newish looking small housing estate. You walk through it, just a couple hundred yards again and then you are on a dirt road which veers to the right and you have a fence on your right. Which is the airport.

I went the wrong way first and actually backtracked. I’ll put a plug in for the wise pilgrim app, which shows this and many other alternate routes really easily and clearly.

I remember this well, because I wanted to have my packed lunch and as I walked in through the industrial route through Burgos, there was really no place to sit. Once I backtracked I ended up having lunch in a little park by the river.

 

[KFH]

Here's a resource for that. I think there are others too.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/burgos-river-route.761/

This is very very helpful. I had read about this option multiple times but didn't understand it. Just now on google street view I followed along with that download step by step (as far as street view would go). You can tell you are on the correct path on street view because there are plenty of pilgrims on that section.

Hopefully when I come to that intersection in real life I won't walk past it without thinking.

 

[Derek Taylor]

Just completed that section and the Buen Camino App worked like a charm for the river route. The early crossover on Avenida de la Constitucion Espanola only had 2 arrows pointing to the left and no real crosswalk and was missed by all the other pilgrims I saw. Just as well as it would be safer to cross over on Calle San Juan Ramon Jimenez. I really enjoyed the river route and it’s “park-like” setting. Especially after doing the industrial route last time…

 

[aswansonsr]

If you have walked the river route into Burgos, can you tell me if it is well-signposted/waymarked? Is it signposted/waymarked at all? Thanks.

I missed it completely last month despite looking for it. The bus into Burgos seemed like a good option instead of walking next to one of the roadways all the way in.