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Which route Gudiña - Ourense?

bjorgts

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
In Spain, France, Portugal, Germany since 2003
I will walk from Zamora to Ourense in April and have to choose which route to take between Gudiña and Ourense. The northern, which is more isolated via Laza, Vilar de Barrio and Xunqueira de Ambía or the southern one through Verín, Xinzo de Lima and Allariz which includes more monuments to visit. Any advices? Bjorg
 
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Hei Bjørg, the northern route is sometimes described as "isolated" although it did not strike me as being especially lonely, at least compared with the rest of the Via de la Plata. It's well marked and there are very good albergues. It would seem that you will have to decide for yourself but if it helps, the northern route was very pleasant with, if not so many "monuments" very beautiful countryside, especially round Laza. God tur!

Best,

Kevin
 
bjorgts said:
I will walk from Zamora to Ourense in April and have to choose which route to take between Gudiña and Ourense. The northern, which is more isolated via Laza, Vilar de Barrio and Xunqueira de Ambía or the southern one through Verín, Xinzo de Lima and Allariz which includes more monuments to visit. Any advices? Bjorg

I took the Northern route. The first pull from Gudiña to Laza is a long day and one wanders through abandoned hamlet after abandoned hamlet, which is a bit disconcerting. The views are tremendous. Vilar de Barrio is pleasant if quiet -- the town focussed on a petrol station !!!
And Xunqueria de Ambia has a lovely church, the refugio is both modern and tatty. I can't tell you which one to take -- having not walked the Southern path -- but the Northern is quite fun.
Best of luck
Gyro
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I took the Laza route and enjoyed a lot. Laza is famous because its carnivals.

Albergueria has a very special bar.

I wouldn't have any doubt about which route, but it's your option to choose.

Buen Camino,

Javier Martin
Madrid, Spain.
 
Thank you for your advices! I am longing for April!! I have thought of choosing the northern route. But since there is another posibility, it would be interesting to hear if anybody have been walking that way. Anybody out there who have walked the southern route?

Since I will have to stop in Ourense this year, I have also thought of starting in Gudiña next year (2010), take the southern route then and walk all the rest of the way to Santiago. But: one year at a time! I have also heard that there is a nice route from somewhere after Zamora, which goes through northern Portugal. So: there is a lot of walking to be done in that area, I think! Bjørg
 
Hi Bjørg,

I walked part of the Southern Route in May 2007. I started in Verin and walked one day to Sandias (albergue) and the next to Ourense (albergue). Distances were 41km and 33km respectively. The first hour or so out of Verin is on the old main road (N525) so can be busy but verges are ok. Route then veers away from the road through some nice villages and with a couple of steepish but relatively short climbs, occasionally crossing back over the main road or the autovia. Once you get on to the plain that surrounds Xinzo de Limia the route is flat, straight and always close to the Autovia.

Sandias to Ourense again starts on the main road for several kms before cutting through lovely wooded paths eventually ending up in Allariz (picturesque town) and then via back roads towards the outskirts of Ourense.

I believe both Xinzo and Allariz have hotel\hostal accomodation so the distance could be broken into smaller chunks over 3 days (32.5, 21.5 and 20 kms respectively) hence giving a bit more time for "sightseeing". We saw no other Peregrinos on the route until we got to the Albergue in Ourense.

I can't give you much information on A Gudina to Verin other than it would be generally downhill and again probably criss-crossing the Autovia and\or the N525.

I've not walked the Northern route but have driven around that area and I would say that in terms of scenery it is probably the nicer of the two although as indicated by others, more isolated. The bar at Albergueria is definitely worth a stop.

If you use Google Earth at all, I posted an attachement in the following thread, camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic3745.html, showing the Verin - Sandias - Ourense route with albergue, sello, bar/restaurant information which you may find useful should you go that way.

Regardless of which route you choose, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic experience. Post back if you require any further info.

Bon Viaje.
Mig
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Thank you! :D I have decided totake the nothern route this year. May be I come back for the southern or the one from Zamora through Portugal next year. Bjørg
 
Hi Bjorg

I walked the northern route in 2006 but, instead of staying in Xunqueira de Amba, I diverted to the southern route to see the old town of Allariz. This is only about 8km from Xunqueira and, next day, I followed the southern route to Ourense. There was a fiesta (Festa do Boi) going on in Allariz so I was lucky to find accommodation in the Hostal Alarico which is near the centre of town.

Details of this are on my website at http://www.peregrino.pwp.blueyonder.co. ... eca05.html

Good luck with your walk. I hope to start from Seville this May.

Tom Vickers
 
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Thank you! I will consider that alternative when I am there - ca 1. May. Then in June we will continue our walk in France. Started in Cluny last summer and nearly reached Le Puy. Can not stop walking these routes. Bjørg
 

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