18,6 kmDistance+120 mAscent−90 mDescent19,8 kmEffort6 h 12Time needed · On foot
Puente Villarente and León cathedral
A short stage of low difficulty, 18.6 kilometres, designed to get you to León with time to see it. You leave Mansilla across the Esla and follow the path beside the road to Villamoros and Puente Villarente, where a very long bridge of medieval arches crosses the Porma; there are bars and it makes a good first break.
From there the route pulls away from the traffic onto earth tracks, climbs gently to Arcahueja and Valdelafuente and goes over the Alto del Portillo, the only hill of the day. From the top you can already see León. The descent crosses a footbridge over the dual carriageway and enters Puente Castro, crosses the Torío and works into the city along long streets with traffic, following the shells set in the pavement.
León deserves the whole afternoon. The Gothic cathedral, with its stained glass, is the finest of its kind on the entire Camino; close by are San Isidoro, with its Romanesque pantheon, and Gaudí's Casa Botines, and a little further off San Marcos, the old pilgrim hospital. The Barrio Húmedo, beside the Plaza Mayor, is where you have dinner and a glass of wine with a tapa.
Tips
Do not get up too early: the stage is short and what matters is the afternoon in León.
Stop in Puente Villarente for breakfast and a stamp on the way; after that there is little until the city.
The urban approach is long and full of junctions: follow the bronze shells in the pavement and do not rely on the arrows alone.
Go into the cathedral with time to spare; the windows look best in afternoon sun.
Buy anything you need from outdoor shops and the chemist in León: it is the last big city for many days.
Where am I?
Your phone says where you are; the guide tells you how far is left and where the next water is.
Your position is used to answer you and is not stored anywhere.
Walk with me
It crosses where you are with the time, the daylight left, the water, the beds and the notice board. Three things at most: the ones that actually change your afternoon.
112 is the same number in Spain, in Portugal and across the European Union. It works with no credit, with no SIM, and over any operator's network, not just yours.
Say where you are
I am walking the Camino Francés, on the stage from Mansilla de las Mulas to León.