[Gocamino] Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro

[Grant Spangler]

The albergue I’d recommend in Villafranca del Bierzo is run by the Familia 
Jato, right next to the church. As you walk into Villafranca, there will be 
the municipal albergue below you and the right, keep walking a few hundred 
meters more and you’ll see the Albergue del Familia Jato.

Refugio Ave Fénix de Familia Jato
Calle Santiago 10
24500 VILLAFRANCA DEL BIERZO (León)
España
Phone  34 987 540 229

Jesus Jato is one of those people you should meet on the Camino. A great 
guy: he has dedicated his entire life to serving the Peregrinos. His 
albergue is also open year-round. There is also a queimada ceremony you 
might find interesting, replete with incantations of a humorous and 
irreverent nature. He will transport you pack to O Cebreiro for a couple of 
Euros donation; this lets you walk unencumbered for a day. Villafranca del 
Bierzo is at 504 meters elevation, O Cebreiro is at 1330 meters, and 30 km 
away. There is a ‘road route’ I do not recommend. The bicicleta brigade 
follows this path; make sure you take the winding rocky path through the 
little villages, it’s actually shorter. There’s also more shade and less 
wind on the path. A light rain will not be a problem, but a torrential 
downpour may make it impassible.

Look at Etapa 22 of the profiles of the Camino Frances:
http://www.elcaminosantiago.com/PDF/Profiles_Camino_Frances_27_Etapas.pdf

That first mound you see going through Pradela is something almost everyone 
bypasses. You will note a dotted line skirting the base of that mount, that 
9.5 km on the N-VI is the road most traveled. Everything is quite mild until 
you get to Hospital Ingles, from thence forth lies the big incline. I have 
made it in a single day without a problem, as have thousands of others.

Buen Camino,

Grant

Grant Spangler
GASpangler at hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago
http://community.webshots.com/user/ElCaminoSantiago