Camino Frances - 2014
Day 1 - Thursday 18th September 2014
León to Villavante
24.8 km - 5.5 hours
| I loath the thought of walking out of León, through apartment blocks, industrial areas, car show rooms and along busy tarmac roads. In 2013, rather than do this, I had a rest day in León and took the bus to Hospital de Órbigo. That worked well as I was able to spend a lot of time looking around León Cathedral and the other historic buildings, but at the same time I was on the same schedule to Astorga as those who had walked out of Leon. Earlier this year, Camino-buddy Diane walked out of León to Villavante. She highly recommended Casa Rural Molino Galochas, although she did warn me that it was a long day's walking to get there. My solution to this was to take the bus the 7.5 km to La Virgen del Camino. In this way I shortened my day's walking to 25km, enough for the first day back on the Camino, and I avoided the walk out of the first part of León. I walked from the Parador San Marcos across the bridge over the Rio Bernesga and along to the Bus Station arriving there at 8-23 a.m. I knew from last year that the bus to Hospital de Órbigo departed at 8-30 a.m., and I assumed it would stop at La Virgen del Camino. Wrong! The information lady told me that the bus to La Virgen del Camino went from outside the red-brick Bank of Bilbao Building at the Rotunda in León, as it was a "CityBus". She added that the next bus was at 8-45 a.m. which gave me enough time to get there. It was a bit of a panic trying to find the Rotunda, but I eventually got there and found 8 other perigrinos waiting for the bus. The fare was a mere 1.40 euros, and you paid on the bus. |
The red-brick Bank of Bilbao Building at the Rotunda
The 08-45 a.m. bus to La Virgen del Camino
| We reached La Virgen del Camino at 9-11 a.m., and the bus pulled up opposite the Sanctuary of the Virgen del Camino, the present shrine being built in 1961 on the site of the original shrine of 1505. |
Basilica Virgen del Camino
Signboard showing alternative routes
Immediately across the road, the N-120, is a signboard showing the two alternative routes. The main route goes along the N-120 all the way to Villadangos del Páramo, but is not very attractive. The second route goes across the páramo to Villar de Mazarife and Villavante and is away from major roads. Actually this second route goes parallel to the N-120 for 100 yards or so and then peels off to the left towards Oncina. Kevin A Coda describes the countryside in his book "To The Field of Stars"......... It is very dry country here. So dry and stark and wide and flat, in fact, that it has its own word in Spanish to describe it.... the páramo".
The path goes over a bridge over the major A-66 motorway, and then under the A-71 road. It passes through Fresno del Camino, Oncina and Chozas de Abajo on its way to Villar de Mazarife. I reached Mazarife at 2-45 p.m. |
The path goes off to the left away from the N-120
The páramo
Under the A-71
The "donativo" stall at Oncina run by Molino
A very pretty flower that only seems to spring up on the path where you walk,
hence they get damaged by walkers quite easily.
At Chozas de Abajo
Coming in to Villar de Mazarife
Villar de Mazarife
The supermarket in Mazarife where I bumped into Michael (South Africa), Linda (Portland, U.S.A.) and Tracy (San Francisco, U.S.A.) I did not see Michael again but met Linda and Tracy once or twice along the camino.
Dead straight dirt road between Villar de Mazarife and Villavante
Albergue Sta. Lucia in Villavante, where Linda, Tracy and Michael stayed. The Casa Rural "Molina Galochas"
was about a quarter mile further on, left over the railway bridge
Iglesias de las Candelas Mudéjar style church in Villavante
Casa Rural Molino Galochas, run by Mercedes, her husband and daughter Christina
A wooden "galocha"..... just in case you were wondering what it was!
My room for the night
I was surrounded by 6 ladies for dinner! Edith and Debra from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and
four ladies from the Alkmaar area of Holland, Bebe, Ria, Rena and Coba.
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