In the footsteps of pilgrims – 20 unsung camino trails
Look beyond the French Way for incredible camino experiences to explore. Photo: Lonely Planet
The Camino Francés has become a popular and well-known pilgrimage route in recent times, attracting hundreds of thousands of walkers every year.
The French Way starts at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in France and covers about 780 kilometres across northern Spain to end at the sacred city of Santiago de Compostela.
There are also plenty of alternatives for those who are drawn to walking across this beautiful part of the world but uncomfortable with the crowds.
As part of its new Journey Camino De Santiago guide, Lonely Planet has revealed its top seven off-the-beaten track trails among a list of 20 unsung scenic and historical alternatives that offer very different camino experiences.
There’s plenty of appeal here for anyone who’s already
tramped the Camino Francés, or feels like tacking a detour onto more popular routes.
Walkers on a camino trail in Galicia, in Spain’s north. Photo: Pexels
Blissful and forgotten ways
The beauty of these caminos is that wherever your boot falls, you hear the echo of the thousands who have walked before you across the centuries.
1. Camino del Invierno
Ponferrada to Santiago, 263 kilometres, 11 days
It’s estimated that out of every 100 pilgrims on the Francés, only one detours to the Invierno.
Traditionally known as the “Winter Way”, it offers a lower-altitude alternative to Galicia’s mountain passes, and it’s beautifully quiet.
2. Camino Olvidado
Bilbao to Ponferrada, 450 kilometres, 18 days
The intriguingly named Olvidado is known as the “Forgotten Camino” and, appropriately so, is slowly becoming popular with a small number of hikers who are keen to avoid the Meseta section
of the Francés.
3. Camino Mozárabe
Almeria to Mérida, 620 kilometres, 17 days
The Mozárabe is named for the Catholic Spanish devotees who continued to practise their religion during the seven centuries when Andalucía was under Muslim rule.
4. Camino Sanabrés
Granja de Moreruela to Santiago, 370 kilometres, 16 days
Serving as the final section for pilgrims from the Via de la Plata, the Sanabrés gets enough foot traffic to make it a sociable yet uncrowded Camino route.
5. Camino de Madrid
Madrid to Sahagún, 323 kilometres, 13 days
Combining surprising solitude with the communal pilgrim lifestyle of the second half of the Camino Francés, the Madrid offers an appealingly pleasant contrast.
6. Caminho da Geira e dos Arrieiros
Braga to Santiago, 239 kilometres, 10 days
Following an ancient mule-drivers’ trail, the Geira is incredibly scenic (and obscure).
7. Camino de Torres
Salamanca to Santiago, 570 kilometres, 24 days
The Torres offers a Spain-Portugal-Spain combination that takes in picturesque dehesa landscapes and northern Portugal’s hills.
Praza do Obradoiro square in Santiago de Compostela. Photo: AAP
Shorter Routes
There are dozens of shorter Camino options for those who need them – these are some of the best. While they’re dotted with villages with accommodation and facilities, it’s wise to carry ample water and provisions in remote areas.
8. Camino Inglés
Ferrol to Santiago, 117 kilometres, five days
Among the most notable of these shorter routes is the Galician Inglés, named for the English pilgrims who arrived in Spain on boats at Ferrol port.
9. Camino del Sur
Huelva to Zafra, 181 kilometres, seven days
The Sur takes pilgrims on a route from Andalucía into Extremadura. In the sultry Andalucian heat, prepare for all weather, including midsummer storms.
10. Camino Vadiniense
San Vicente de la Barquera to Mansilla de las Mulas, 180 kilometres, eight days
The Vadiniense reaches Mansilla de las Mulas via a combined route that, thanks to the high Cantabrian passes, is widely said to be the toughest Camino of them all.
The Cantabrian coast, also called Green Spain, offers spectacular views. Photo: AAP
New finish lines
Not all routes lead to Santiago … While you’ll enjoy solitude on all of these routes, you’ll also find accommodation and services along the way.
Since these routes were “mapped out” – through trial and error and word-of-mouth – by generations of pilgrims, they mostly link hospitable communities while avoiding the worst of the mountain passes.
11. Camino del Salvador
León to Oviedo, 120 kilometres, six days
A mountainous route, this Camino follows a trail pioneered by mediaeval pilgrims who wanted to pay homage at Oviedo’s San Salvador Cathedral.
12. Camino Lebaniego
San Vicente de la Barquera to Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, 73 kilometres, three days
Taking pilgrims on a journey from the Bay of Biscay to the monastery said to house a piece of Jesus Christ’s True Cross, the Lebaniego is often combined with the Vadiniense.
13. Camino de la Lana
Alicante to Burgos, 676 kilometres, 27 days
Known as the “Wool Path”, the Lana is known for its historical importance as a shepherds’ migratory route.
Epic trails and weather-dodgers
These routes are worth considering if you’re looking to avoid the fierce heat of the Meseta, duck the rains of the north or trek from one coast to another.
14. Camino del Ebro
Sant Jaume to Logroño, 440 kilometres, 19 days
This Camino follows the Río Ebro, Iberia’s longest river, through terrain that is historically fascinating for the role it played in the Spanish Civil War.
15. Camino Catalán
Barcelona to Jaca, 340 kilometres, 15 days
The Catalán connects with the Camino Francés to take you all the way to Santiago de Compostela, or onwards to Fisterra – an epic hike from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic covering more
than 1200 kilometres.
These three drier routes are worth considering if you’re nervous about the notorious precipitation of “Green Spain”.
16. Camino de Levante
Valencia to Zamora, 800 kilometres, 35 days
17. Camino Portugués Interior
Viseu to Santiago, 370 kilometres, 16 days
18. Vía Serrana
Gibraltar to Seville, 240 kilometres, 10 days
If, on the other hand, you’re wary of the southern heat, try these two northern routes:
19. Chemin du Piémont Pyrénéen
Montpellier to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, 710 kilometres, 30 days
20. Camino Aragonés
Somport to Puente la Reina, 165 kilometres, seven days
Extracted from Journey Camino de Santiago by Lonely Planet, $36.99 RRP. Contact shop.lonelyplanet.com
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