The Secret Road to Granon - Now with photos

[RENSHAW]

A while back I had completed a streach up to Granon and returned later on in that year to continue to Leon from my last port of call. I was able to take a bus from Santo Domingo. It was a small 21 seater that perhaps only ran once a day. What was interesting is that it followed a small narrow track full of potholes , barely wide enough to take a single vehicle. Our route took us through two or three small farming hamlets , the kind that most would fantasise about buying in and settling down. These tiny places were just hanging on with only a quater of homes and builings utalised .....perhaps they are all in ruin now.

My point is , this would be a fantastic alterantive route to Granon - as rural Spanish as one can get.

Hey , Guys , What about an 'Off the beaten track' thread??

 

[LTfit]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

Most likely through Corporales and Morales though didn't visit them while in Grañón.

Route could be Santo Domingo - Corporales - Morales - Carrasquedo (beautiful hermitage turned youth hostal Nuestra Señora de Carrasquedo) - Grañón. Have done the last part to the hermitage a few times and it is a nice walk and takes you right into Grañón.

Another nice walk is to Villarta and Quintana (although there is a main road leading to both), two little hamlets within an hours' walking distance from Grañón. In fact there is quite a nice out and back walk from the albergue. Returning is a bit tricky as you must take a dirt path through some fields which is not visible from the road leading you into Villarta. Just ask a local. Unfortunately you are not able to reach Redecilla del Camino doing this route as it leads you back to Grañón.

The cherry trees were full in July and so had to stop and do some picking...yum, yum !

 

[GunnarW]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

Route could be Santo Domingo - Corporales - Morales - Carrasquedo (beautiful hermitage turned youth hostal Nuestra Señora de Carrasquedo) - Grañón.

It's the only road - LR323 - that can be followed in Google Street View. But follow it in reverse because there are some color errors in the way forward. You can see that the road has plenty of holes. I didn't see by using Google Street View a bar or shop in the small villages.
It seems to be a nice alternative now that the N120 violates more and more the original camino in La Rioja.

 

[na2than]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

Quick update from camino; Granon has a new algergur and it may be the best of all that I have ever stayed in

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

have a look at Google Earth or a good local map, and you will find all kinds of trails and paths and back roads to anywhere. And seeing as they are published and openly discussed with anyone interested, they are hardly a "secret."

This is something that surprises me about many pilgrims who complain about overcrowded trails, albergues, bed-races, etc. You can plot your own course. If you get a map, or have a good long chat with a local, you can walk any number of alternative routes to where you want to go. You probably won´t have waymarks, but occasionally you will get a fingerpost or road-sign indicating the way. In exchange for a bit of uncertainty you see villages and backwaters no other pilg sees, you meet people who are surprised and pleased to see you and who will confirm if you are on the right path or not. Chances are you will arrive at your hoped-for goal refreshed from a day away from the madding crowd.

If you choose this method, sit down with a map the night before in the local bar or in your albergue. Often there´s a taxi driver or trucker there who will offer his expertise. Get his phone number, so you can call him in the next day if you get lonesome or lost, and decide to bail out halfway!

(this is how I discovered the old Romeria path from El Acebo to Peñalba del Camino, and from there the Camino Invierno. This is how a Canadian friend found the back way from El Oso on the Vadiniense, over San Glorio Pass to Boca de Huergano. Great things happen to people with maps and compasses and good weather.)

 

[mspath]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

Quick update from camino; Granon has a new algergur and it may be the best of all that I have ever stayed in

na2than,

What is the address? How many beds, etc.? By chance is this the youth hostel/albergue Nuestra Senora de Carrasquedo? Last October I ate a happy lunch there with two hospitaleras from the wonderful albergue parroquial San Juan Bautista in Granon. At the albergue parroquial, as usual, I was content to sleep on the famous, but crowded, floor. It was a cold night and the open fireplace most welcome.

Margaret

 

[peregrina2000]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

Margaret,
The Casa de las Sonrisas is a new albergue in Granon, located on the camino between the bread store and the small food store. (Calle Mayor, 16).

The guy who runs it is named Ernesto, apparently he is a bit controversial. Or at least that's what I gather from all the debate on this topic over on the Spanish forum:

http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-329694
http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-329890

(My sense is that this is one of those times that ignorance is bliss because there are a lot of crazy posts in those threads).

I was unable to find out how many beds it has, since most of the discussion is a debate over the hospitalero.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[mspath]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

Laurie,

After scanning those Spanish threads with the help of Google translate I think that next time I will continue to stay at the albergue parroquial on the popular floor! At least it is not controversial and the caritas is always authentic !!

Buen Camino,

Margaret

 

[BlackDog]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

I was unable to find out how many beds it has

Nathan elsewhere said that it has 12 and is a donativo.

 

[RENSHAW]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track - Update co

I have some FANTASTIC!!!!! pics of the Corporales and Morales Way when I DID get around to walk this streach - no one will ever walk next to the highway again. Give me a few days and I will upload. :wink:

PS. this alternative route does not bypass any town or institution.

 

[jennysa]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track - Update co

I have some FANTASTIC!!!!! pics of the Corporales and Morales Way when I DID get around to walk this streach - no one will ever walk next to the highway again. Give me a few days and I will upload. :wink:

PS. this alternative route does not bypass any town or institution.

Hi Guy - after seeing your pictures, the 3 hospitaleras at Granon drove along the route. You are right it IS stunning and the villages of Corporales and Morales are worth exploring. It is a far more scenic route to Granon from Santa Domingo. It certainly is the road less travelled, and if I ever walk the CF again in that area, I take this detour.

Ernesto, the owner of the albergue in Granon, fulfills a valuable role at Granon because there are many older pilgrims who cannot sleep on the floor.

 

[RENSHAW]

A while back I had completed a streach up to Granon and returned later on in that year to continue to Leon from my last port of call. I was able to take a bus from Santo Domingo. It was a small 21 seater that perhaps only ran once a day. What was interesting is that it followed a small narrow track full of potholes , barely wide enough to take a single vehicle. Our route took us through two or three small farming hamlets , the kind that most would fantasise about buying in and settling down. These tiny places were just hanging on with only a quater of homes and builings utalised .....perhaps they are all in ruin now.

My point is , this would be a fantastic alterantive route to Granon - as rural Spanish as one can get.

Hey , Guys , What about an 'Off the beaten track' thread??

Here are some pics - what a fantastic photo opportunity and to my suprise , the towns had been through an awakening and many of the derelict buildings restored.
More pics to follow.

 

[Sagalouts]

nice pics,got me looking and thinking and then saw these
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44996684
Ian

 

[RENSHAW]

:idea:

nice pics,got me looking and thinking and then saw these
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/44996684
Ian

Amazing!! There must be so many of these options available - we could have a separate thread topic. :?:

 

[Canuck]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track - Update co

Ernesto, the owner of the albergue in Granon, fulfills a valuable role at Granon because there are many older pilgrims who cannot sleep on the floor.

Concerning albergues, it's interesting to note that this alternate route goes by the front door of Albergue Juvenil Virgen de Carrasqueda located about 1.5km before Granon.

 

[RENSHAW]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track - Update co

Ernesto, the owner of the albergue in Granon, fulfills a valuable role at Granon because there are many older pilgrims who cannot sleep on the floor.

Concerning albergues, it's interesting to note that this alternate route goes by the front door of Albergue Juvenil Virgen de Carrasqueda located about 1.5km before Granon.

Yes , I think this is a school kids getaway? Anyone Know?

 

[LTfit]

Thanks Renshaw for posting your pictures!

The Albergue Juvenil Virgen de Carrasquedo is also open to pilgrims and is a nice walk of about 1 km outside of the town of Grañón. According to Mundicamino you neeed to call ahead, it has 40beds and is 6 euros. http://www.mundicamino.com/fichaalbergue.cfm?id=66&xname=Grañón.

The surroundings are quite lovely but I have not seen the rooms.

Ernesto's Casa de las Sonrisas has at this point 8 beds I believe and is donativo.

 

[RENSHAW]

Some more pics of Corporales.

 

[RENSHAW]

Pics of Morales

 

[RENSHAW]

The Albergue Juvenil Virgen de Carrasquedo is also open to pilgrims and is a nice walk of about 1 km outside of the town of Grañón. According to Mundicamino you neeed to call ahead, it has 40beds and is 6 euros. http://www.mundicamino.com/fichaalbergue.cfm?id=66&xname=Grañón.

I was Privi to spend Easter Sunday or Monday at San Baptista - Late afternoon , the whole town trekked down the hill with an effigy of Crist and another of The Mother Mary to Virgen de Carrasquedo where there was a small service. On exiting the church it was completly dark. The slilent procession proceeded back up the hill without so much as a candle or a car leading. One of the older Ladies started to sing praises and so all joined in - we returned to the main church adjoining the Albergue where the service continued - Amazing!

 

[RENSHAW]

A while back I had completed a streach up to Granon and returned later on in that year to continue to Leon from my last port of call. I was able to take a bus from Santo Domingo. It was a small 21 seater that perhaps only ran once a day. What was interesting is that it followed a small narrow track full of potholes , barely wide enough to take a single vehicle. Our route took us through two or three small farming hamlets , the kind that most would fantasise about buying in and settling down. These tiny places were just hanging on with only a quater of homes and builings utalised .....perhaps they are all in ruin now.

My point is , this would be a fantastic alterantive route to Granon - as rural Spanish as one can get.

Hey , Guys , What about an 'Off the beaten track' thread??

has anyone else walked this route?

 

[LTfit]

Not yet, but glad that you revived the thread Renshaw. I will be returning in July as a hospitalera in Sto. Domingo and hope that I get some time off to visit friends in Grañón and try this route.
Cheers,
LT

 

[supersullivan]

RENSHAW

To quote Oscar Wilde: 'I can resist everything but temptation'. Another rejigging of my rough itinerary now being made 11 days before departure to include this alternative. Ty for the pics, much appreciated.

Regards

Seamus

http://supersullivan.wordpress.com/2013 ... e-seaside/

 

[RENSHAW]

To quote Oscar Wilde: 'I can resist everything but temptation'. Another rejigging of my rough itinerary now being made 11 days before departure to include this alternative.

Please make sure all , that you take the correct turn , it is the LR 323 - I had made the mistake of taking a road to the left too soon and a kind lady from Morales on a bicycle chased me down to tell me I was on the wrong route.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Am I correct that it is the first road on the left after the bridge leaving Santa Domingo? And then you stay on that road until Granon?

 

[RENSHAW]

Am I correct that it is the first road on the left after the bridge leaving Santa Domingo? And then you stay on that road until Granon?

No , that is why I wrote the note above - Try 'google map' Corporales,Spain , select 'sat' and work your way back to the main road.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Ah I see...although it does appear if you take that first road you can go through Corporales - just must make sure you go veer right at the first junction, go straight through the crossroads, and then veer right after the long straight and left just before the hamlet.
Could be fun!

 

[LTfit]

It looks like it's the 3rd left after the bridge leaving Sto. Domingo but as long as you see LR 323 you should be fine. Did see something strange on Google Maps. It shows 'Ajuntamiento de Redecilla del Camino' in the town of Grañón whereas this is actually the next town on the Camino after Grañón.

 

[RENSHAW]

The many splotches of the potholed road can be made out when viewing 'sat' on the LR323. Once on the road , the signs and visuals are clear , you can't get lost.

 

[RENSHAW]

Thought I would revive this thread just one more time - so many nice pics.
supersullivan , did you get to walk this route.

 

[caminka]

after reading this thread I got a strong urge to do something camino related and concocted this description that follows renshaw's suggestion but stays off LR323 till morales.

It's best to cross N120 in Santo Domingo de la Calzada right when joining it then crossing the river along the L side of the bridge. At the end of the bridge across río Oja turn L to a slightly lower gravel road with a tree plantation on the L, soon fork R up, cross a tarmac road and ascend a tarmac road that bends L between two hillocks and passes a fenced-off reservoir. On top it becomes a straight gravel road past a farm and fields, then fork R down a gravel road that crosses arroyo Olmo and reaches a T crossroad in 4.1km CORPORALES (F, 733m). (For the F go R to LR323 Calle Real, turn L then SA in a triple fork with the board for the end of the village.) Turn L, L again to Calle Chorro, at the end go L/SA to a fork and fork R to a gravel road. After about 400m the road veers R along a hill, passes a smaller hill and reaches a forest. Turn R to a path/track down through this forest, google calls it Calle Real, that soon becomes a gravel road, keep R at the houses and end on LR323 at F Fuente Romero in 1.9km MORALES (F, 771m). Cross LR323 to turn L to a narrow street between houses, Calle Real, that leads to a crossroad in Barrio Bajero, turn L(!) to reach LR323, turn R and follow it up to 2.6km albergue Carrasquedo. A dirt trail along LR323 leads to capilla de Judiás in 1.2km GRAÑÓN (F, 730m).
For +0.4km alb. parroquila, alb. Sonrisas and iglesia, turn R down the main street then cross a plaza (F) L.
To continue by bypassing the centre, pass to the L of capilla, cross a road, go between frontón and a F, turn L up past the other side of frontón, on top turn R then and 40m later turn L down a tarmac road, joining 0.4km CF.

enjoy it!

 

[supersullivan]

Renshaw, I did indeed yield to temptation and take the road less travelled, I'd spent the night before under the tender ministrations of the Cistercian nuns in Santo Domingo and when I set out at 7.30 am, the temperature displays at the farmacia's were showing 3 Celcius and in my hiking shorts that felt like an optimistic view of the temperature and possibly coloured my view of the alternative route which would be that as it's almost all tarmac and nowhere to get a coffee until the Youth Hostel at Carrasquedo it's best done in warm, dry conditions when you can relax and enjoy your surroundings whereas I was forced to keep over 6 km/hr pace to avoid hypothermia but that 1st coffee of the morning at the Youth Hostel was probably my most enjoyable of my Camino for the sheer pleasure of getting indoors out of the piercing cold wind. There are great views of the mountain range to your left as you go along and the villages of Corporales and Morales do have their own certain decrepit charm, be careful leaving Corporales as I had to double check with a local after going wrong twice. My guestimate would be that it's about 10 kms from Santo Domingo to the Youth Hostel at Carrasquedo so best to get breakfast before leaving S.D. de Calzada.

 

[RENSHAW]

........... nowhere to get a coffee until the Youth Hostel at Carrasquedo

There is nothing at all until Granon on the recognised route.

 

[RENSHAW]

after reading this thread I got a strong urge to do something camino related and concocted this description that follows renshaw's suggestion but stays off LR323 till morales.

It's best to cross N120 in Santo Domingo de la Calzada right when joining it then crossing the river along the L side of the bridge. At the end of the bridge across río Oja turn L to a slightly lower gravel road with a tree plantation on the L, soon fork R up, cross a tarmac road and ascend a tarmac road that bends L between two hillocks and passes a fenced-off reservoir. On top it becomes a straight gravel road past a farm and fields, then fork R down a gravel road that crosses arroyo Olmo and reaches a T crossroad in 4.1km CORPORALES (F, 733m). (For the F go R to LR323 Calle Real, turn L then SA in a triple fork with the board for the end of the village.) Turn L, L again to Calle Chorro, at the end go L/SA to a fork and fork R to a gravel road. After about 400m the road veers R along a hill, passes a smaller hill and reaches a forest. Turn R to a path/track down through this forest, google calls it Calle Real, that soon becomes a gravel road, keep R at the houses and end on LR323 at F Fuente Romero in 1.9km MORALES (F, 771m). Cross LR323 to turn L to a narrow street between houses, Calle Real, that leads to a crossroad in Barrio Bajero, turn L(!) to reach LR323, turn R and follow it up to 2.6km albergue Carrasquedo. A dirt trail along LR323 leads to capilla de Judiás in 1.2km GRAÑÓN (F, 730m).
For +0.4km alb. parroquila, alb. Sonrisas and iglesia, turn R down the main street then cross a plaza (F) L.
To continue by bypassing the centre, pass to the L of capilla, cross a road, go between frontón and a F, turn L up past the other side of frontón, on top turn R then and 40m later turn L down a tarmac road, joining 0.4km CF.

enjoy it!

I am a big fan of this route as the alternative recognised route is sooooooo boring.

 

[RENSHAW]

Re: The Secret Road to Granon - off the beaten track...way off!

have a look at Google Earth or a good local map, and you will find all kinds of trails and paths and back roads to anywhere. And seeing as they are published and openly discussed with anyone interested, they are hardly a "secret."

This is something that surprises me about many pilgrims who complain about overcrowded trails, albergues, bed-races, etc. You can plot your own course. If you get a map, or have a good long chat with a local, you can walk any number of alternative routes to where you want to go. You probably won´t have waymarks, but occasionally you will get a fingerpost or road-sign indicating the way. In exchange for a bit of uncertainty you see villages and backwaters no other pilg sees, you meet people who are surprised and pleased to see you and who will confirm if you are on the right path or not. Chances are you will arrive at your hoped-for goal refreshed from a day away from the madding crowd.................. Great things happen to people with maps and compasses and good weather.)

Hi Reb , I was wondering about the Villafranca Manifesto ...........without taking the Mick or making fun ........... How strict can we be on retaining Camino paths and trails? How many are original. Did pilgrims use the route in this thread. Are there towns that have been 'lost' and new ones introduced? Recently I've seen a few extra towns included as alternative routes to help with their economic woes.............. Or am I taking the Manifesto too literally?

 

[Rebekah Scott]

No one will argue with you re: the variability of the walkways throughout history. Lots of old towns have some historical claim to camino-hood, but a washed-out bridge or a new highway project or an enterprising barkeep with a pot of paint shifted the path elsewhere for the next hundred years. A whole lot of "the original camino" is now paved over and called the N-120 highway.
What FICS is trying to protect are the places that have obvious historical placement along the pilgrim route. Places like Trinidad de Arres, a pilgrim stop for hundreds of years on a strategic bridge crossing. Disused Roman or medieval bridges that once were the only way over a river, or still are. Places with pilgrim associations from way back, legends or artwork, songs or architecture, mentions in old pilgrim guides or maps. The "secret route" may well have been used by pilgrims at some point, but how much evidence did they leave behind them in that particular little stretch? As I recall, it was kilometers of nicely rolling rural road. Worth keeping, yes. But worth international legal protections? Hmmm.

I am no expert on UNESCO regulation, and this part of the manifesto is not one I did original work on. I do know the camino is unique among World Heritage sites just because there is so darn much of it! These kinds of issues are inevitable. Good questions rarely have cut-and-dried answers.

 

[RENSHAW]

Now may be the right time to open an albergue in one of these small towns.

 

[RENSHAW]

Time for my annual share of this thread of mine as once I had discovered it I doubt if I will ever walk along the highway again so I hope it benefits someone walking soon.