Cycling Days

We allotted 7 riding days to cover the distance from Leon to Santiago. The following are highlights of each day. A brochure is put out by Tourism Council rating each day's ride from one star (easiest) to 7 star (hardest). You can find their informative web site on the Camino at www.xacobeo.es.

Day 1 - Leon to Astorga - Rated 2 star - 49km

We had no choice but to ride the congested roads out of the city of Leon . It is a fairly uneventful day, mostly highway riding. The Camino is a footpath which for most of this day's ride parallels the main highway. The footpath is sometimes to the right and sometimes to the left of the highway, but always only a few meters from the highway. The hardest part of this day is going against the strong headwinds.

This is a typical billboard on the Camino. The dashed yellow line shows the Camino in relation to the cartera (main paved highways in red line). A word of caution - sometimes the billboards are oriented in the wrong direction. If you ask the locals where the Camino is, they will always point you in the direction of the footpath (yellow line). If you want to access the paved highway, ask for the cartera.

This is a typical fork on the road as the Camino veers to the right and the highway continuing straight ahead . Look out for yellow arrows on fences and street-posts. When in doubt, ask the locals.

At Hospital De Orbigo, we pass by a medieval (1434) bridge called Paso Honoroso (honorable passage). During the years of chivalry, a knight named Don Suero together with 10 other knights promised to defend the crossing for a month or until after breaking 300 lances. Wounded and in bandages, they left for Santiago after a month.

Past Hospital De Orbigo, the Camino veers off the paved highway. It now turns into a dirt packed road with some gravel. You can't go as fast on the Camino as on the highway. But you meet and get to talk to locals and other pilgrims. The sights on these roads probably haven't changed much since pilgrims started walking this route hundreds of years ago. On top of San Justo heights is the cross of St Turibius with a panoramic view of Astorga. It is a pilgrim ritual to put a rock at the base of the cross hoping for a safe journey on the road

Heading down a steep embankment after the cross, we meet Senor Severino who offers his freshly harvested grapes. It is chance meetings with the locals that makes riding the Camino (versus the highway) worthwhile.

Tonight's lodging at Astorga is Hostal Gallego (2 star) which is 6000 ptas for a double room. Clean but very basic. Sights we saw at Astorga were the Bishop's Palace designed by Gaudi and the Cathedral.

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Day 2