Rabanal to Villafranca del Bierzo

Rabanal del Camino

5.50km to

Foncebadón

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Hotel, Pensión, or Casa Rural:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price
Albergue La Senda	Private	34	5€
Refugio Guacelmo	Association	44	Donativo
Albergue Municipal de Rabanal del Camino	Municipal	34	4€
Albergue Nuestra Señora del Pilar	Private	72	5€

Things to see
Ermita del Bendito Cristo de la Vera Cruz
Capilla de San Jose
Iglesia de Santa María (Rabanal)
Monasterio de San Salvador de Monte Irago

Foncebadón

2.00km to

Cruz de Ferro

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Hotel, Pensión, or Casa Rural:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price
Albergue Convento de Foncebadón	Private	30	7€
Albergue Monte Irago	Private	35	6€
Albergue Parroquial Domus Dei	Parochial	30	Donativo
Albergue La Cruz de Fierro	Private	40	7€

Cruz de Ferro

5.40km to

Manjarín

Picnic area, and the Iron Cross where pilgrims unload themselves of symbolic burdens and actual stones.

Manjarín

3.10km to

Alto de Cerezales

Fountain:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price	STAMP
Refugio de Manjarín - Albergue Templario de Tomás	Private	25	Donativo

Alto de Cerezales

3.80km to

El Acebo

3.70km to

Riego de Ambrós

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price
Albergue La Taberna de José	Private	7	5€
Albergue Parroquial Apóstol Santiago	Parochial	23	Donativo
Albergue Mesón El Acebo	Private	23	5€

Riego de Ambrós

4.80km to

Molinaseca

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Hotel, Pensión, or Casa Rural:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price	STAMP
Albergue de Riego de Ambros	Municipal	30	5€

Molinaseca

4.30km to

Campo

The river through town is dammed up during summer months and provides for an excellent place to swim, cool down, and mingle with the locals.

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Bakery:

Yes

Butcher:

Yes

ATM:

Yes

Medical Center:

Yes

Hotel, Pensión, or Casa Rural:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Tourist Information:

Yes

Public Phone:

Yes

Pharmacy:

Yes

Internet:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price	STAMP
Albergue Molinaseca - Santa Marina	Private	56	7€
Albergue de Peregrinos de Molinaseca	Municipal	30-85	5€

△ on Camino via Campo or ▷ to Ponferrada by road

Shortly after leaving the outskirts of Molinaseca you will arrive at a poorly marked split in the camino, and which direction you choose depends largely on how focused you are on the arrows.

At a point where the road turns gently to the right and downhill, there is another road which continues straight ahead in descends into the town of Campo. This route is longer.

Your other option is to follow the road into Ponferrada. Both options are signed with arrows all the way to the municipal albergue.

Campo

3.50km to

Ponferrada

Avoid Campo altogether. Follow the sidewalk to the right.

Bar:

Yes

Ponferrada

2.60km to

Compostilla

-or- 5.78km to

Toral de Merayo

Camino de Invierno only, if you are not on the Camino de Invierno but are in Ponferrada it is not too late:
We begin in Ponferrada at the Albergue de Peregrinos where you can pick up a credential and a very basic map of the camino as it passes through El Bierzo. Turn left out of the albergue gate and continue to the first cruceiro. On the sidewalk across the street is the first mojon marking the Camino de Santiago de Invierno. It will take you to your left, down a hill, and across a bridge.

Just over the bridge arrows will take you to your right, and geographically speaking you will have Ponferrada and the river on your right hand side. It is not the prettiest walking to begin with, and already the arrows grow scarce. You have begun walking on an asphalted road at this point, and although the yellow arrows have ended, there are a bounty of other markings which soon crop up. Among them is a red/ blue arrow on a field of white. NONE of the other arrows are of use, even though some of them share the camino. Stay on this road until you get just past “Embutidos Pajariel,” a factory on your left. Shortly after that the road runs into a dirt section, and another trail marked with white arrows will want to lure you towards the right hand side. NO NOT GO RIGHT (there is a trail there which will walk you right back to where you started, and take up an hour of your time). Instead, keep on to your left where you can see a building in the distance. Soon the mojons will reappear and continue to guide you up a slope.

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Bakery:

Yes

Butcher:

Yes

ATM:

Yes

Medical Center:

Yes

Hotel, Pensión, or Casa Rural:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Tourist Information:

Yes

Public Phone:

Yes

Pharmacy:

Yes

Internet:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price	STAMP
Albergue de peregrinos San Nicolás de Flüe	Parochial	175	Donativo

Things to see
Castillo de los Templarios

How to get out of Ponferrada

Leaving Ponferrada, the camino passes along side the Castle and up to the Plaza de la Encina. Arrows will take you out of the square and over the river that you will follow North out of town via the main boulevard that runs parallel to it. From here onward you will pass though a series of towns which have grown into one another. The first of these is Compostilla, with American style suburbs.

Compostilla

2.20km to

Columbrianos

Bar:

Yes

Columbrianos

2.30km to

Fuentes Nuevas

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Medical Center:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Fuentes Nuevas

2.40km to

Camponaraya

Sello available at Bar La Ermita

Bar:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Camponaraya

5.60km to

Cacabelos

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Bakery:

Yes

Butcher:

Yes

ATM:

Yes

Medical Center:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Cacabelos

2.20km to

Pieros

Fountain:

Yes

Bar:

Yes

Grocery:

Yes

Bakery:

Yes

Butcher:

Yes

ATM:

Yes

Medical Center:

Yes

Hotel, Pensión, or Casa Rural:

Yes

Restaurant:

Yes

Tourist Information:

Yes

Public Phone:

Yes

Pharmacy:

Yes

Internet:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price	STAMP
Albergue de Cacabelos	Municipal	70	6€

Detour to Monasterio de Carracedo

A 6.5km detour (3+ each way) South of Cacabelos can be taken to the Cistercian (originally Benedictine) Monastery of Carracedo. It is in a state of partial repair, after being sacked by Almanzor in 997.

To get there, head south from the Plaza Vendimia on the Carretera de Villadepalos Elias Iglesias passing through San Juan (2km). To return, retrace your steps back to Cacabelos.

Pieros

2.00km to

Valtuille de Arriba

Fountain:

Yes

Albergue	Type	Total Beds	Price	STAMP
Albergue El Serbal y la Luna	Private	20	5€

△ on Road or ▷ countryside via Valtuille de Arriba

Shortly after leaving Pieros the camino splits near a set of power lines. Following the road straight ahead will take you along the road a few km before turning off to the right onto a dirt track. This track will rejoin the alternate route.

The alternate route is slightly longer but passes through the village of Valtuille de Arriba (bars) and provides more safety and countryside walking than the road route. Of the two it is the recommended route.