Camino de Invierno
12 km, 282 m up and 320 m down, through 3 places, 2 of which have somewhere to sleep. Where you stop is up to you.
Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Villavieja. 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.
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.
Leave Las Médulas on a tractor path on the western edge of town through wooded hills. There's a possible short detour to the left (about 500 m) to a mirador with good views back over Las Médulas — not as spectacular as Orellán but still worthwhile.
Despite a sign claiming Puente de Domingo Flórez is 5.7 km away, it's actually closer to 8 km. The camino descends along a mountain lane with fine views. The grade, surface, and views are excellent all the way down.
Distance, climb and descent are measured along the GPS track for this camino — 292 recorded points across this span, the same track the app carries. The town-to-town figures in my data put it at 10.8 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.