Via de la Plata - Difficulty

[Stephen Nicholls]

I plan to walk from Salamanca to Santiago in May, via Ourense. Can this route be "walked" or does it entail harder "hands and knees" climbing on the mountain passes? Last year I did the Portuguese route, from Porto to Santiago, and wondered if this Salamanca to Santiago might also be OK for me. Thanks - and Happy New Year! May God walk with you, every step of your personal 'camino'.
Stephen

 

[evanlow]

Hi Stephen,

Via de la Plata is mostly flat until one passed the town of Pueblo de Sanabria. Then it is similar to the Camino Frances going into Galicia.

There is an alternative route further down at A Gudina that goes to Verin instead of to Laza. Both routes then join back before Ourense. I did not take that route as it adds a day and a half to the journey but the terrain is much flatter (maybe for those who wants to avoid the mountainous climb up and down).

Overall, climbing yes, hands and knees, no.

 

[jeff001]

I walked that route last year with a man who had had both knees and both hips replaced and he had no problems. A bigger problems than hills - there are some but nothing really serious - is the sometimes long distances between accommodations. If either that or the hills is a problem you can catch a bus to avoid it.

 

[+@^^]

if youre vaguely fit - no problem
there are however some memorable bits
like the 4km elevator to heaven leaving Ourense
its unrelenting and straight up
and must have heard the cussing of many pilgrims
i did it fairly early in the morning schrouded in mist
and the coffee and sticky buns at the top were amazing
.
and anyway the max height you reach on either of the 2 "mountains" is about 1300m
and youre not starting from zero
youre only climbing a max elevation of about 400 m in a whole day
take the wife and the kids - theyll love it

 

[sulu]

I plan to walk from Salamanca to Santiago in May, via Ourense. Can this route be "walked" or does it entail harder "hands and knees" climbing on the mountain passes? Last year I did the Portuguese route, from Porto to Santiago, and wondered if this Salamanca to Santiago might also be OK for me

I haven't yet done the VdlP but I distinctly remember a stretch of the Portugues, after Ponte de Lima, where I might not have been on my knees but I certainly used my hands, and I won't swear to not having used my knees as well
Memory does strange things but I reckon if you found the Portugues easy I suspect that others will be too, all perfectly walkable!!!
Buen camino which ever you chose,
Sue

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Thank you all so much for your encouragement, and confirmation that there's no real CLIMBING - just steep routes. I'm OK with steep routes - I just take a long time! I walk very slowly - I average 2 kms per hour.
No-one believes that anyone can walk that slowly unless they've only got one leg.
My mind is looking for the beautiful and the unusual - and, knowing most of my photos are being sent to the USA, anything historical. I spend time talking to sheep. Even butterflies occasionally get a "You are so beautiful!" from me - though they rarely reply. I have been known to hug a tree. I love to look up at the blue of the sky, and down to the intricacies of wild flowers - things I never appreciated when I was still a working man.
I have booked my flight to Valladolid! Via de la Plata - here I come [in May!] and, again, my thanks to you all.
Stephen.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Stephen,
Sounds like a wonderful walk you have planned. In 2010, walked from Sevilla beginning on May 1, and it was a glorious month, beautiful spring weather.

Just one unsolicited suggestion, since you said you are on the prowl for history -- if you have the time, try to spend a day at least in Valladolid. There is an incredible sculpture museum inside an ornate Renaissance palace/church. Here's a link: http://museoescultura.mcu.es/ The main square is beautiful, the pedestrian core and all its public space and gardens so very Castilian, and a few romanesque churches sprinkled around. I had spent years in Spain and had never visited Valladolid until last year when I walked the Camino de Madrid, and I wondered how I could have gone all those years without seeing it! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[jeff001]

If you walk that slowly you need to do some careful planning about your overnight stays. There are quite a few stretches of 20km or more between accommodations. There is a good planner here:
http://www.godesalco.com/plan/plata

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

OK Jeff - noted! On the Portuguese camino, I averaged about 18 kms a day, maximum 23 which included a muntain pass. But I don't mind going slightly off route to a village for accommodation. We shall see! Last year I remember being passed by a walker who said "Hello! Can't stop, I'm walking 40 to 50 kms a day!" and I thought to myself what a lot of wonderful things he must have missed, by concentrating on distance rather than the beauty of God's creation, or the friendship of other pilgrims!
Buen camino! Stephen.

 

[billbeahen]

Hi Stephan
I walked the complete Via from Sevilla to Santiago in September/October 2010 which I have described on my blog billscamino.wordpress.com/ There I detail my experiences and give practical advice including other sources of information.

I plan to return to return to walk the Via de la Plata sometime in 2013; it is a beautiful route.

Buen camino

Bill Beahen

 

[mmm042]

Hi.

I'm not saying anything original -- you can do it; there are just steep ascents and descents here and there. The VDLP is awesome, so enjoy!

Melanie