Vega de Valcarce to Fonfria

[aliwalks]

hello friends... I am planning on walking the above distance on one of my days, to break up the climb, does this sound reasonable, and also a friend mentioned there are not many places to stay or eat in Fonfria - thoughts? Then I was planning to make it to Sarria, Aliwalks

 

[GettingThere]

hello friends... I am planning on walking the above distance on one of my days, to break up the climb, does this sound reasonable, and also a friend mentioned there are not many places to stay or eat in Fonfria - thoughts? Then I was planning to make it to Sarria, Aliwalks

Hi Aliwalks
If you make it to Fonfria, I can highly recommend Albergue A Reboleira. It's a lovely place to stay, they have dorms and some private rooms with bath depending on your preference, and they're on booking.com if you want to book. They have a bar which does breakfast and snacks all day including great bocadillos and other things, and they serve a wonderful dinner for about 9 Euros, in their big dining room which is across the road in a traditional style Galician round thatched palloza - they join up several long tables and bring the food out on platters, a great experience. It's a family affair, the mother does the dinner and breakfast, the "children" look after other aspects (they have a first grandchild arriving right about now!). It was one of the highlights of the Camino for us, especially the dinner. Fonfria is a tiny village, so there are no shops and I didn't see any other bars open although there may be one - not sure. I think there may also be a casa rural, but I don't know whether they let out rooms individually. Albergue A Reboleira was all we needed once we got there!

Buen Camino!

 

[mspath]

Here is the Reboleira web. Unfortunately they are closed during the off season; thus I have not yet stopped here. Their great reviews are very tempting

Buen camino!

 

[aliwalks]

Hi Aliwalks
If you make it to Fonfria, I can highly recommend Albergue A Reboleira. It's a lovely place to stay, they have dorms and some private rooms with bath depending on your preference, and they're on booking.com if you want to book. They have a bar which does breakfast and snacks all day including great bocadillos and other things, and they serve a wonderful dinner for about 9 Euros, in their big dining room which is across the road in a traditional style Galician round thatched palloza - they join up several long tables and bring the food out on platters, a great experience. It's a family affair, the mother does the dinner and breakfast, the "children" look after other aspects (they have a first grandchild arriving right about now!). It was one of the highlights of the Camino for us, especially the dinner. Fonfria is a tiny village, so there are no shops and I didn't see any other bars open although there may be one - not sure. I think there may also be a casa rural, but I don't know whether they let out rooms individually. Albergue A Reboleira was all we needed once we got there!

Buen Camino!

Wow, thank you so much, when you walked to Fonfria where did your day start? Just asking because am aware of the terrain, and wondering if you started from Vega de Valcarce ? Buen Camino!

 

[aliwalks]

Here is the Reboleira web. Unfortunately they are closed during the off season; thus I have not yet stopped here. Their great reviews are very tempting

Buen camino!

I just booked it is in the dormitory, but hopefully reservation works, buen camino!

 

[GettingThere]

Wow, thank you so much, when you walked to Fonfria where did your day start? Just asking because am aware of the terrain, and wondering if you started from Vega de Valcarce ? Buen Camino!

Hi Aliwalks
Well, there's a bit of a story there! The short version is that we would have walked from O Cebreiro (we were pretty slow and walked quite short distances!), and the day before we would have walked from Vega de Valcarce to O Cebreiro. Unfortunately the day before that, walking from Villafranca, my mother had a fall and injured her leg. Not too badly - she managed to hobble on a few more km to Vega, looking back I'm not sure how - but as the leg was by then very impressively bruised we realised a few days off it were needed. Rather than staying put, we decided to move ahead and stay where we had planned to stay (and had booked) for the next couple of days. Could have cancelled, but we chose not to. So we took a taxi to O Cebreiro (missed the climb - next time we'll do it!) and then the next day to Fonfria. I don't think either of us would have been able to walk all the way from Vega to Fonfria with that climb up to O Cebreiro, but that's just us and I know many others would do it easily, so it should be fine for you if you get a good start on the climb.

 

[NualaOC]

Hi @aliwalks, I also enthusiastically recommend Albergue la Reboleira for all the reasons that @getting there has stated. We walked there from Herrerias as we preferred the idea walking to O'Cebreiro in the morning, rather than at the end of the day. We found the climb to O'Cebreiro very manageable and we arrived there earlier than we expected. However, we hung around there far too long and ended up doing the next climb (Alto do Poio) in the midday sun, which made it very tough. In hindsight, I think that we placed far too much emphasis on O'Cebreiro and underestimated the rest of that day's walking.

I'm not trying to put you off your plan - it's a good one. Just remember that when you reach O'C, you've still a bit of uphill walking to do! You'll be so glad when you reach the lovely Albergue la Reboleira.

 

[jsalt]

Here is the Reboleira web. Unfortunately they are closed during the off season; thus I have not yet stopped here. Their great reviews are very tempting

Buen camino!

Like many private albergues, they appear to close for the winter on All Saints Day. It’s possible to book a bed for 31 Oct, but not for 1 Nov. Jill

 

[KinkyOne]

As previous posters I also recommend stay in Albergue A Reboleira. In 2011 I walked from Las Herrerias and the stage was quite manageable as it is a little bit over 20kms. If you will feel that the climb to Alto do Poio is too much after O'Cebreiro just stay on the asphalt road after Hospital de la Condesa. It will take you to the same spot as marked Camino but not so steep, because Camino first descend to cemetery and village of Padornelo and then ascents very steeply to Alto do Poio.
In Fonfria I remember very good dinner in a restaurant at the end of the village on the left side.

Ultreia!

 

[peregrina2000]

All this talk about Fonfría leaves me wondering -- is the woman who tries to tempt you with her crepes still there or has she now taken her earnings and retired to the Costa del Sol? I think she had quite a profitable enterprise going on and she certainly knew how to get pilgrims to dig in their pockets for a euro or two.

 

[jsalt]

All this talk about Fonfría leaves me wondering -- is the woman who tries to tempt you with her crepes still there or has she now taken her earnings and retired to the Costa del Sol? I think she had quite a profitable enterprise going on and she certainly knew how to get pilgrims to dig in their pockets for a euro or two.

She caught me in November 2013. Didn't see her last year in July 2014. Jill

 

[hsabs]

All this talk about Fonfría leaves me wondering -- is the woman who tries to tempt you with her crepes still there or has she now taken her earnings and retired to the Costa del Sol? I think she had quite a profitable enterprise going on and she certainly knew how to get pilgrims to dig in their pockets for a euro or two.

She was there in May this year and caught us - we didnt have a lot of change so after offering us 2 crepes, she took one back saying we hadnt given her enough even though she simply asked for donativo! Nice crepe though

 

[peregrina2000]

She was there in May this year and caught us - we didnt have a lot of change so after offering us 2 crepes, she took one back saying we hadnt given her enough even though she simply asked for donativo! Nice crepe though

Well, this is pretty astonishing. This woman was there in May, 2000! Not to be cynical, but she could have been sent from Central Casting in response to a request for a "typically" dressed old style Gallega -- she had the kerchief on her head, the triangular shawl around her shoulders, and the skirt with a big apron in front. Maybe it´s her daughter or granddaughter who has taken up the post, because I think it must have been a very profitable gig.

 

[hsabs]

Well, this is pretty astonishing. This woman was there in May, 2000! Not to be cynical, but she could have been sent from Central Casting in response to a request for a "typically" dressed old style Gallega -- she had the kerchief on her head, the triangular shawl around her shoulders, and the skirt with a big apron in front. Maybe it´s her daughter or granddaughter who has taken up the post, because I think it must have been a very profitable gig.

Still wearing the typical Gallego clothing and definitely getting on in years! Maybe it is the same casting agent used. An entertaining interlude in our camino.

 

[irishwalker]

I stayed in Pequeño Potala in Ruitlan. Ruitlan is a village a bit further on from Vega de Valcarce. I then walked to Fonfria and stayed in Albergue A Reboleira, a wonderful and friendly albergue.
Pequeño Potala in Ruitlan is also a good albergue with a lovely communal meal in the evening. It rained heavy all that day, the only really wet day on the complete camino, in the month of May 2014.
It is very doable, but as NualaOC stated above, there are additional climbs after O'Cebreiro, so don't think you have all the climbing complete at this point. I had lovely sopa Gallego in the bar on the left, at the end of the village at 10.30 in the morning. It warmed me up and I then put the head down and walked through the rain to reach Fonfria in the early afternoon. I was 64 years of age then. Another time I walked from Villafranca to O'Cebreiro. Ruitlan to Fonfria was more enjoyable. Buen camino.

 

[annakappa]

Both very recommendable, Pequeño Potala and A Reboleira.

 

[aliwalks]

Hi Aliwalks
Well, there's a bit of a story there! The short version is that we would have walked from O Cebreiro (we were pretty slow and walked quite short distances!), and the day before we would have walked from Vega de Valcarce to O Cebreiro. Unfortunately the day before that, walking from Villafranca, my mother had a fall and injured her leg. Not too badly - she managed to hobble on a few more km to Vega, looking back I'm not sure how - but as the leg was by then very impressively bruised we realised a few days off it were needed. Rather than staying put, we decided to move ahead and stay where we had planned to stay (and had booked) for the next couple of days. Could have cancelled, but we chose not to. So we took a taxi to O Cebreiro (missed the climb - next time we'll do it!) and then the next day to Fonfria. I don't think either of us would have been able to walk all the way from Vega to Fonfria with that climb up to O Cebreiro, but that's just us and I know many others would do it easily, so it should be fine for you if you get a good start on the climb.

Thank you, this is very much appreciated, hopefully I will make the climb! Buen Camino only 9 more days till I leave!