LIVE from the Camino Yesa to Liedena to Lumbier

[Vacajoe]

Alone on this Camino stage again! Weather was windy/rainy, but finally cleared. This stage is an easy one, with a grocery store at the start, a bar midway (and a vintner that sells from the store!), and a wonderful finish past fields of flowers. If that weren’t enough, you get bit one but TWO spooky tunnels!!!

 

[Zoula]

Did you have to walk through the tunnels??? I hope not...

 

[Vacajoe]

The tunnels were my favorite parts!!! Lots of water puddles due to the recent rains, but easily avoidable with a flashlight. The path follows an early 1900’s railway bed and actually connects Sanguesa to Pamplona. It’s flat, very walkable, and transists a number of small towns so it’s perfect if you want to connect the Camino Frances with the Aragonés before Obanos.

 

[Zoula]

Thanks for the info! Very interesting! Keep on writing, I had never heard of this Camino!

 

[peregrina2000]

Alone on this Camino stage again! Weather was windy/rainy, but finally cleared. This stage is an easy one, with a grocery store at the start, a bar midway (and a vintner that sells from the store!), and a wonderful finish past fields of flowers. If that weren’t enough, you get bit one but TWO spooky tunnels!!!View attachment 41393View attachment 41394View attachment 41396View attachment 41397

Hi, Vacajoe,
I was walking this spring when you posted this, so I am a little late with this question. I am helping a friend plan a Camino Aragonés and have done enough research to know that she definitely should do the Lumbier gorge alternative from Sangüesa to Monreal. Looks like it adds about 5 km. But what I’m not clear about is your stop in Yesa. That must be off-Camino, no? Did you go there from the gorge? Did your route include a detour to the Monastery at Leyre on the other side of the reservoir?

When I walked the Aragonés a few years ago, we somehow missed the Lumbier gorge and also got advice that heading to the north of the reservoir to go to the monastery was complicated. I visited the monastery and slept in their hospedaría years ago, but loved it so much I am sorry I didn’t go back.

Thanks, buen camino, Laurie

P.s. And I also see from @caminka’s post that there are alternative ways to walk the gorge. Do you know anything about that?

 

[Vacajoe]

YESA was a natural stopping point for us given we had walked from Ruesta through Javier that day. It WAS on a Camino route that went past the monastery but the reservoir and highway construction make it very difficult to take the old route on the north side of the water.

So we walked Ruesta to Yesa, then Yesa to Lumbier. You could skip Yesa and avoid some roadway walking (with a view of a nearby interstate) if you are up for a really long day or two shorter days (stay near Castle Javier).

As for the monastery, it was not open for visitors and transportation options to it were vary limited during our time in that area.

I am unaware of any other way to walk the gorge - it’s a pretty set starting point and end point, but you certainly could reach either entry/exit point from multiple cities. We walked Yesa to Lumbier because it worked for the distances we wanted to do each day.

 

[Vacajoe]

We skipped Sanguesa simply because Yesa seemed easy to read that day and made walking through Lumbier Gorge easier for us the next day. Booking as we went by the old-fashioned way of just showing up and asking if there’s room, we had the option of daily/hourly choosing which route to follow. If one was NOT stopping to see Castle Javier, Ruesta-Sanguesa and then Sanguesa-Lumbier may make more sense.

 

[LGLG]

Hi, Vacajoe,
I was walking this spring when you posted this, so I am a little late with this question. I am helping a friend plan a Camino Aragonés and have done enough research to know that she definitely should do the Lumbier gorge alternative from Sangüesa to Monreal. Looks like it adds about 5 km. But what I’m not clear about is your stop in Yesa. That must be off-Camino, no? Did you go there from the gorge? Did your route include a detour to the Monastery at Leyre on the other side of the reservoir?

When I walked the Aragonés a few years ago, we somehow missed the Lumbier gorge and also got advice that heading to the north of the reservoir to go to the monastery was complicated. I visited the monastery and slept in their hospedaría years ago, but loved it so much I am sorry I didn’t go back.

Thanks, buen camino, Laurie

P.s. And I also see from @caminka’s post that there are alternative ways to walk the gorge. Do you know anything about that?

I was there just two weeks ago - I can’t do too great distances, and because the Izco albergue is permanently closed - I did Undues de Lerda to Sanguesa via Castello de Javier, then to Lumbier (only hotel accomodation there) and then Lumbier to Monreal (we did it without wifi, so a little hard to follow the not-so well marked path) but with a general sense of direction did ok. That, and San Juan de la Pena, were definitely the high points on the Aragones.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

For whatever it is worth, the 1984 El Camino de Santiago Guia del Peregrino, the definitive guide in that day, shows only a route to the east side of the reservoir. The more popular west side route of today did not exist. You are on the "original" route.