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Stage 22

Foncebadón to Ponferrada stage

km 27,3

Time 06H 30’

Difficulty Medium

Hostels 11

Available without an Internet connection

At this stage is the highest point of the entire French road

Information about the stage 22: Foncebadón to Ponferrada stage

Enlarge map

Points of interest in the stage 22: Foncebadón to Ponferrada stage

6 Albergue Santa Marina
5 Albergue San Roque- Molinaseca
4 Albergue - Mesón El Acebo
3 Albergue parroquial Apóstol Santiago
2 Albergue La Cruz de Fierro
1 Albergue Monte Irago

The route

Km 0. Foncebadón (Hostels. Bars. Store)

We say goodbye to Foncebadón street above, between fallen walls and the church, whose spaghetti always receives the first lights of the day. At the exit we take the road from the left, which on a smooth slope brings us to the road LE-142, our guide in today's stage (Km 1,5). Along a path parallel to the road, which advances with some sketch of repopulation, we reach the Ferro Cross. Located at an exact 1500 meters altitude (the roof of the French Way in Spain), it is only a small iron cross auptioned by a disproportionate wooden mast. Behind your back to the cross is tradition to throw a stone to the already raised pile. A calm gesture made by the Galician reapers when they moved to Castile to work in the cereal fields and also the arriers and the transhumant pastors (Km 2.2).

A chapel dedicated to Santiago Apostle was erected by the cross in 1982. From this point on, we resumed the path parallel to LE-142. Serbales de Cazadores (Sorbus aucuparia), a deciduous tree easily distinguished by its thick bunches of red berries, throw our steps. Two kilometers and three hundred meters after the Ferro Cross we are planted in the refuge of Manjarín, the most peculiar hostel of the Camino managed by Tomás Martínez, the Templar hospital. The stinging of a bell and the smoke signals lead us inside. The indoor environment is better to discover by yourself.

Km 4,5. Manjarín (Hostel. In season Mobile bar between Manjarín and El Acebo)

Just over 7 kilometers separate the refuge of Manjarín from El Acebo. Except for a curve that is bound, the itinerary always runs parallel to the road. During the first 3.5 km, it was lowered and even slightly increased, leaving aside the Military Transmission Base, located under Peña Llabaya and abandoned in 1990. A kilometer later from the Base actually begins the descent with a view of Ponferrada (from the distance there is a black spot corresponding to the Rosaleda tower over 100 meters). In this section there is the mobile bar La Parada, which usually opens from April to the end of October! The path is stony and on a steep slope (cyclists are recommended to go down the road). After these seven kilometers, the Camino is presented in El Acebo, the first town in El Bierzo.

Km 11.6. El Acebo (Hostels. Hotel. Bar. Store)

Juan Uría documents that the residents of this town were tax-free in exchange for placing eight hundred stakes to indicate the way to the travelers. In this Bertian nucleus surrounded by hot springs and pastures, a hotel, a shop where to buy snacks and a meson allow a parentheses in the stage we have already completed in more than 40%. Leaving El Acebo we came across a graphic sculpture made by Eulogio Pisabarros in memory of Heinrich Krausse, a German pilgrim who died making the Camino. Rest in peace.

Previously it was followed by road for almost two kilometers to Ambrós Irrigation. It continues to be asphalt, but a path that is taken 1.3 km after the crossing to Compludo and that avoids a road section has been enabled. Finally, as in the past, the parallel path is taken to reach the population. We traverse Irrigation of Ambrós from end to end (this population of the municipality of Molinaseca is about 600 meters long), passing next to Plaza San Sebastián, where is the hostel of pilgrims and the fountain.

Km 15. Irrigation of Ambrós (Hostel. Bar. Store)

Slate roofs and wooden balconies give way to a path, descending under the shade of the chestnut trees and the freshness of the Prado creek. Already in the open field we arrive again next to the road (Km 16.4), which we leave again to start a tortuous descent that will leave its mark on our muscles. Along with some chopsticks, fed by the stream of the Pretadura, we reached the LE-142 (Km 19.2).

At the foot of the road is the Shrine of the Virgen de las Angustias, at the end of the 17th century, which gives way to the medieval bridge over the Meruelo River, through which we enter Molinaseca. This town, capital of the municipality that also includes El Acebo and Irrigation de Ambrós, has a good network of bars and restaurants, pharmacy, bakery, etc.

Km 19.7. Molinaseca (Hostels. Hostels. Bars. Shops. Pharmacy. ATM)

We cross the village through Calle Real that leads to Fraga Iribarne Avenue, next to LE-142. We passed the hostels and left the road company behind a tennis court. We turn right and take a path that progresses near the Meruelo River. Look, because when you get to the road (Km 22.5) you don't have to continue along the side walk to the Patricia urbanization. A bit hidden beneath the left shoulder of the road signals the right direction. A runway with some slide, annoying at this stage heights, leads to Campo.

Km 24. Country (Bar)

Already populated in the Middle Ages, Campo has a Roman fountain, the chapel of the Holy Christ, the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Encina and the manor houses of the Lunas. We leave Campo next to the valley of the river Boeza, which flows to the right. Several slums escort us to cross the river (km 26,4) and four hundred meters later we saved the roads to finalize the twenty-second stage shortly. Ponferrada and the parish hostel of San Nicolás de Flüe receive us.

Km 27.3. Ponferrada (All Services)

The difficulties

Remarks

In images

What to see, what to do

MANJARÍN:
Since 1993, the Templar Hospital Tomás Martínez and his people have been holding a bell to guide the pilgrims towards their refuge. At the entrance, decorated planks report the distances from Manjarín to different points such as Santiago de Compostela, Jerusalem, Rome, etc. Inside the cottage is a small bazaar where you can buy some memory that keeps Manjarín alive. As long as some curiosities the objects or coffee is served from the thermo, Tomás is in charge of sealing credentials under an atmosphere loaded with the smoke of the stake. Also, a chalkboard inside the cottage shows the different works that take place from opening to closing and silence: prayer, cleaning, wood collection, etc.
EL ACEBO:Acebo
is an aesthetic town whose popular architecture of slate rooftops and the accent of its inhabitants indicate that we are already fully in El Bierzo. Calle Real is one of the most picturesque in León. In El Acebo they were exempt from paying taxes to the king in exchange for placing 800 stakes indicating the Way to the pilgrims. The parish church of San Miguel stores a sculpture in polychrome stone with a robe with flowers that is not well known if it represents Santiago, the Savior or San Juan Evangelista. At the exit of the town a monument reminds the German pilgrim Heinrich Krausse, who died when he was cycling.
IRRIGATION OF AMBRÓS:Located
at 930 meters altitude, Irrigation of Ambrós is another typical town of El Bierzo, with its slate roofs and its wooden balconies. Green meadows alternate around them with fruit and vegetable products and traditional livestock. They highlight the parish church, with a baroque altarpiece of 1706 work by Pedro Santín, and the chapel of San Sebastian.
MOLINASECA:At
the entrance of Molinaseca is the Shrine of the Virgen de las Angustias, a beautiful baroque building attached to the mountain, whose doors were forged with iron by the pilgrims' habit of taking a chip as I remember. Its origin is related to that of a small chapel in the 11th century and much of the current building is in the late 17th century. On 15 August, the residents of this town of Bierzo came in procession. The Romanesque bridge over the Meruelo River, already documented in the 12th century and last restored in 1980, directs pilgrims to Real Street where the hospital was located. The bridge has seven arches and its width varies between 2.6 and 4 meters. Some houses are noble and blasphemed with nobiliary shields. Also notable is the superb neoclassical temple of St. Nicholas of Bari (the one who visits it can stop at the baroque altarpiece with Salomon columns and the gothic height of the Crucified Christ). There is grocery store, bakery, pharmacy, ATM and a lot of bars and mesons to eat. Chorizos and sausages are well known.
CAMPO:Town
located in the vicinity of Ponferrada and of medieval origin, although there are vestiges that date from previous times, such as the Roman fountain built in vault and with water storage tank located in the Camino de Santiago Francés. In the urban area, the Lunas houses with a coat of arms and the two houses of Los Villaboa stand out, one of them with a tower. In Plaza de Campo is located the chapel of the Holy Christ of the 18th century. On the other hand there is the parish church of Nuestra Señora de La Encina de Campo, built in the seventeenth century and raised on the foundations of the ancient medieval church. It consists of three naves separated by four granite columns and half-point arches. Among its altarpieces stands the major altar, Baroque and Churrigueresque style, which gives shelter to the precious size of the 16th century Virgen de la Encina. They also highlight the two bells of the 16th and 17th centuries and the centenary oak that continues to grow next to the temple.
PONFERRADA:The
last great city -almost 69,000 inhabitants in 2009- before reaching Santiago. The capital of the Bierzo is located in an old castro and suffered various invasions and destructions. During the Roman occupation their gold mines were famous. In 1082, the wooden bridge over the Sil River is reinforced with iron, very abundant material, giving the name of Pons Ferrata to the city. The Castle of the Templars is a sovereign testimony to what this controversial order of warmonks in Ponferrada meant. It is one of the most beautiful examples of military architecture in Spain. It has become the mecca of lovers of the Templars and their initiation rites. The Basilica of Our Lady of Encina, patron of the Bierzo, is of Renaissance Gothic transition, has a raised tower and the interior consists of a single nave. Other valuable monuments are the Convent of Conceptionists and the City Hall, which is reached by crossing the arc of the Clock. In the vicinity of Ponferrada you can visit the Mozarab church of Santiago de Peñalba, a jewel of the Spanish prerogative. It offers all services, including several shops and bike workshops that are so scarce along the Camino.
- The Light Factory. Energy Museum:
  Considered one of the jewels of industrial heritage, the Museum is located in the former thermal power plant of the Ponferrada Steel Miner (MSP), which was in operation between 1920 and 1971. During the tour, the visitor will be able to discover how electricity was produced at the beginning of the last century, how life was at the plant counted from the hands of the workers themselves and how the use of a natural resource such as coal was the engine of change of a territory and its inhabitants. The restoration of this facility, which retains the original elements of the plant, has been recognised by the European Union with the Europa Nostra 2012 award for its dedicated, unique and unique rehabilitation and has also been nominated for the best European museum of the year 2015 at the EMYA (European Museum of the Year Award) awards. More information about the museum and times and rates for the visit at http://www.lafabricadeluz .org