Straight along the Camino Real or turn Right for the Via Trajana

Camino Real was nice, pretty, had no issues taking it on a rainy day. Lots of shade so perfect for hot days too

When the camino splits we took the road straight ahead to Bercianos del RC - it was lined with trees and in the middle of the day a LOT of shade. Many of the trees have overhanging branches so well be shady for a long time. I would recommend this way on a hot day.

I stayed at Calzada (great donativo) and then walked the alternative Roman Route the next day to Reliegos. Note that there is now a second alternate route when you are leaving Calzada (there is a sign) but you stay right to follow the Roman route.

The Roman path was loooong, extremely hot in June with very little shade, and there is no water after Calzadilla. You will be road walking the whole way but most of it is dirt so it will likely be muddy after a big rain. There is one rest stop with shade before Calzadilla (benches under willow trees) and another very overgrown pilgrim shelter about 6km past Calzadilla. (It was so overgrown with weeds I couldn’t get to it.) There is another possible shelter about 3km further that is mostly a deteriorating block hut. The trail is a bit more interesting after the train track and there are some sign boards in Spanish 2km from Reliegos about the Roman road.

It took me 6hrs to walk the 26km between the two towns and I ran out of water just as I arrived (I packed 1.25L). In hindsight, I would have rather walked the Royal Way. There was nothing so exciting out that way that it was worth the heat risk. Mostly just a lot of fields and a few canals.

The road less chosen - and I loved it. Water fountain on the outskirts of Calzada but nothing else, which was expected. A sea of wild lavender growing under old trees. Shaded sections and plentiful trees to have a picnic under. And a delightful rest area just before you get to Calzadilla, willow trees and picnic tables. The Albergue in Calzadilla also offers a cafe service (I walked past at 11am and it was serving fellow pilgrims ahead of me). Another water fountain outside an official council building to your left as you walk through. And a friendly helpful employee pointed me in the direction of a shortcut back down to El Burgo Ranero, between the church and some Roman ruins. One of my favourite days.

The road is fine before Calzadilla. After Calzadilla there is 3,5 km of rural asphalt and 11 km of stony, badly ruined road, sloppy after the rain, painful if your shoes are not ready to stones everywhere under your feet.
Why does someone call it "roman road"? It's just a badly ruined curved rural road, which goes in the middle of nowhere. But unfortunately you have no choice for about 11 kms. So, beware.

Road is Ok, paved by sand and gravel, easy to go, after Calzadilla - asphalt.

As others have said, the road is fine now. Soft sand the whole way. Sunny fields with lots of wind today, then tree lined path for the second half. I didn’t see a soul the whole way. Nothing until Calzadillos where the Trejana albergue welcomes you in for breakfast or snacks and hot drinks next to a fire.

The alternative via Trajana path has now been covered with sand and is not so stony. It’s a beautiful path that many pilgrims took this year and we missed out on because we’d read the reviews above

This was not hard to find and nice with trees and smooth dirt path. Recommend.

Don't take via Trajana. We agree with the previous comments about the rocky pathway making it unpleasant to walk on. There's no shade and only one tiny shop along the way. Avoid!

Easy to find. There are new signs can not miss them

I agree with others the Camino Real is lovely, shaded most of the way by chestnut trees and mostly far enough away from the freeway that you can't even see it. Very hard to find at the junction though I would have been lost without this app.

After the brutal heat and lack of shade across the Meseta, this was such a welcome relief. The whole path was lined with trees which provided glorious shade all the way to Bercianos Del Real Camino. Was feeling very grateful for those trees and whoever planted them. Would recommend this route. 🙏🙏

Someone has removed the arrows that lead to the Camino Real so the only arrows that you can follow will lead you to Via Trajana. Luckily I realized before I got too far and was able to backtrack. Very annoying.

The Camino Real's path is smooth and groomed, and lined the whole way with trees which break up the monotony of the landscape and provide occasional shade in late morning.

I don’t know about the other route, but it can hardly be as bad as the via trajana. It is one straight path, full of stones and boulders that are very hard underfoot. Particularly the first 13 kilometers from Calzada del Coto. Personally I would choose to avoid it.