Villar de Mazarife vs Villadangos del Paramo

[Kiwiangela]

I have read a lot on this forum about the 'boring slog out of Leon along the senda,' and wonder why more people have not opted for the path via Villar de Mazarife? Is it because of the lack of facilities? Or is it a harder walk? It is more appealing to me so I would appreciate your thoughts / advice.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

There are three albergues in Mazarife, so there are facilities. The route is also mostly road walking, but it is quiet road, fairly flat, and hot and dusty in the summer! Both places are adequate; I prefer Mazarife. Tio Pepe is a good bar/restaurant/albergue with a nice courtyard.

 

[scruffy1]

Mazarife and Tio Pepe for sure. After busy bustling Leon AND the long miserable walk out-far worse then the senda in my opinion-the Mazarife way is far quieter then the way to Villadangos del Paramo and the friendly albergue in Tio Pepe is open very early should the weather be inclimate, your feet hurt, or you are not feeling your best. Easy choice.

 

[mspath]

I agree with Scruffy and Falcon. The alternate camino to Villar de Mazarife is a MUCH more pleasant route. You can read my earlier comments (16 Aug 2012 and 17 Feb 2013) regarding this rural route to Mazarilfe and where to find it leaving Virgin del Camino >> http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/el-camino-frances/topic14974.htmland >>http://www.caminodesantiago.me/board/el-camino-frances/topic16841.html#p120835. The only drawback to this route is that in autumn there may be hunters stalking in the bordering fields; thus, autumn pilgrims need to be noisy and wear bright colors in order to be noticed and not mistaken for game!

Margaret Meredith .

 

[SabsP]

Next time I will certainly take the route Villar de Mazarife. not in the least because of the pitiful state of the municipal albergue in Villadangos.

 

[fortview]

We also loved Tio Pepe . Julia who runs the village shop is delightful !
Just be careful to take the right path, it's not easy to decipher all the markings on the road where it divides ... As far as I remember you need to bear left

 

[scruffy1]

Left only left no politics just geography. The fork to Villadangos clearly goes off towards the highway so its not hard to find the way to Mazarife.
S

 

[Kiwiangela]

Thank you all. Sounds like Mazarife is the way to go!

 

[GunnarW]

In case you're still hesitating: have a look here http://vimeo.com/41129874 where this section can be seen.
After the centre of Virgen del Camino, when you are entering a lower section at the left side of the national road, the waymark is painted on the ground.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Entering Mazarife there is an albergue on the right. Fellow pilgrims who stayed there liked it. On the left is an albergue with apparent character. A fellow pilgrim actually left it because of its cleanliness, drugs, and ambiance, and moved on to Tio Pepe in the center of town by the church. It has shared or private rooms.

 

[Sagalouts]

the Albergue on the left I think is call "jesus" and for many one of the must stay places on the whole Camino,myself including.
it now has a bar,and when the weather permits you can sleep on the veranda,in the summer the large deep swimming pool with the viking figurehead can be used.
large kitchen 2 free computers,guitars behind the bar-well used by both locals and pilgrims and a large "grassed" garden with washing facilities
yes it has a certain "ambiance" not suited to all, but if your after a place with character its a must.
some may find the 30k walk to Astorga the next day a bit hard.
Ian

 

[DAuntDeb]

Villar de Mazarife and Tio Pepe.
I had heard about slog out of Leon and opted to take a city bus to La Virgen de Camino to avoid it. Blue route. If you are not a purist I recommend it. I was adopted by some local bus riders who made sure I got off at the right spot. People are so nice to us peregrinos. I went to morning mass at Iglesia San Froilan in LVDC and that turned out to be a special experience. Arrived in Mazarife by noon.

 

[nreyn12]

Villar de Mazarife, hands down. The first albergue on the right as you enter offers a fantastic vegetarian meal - Albergue de San Antonio de Padua.

The walk from Virgen del Camino to Villadangos del Paramo is one of the worst stretches of the Way, in my opinion. I've managed to walk it twice, the first time because I didn't know better, and the second time because I was headed for a recommended albergue that is - I think - now closed. Dreadful. Ugh.