French way ‧ Stage 21
French Way
On foot
33 stages
Information
About this stage
In just under twenty kilometres from Mansilla de las Mulas we reach the majestic capital of the ancient kingdom of León with its imposing cathedral as a symbol of its identity. In between we change the Esla for the Porma and the Torío, approaching León through the suburb of Puente Castro.
Pilgrim Recommendation
For people with disabilities, this section is uncomplicated, except for the occasional slope where caution should be exercised. Cyclists will not have any problems in successfully completing this stage, except for some stony sections where the road surface may be somewhat uneven.
Distance and elevation
Stage profile
Route
Itinerary
Km 0 ‧ León
In front of the cathedral we take the pedestrian street Sierra Pambley, immediately turn
right into calle Dámaso Merino and, shortly after, cross calle Cervantes to continue along
the small alley Ordoño IV. We then take Calle Cid and on the right we reach the square
where the Basilica of San Isidoro stands. With a left-right turn we follow Calle Ramón y
Cajal, passing in front of the Roman Wall; then we turn left into Calle Renueva and
continue straight on along Avenida Suero de Quiñones until we reach Plaza de San Marcos,
in front of the old monastery of San Marcos, today a Parador Nacional.
Cross the River Bernesga over the Bridge of San Marcos and continue straight on along
Avenida de Quevedo, the old national road; further on we cross the railway line over a
pedestrian footbridge, and thus enter Trobajo del Camino.
Local Information
Police, Medical care, What to see, Where to eat…
Km 3,8 ‧ Trobajo del Camino
We follow the old national road for 800 metres more, turn left into Sira Sampedro street and, shortly afterwards, we come out onto the same road again; we cross it and go up Camino de la Cruz street. We continue along the street of an industrial estate; at the end we join the national road N-120, which we follow to enter La Virgen del Camino
Km 7,1 ‧ La Virgen del Camino
Cross the national road at the pedestrian crossing in front of the sanctuary of La Virgen del Camino. Take the first road on the right, which runs parallel to the main road, and after 400 metres, at a half roundabout, there is a fork in the road: to take the main road through Villadangos, continue straight on, while to follow the variant through Villar de Mazarife, turn left and, after 100 metres, take a dirt track on the right-hand side of the road. We follow the main road: we continue straight on, parallel to the N-120 national road. After almost two kilometres we cross the A-66 motorway under a viaduct; we return to the right along the main road.
Km 11,4 ‧ Valverde de la Virgen
We continue along a dirt track parallel to the national road, which we keep to our right.
Km 12,9 ‧ San Miguel del Camino
We follow the same road, with the N-120 national road on the right. We enter Villadangos del Páramo along Calle Real, crossing the national road.
Km 20,4 ‧ Villadangos del Páramo
Once we have crossed the Villadangos canal, on leaving the village, we continue straight on to rejoin the pedestrian path next to the national road
Km 24,6 ‧ San Martín del Camino
Today we continue along the N-120 and, shortly before reaching Puente de Órbigo, we turn off to the right. Órbigo, we turn off to the right.
Km 30,5 ‧ Puente de Órbigo
We cross the long bridge over the river Órbigo
Km 31,8 ‧ Hospital de Órbigo
Local Information
Police, Medical care, What to see, Where to eat…
What to see
During the route
Church of St James
The Church of Santiago is located in Villadangos del Páramo and was built in homage to the Apostle St. James, dating from the end of the 17th or beginning of the 18th century. The exterior of the church has a large tower with a belfry, in which some years ago it was still possible to see some stork’s nests.
Inside, the Baroque altarpiece stands out, dating from the 18th century and presided over by the figure of Santiago Matamoros. This image of the Apostle Santiago is very unique, as it depicts the apostle mounted on horseback with a sword at his side and a three-cornered hat.
Sanctuary of the Virgen del Camino
The Sanctuary of the Virgen del Camino was originally a hermitage in the 16th century, in the place where, according to legend, the Virgin manifested herself to the shepherd Alvar Simón Fernández.
However, the rise of the Camino de Santiago and the presence of a large number of pilgrims made it essential to build a new, more modern and larger church, giving rise to the sanctuary that can be seen today.
