From Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon - Viajes Camino de Santiago

Information

The 18 kilometres that separate Mansilla de las Mulas from the town of León will be a walk in which the most important thing for the pilgrim will be to reach the finish line to make the most of the day in the city. The day will have little scenic interest, with trails close to roads, industrial areas and heavy traffic typical of large cities.

Without a doubt, this is one of the most eagerly awaited stage ends. The great city of León has wonderful monuments and attractions, such as the Cathedral of Santa María and the Basilica of San Isidoro, which are deservedly world famous.

We leave Mansilla de las Mulas in the direction of León, crossing the eight-arched bridge over the Esla, and head towards Villamoros de Mansilla. Here we can take a small detour to see the Monastery of Santa María de Sandoval, of which ruins remain.

After almost 5 kilometres of walking, we arrive at Villamoros de Mansilla, a village not currently crossed by the Camino but which we can take as an alternative to try to avoid for a stretch along the shoulder of the road.

We advance to Puente Villarente and after crossing the river Porma we find several services where we can get supplies. We continue along the Arriola Canal to reach a tunnel that crosses the motorway to get to Arcahueja. We look out over the Alto del Portillo, a watchtower that allows us to contemplate the banks of the river Toribio and the hamlet of León. We continue straight on along a gravel track and arrive at the rest area of Valdelafuente, a village that is not worth entering.

We start to see the first industrial buildings and we come across the church of San Juan Bautista. We leave a cemetery on the right and arrive at a crossroads that leads us to the industrial estate.

We arrive without further ado at Puente Castro, the prelude to the capital of León. From here we only have to cover the last stretch of this thankless stage, rewarded by the attractions of the city of León. We cross the Toribio River over a pedestrian footbridge and walk along Alcalde Miguel Castañón Avenue until we reach the Plaza de Santa Ana and complete the last kilometre to the city centre.

To consider

There is a signposted variant at the exit of Mansilla de las Mulas and ends in Villamoros de Mansilla, allowing you to visit the magnificent Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Sandoval. Lengthens the route by 5.5 km.