Walking into Leon with Children

[Paul_L]

We are travelling with 5 children, in Terradillos right now, enjoying some awesome weather on the meseta. I've been told by a few people that the walk into Leon with children is very dangerous. We started in SJPDP and are going slowly. Our kids are 2, 8, 10, 14 and 15. We would appreciate some suggestions. Walk? Bus last section? Get a train from further out? Other ideas? Thanks in advance for ideas!

 

[SYates]

I didn't find it especially dangerous last year, but I am an adult. Buen Camino and glad to hear that you are doing well and enjoying it. SY

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I thought it was nice enough for an urban area. There are rest and food opportunities along the way. You can get a train at Sahagun or a bus at Mansilla de las Mulas.

 

[Arn]

Not sure what you are
Referring to...clarify please!

 

[Paul_L]

Sorry I wasn't clear, I'm referring to traffic. I was told that it was very dangerous for walking with children due to crossing lots of roads and heavy vehicles.

 

[mspath]

The camino into Leon often parallels the highway N-601 and crosses it several times. Usually the crossings are via pedestrian bridges. However many pilgrims opt to take the bus from Mansila de las Mulas to arrive at the city center quickly.

 

[Felipe]

Two dangerous points -a narrow bridge before Villarente, and a crossing of the highway just before León- have been fixed with new pedestrian bridges. The rest is suburban traffic, that requires the usual precautions.
I did not especially like the section between Mansilla and Villarente -not dangerous, but too close to the noisy highway. The following section goes by some villages, by a path more or less paralell with the highway, with a nice rest area (at Arcahueja?), good for a picnic.
There are local buses, with schedules available at the stops, if you want to skip this section.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Local buses from Leon go to about Hospitales. The route from Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon is:

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Sahagun to Leon by train on a typical weekday:

 

[SYates]

Do you take your kids across your home town on foot? If yes, you can walk with them into Leon. It really is so much better now then it was 15 years ago . Buen Camino SY

 

[Kiwi-family]

I walked it with four kids aged 8-13 and would happily have done it with younger ones. It never occurred to me that it was dangerous!

 

[Paul_L]

Wonderful. Thank you all for your information. I love having such a warm community that helps out so quickly. Walk into Leon it is then.

 

[scruffy1]

I don't remember the walk in as being particularly dangerous but as said above I'm an adult. The walk out is also not dangerous but involves 5-6 kilometers of bars, garages and petrol stations, furniture dealers, convenience stores, hairdressers, hardware stores, newspaper kiosks, all on asphalt along a busy street which is not an upscale end of town. There is a city bus to La Virgen del Camino, lets you off at the last stop right on the Camino. In town the bus stop is in the big square just down from the tourist office do consider the bus and ask there. In LVsC take the left fork, to the right brings you back to the highway and an albergue which has all the amities of a petrol station

 

[SYates]

Like @scruffy1 I would definitely recommend to take the variant through Villar de Mazarife and stay there at albergue Jesus (your kids will love the opportunity to add their own grafitti to the walls there!) . The other was goes alongside a big road and is mindblowing boring and noisy. Buen Camino! SY

 

[donalomahony]

Noisy. Not dangerous. Some caution as you cross roads. Most have proper crossings. Some interesting art on the way!

 

[rlang290]

Hi Paul,

I hope everything's going well for you and your family!
Just a word of warning: The route out of Foncebadon (you'll be there in a week or so) just after Cruz de Ferro is a very steep path covered with loose shale. Michele and I were just there a few days ago and it's quite treacherous. If you have your 2 year old in a backpack type thingamajig, you may want to consider taking the road. There was very little traffic on the road and it may be a little less dangerous than the trail.
We just can't imagine slipping on a loose piece of shale with your child on your back.

Ron & Michele

 

[waveprof]

We are travelling with 5 children, in Terradillos right now, enjoying some awesome weather on the meseta. I've been told by a few people that the walk into Leon with children is very dangerous. We started in SJPDP and are going slowly. Our kids are 2, 8, 10, 14 and 15. We would appreciate some suggestions. Walk? Bus last section? Get a train from further out? Other ideas? Thanks in advance for ideas!

We walked out with a 2 year old and had no problems. But the way in is a lot of street crossing without good markings. I think you'd be fine, but if worried you should be able to catch a bus from the edge of town.

 

[Paul_L]

Just wanted to let you all know that we walked into León this afternoon. Thank you for your words of advice and support.

For future reference the walk in was fine, except for an unpleasant person who drove a car deliberately fast then slammed on the brakes at us, the revved his engine, whilst we were crossing at a pedestrian crossing. It was no accident, but there are unpleasant people anywhere in the world. We certainly don't let 1 unpleasant minute impact on a lovely day.

The other side of the coin was the lovely serendipity of the camino when my son was needing to go to the toilet and from a bar within sight of the cathedral in Leon three fellow pilgrims called out to us and he went there.

We are having a rest day tomorrow in León and heading onwards on Sunday.

 

[natefaith]

Good news, Paul. Enjoy your rest day and Buen Camino!

 

[Mike Savage]

Thanks for updating us. I'm glad to hear it is going well and you survived the rude driver.

 

[Jo Jo]

Paul,

When you get to the other side of Ponferrada (specifically, between Trabadelo and Las Herrerias), there is a very nasty bit of road walking with big trucks whizzing by with no guardrail between you and them. Walking that section may have been the most foolishly dangerous thing I have done in many years. I would not do it again, and would definitely not do it with children.

Buen Camino

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Paul,

When you get to the other side of Ponferrada (specifically, between Trabadelo and Las Herrerias), there is a very nasty bit of road walking with big trucks whizzing by with no guardrail between you and them. Walking that section may have been the most foolishly dangerous thing I have done in many years. I would not do it again, and would definitely not do it with children.

Buen Camino

There is also a very short bit of road coming into Monte de Oca that has you walking with no place to move out of the way and many huge trucks coming both ways. Normally the Camino goes to the right of the road, but when I was there 2 years ago it was closed due to flooding. I hope you are able to avoid the road. It's perhaps 250meters, but I was looking forward to it being over.

 

[rogersoncharles1951]

We are travelling with 5 children, in Terradillos right now, enjoying some awesome weather on the meseta. I've been told by a few people that the walk into Leon with children is very dangerous. We started in SJPDP and are going slowly. Our kids are 2, 8, 10, 14 and 15. We would appreciate some suggestions. Walk? Bus last section? Get a train from further out? Other ideas? Thanks in advance for ideas!

You can get bus from mansila del la Miro's cut out nearly all road walk into Leon and spend extra day in this great city