Penguin Travel

'Breathtaking landscapes to Santiago'

This Cycling Holiday explores the final 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 in the mountain-hugging town of Ponferrada and finishing in Santiago de Compostela, this section covers both the Castilla y Leon and Galicia regions. Leaving the medieval city of Ponferrada behind us, this Camino crosses the magnificent O’Cebreiro Mountains before heading towards the heart of Galicia and its lush green hills. This section can be physically demanding and requires a good level of fitness, but it is also a highly rewarding leg of the Camino, offering beautiful landscapes and numerous cultural sights.

Highlights:

♦ Las Médulas - a spectacular landscape near Ponferrada, listed by the UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites
♦ Church of San Juan of Portomarín - an unusual Late Romanesque temple
♦ Cathedral of Santiago – the aim of every pilgrim, a UNESCO heritage site
 

Itinerary:

Day 1. Ponferrada
Ponferrada is a lively city with a pretty, medieval town centre, guarded by the Templars' Castle. The old part of the city is a nice pedestrian quarter where tourists and local people like to chill out on the terraces of Plaza del Ayutamiento and Plaza de la Encina.

Day 2. Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo
The first cycling day of this section is also the only full day that you will spend in the provence of Castilla y Leon, cycling through the valley of Bierzo, surrounded by mountains. You then spend the last few kilometres passing through red earth vineyards until you reach the charming Villafranca del Bierzo. This first day is of short length and with no particular difficulty, so it enables you to warm up before the more difficult day tomorrow. Because of this, you can take it easy with the cycling and enjoy the lively buzz of Villafranca del Bierzo later on! Cycling distance: 24km, +150m -120m

Day 3. Villafranca del Bierzo - O'Cebreiro
Prepare for a challenging day with an ascent of 1000m. You will pass through the narrow valley of the river Valcace before tackling the ascent of O Cebreiro. Situated between the ranges of "Los Ancares" and "La Sierra do Courel", this stage involves a steep climb in the course of only a few kilometers. Take your time, we have designed this cycling day to be short, taking its difficulty into consideration. So, enjoy the magnificent scenery as you ascend higher and higher throughout the day, and say hello to Galicia as you arrive in O'Cebreiro! Cycling distance: 36km, +1000m -300m

Day 4. O'Cebreiro - Sarria
As we continue up and down on our way out of the Galician mountains, the route offers more spectacular sights and historical buildings. Finally, we reach Sarria, where all pilgrims travelling by any means seem to know each other! Cycling distance: 43km, +400m -950m

Day 5. Sarria - Melide
This stage starts with a climb up through oak woods, passing by the Romanesque Church of Barbedelo, before crossing over the Belesar Dam in Portomarin. Then, the Camino route to Melide is not too difficult - despite its typical Galician ups and downs! Cycling distance: 75km, +800m -750m

Day 6. Melide - Santiago
This is probably the most exciting day of the whole Camino, as today we finally reach Santiago de Compostela! Before that, we will have to go through the now-usual highs and lows, the nicest of which is probably on reaching El Monte de Gozo (Mount of Joy). From here, you can see the cathedral in the distance for the first time, before even entering Santiago de Compostela! Cycling distance: 58km, +400m -450m

Day 7. Santiago
After breakfast we bid you farewell. If you wish to stay in the area, we recommend you the magnificent historic centre. Or you can visit the unspoiled sandy coves and beaches of the west coast. With very few tourists, you are guaranteed a very special experience.

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 - 75 EUR ► Picnic Lunches 50 EUR per person (including all cycling days) ► airport transfer to Ponferrada from Santiago Airport (2-8 people) 100 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 Santiago or Madrid. To/ from Madrid you can fly with almost every company. Check the Spanish national company: www.iberia.com. To/ 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 – From Santiago to Ponferrada there are two option – by bus or by train. If you choose the bus, firstly you will take a shuttle bus to the bus station and then the direct one to Ponferrada - 3-4 hours journey. See the timetable and book online: www.alsa.com. The train has 2 departures a day and the journey is 4 hours. You can check the timetable and book tickets online here: www.renfe.com. The train from Madrid takes 5-6 hours. See the timetable and book online: www.alsa.com.

♦ Getting back - From Santiago city center to the airport you can go by shuttle buses, which is 20 minutes journey.
 

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