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Rabanal → Cruz de Ferro
km 0 – 7.8 · 7.8 km
A climb through heather and oaks to Foncebadón and the Cruz de Ferro, a pole topped with an iron cross on a mound of stones left by pilgrims.
Home › Camino Francés › Rabanal del Camino – Ponferrada
Camino Francés · Stage 24 of 33
The most symbolic stage and one of the hardest. You climb to Foncebadón and the Cruz de Ferro, the highest point of the Camino Francés, where you leave a stone brought from home. Then a descent of almost 1,000 m through El Acebo and Molinaseca to the Templar castle of Ponferrada.
Profile
About 350 m of climbing to the Cruz de Ferro and over 1,000 m of descent, with the stretch between El Acebo and Molinaseca very steep and stony.
Town by town
Every town with services along the way. Out of season some bars and albergues close; the app shows you which ones are open near you as you walk.
An almost abandoned village that has come back to life
About 1,505 m: the highest point of the Camino Francés
Refuge with no electricity or running water
Wooden balconies over the street
Roman bridge over the Meruelo
Templar castle
The route
A climb through heather and oaks to Foncebadón and the Cruz de Ferro, a pole topped with an iron cross on a mound of stones left by pilgrims.
A high section past Manjarín and a very steep descent through El Acebo and Riego de Ambrós. It is the hardest part on the knees.
Flat through Campo to Ponferrada, where the Templar castle welcomes the pilgrim.
Tips
The tradition is to leave a stone brought from home at the Cruz de Ferro, as a symbol of what you leave behind.
Molinaseca (24.3 km) is one of the prettiest villages on the Camino and leaves Ponferrada 8 km away for the next day.
The descent from El Acebo is one of the hardest on the Camino. Where the road runs alongside, it is a safe alternative.
Choose how many kilometres you want to walk each day and Suseia splits the route from Rabanal del Camino to Santiago into stages based on the albergues in each town. Free and without signing up.
Common questions
About 32.1 km. It takes about 8 hours.
The Cruz de Ferro, at about 1,505 m, between Foncebadón and Manjarín.
In El Acebo (16.8 km) or Molinaseca (24.3 km). Molinaseca is the most common choice.