Cycling the Camino – Part 2 from Burgos to Ponferrada
This Cycling Holiday explores the second section of the Camino Frances / French Way by Bike, the most traditional of all the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela and the best known internationally. The route, which was established in the late 11th century reaching the tomb of St James the Great, crosses the North of the Iberian Peninsula, through the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Castilla y Leon and Galicia regions of Spain. Nowadays, cycling on the Camino has become an incredibly popular way of enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime journey to Santiago de Compostela.
Starting from Burgos, medieval city and home of a UNESCO World Heritage cathedral, this section of the French Way by Bike offers some of the best historical and cultural vestiges of the whole Camino Frances. It passes through Leon and the vast Castillan Plateau (Approx. alt. 900m) before reaching another medieval bastion - the buzzing city of Ponferrada. The mostly flat and gentle terrain makes it accessible to any cyclist with an average level of fitness.
Highlights:
♦ Burgos Cathedral - a Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral, famous for its vast size and unique architecture
♦ Sahagun – a town, notable for containing some of the earliest examples of the mudéjar style of architecture
♦ Cathedral Santa María de Leon - a masterpiece of the Gothic style, dominating the mid-13th century
Itinerary:
Day 1. Burgos
Burgos still preserves important vestiges of its medieval splendour and the city boasts a masterpiece of Spanish Gothic architecture: the Cathedral of Burgos (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Aside from a visit to the historic quarter, you can take quite an interesting walk along the banks of the Duero and Arlanza rivers.
Day 2. Burgos - Fromista
All day long, you will notice the influence of the Camino de Santiago as there is not a single village we cross that does not have obvious references to it. Cycling distance: 73 km, +650m -550m
Day 3. Fromista - Sahagun
During this stage, we have a good understanding of the popular meaning "Castilla es ancha" (castilla is wide). Crop fields give patches of beautiful colour to the agricultural landscape all year round. The first half of the day is mainly flat and it gets a bit more undulated on the second half to Sahagun. Cycling distance: 67km, +150m -80m
Day 4. Sahagun - Leon
Today, we cycle through the colourful Castillan meseta or plateau. The landscape here seems endless as we pass over the flat terrain of the area, affording great views over the surrounding agricultural area. We finish the day in the vibrant city of Leon. Cycling distance: 67km, +200m -200m
Day 5. Leon - Astorga
This is probably one of the flattest cycling days of the entire Camino Frances, but as we are on a high plateau, it still offers some great views and you will see Astorga down in the valley long before reaching it! In Astorga, take some time to visit the Episcopal palace, the cathedral, and the old city walls. Cycling distance: 44km, +500m -200m
Day 6. Astorga - Ponferrada
The last day of this section is definitely the most difficult, but also, the most rewarding one! We can enjoy spectacular views as we climb up to 1500m above sea level to reach the famous Cruz del Hierro (the Iron Cross). The natural scenery and towns with rich history make this the best way to finish the section, before reaching Ponferrada: a city with a lively, and very pretty, medieval centre. Cycling distance: 54km, +1000m -1150m
Day 7. Ponferrada
After breakfast, we bid you farewell.
Luggage transportation: Luggage will be transported from hotel to hotel. The baggage allowance is one item (maximum 20kg) per person. If you need to add more bags please contact us in advance.
Included in the price: ►accommodation in 3* or 2* hotels on bed and breakfast basis (Day7) and half board basis (Days 2-6) ►luggage transferred from hotel to hotel ►detailed walking notes ► map ►pilgrim passport
Not included: ►personal insurance ►flight tickets ►transfer from/to airport ►beverages ►meals, not mentioned in the program ► personal expenditures ►bike rental – you can rent a BH Over-X 21V mountain bike for 215 Euro
Other expences: ►single supplement - 140 EUR ► Picnic Lunches 50 EUR per person (including all cycling days) ► airport transfer to Burgos from Santander Airport (2-8 people) 109 EUR per person ►Assembly of Bike – 30 Euro ►Extra nights in Santander / Ponferrada / Burgos in 2* hotel on bed and breakfast basis - 44 EUR per person. Single room 60 EUR. In 3* hotel on bed and breakfast basis – 65 EUR per person. Single room 95 EUR
How to get there?
♦ Fly in and out – It is best to fly to Bilbao, Santander or Madrid, and fly out from Madrid or Santiago de Compostela. To/ from Bilbao you can fly with EasyJet (daily flights to Bilbao from London Stansted Airport), Iberia (flights from Gatwick or Heathrow via Madrid) and AerLingus (operates out of Dublin). To Santander there are direct connections only with Ryanair (from London Stansted, Dublin, Frankfurt, Milan and Rome, as well as Reus and Madrid in Spain), and internal connections with Iberia from Alicante, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville and Valencia. To/ from Madrid you can fly with almost every company. You can check the Spanish national company: www.iberia.com. From Santiago you can fly with Ryanair, Iberia and Aer Lingus. As well as there are internal connections with Iberia from: Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Bilbao, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Madrid, Malaga, Palma, Seville, Tenerife and Valencia.
♦ Getting there – You can go to Burgos by train from Santander (1 hour journey) or Bilbao (3 hours journey). Trains have several departures a day. To madrid you can take a train (2.30 h journey, the train has regular departures and you can check timetable : www.renfe.es). As well as from Madrid you can travel by bus – 3.30 h journey, have a look on timetable: www.alsa.es.
♦ Getting back - You can travel to Santiago by bus (the journey is 2 hours long, there are 4 departures a day), and you can book the ticket on www.alsa.es. You can go by train as well – 2 hours journey, 2 departures a day. See timetables and book online : www.renfe.com. To Madrid you can take the train, the journey is 6 hours or a bus – 4.30 h journey, see timetable : www. alsa.es.
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