Yellow arrows through Leon

[Gerry O]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

 

[Former member 42123]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

On my first Camino I found Leon a problem,mostly my own fault,but the last couple of years there were volunters at a stand shortly after reaching the city and they handed out marked maps and excellent verbal directions.You should have no problems.Buen Camino.

 

[dfox]

We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

The "waymarker" was not clear for me in 5/2017. I kept walking for two hours (or 8 km) without seeing a fellow pilgrim! I relied on locals for directions.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

Hi Gerry, and welcome.
There is a mixture of waypoints in León. Some are the familiar painted arrows (which can sometimes be hard to see in the city. Some are embedded in the very path you are walking. For this reason it’s always good to get your bearings when you come to a street corner to make sure you’re still on track. Also be sure to look down where your feet are to find a brass shell or engraved Way mark in the paving stones.
After San Marcos the way is pretty direct, but with all of the external stimuli, it’s sometimes hard to keep to the route. If you’re careful and deliberate you should have no trouble navigating León.

All of these photos show waymarks in León.
One thing you might also do is to take your bearings from landmarks that are on the Camino such as the Cathedral and Plaza San Marcos.
Buen Camino,
Paul

 

[Paul McAmino]

Hi Gerry, and welcome.
There is a mixture of waypoints in León. Some are the familiar painted arrows (which can sometimes be hard to see in the city. Some are embedded in the very path you are walking. For this reason it’s always good to get your bearings when you come to a street corner to make sure you’re still on track. Also be sure to look down where your feet are to find a brass shell or engraved Way mark in the paving stones.
After San Marcos the way is pretty direct, but with all of the external stimuli, it’s sometimes hard to keep to the route. If you’re careful and deliberate you should have no trouble navigating León.

All of these photos show waymarks in León.
One thing you might also do is to take your bearings from landmarks that are on the Camino such as the Cathedral and Plaza San Marcos.
Buen Camino,
Paul

One more picture....

 

[Delia90]

I am also starting at the end of May and had the same question about arrows in the bigger cities. Thanks for the photos!

 

[MarkyD]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrïion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

Correction: Head towards the Cathedral, from there head to the river, crossing bridge by Parador (the bridge has signs as you approach it). From there you'll pick up signs again. NOTE: the bridge crossing to train station is the next one.
It's an easy city to walk through. It's flat, walking through some new parts first, then the historic centre. It's worth spending a few hours there, but it's not far (approx. 8km) to Virgen del Camino if you want a quiet place to stay the night. You can walk through main city centre in 30-40 mins, but the outskirts either side of the city take about an hour each, depending on how quick you walk etc.
Hope this helps.

 

[lt56ny]

If you are walking at the end of May I doubt you will not see lots of pilgrims walking. Remember to check everywhere for arrows and shells. If you see some shells on sidewalks stay on that side of the street. For yellow arrows, check high and low on street sign posts, on the sidewalks, on the top of the curbs, sides of the curbs, walls, they can be anywhere. Just stay alert and you will be fine. If you are not sure just ask "este es camino" and I am sure you will be directed correctly. I can't tell you how many times I have left cities all over Spain on my different camino early in the morning and had local people shout out to me if I was going the wrong way. You can always download the Wise Pilgrim or Buen Camino app for just a few dollars, they have downloadable maps that will remove all doubt.

 

[KinkyOne]

Head towards the Cathedral, from there head to the river, crossing bridge nearest to train station - from there you'll pick up signs again.
...

Did they rerouted Camino through Leon after the Cathedral? You mentioned the bridge closest to the train station but I remember Camino goes over the bridge closest to the San Marcos Parador (where Salvador veers off to the right). At least it was so in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

 

[naplesdon]

MarkyD sounds like he is walking out of Burgos, not Leon.

 

[Dorpie]

Don't do what I ended up doing and miss where the arrows split leaving Leon or like me you could accidentally spend 5 hours walking the rather lovely but decidedly un-westward San Salvador route.

 

[MarkyD]

Oops, you could be right. I took route via train station, which was also marked. I often improvised along the way. Twas definitely León and not Burgos though.

 

[naplesdon]

I have to admit my preferred escape route from Leon is the bus going up the hill to Virgen del Camino from PL de s. Domingo. Make sure you sit on the bus all the way to the chapel in Virgen.

 

[KinkyOne]

Oops, you could be right. I took route via train station, which was also marked. I often improvised along the way. Twas definitely León and not Burgos though.

Yeah, I know it couldn't be out of Burgos because Rosa de Lima train station is on the NE outskirts while in Leon it's one block and the bus station past the river.

 

[Felipe]

Coming into Leon is quite straigthforward; locating your albergue could be more complicated. It is a big city. Study a map beforehand, look for known and identifiable places (churches, squares, monuments, etc.). The tourism bureau, at the cathedral's square, provides maps, but usually there is a queue.
Leaving Leon is much more difficult, because the signposts try to take you to go by every historic or interesting place and sometimes they are missing; just ask for Parador de San Marcos, and from there it is no problem. An easy way (not the historic "Camino") is going to Plaza de Santo Domingo (it is a round point) and follow the Gran Via de San Marcos avenue.

 

[Paul McAmino]

Did they rerouted Camino through Leon after the Cathedral? You mentioned the bridge closest to the train station but I remember Camino goes over the bridge closest to the San Marcos Parador (where Salvador veers off to the right). At least it was so in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Nope, there was no reroute. It still goes past the Parador and crosses the Qevedo bridge right next to Plaza San Marcos.

 

[wayfarer]

In 2012, on advice, we walked from the cathedral directly to the river, turned right, and followed it past the parador and crossed the bridge shortly after, no problem picking up the arrows after the pardor.

 

[MarkyD]

Did they rerouted Camino through Leon after the Cathedral? You mentioned the bridge closest to the train station but I remember Camino goes over the bridge closest to the San Marcos Parador (where Salvador veers off to the right). At least it was so in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2018.

I took next bridge and then turned right to pick up official route.

 

[KinkyOne]

I took next bridge and then turned right to pick up official route.

I have walked from train station to Cathedral but didn't really liked it because is more or less shopping avenue. And I wouldn't walk it back although river walk to San Marcos is very nice
If you stay on Camino past the Cathedral you still walk through some older streets and can visit the Museo and Basilica de San Isidoro. Much more scenic and quieter.

 

[Nanc]

another location for yellow arrows, other the trees, is the vertical posts of bus stops and light posts.
The longer you're on the Camino the easier and faster you get at finding the arrows ;-)
As some have said, the formal signs (blue and gold flat metal signs ) can be high above the side walks on a corner
I always got my bed settled for the night (even in villages as I could get turned around when veering off to the albergue) and went back out the night before to find the first several turns of the Camino so I wasn't hunting in the am light.
Every large city I passed though had their version of formal brass markers in the sidewalks, and if they seemed to disappear, it was because the path crossed a main road to continue on the other side

 

[trecile]

Using an app like Buen Camino or Wise Pilgrim that uses GPS that shows the camino route and your position on it are very helpful in areas like this.

 

[DenWhite]

Started our first Camino from Leon last year 2018. No probs navigating out of town, Just keep a good lookout.

 

[Gerry O]

Thanks everyone - we feel much more confident now. The generosity of spirit from pilgrims is alive and well.

We have been walking around the northern suburbs of Melbourne for about 5 months now and can't wait to hit the road.

Buen Camino !

 

[Juspassinthru]

The Cathedral is ground zero. Get there and we had no problems, even in the dark, leaving town. Past the Parador to Trobajo del Camino to La Virgin del Camino. From there you leave the road but well marked in 2017. Buen Camino.

 

[Mark Barnes]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

I had no problem with following the arrows through Leon, but as always you must pay attention.

 

[gerip]

MarkyD sounds like he is walking out of Burgos, not Leon.

Nope. It’s León alright. I’m here now, and the yellow arrows are a little confusing, but head to the cathedral first and all will become clear.

 

[Mark61]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

It was a little harder in some parts of Leon. Just keep your eyes open; ground, eye-level and above/overhead. Not all markers are yellow!

 

[Gerry O]

Well, it seems I need to look out for some volunteers as I'm coming into Leon and get a map from them. A couple of landmarks are the Cathedral and the Parador San Marcos. Thanks everyone

 

[RemysMimi]

Hi guys.....at the end of May my wife and I will be heading off from Carrion to walk to Santiago. We want to walk through Leon. I'm a little concerned that the yellow arrows might be missing or hard to find in the city environment . Is that the case? and also, how long does it take to walk through Leon (when not getting lost ie)?

We found Leon a bit challenging on the way out. Took about 20 minutes to get our bearings (of course it was also dark out when we left).

 

[JAMM]

León is wonderful and it's even worth getting lost for a while!

More seriously: yellow arrows are not in great supply and you are more likely to find bronze shells embedded into the pavement, particularly in the older part of the city. They typically are in the middle of the road in semi-pedestrianised roads and on the pedestrian pavements elsewhere.

Your main landmarks are: San Marcos [aka the 'Parador', aka 'the Hostal'] (inc the pedestrian bridge next to it where you can leave town), San Isidoro and 'la Catedral'. If unsure, mention one of these names and someone will direct you. Several times I have seen people approach pilgrims that looked a little lost to offer help without the pilgrims even asking.

La Catedral is some ten/fifteen minutes' walk from San Marcos (Parador/Hostal) and San Isidoro is between both. You can cross the river towards La Virgen (the next village) by the San Marcos bridge ('Puente romano' by the 'parque de Quevedo') but there are several other crossings downstream: three pedestrian ones and a bigger one ('puente de los leones') that leads to the train station (and from where you can see 'la Catedral' in a straight line). There are some more crossings even further down (all the way down to the bullring) and you would still be able to make it up to La Virgen; plenty of options to stay en route even if you get lost!

Buen Camino and enjoy León (don't forget that they give free tapas there)

 

[JillGat]

Get the WisePilgrim app on your phone. It will show your position on the map and a line for the camino. I often used that to stay on route through cities.