Astorga - Santa Colomba de Somoza

(S) From the chapel, cross carefully and head north-west again along the signposted footpath, which runs parallel to the LE-142. Continue until the path veers away from the LE-142. (Note: here, leave the path to continue across the bridge)

(1) Cross over the A6 motorway. After the bridge, continue until you reach a small cross perched on a promontory.

(2) Take the footpath again to arrive to the left of a factory producing electricity poles.

(3) Continue westwards until you reach the signpost for the Camino de Santiago. Turn left and proceed to the stop sign.

(4) Cross the road and walk carefully along the verge of the LE-142 heading south-west. Cross the Rio Jerga and continue to the sign marking the entrance to the village of Murias de Rechivaldo. Continue to the path that branches off to the left.

(5) Leave the LE-142, turn left and enter the village. Continue along the small red-paved road towards the Albergue Las Aguedas. Keep following this road in this direction to reach the albergue.

(6) Continue along the white track heading towards the heath. Walk on until you reach the crossroads.

(7) Continue south-west to the next crossroads.

(8) Continue south-west until you reach the LE-142 at a stop sign.

(9) Cross this road carefully and continue straight ahead on the path running parallel to the LE-6304 towards Rabanal Del Camino. Continue through the barren heath until you reach the signpost at a crossroads.

(10) Continue westwards until you pass a rest area. Carry on to the signpost providing practical directions.

(11) Follow the path away from the road to reach the village of Santa Catalina De Somoza. Walk through the village, keeping to the west, and continue to the cross next to a rest area.

(12) Turn right onto the LE-6304, leave the village and, several hundred metres further on, rejoin the footpath running alongside the road on your left. Continue to the signpost at the crossroads.

(13) Continue north-west to the rest area.

(14) Continue north-west until you reach what appears to be a memorial stone.

(15) Staying on the path, walk on to the wooden cross, set on a base strewn with pebbles left by walkers.

(16) Continue on until you reach the entrance to the village of El Ganso.

(17) Turn right and walk through the village, staying on Rue La Carréra. Continue to the Church of Santiago.

(18) Turn right onto the LE-6304, and leave the village by rejoining the footpath that runs alongside the road on the left. Continue to the White Cross at the edge of the rest area.

(19) Stay on the tree-lined path before joining the road.

(20) Continue along the verge, heading north-west, into a wooded area that turns into a forest. You will arrive at a crossroads beneath a high-voltage power line.

(21) Continue on until you reach the rest area at the junction with the LE-6302.

(22) Keep heading towards Rabanal for a few hundred metres before turning right onto the path that leads into the woods for a short while, before rejoining the LE-6304 on your left.

(23) Continue north-west through the heath to a rest area on the left-hand side of the road.

(24) Continue on your way to the restaurant at the entrance to the village of Rabanal Del Camino.

(25) Cross the village, passing the Ermita de la Vera Cruz, until you reach a Stop sign. Follow the concrete path on the right, lit by a street lamp. Cross the other part of the village of Rabanal Del Camino until you arrive in front of the Ermita de San José.

(26) Continue north-west along a pretty street lined with yellow stone houses. Pass the Monastery of San Salvador del Monte Irago (you can stock up on supplies at a mini-market behind the monastery), then a hotel-restaurant, before leaving the village and continuing through the heath. Carry on until you reach the Los Peregrinos Fountain.

(27) Continue along the path until you rejoin the LE-142.

(28) Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the stony path, heading towards the Villares Fountain.

(29) Continue until you rejoin the LE-142 via a few steps on a concrete staircase.

(30) Cross the road and continue straight ahead along the gently ascending path. Continue to the rest area with a fountain and a shelter.

(31) Continue along the path to the picnic area located near the high-voltage pylons.

(32) Continue on your way, crossing the LE-142 before reaching the Crucero de Foncebadon at the entrance to the village of Foncebadon.

(33) Walk through the village, passing several hostels, before reaching a fork in the road at the village exit.

(34) Continue straight ahead (north-west). Pass two further forks, staying on the path, before reaching the LE-142.

(35) Cross the road and continue slightly uphill to reach the highest point of the stage at Cruz de Ferro, next to the Hermitage of Santiago Apostol.

(36) Begin the descent along the footpath, running alongside the woods and the LE-142. Continue to the crossroads with a signpost and a bench.

(37) Continue westwards until you reach a left-hand bend and a crossroads.

(38) Carry on until you reach a rest area.

(39) Stay on the downhill path to reach the LE-142.

(40) Walk along the road, passing a cross before reaching the hamlet of Manjarin (E) to find a place to camp.

Supplies available in Astorga (S) and Rabanal del Camino
Wild camping at Mandarin or, if you fancy it, at the somewhat quaint refuge

(17) The Church of El Ganso is dedicated to St James and features a chapel dedicated to the Cristo de los Peregrinos, the Christ of the Pilgrims. It also houses a medieval baptismal font. Within the village, you can also admire houses that have retained their traditional thatched roofs.

Just before Rabanal: a pretty chapel, the Ermita de la Vera Cruz (25), also known as the Sanctuary of the Blessed Christ. An 18th-century chapel where a magnificent image of the crucified Christ is venerated.

In Rabanal, on the right-hand side of Calle Real, you will find the house that once served as a hospital; then, on the left, the Ermita San José (26), near a fountain, and the Church of Santa María, which has a bell tower and was once a Templar church; it retains a 12th-century semi-circular apse with Romanesque windows.