Which route after Sahagun?

[Caminomary525]

Because of age and general decrepitude, I try to limit my stages to 10-15 km per day. (This is a pilgrimage for me not extreme public penance.) Oviously, I am going to go farther sometimes on the Meseta .

My planning for the post Sahagun days looks like this:

1) Modern Route: Sahagun-El Burgos Ranero (17.7 km)-Reliegos(12.9 km)- Puente Vilarente(12.2km)

OR

2) Brierly Preferred Route: Sahagun-Calzidilla de Los Hermanillos(13.9 km)-Reliegos(17.9 km, cross between the routes to sleep)-Puente Vilarente(14.3 km)

My questions:

1. Is the Brierly Preferred Route well marked? I don't want to get lost and walk farther.

2. How do the path surfaces compare? Is one easier in the mud, er, in the rain?

3. How rough is the Roman road on the Brierly Preferred Route? I found the Roman road leaving Cirauqui quite difficult when I walked Roncevalles to Logrono last year.

4. Is there any possibility of rescue by taxi on the Brierly route? I don't expect to have to bail out but would like to know if it would be possible.

Thanks for whatever advice the wise ones of the forum can provide.

Camino Mary
Roncevalles to Logrono - October 2013
Logrono to Leon -September/October 2014
Leon to Santiago- May 2015, arriving in Santiago for my 70th birthday!

 

[Olivares]

You are doing the Camino the way I did - in sections! To me, definitely the best way to do it if possible!! I just returned from the Camino and walked from Sahagun to Reliegos in one day (about 32 Kms). I was determined to take the Calzada Romana after Sahagun. After about 2 Kms exiting Sahagun, there is a split. I bare to the right over a bridge while 3 pilgrims in front of me continued on to the left. This worried me a bit because these were the ONLY pilgrims I had seen so far. I ended up walking about 15 Kms on to El Burgo Ranero completely by myself. It is well marked, you will see Camino signs, stone markers frequently. I even saw deer crossing the Camino trail at a distance. There are no towns until Calzadilla and there is only one potable water source (closer to Calzadilla. I was elated when I saw the sign for Calzadilla de los Hermanillos. A kind Hospitalero (from Brazil) showed me the road on to El Burgo Ranero and we talked a lot about the Roman road construction and evidence of it before and after Calzadilla. I liked it, would had felt more comfortable with company. I later saw one of the pilgrims that took the left (on to Bercianos) and he hated it; would had preffered the route I took. The actual trail is in very good condition, wide, well marked.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The path through Bercianos to El Burgo Ranero has the advantage of Bercianos as a midway point. I do not remember it as either good or bad, just flat and hot.

 

[Thengel1]

Because of age and general decrepitude, I try to limit my stages to 10-15 km per day. (This is a pilgrimage for me not extreme public penance.) Oviously, I am going to go farther sometimes on the Meseta .

My planning for the post Sahagun days looks like this:

1) Modern Route: Sahagun-El Burgos Ranero (17.7 km)-Reliegos(12.9 km)- Puente Vilarente(12.2km)

OR

2) Brierly Preferred Route: Sahagun-Calzidilla de Los Hermanillos(13.9 km)-Reliegos(17.9 km, cross between the routes to sleep)-Puente Vilarente(14.3 km)

My questions:

1. Is the Brierly Preferred Route well marked? I don't want to get lost and walk farther.

2. How do the path surfaces compare? Is one easier in the mud, er, in the rain?

3. How rough is the Roman road on the Brierly Preferred Route? I found the Roman road leaving Cirauqui quite difficult when I walked Roncevalles to Logrono last year.

4. Is there any possibility of rescue by taxi on the Brierly route? I don't expect to have to bail out but would like to know if it would be possible.

Thanks for whatever advice the wise ones of the forum can provide.

Camino Mary
Roncevalles to Logrono - October 2013
Logrono to Leon -September/October 2014
Leon to Santiago- May 2015, arriving in Santiago for my 70th birthday!

1. The markings are fine, I don't think there is any danger of losing your way.

2 & 3. I have only walked the Roman route, but the path seemed fine to me. (and I don't have great balance, so uneven footing does tend to bother me a little.)

4. After leaving Calzidilla de Los Hermanillos, there is nothing until you reach Mansilla (or in your case, Reliegos) and I mean nothing. No cafes, no traffic and when I walked it in April 2013, no people. I was walking that day with a retired English woman I had met at supper the night before, and we did not see a single living soul the whole 24km to Mansilla. There was one building (a barn) about halfway, and that was it.

I think the Roman route is much better than walking alongside a road for hours on end, but you are definitely not going to be able to bail out on it once you leave Calzidilla.

 

[scruffy1]

The route to El Burgo Ranero is flat boring and runs next to asphalt, not on it but next to it. El Burgo Ranero has a lovely, abobe built albergue and several restaurants, the villages' biggest attraction? Sitting on a bench by the pond watching the sun go down while listening to the concert...of frogs! I don't walk 32 kilometers anymore plus should you stop at Hermanillos you must pack in your own food from Terradillos. Flip a coin.

 

[Thengel1]

The route to El Burgo Ranero is flat boring and runs next to asphalt, not on it but next to it. El Burgo Ranero has a lovely, abobe built albergue and several restaurants, the villages' biggest attraction? Sitting on a bench by the pond watching the sun go down while listening to the concert...of frogs! I don't walk 32 kilometers anymore plus should you stop at Hermanillos you must pack in your own food from Terradillos. Flip a coin.

When I was in Hermanillos, there was a small store in town and the albergue on the right hand side as you walk into town(can't remember the name) served supper and breakfast.

 

[Olivares]

4. After leaving Calzidilla de Los Hermanillos, there is nothing until you reach Mansilla (or in your case, Reliegos) and I mean nothing. No cafes, no traffic and when I walked it in April 2013, no people. I was walking that day with a retired English woman I had met at supper the night before, and we did not see a single living soul the whole 24km to Mansilla. There was one building (a barn) about halfway, and that was it.

I think the Roman route is much better than walking alongside a road for hours on end, but you are definitely not going to be able to bail out on it once you leave Calzidilla.

I think a clarification may be needed: As you exit Calzadilla de los Hermanillos (pass the cute little park with the Roman Road Construction exhibit to your left) you will see THREE paths as if a fork: the one IN THE MIDDLE takes you straight to El Burgo Ranero about 4 kms alongside irrigation channels. The one to the RIGHT will take you to Mansilla de las Mulas, about 17 Kms, hot, flat, solitaire. I have attached pictures of this stretch. The first one shows the Calzada Romana BEFORE Calzadilla de los Hermanillos, the second shows the trail between Calzadilla and El Burgo Ranero (only 4 Kms; beautiful trail alongside irrigation channels), and the third picture shows a typical marking on the strectch towards Calzadilla de los Hermanillos from Sahagun.
Hope it helps.

 

[Caminomary525]

Thank you all so very much.

Still not sure which way I will go. It will probably depend on where others from Sahagun will be going. Last year, I found that many of the, ahem, "adults" tended to walk shorter distances and I saw many of the same people each evening.

I will make sure to keep a coin to flip as I leave Sahagun . Grin.

 

[nreyn12]

My vote is for the path to the right, thorough Hermanillos. I found it much prettier than the path through El Burgo Ranero. Both are equally well marked.

 

[obinjatoo@yahoo.com]

I did the route to Hermanillos on my bicycle. It's the old Roman road. It was very pretty but on a bicycle with no suspension it was bone jarring and brain scrambling. I can only imagine that it might be hard on the feet too. I would however do it again.