Camino de Invierno
23.1 km, 517 m up and 521 m down, through 8 places, 5 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Ponferrada. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.
Leave Ponferrada heading south, following the Invierno waymarks. The first stretch passes through Toral de Merayo, about 3 km away. Bars and services on the Invierno often have irregular opening hours, particularly on weekends — don't rely on them being open.
Leaving Toral de Merayo, pass the church. The asphalt road turns to dirt fairly quickly. The camino branches off to the right, and you'll soon arrive in Villalibre de la Jurisdicción.
Villalibre de la Jurisdicción is a small village with a fountain. Bar La Estrella is along the highway, but the camino passes through the middle of town and doesn't go past it. Bar Ruta 98 is a short walk from the center…
Leaving town, the path rejoins the highway before the Mirador de Santallo, a well-known scenic overlook. The views over the Bierzo valley and the craggy cliffs across the river — known as Las Barrancas de Santalla — make for a fine rest stop.
The Mirador de Santallo is a scenic overlook at the entrance to Santalla. It offers excellent views of the Bierzo valley and the mountains beyond — one of the first of many impressive viewpoints on the Invierno.
Calle Chaos takes you out of town, turning to a dirt path. After walking through fields and orchards for a couple of kilometers, a mojón directs you left across the national highway, where an ascent begins. There's a sign for the Villavieja Albergue.
You can stay on the road and bypass the castle, going directly to Borrenes with minimal elevation gain — but walking on the shoulder of a national highway isn't recommended. The camino route through Villavieja is far preferable, with great views of the castle on the climb.
When leaving town, there are two sets of arrows and a mojón. Follow the arrows toward Villavieja — do not follow the arrows to Las Barrancas.
Halfway through Villavieja, there's a paved road to the right that bypasses the castle. The camino to the castle goes to the left of a large renovated house, on a gravel path through chestnut trees.
After visiting the castle, continue on the downhill road. Turn right at the first intersection and left at the next. You'll arrive shortly in Borrenes.
Continue out of town — resist the temptation to take a small fitness trail on the left. Stay on the road and walk around the bend. A dirt track appears up and to your left; after a short climb, it descends again.
The first road takes you to Carucedo (off-camino). To continue on the camino, go straight and turn left on the next road toward Las Médulas. A short distance along, the camino diverts off the road into chestnut groves. You'll rejoin the road just outside Las Médulas.
Carucedo is about 500 m off the camino to the north, but is included here because it offers accommodation and several bars/restaurants. If you need a bed and Las Médulas is full, Carucedo is a fallback option.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 579 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 19.1 km.
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.