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(S) With your back to the Albergues San Nicolás de Flue if you have spent the night there, head left onto Calle Obispo Camilo Lorenzo and turn left onto Avenida del Castillo. Continue to the roundabout.
(1) Continue straight on (westwards) along this beautiful avenue lined with arcades, passing in front of the Church of San Andrés.
(2) Turn right to walk between the church and Ponferrada Castle: a vast medieval fortress, occupied by the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages. Continue along Calle Gil y Carrasco until you reach the fork and turn right to arrive at Plaza Virgen de la Encina. Cross the square and take Calle Reloj, which starts to the right of the café-restaurant. Walk on until you reach the Torre del Reloj.
(3) Go through the archway and turn left into Beatriz de Silva Street. Follow this gently sloping street and then turn left to take the steps leading to La Calzada Street. At the end of this street, first turn right then left to arrive in front of the Cubelos Bridge.
(4) Cross the bridge over the River Sil and turn right after the chemist’s to continue along Río Urdiales Street. After the bend to the left, carry on straight ahead to the roundabout.
(5) Turn right onto Avenida Huertas del Sacramento and continue straight on until you reach thesecond roundabout , which features a sculpture in the centre honouring blood donors.
(6) Head right onto Avenida de la Libertad. Staying on the left-hand pavement, continue to the next roundabout and follow the signs for the Museo de la Energía car park. Staying on the left-hand pavement, continue to the next roundabout.
(7) Turn left; here you will find the route markers on the right-hand pavement. Continue along Avenue Cuarta until the fork. Carry on straight ahead (north-west) and proceed to the marker opposite the playground in the town of Compostilla.
(8) Turn right then left, following the signposts, to pass under the archway and find yourself in front of the Church of Santa María de Compostilla. Take the small path to the left of the church and continue straight ahead along Avenue Cuarta. At the end of this road, turn left then right onto Avenue 3ᵃ Transversal. Walk past a sports complex and continue straight on, following the signposts, until you reach the junction with Calle Cabo de Finisterre, near a high-voltage pylon.
(9) Carry on heading north-west. Stay on the road and continue in this direction to leave the town before reaching a fork in the road.
(10) Keep heading in the same direction, continuing straight on, and pass a hotel before reaching a bridge to go under the N-6.
(11) Continue straight ahead, then turn left at the fork to continue through farmland. Pass a cemetery, then turn left to reach the entrance to the town of Columbrianos at the Church of San Esteban de Columbrianos.
(12) Continue straight ahead. At the left-hand bend, leave the road and head straight on, passing under a large pine tree. Cross Avenida de Asturias carefully and continue straight on along Calle Iglesia. Carry on until you reach the stop sign.
(13) Turn right onto the LE-711. Cross carefully and continue to the small Church of San Blas and San Roque, passing to the left of it and following the signs for the Camino de Santiago. Continue straight on towards the west, passing alternately between houses and through farmland. You will arrive in front of the Félix Castro S.A. company.
(14) Keep heading west and continue to the signpost near a cross.
(15) Keep heading in the same direction to reach the village of Fuentesnuevas, where you’ll find a small chapel right in the middle of a crossroads.
(16) Go between the chapel and the bar to continue along the C. Real, keeping in the same direction. Continue to the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.
(17) Continue along the road, leaving the town behind before passing the cemetery and continuing across the fields. Pass under a high-voltage power line before arriving in the town of Camponaraya. Continue to the junction with the LE-713.
(18) Turn right to cross the town. Pass the Church of San Ildefonso and continue to the roundabout with a tower and a canal in the centre.
(19) Carry on straight ahead along Calle Francisco Sobrín, which is hidden by the tower, and continue in the same direction until you reach the next roundabout on the outskirts of Camponaraya.
(20) Carry on straight ahead, then leave the LE-713 and turn left at the Coop Vinas Del Bierzo. Continue through the pine forest until you reach a rest area.
(21) Carry on your way to cross over the A-6 motorway. Continue to the fork.
(22) Turn left to continue through the vineyards along the path known as Colada de Foncebadon. At the fork, turn right and continue to a rest area in the woodland.
(23) Continue north-west until you reach the junction with the LE-713.
(24) Cross the LE-713 with care and continue straight on until you reach the town of Cacabelos at the Consejo Regulador Denominación de Origen del Bierzo: a distinctive building with curved stone walls and oval-shaped slate roofs.
(25) Continue straight on along the gently sloping road to cross the town. Walk on to the Church of Nuestra Señora.
(26) Continue along the narrow Calle de las Angustias. Pass the Cacabelos Archaeological Museum to reach the junction with the LE-4211 and the LE-713.
(27) Continue straight on along the LE-713 to cross the River Cua and stay on this road. Pass the Sanctuary of Quinta Angustia and then leave the town at a lay-by.
(28) Continue along the LE-713 to the village of Pieros.
(29) Drive through the village, staying on the main road and keeping carefully to the right-hand side of the road. Continue until you reach the junction with the road leading to the village of Valtuille de Arriba.
(30) Stay on this road until you reach the Descampo area.
(31) Turn right onto the gravel path, then veer left to head west. Continue until you reach the crossroads.
(32) Turn left, pass the Albergue Finca Esencial and continue until you reach the entrance to the village of Villafranca del Bierzo, near the Church of Santiago
(33) Look for a place to camp around the church (E). Check with the Albergue Ave Fénix, near the church, to see if you can pitch your tent on their grounds.
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