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must in Spain |
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Always wanted to challenge
yourself physically and mentally
with an extended biking trip
through mountainous territory?
Inspired to try a demanding
tour, but also fancy the reassurance
of a sag van and a guaranteed
bed at the end of the day? Consider
our Camino de Santiago Tour
from León – 310
kilometers of rewarding tracks
along one of Europe’s
most historic tourist trails.
Almost 25.000 cyclists completed
part or all of the Camino de
Santiago in 2009– come
and check out what drew them
to the Saint James Way.
It runs through the north of
Spain and allows us views of
the most breathtaking landscapes,
the most unique monuments and
the most typical villages in
this part of our country. You
will savour the rich Spanish
gastronomy, offering traditional
regional cuisine with excellent
wines.
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Itinerary |
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Day
1 LEON
From Madrid, we’ll
travel by van through the
Sierra de Guadarrama and
over the fertile plains
of Castile to the historic
city of León, founded
in 68 B.C. and home to the
cathedral with the most
beautiful stained glass
windows in Spain. We’ll
spend the late afternoon
visiting the Cathedral,
wandering around the winding,
slate-paved streets of the
Barrio Húmedo (renowned
for some of the best tapas
bars in Castile); and, before
dinner, we’ll head
to the Madres Carbajales
convent to get that all-important
piece of documentation that
will record our pilgrimage
– the Credencial del
Peregrino. That night we’ll
stay in the town’s
historic centre, close to
the Royal Pantheon of San
Isidro, located right on
the Camino itself. |
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Day
2 León - Astorga.
(48 km, gently rolling terrain)
The
day begins with a quick
visit to the Parador of
San Marcos, which was established
as a pilgrim’s hospital
in the sixteenth century,
but which now serves as
a luxury hotel. From there,
we’ll start our trip
winding westward through
small towns whose economies,
for centuries, were dependent
on the pilgrims making their
way westward along the Camino.
Today’s riding is
a good warm up for the next
couple of days, as we go
through the western plains
of Castile towards the mountains
that mark the limits between
Castile and Galicia. Our
hotel for the evening is
the town of Astorga, famous
internationally for the
Archbishops’ Palace
(designed by Antoní
Gaudí, creator of
Barcelona’s Sagrada
Familia), the Town’s
Cathedral…and some
of the most delicious chocolate. |
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Day
3 Astorga - Villafranca.
(55 km with climbing)
Today’s the day when
we move from the rolling
hills of Castile into the
mountains that mark the
beginning of the end of
the Camino! Since it’s
our first day of serious
climbing, we’ll take
to the road and ride to
the highest point on the
Camino, a gradual climb
of 800 metres/2,624 feet
(which also means a stunning
twelve-kilometer descent
to Molinaseca and through
to Ponferrada!) After visiting
the Templar Castle in Ponferrada,
we’ll travel by van
to the town of Villafranca
del Bierzo, where we’ll
stay in the renovated Parador
of Villafranca. If time
permits, we’ll visit
a winery owned by an unrepentant
rock musician-turned-impresario
who produces some of the
area’s best vintages. |
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Day
4 Villafranca - Portomarín.
(55 km, hills and climbing)
This stage of the Camino
is considered to be the
most difficult by Camino
riders, who regularly share
survival stories of how
they managed to climb up
to the peak of O Cebreiro.
You don’t have to
ride that section –
the minivan is there for
the less macho cyclists
among us – and anyway,
it’s worth saving
your energy for the brake-burning
25 km descent that follows.
After visiting the restored
village and mountaintop
chapel at O Cebreiro –
spiritual home to the recent
Camino renaissance - we’ll
get on the bikes and enjoy
the downhill ride into the
hamlet of Triacastela. We’ll
ride through (and visit)
the Monastery of Saint Julian
in Samos, then trace our
way along backcountry roads
through pine and eucalyptus
forests, away from the main
Camino route and pedal through
to Sarria (where we’ll
have our lunch break). Our
accommodation for that night
is in Portomarín,
situated on the banks of
the Miño River. The
hotel is located in the
reconstructed old town center,
which was moved and rebuilt
in the mid-50s to make way
for a power dam. |
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Day
5 Portomarín - Arzua.
(51 km, rolling terrain)
Central Galicia is carpeted
in dense pine forests and
eucalyptus groves, which
will provide shade as we
trace our way through tiny
hamlets spread along the
Camino, many of which don’t
have much more than a couple
of inhabitants and a lot
of cows! Luckily, Galicia
is criss-crossed by country
lanes, giving us the opportunity
to get off the beaten path.
We’ll discover some
charming lanes that take
us away from the maddening
crowds on the Camino, and
take the time to the isolated
ruins of castles, fabulous
views and the peace of the
countryside. We’ll
have lunch on the grounds
of the Palace of Ulloa (made
famous by Emilia Pardo Bazán,
the doyenne of Galician
literature). That night,
we’ll stay in Arzúa,
within easy striking distance
of Santiago de Compostela.
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Day
6 Arzua - Santiago de Compostela.
(38 km, rolling terrain)
The final day of the tour
is short but stiff. We’ll
bike the final kilometers
through rolling countryside,
past Lavacolla Hill, where,
ages ago, pilgrims would
tidy themselves up before
attending the Pilgrim’s
Mass at the Cathedral. From
there, it’s on to
the Monte do Gozo, where
you get your first glimpse
of the end of the road:
the Cathedral of Santiago.
It’s a quick 4 kilometer
ride into the center of
Santiago itself, where narrow,
winding streets reach the
Praza do Obradoiro, home
of both the Cathedral of
Santiago and the Parador,
the former Palace of the
Catholic Kings. After visiting
the Pilgrims’ Affairs
office, where we’ll
receive the coveted Compostela
certificate (making us official
pilgrims) we’ll have
a farewell dinner and a
walk though the lamp-lit
streets of the Old Town. |
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Day
7. End of the trip
After
breakfast, we’ll drive
back to Madrid through the
southern reaches of Galicia
and across the broad, golden
plains of Castile.
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PRICE
2012 (EURO):
1590
€ in hotels 4*-3*
190 € single
supplement |
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DAYS/NIGHTS:
7
d / 6 n
LEVEL:
Medium
2012
DATES (Sunday):
March:
25
April: 8 and 29
May: 6 and 20
June: 3 and 24
July: 8 and 22
Aug: 26
Sept: 23
Oct: 14 and 28
What's
INCLUDED?:
Accommodation,
breakfast, 6 dinners with
wine, 5 lunches, luggage
transfers, transfers on
the trip, quality touring
bike (road bike optional),
guide and insurance.
NOT
INCLUDED:
OPTIONS:
- Return from Santiago
by plane.
-Carbon Road Bike: 70
euros
SUPPORTED
TOUR
MINIMUM GROUP 4 PERSONS
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- The friendship along
the way with all pilgrims.
- The Cathedral and atmospheric
streets of the city of
León.
- Riding along gorgeous
paths through ancient
oak forests.
- Replenishing your energy
with local cuisine and
wine.
- The thousand-year-old
ritual of congratulating
yourself on your achievement
in front of the Cathedral. |
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