LIVE from the Camino On the Camino de Madrid!

[Bachibouzouk]

Madrid - Colmenar Viejo

OK, I'm up and running. About 23 kms from Tres Olivos metro station to Colmenar Viejo today.

I arrived in Madrid a couple of days ago. Dropped my bag off at the hotel and walked from the iglesia Santiago y San Juan (open 12:00-19:30) to the cemetery in Fuencarral (12.5 kms?) with just a daypack. I saw not one waymark along the way. In truth I wasn't really looking very hard and had designed an itinerary of my own for some of the way to take me past the latest (and my third) iteration of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. It looks resplendent and unconquerable in its Guggenheim-like metallic armour.

It would be possible to take the metro one stop further (Montecarmelo) but as that stop is only just across the motorway and requires a change of train, hardly worth it.

There wasn't much in terms of waymarking this morning either until the tunnel under the M40, after which the waymarking was excellent. The section to Tres Cantos was rather uninspiring, always within earshot, often within sight of the motorway and the railway line, sometimes in between the two. After Tres Cantos it got much better as the motorway and railway line, as well as the speeding cyclists, got left behind somewhere. Bright yellow gorse, vivid purple thistle, scarlet poppies, those electric blue flowers,.... along the trail. As I entered Campomar Viejo I saw my first stork atop the church, then dozens more on the parasol pines in the small park after the church and Ayuntamiento. What a magnificent sight to arrive to.

Great views over the surrounding countryside from the futuristic concrete and rusted iron bull ring that crowns the town.

I always try to remember to look over my shoulder when I walk, particularly when I leave a village, town or city. Looking back today was something of an anticlimax. For a capital city Madrid has a rather unprepossessing skyline. I know it's in a dip but most of the way it just looked like urban sprawl and a half dozen skyscrapers - until Colmenar Viejo, when at last it comes, rather modestly, into it's own.

Edit: In Colmenar Viejo I stayed in Hostal El Gran Chiscon, which for 43.00 euros with breakfast was a pretty decent deal.

 

[Laurie Sanantone]

@Bachibouzouk, I’m with you in spirit, recalling my camino at the same time last year. Enjoy every moment of your camino! Watch for the Great Bustards around Santervas de Campos

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I loved the Camino de Madrid and loved spending two nights in Segovia, the jewel where we started. Later on, the side trip to Valladolid was a nice side trip and we were glad we added it in. It was a very good suggestion offered by @peregrina2000.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

@Bachibouzouk, I’m with you in spirit, recalling my camino at the same time last year. Enjoy every moment of your camino! Watch for the Great Bustards around Santervas de Campos

I will on both accounts. Thanks.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

I loved the Camino de Madrid and loved spending two nights in Segovia, the jewel where we started. Later on, the side trip to Valladolid was a nice side trip and we were glad we added it in. It was a very good suggestion offered by @peregrina2000.

Hoping to spend two nights in Segovia but won't be going into Valladolid. I was there quite recently and would recommend it to anyone who hasn't been. I'm short on time ;-)

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Slight digression here.

I hadn't been to San Lorenzo de El Escorial for probably more than 40 years. All I could remember really was the austere and cyclopic stonework of the monastery. I needed to refresh my memory. I'm glad I did. I've been to Madrid on numerous occasions since but there were always other things to investigate. I put aside half a day to revisit El Escorial but ended up spending most of the day there. I even wondered whether I had actually been there before at all! I have no idea whether there has been a recent refurbishment programme but I was almost literally blown away by the colours on the ceilings of the Battle Room and the Library. And at a period when paintings seemed to generally be so dark and austere! Couldn't help but think of Salvador Dali 450 years later.

I was incredibly lucky to visit on a day when hardly anybody else was. Two groups and a few individuals and couples. I had the place more or less to myself. Imagine visiting the Pantheon alone (well there was an attendant Googling on her mobile phone) in the presence of 11 kings and 1 queen. Some clearly imbeciles and sic transit gloria and all that. But the remains of Philip II and Charles I were right there. A royal audience of sorts. Philip and me. The Golden Age.

Interesting to realise that all kings of Spain since Charles I, bar two, are buried there. Fernando VI and Philip V, being the exceptions. And there is no space for anymore. Where will Juan Carlos and Philip VI go when their time comes?

And get this, there are two corpses in a 'pourrissoir' decomposing before joining their ancestors. They've been there for over 50 years as time slowly does its work!

Ferdinand VI, in case you are wondering, is buried at the Convent of the Salesas Reales in Madrid. A convent/school founded by his wife, Queen Barbara. An edifice much derided in its day as 'Barbara reina, barbara obra, barbara gusto, barbara gasto'. Enough to pique my curiosity and want to take a squint. Maybe it was a waste of money but it most certainly is not a barbarous work or in barbarous taste. More of a palace than a convent, it is now occupied by the Ministry of Justice.

And Philip V, as I am about to find out, is buried at San Ildefonso de la Granja. I have booked an audience with him too ;-)

I had planned to duck quickly into the Prado, on my return to Madrid, to put some faces (Habsburg chins and powdered Bourbon wigs) onto regnal numbers but I'd seen enough paintings for one day.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Colmenar Viejo - Cercedilla (33 kms?)

Today's walk was an excellent one with wonderful vistas and few distractions (no motorway, no railway line, and only a handful of mountain bikers). It's an easy enough 12 or so kms to Manzanares El Real - and what an approach: castillo and lake behind the dam. Like Tres Cantos, Manzanares El Real is just off the Camino but, unlike Tres Cantos, it really is worth the short detour, even if only to take a peak and a snap shot of the extravagantly decorated walls and crenellations of the Castillo de los Mendozas. It was a good first stop in a longish day, even if the beers were a wee bit pricey!

From Manzanares El Real to Mataelpino was about another 7 kms. So time for lunch. And I made another break for refreshments at Navacerrada (about another 7 kms further on). Both were lovely villages with nice bars/restaurants to sit out in the sun. In Navacerrada the architecture changes as the route gradually climbs - steeper roofs and black slate tiles. After Navacerrada you also hit the pine forests, which to me means obstructed views and less sun. I already started missing the meadow flowers, wild lavender, Holm oaks and the stunning gum rockroses, which seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. Still, the pine forest smells nice.

The waymarking has been impeccable today. Impossible to get lost, although I almost did, missing a marker while staring up above me at a kettle of uncountable vultures. No word of a lie, there must have been more than forty of them. Ten minutes later they were all gone.

A sight just as amazing was a Tibetan Buddhist nun in Mataelpino. I would have liked to have known more but she was on her mobile phone. We waved at each other. Five minutes later I passed a meditation centre on the way out of the village. Ceci explique cela.

From Navacerrada to Cercedilla it was another 7-ish kilometres, which meant a longish day but with 3 nice, well spaced, pit-stops.

I am staying in Hostal La Maya. Pretty reasonably priced at 45.00 euros. I've come to realise that only as a default will I bunk down on judo mats in a Polideportivo. They were fun once. I believe there are a couple of Youth Hostels further down the road but Cercedilla is a very pleasant overnight stop.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

The town of Fuencarral has a metro stop. (not to be confused with the street Fuencarral in the center). It’s 3 stops beyond Plaza Castilla on Line 10. I have a very vague memory of walking past the metro stop there, but looking at wikiloc and comparing it to google maps, it doesn’t look like the route goes past the metro. But it can’t be too far!

Ola Pegrenina. Hope you had a great walk. Another Camino?

Tres Olivos is the metro station after Fuencarral and Montecarmelo the one after Tres Olivos. Montecarmelo is the nearest one to Fuencarral cemetery (the very outskirts of Madrid) but to get to Montecarmelo you need to change trains at Tres Olivos and the two metro stations are only separated by a motorway (there's a bridge across the motorway). From Tres Olivos it's only a 15 mins walk to the cemetery, straight ahead. You can even see it up ahead from the motorway bridge.

On reflection (and wiser from experience) unless you are a completist and have never been to Madrid before I would advise future peregrinos to jump on a train and start their Camino at Tres Cantos. Once past that big hospital (La Paz?) there isn't very much to see and it's pretty tedious walking. That said, I met a couple from Ireland yesterday, who told me they had seen a family of wild pigs scampering away from them somewhere before Tres Cantos.

 

[David Tallan]

I've come to realise that only as a default will I bunk down on judo mats in a Polideportivo. They were fun once. I believe there are a couple of Youth Hostels further down the road but Cercedilla is a very pleasant overnight stop.

I slept at the Polideportivo in Santa Espina on my detour to Urueña. It felt like a real old-time pilgrim experience. But it was on a proper mattress on the floor, rather than a judo mat.

I stayed at one of the youth hostels further down the road, but my day wasn't as long, having started in Manzanares el Real, at Ray and Rosa's little albergue.

 

[timr]

I stayed in the first of those Youth Hostels on the left (again after a night with Ray y Rosa) and got a very nice ensuite room! It is a bit beyond the town, but it takes a helpful bit off the next day's climb to the pass.
If memory serves me the polideportivo in Cercedilla is right at the very beginning of the town which would add on a few km the following day. it is a slightly strange, stretched out, linear town which kind of comes to a stop and then starts up again!

 

[Pelegrin]

Have worked my way through the Gronze itinerary. Google (?) translation very useful - and sometimes rather amusing. Some 'schoolboy howlers' that made me chuckle.

Place names: Three Songs (Tres Cantos), Snow (Nieva) and Crankshaft (Cigunuela).

Tres Cantos in this case means Three Stones A "canto rodado" is a rolling stone in the river.
Ciguñuela I think comes from "cigueñela" that is a bird similar to stork but smaller.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Cercedilla - La Granja de Ildefonso (26 kms plus!)

Again the waymarking couldn't be faulted - until the turn off for La Granja, which of course isn't on the Camino at all. I was keeping an eye out for La Cruz de la Gallega where the two routes separate but must have missed it. I ended up walking into La Granja along the road and adding some needless kilometres.

A certain sense of foreboding set in on the way out from Cercedilla. It was Saturday and there was a constant stream of cars on the road to Las Dehasas and all the car parks were filling up as I approached the start of the climb to Fuenfria. As it happens the crowds quickly fanned out and the families of walkers, walking groups and mountain bikers soon spread out within the national park and relatively few were actually on the Camino.

I enjoyed the steep climb up to the 1700m pass along the old Roman road but for some this will be quite a hurdle (the second highest point on any Camino apparently). Take it slowly and if you're on this Camino, the chances are, you're probably well prepared. The bark is worse than the bite and once over the pass it is a relatively gentle, if lenghty, stroll down along the Roman road, Philip II's newer road, through forests of pine, and then fields and meadows. The view back from Fuenfria and, later on, down over Segovia and the plain makes it all worthwhile. Fuenfria gets a mention in Cervantes' Rinconete y Cortadillo in his Exemplary Novels. Pedro del Rincon/Rinconete comes from Fuenfrida (sic) 'a place very well known, indeed renowned for the illustrious travellers who are constantly passing through it.' And many must have done so from Roman times onwards and particularly in Habsburg and early Bourbon times when the Court seemed to be constantly on the move. As you struggle up to the pass you can remind yourself that you will be able to add your name to that illustrious list of travellers!

(It is also in these hills of the Sierra de Guaderrama that the action of Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls takes place. I'm re-reading the book as I walk. La Granja, Segovia, Santa Maria del Real (sic), Navacerrada, Colmenar (sic), Manzaneres El Real, .... are all name-checked).

I made it into La Granja with time enough to take the fountain tour in the grounds of the palace. Four of the many (26?) fountains are turned on on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 17:30 and at 12:00 on Sundays. They are grandiose and shouldn't be missed if you are lucky enough to be there on one of the appointed days. A few words of advice:
1) for the footsore and the leg-weary it entails more walking
2) you won't be on your own - not by a long way
3) bring a plastic bag for your camera and valuables and be prepared to get wet!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

I stayed in the first of those Youth Hostels on the left (again after a night with Ray y Rosa) and got a very nice ensuite room! It is a bit beyond the town, but it takes a helpful bit off the next day's climb to the pass.
If memory serves me the polideportivo in Cercedilla is right at the very beginning of the town which would add on a few km the following day. it is a slightly strange, stretched out, linear town which kind of comes to a stop and then starts up again!

My experience of Youth Hostels in Spain is mixed. Some of the more remote ones only seen to open for groups or will take you if they already have a group. I guess it's all about phoning ahead. Both those hostels looked pretty isolated but very impressive from the outside. Where possible I appreciate a bar and somewhere to eat (I like to travel light). Even with all the weekenders they both looked pretty dead.

 

[MikeJS]

On reflection (and wiser from experience) unless you are a completist and have never been to Madrid before I would advise future peregrinos to jump on a train and start their Camino at Tres Cantos. Once past that big hospital (La Paz?) there isn't very much to see and it's pretty tedious walking. That said, I met a couple from Ireland yesterday, who told me they had seen a family of wild pigs scampering away from them somewhere before Tres Cantos.

I am definitely a ‘completist’! On the day I arrived I walked to Iglesia Santiago y San Juan Bautista and a wait until 1800 for it to open. Turns out there is a Camino marker and map for the Camino in the square outside the church. After getting my credencial stamped at the church I had a short 10 km stroll to my first nights accommodation along the Camino at Hostal Royal Begona. Did this to break up the less than inspiring start. That said, I always think that if you are going to walk 100s of kms across a country there are bound to be some boring and less than inspiring bits!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

La Granja de San Ildefonso - Segovia (20 kms?)

Why anyone would even think of not taking the detour to La Granja de San Ildefonso from the Camino de Madrid I cannot imagine but I must here declare my interests.

El Real Sitio de San Ildefonso is often referred to as Versailles in miniature and I was born not too many stone throws from Versailles - 13 kms away to be exact. Felipe V, who built the Real Sitio, was born in Versailles and was the grandson of Louis XIV, and he was born in the very same town that I was - St Germain-en-Laye. Louis in the chateau, me in the local hospital.

Felipe V was the first Bourbon king of Spain and maybe he needed to impress his new compatriots. He seems to have brought a style and flourish that the Habsburgs lacked after generations of inbreeding had extinguished the bloodline. El Sitio Real certainly fits the bill with its architecture and manicured gardens. Less likely to have impressed those outside looking in are the magnificent tapestries, paintings and tromp l'oeil ceilings.

Here are a few interesting (well to me anyway) facts about Felipe V:

Philippe d'Anjou, as he would probably have been called back home, was third in line to the French crown. A 'Spare' or 'Spare Heir' indeed.
He was Louis XIV's grandson but Louis XV's uncle. Due to Louis XIV's very long reign the French crown skipped a couple of generations - Dauphins dying before the king. (Louis XIV, who came to the thrown aged 5 is the longest historically verified ruler - and not just of France).
Felipe was succeeded on the Spanish thrown by three of his sons (Luis, Ferdinand VI and Charles III). Strangely adumbrative of the senior branch of the Bourbons in France a few years later (Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X we're also brothers).
Felipe also succeeded his son, Luis, but as I'm rather sketchy on the detail you will need to Google that.
Felipe is one of only two Spanish kings not buried at El Escorial. He is buried in the Basilica at La Granja de San Ildefonso. I rather fancy that the Basilica may have been Felipe's idea of a Bourbon mausoleum to rival the Habsburg one at El Escorial. If that's what he had in mind, it didn't take off.

Can anyone here recommend a good biography of Felipe V? Or even of the early Bourbons? In English, of course!

A suivre ......

 

[Bachibouzouk]

And so back to the walking. After a morning in La Granja de San Ildefonso and a quick march through the palace, getting a sore neck, I set off for Segovia determined to avoid the carretera I had arrived on.

I'd inadvertently bypassed Valsain yesterday so headed up that way to see the ruins of the Casa Real del Bosque and then try to work my way backwards to Cruz de la Gallega and back onto the Camino down into Segovia. From Valsain it was easy to do so as the last street in the village is called Calle de La Cruz de la Gallega. When I reached La Cruz de la Gallega I recognised it immediately. I hadn't been looking for a turn off at that point at all, besides I was looking for some kind of a cross or reasonably well defined crossing of paths with perhaps some kind of a sign, not the blatantly obvious tarmac/gravel road!

With perfect ironic timing just as I arrived at La Cruz de la Gallega I was stopped by a Spaniard on a mountain bike asking me for directions. With my newly acquired and inflated sense of confidence I was able to puff my chest out and point him on his way as if I knew the place like a local, not forgetting to add 'Es muy facil. Imposible de perderse'. You have to wonder about these folk who take to the mountains on just a wing and prayer!

Back on the Camino it was a little strange finding my own footprints in the sand and mud and following them forwards. It was a longish detour but I did get to view Segovia for a second time from higher up.

By the way: the albergue in Valsain is apparently closed so this means taking a hotel in La Granja de San Ildefonso. This can be expensive at weekends when hoteliers expect you to book for two nights.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

I spent two nights in Segovia probably doing what just about everybody else there does - the cathedral, the Alcazar, the Juderia, trying to count the numerous Romanesque churches and gorging myself on the local cuisine. Look away vegans and vegetarians: Judiones de la Granja con matanza, Cochinillo asado en horno de lena, Ponche segoviano con helado de turron.

I climbed both the cathedral and Alcazar towers and thought both well worth the effort. Though 'effort' is, of course, qualified after Fuenfria.

Very interesting to hear that until the 1950s, the bell-ringer and his family had lived at the top of the tower. Life in Segovia was so regulated by the church bells and there was so much ringing to do that it was not practical to live at ground level. Food, water and other essentials were hauled up (and presumably down!) in a basket through a window.

I had remembered the Alcazar as being a place full of armoury and medieval cannons. Worthy enough but not really my bag. I'd forgotten about the incredible ceilings predating the Habsburgs.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

And so Peregrinos and Peregrinas back to business .....

Segovia - Santa Maria La Real de Nieva (32.5 kms)

A glorious day of open vistas, blue skies and solitude (I saw one guy on a mountain bike). Birdsong, crickets and my own footsteps were the only accompaniment.

The first 3kms took, proportionally, the most time. Not because it's a steep-ish climb to Zamarramala but because the views back over Segovia are stunning and you need to stop time and again to admire and take photos. From here you see the old town, without the more modern accretions, but also the Sierra de Guaderrama as a backdrop. In my opinion the best views over Segovia.

A couple of kilometres after Zamarramala there is a fork which directs you either directly to Los Huertos (left) or Valseca (right). There's nothing particularly to see in Valseca except a pretty church with a precariously perched storks' nest. In this nest were not one, not two but three chicks. I asked an elderly 'abuela' about this and she didn't appear to think this was so unusual. What was unusual, however, was that neither adult was guarding the nest. I guess when you have three mouths to feed both mum and dad need to be out foraging.

The left fork may suit those who wish to walk more than 12.5 kms (Los Huertos) but less than the 32.5 kms to Santa Maria La Real de Nieva - it probably shaves off a couple of kilometres bringing the distance down to nearer 30 kms. If, unlike me, you can find the shortcut to Hostal Avanto* (your only accommodation option in SMLRDN) you can save yourself a further 2 kms. By staying in Zamarramala (there's an albergue) you can deduct another 3 kms, bringing this stage down to nearer 25 kms.

Be advised, however, there is nothing between Zamarramala and SMLRDN. The bar in Los Huertos, on which I was counting to wet my whistle, was closed (may open later in the day?) There was nothing either in Ane or Pinila Ambroz - not even a stork's nest - but there were nice cool fresh water 'fuentes' in Los Huertos, Ane and Pinila Ambroz. The water in the trough below the tap in Ane was stagnant but I enquired and was told: 'puede beberse'.

This stage takes in a section of the old Segovia to Valladolid railway line (now a Via Verde) and a short section through a pine forest where the trees are being tapped like rubber trees for their sap. To make turpentine?

A wonderful stage.

* 28.00 euros and the hostal has a restaurant.

 

[DTCamino]

There’s Rincon Naif in Santa Maria de la Nieva in the center of town that is 40 euros breakfast included. I stayed there in October when I walked the Madrid and found it a relaxing place to stay (with a washing machine too!).You can walk right over to one of the bars or market easily for food and supplies.

 

[DTCamino]

“This stage takes in a section of the old Segovia to Valladolid railway line (now a Via Verde) and a short section through a pine forest where the trees are being tapped like rubber trees for their sap. To make turpentine?”
They tap the resin to make pharmaceuticals, makeup ,and products that they normally make with petroleum, but because it is pine resin the products are biodegradable. Its called “liquid gold” in articles about the collection process.
A couple of Spaniards I met theretold me the resin in that particular area was made into medicine to fight infection, as it had strong antibacterial properties.

 

[peregrina2000]

This stage takes in a section of the old Segovia to Valladolid railway line (now a Via Verde)

Thanks for inadvertently answering a question for me, @Bachibouzouk! I have a very distinct memory of walking on an abandoned rail line - rails, big stones, very difficult. I never found anyone else who had had that experience. Answer — in 2012, this was an abandoned rail line. In 2024 it is a Via Verde!

 

[David Tallan]

Thanks for inadvertently answering a question for me, @Bachibouzouk! I have a very distinct memory of walking on an abandoned rail line - rails, big stones, very difficult. I never found anyone else who had had that experience. Answer — in 2012, this was an abandoned rail line. In 2024 it is a Via Verde!

Yep. Much easier to walk in 2023. Straight, flat but with the rails and big stones removed.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Thanks for inadvertently answering a question for me, @Bachibouzouk! I have a very distinct memory of walking on an abandoned rail line - rails, big stones, very difficult. I never found anyone else who had had that experience. Answer — in 2012, this was an abandoned rail line. In 2024 it is a Via Verde!

If we are talking about the same thing, all difficulty has now been eradicated. No rails, no ballast - just a nice smooth surface with a very gentle gradient. 2 or 3 kms?

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Two days to catch up on. Both very pleasant and easy stages.

Santa Maria Real De Nieva - Coca (25 kms)

Had a quick look at the cloister in SMRDN, the main door was open, but not the rest of the monastery, which was still closed.

Interesting stone-clad bull ring as you leave SMRDN, according to the information board, one of the oldest in Spain.

Worth dipping into Nieva to see the outside of the Mudejar-style church.

Pastelleria Rosanna in Nava de la Asuncion was closed. I was told Rosanna had now retired. (The info for the albergue is still in the window, the modern looking albergue on your way out of town). I was looking forward to a pasteI of some sort but was happy to settle for a snack of cold beers and (vegetarians and vegans look away now) pigs' ears.

Getting into the albergue in Coca is an initiative test. You need the most up-to-date telephony and a good grasp of how to use it. I failed on both accounts. First you must go online, fill in a form (clearly designed for Spaniards only), take a selfy, take a photo of your passport, pay the 5 euros digitally, receive a code and then open the box to retrieve the key. I was tearing my hair out when a Dutch couple opened the door. They were younger than me and had a much more up-to-date mobile, still they had been unable to open Sesame. They had had to go to the Ayuntamiento and spend a further 20 minutes there before cracking the code. Whatever happened to getting the key from the nearest bar?

I liked Coca hugely. The castle is a stunner from the outside and the tour inside is interesting too. The San Nicholas tower, about 300m from the castle is a!so a must. It was open and free of charge. From the top you really can see for miles around - way back to the Sierra de Guaderrama and as far in all other directions. I guess it must have been a watchtower?

Coca (or Cauca) is mentioned by both Cervantes, in his Exemplary Novels (El Licenciado Vidriera), and in Asterix En Hipanie. Only in Coca, I imagine, can Cervantes and Goscinny be mentioned in the same sentence. Both great humourists - in their own 'write'.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Coca - Alcazeren (25 kms)

Another fine day. The view back over Coca as you leave town is splendid even if you cannot see the castillo. It is a particularly nice stretch to Villeguillo above the river (Voltoya? Eresmo?). From Villeguillo to Alcazeren it's all pine forest so views are at a premium but very pleasant nonetheless - green and on a sandy path. From here many of the yellow arrows on the pine trees also have a small scallop shell nailed to the tree.

Be advised, the only bar in Villeguillo is closed on a Monday and from there it's a further 17 kms without even a fuente.

After Villguillo you leave Segovia province and enter Valladolid province. As you approach Alcazeren the vineyards start (I am enjoying my second glass of local white wine).

Walkers should note that halfway between Coca and Alcazeren you come across a tarmac-ed road. It seems obvious to carry on straight ahead - do not do so. There is a yellow sign and arrow on the tarmac pointing you 250m down to your right. This is quite confusing because there is no obvious turning 250m further on. But you must follow in the arrow's direction - for at least 750m. Turn left just before the bridge and pick up the waymarking there. It's a nasty piece of road with no real hard shoulder for pedestrians and both cars and trucks picking up speed. Be careful.

The albergue in Alcazeren is modern and clean and best of all its easy to get the key. I got mine from the Hogar del Jubilado bar, right next to the Mudejar-style Santiago church. No fuss, no games. Donativo. They seemed to be serving food until near enough 15:00 and again from 19:00.

 

[David Tallan]

Getting into the albergue in Coca is an initiative test. You need the most up-to-date telephony and a good grasp of how to use it. I failed on both accounts. First you must go online, fill in a form (clearly designed for Spaniards only), take a selfy, take a photo of your passport, pay the 5 euros digitally, receive a code and then open the box to retrieve the key. I was tearing my hair out when a Dutch couple opened the door. They were younger than me and had a much more up-to-date mobile, still they had been unable to open Sesame. They had had to go to the Ayuntamiento and spend a further 20 minutes there before cracking the code. Whatever happened to getting the key from the nearest bar?

That's a change from last year. Last year, there were 5 people who were supposed to have the key. But the people who were available didn't currently have it, and the people who presumably had it weren't available (at least, for a good 4 hours or so). This new system was presumably afterwards put in place to avoid relying on (un)available locals to provide the key. But it may not be an improvement.

 

[David Tallan]

The albergue in Alcazeren is modern and clean and best of all its easy to get the key. I got mine from the Hogar del Jubilado bar, right next to the Mudejar-style Santiago church. No fuss, no games. Donativo. They seemed to be serving food until near enough 15:00 and again from 19:00.

We ate in the Jubilado bar. It was just platos combinados, but high end ones.

 

[timr]

Coca - Alcazeren (25 kms)

Another fine day. The view back over Coca as you leave town is splendid even if you cannot see the castillo. It is a particularly nice stretch to Villeguillo above the river (Voltoya? Eresmo?). From Villeguillo to Alcazeren it's all pine forest so views are at a premium but very pleasant nonetheless - green and on a sandy path. From here many of the yellow arrows on the pine trees also have a small scallop shell nailed to the tree.

Be advised, the only bar in Villeguillo is closed on a Monday and from there it's a further 17 kms without even a fuente.

After Villguillo you leave Segovia province and enter Valladolid province. As you approach Alcazeren the vineyards start (I am enjoying my second glass of local white wine).

Walkers should note that halfway between Coca and Alcazeren you come across a tarmac-ed road. It seems obvious to carry on straight ahead - do not do so. There is a yellow sign and arrow on the tarmac pointing you 250m down to your right. This is quite confusing because there is no obvious turning 250m further on. But you must follow in the arrow's direction - for at least 750m. Turn left just before the bridge and pick up the waymarking there. It's a nasty piece of road with no real hard shoulder for pedestrians and both cars and trucks picking up speed. Be careful.

The albergue in Alcazeren is modern and clean and best of all its easy to get the key. I got mine from the Hogar del Jubilado bar, right next to the Mudejar-style Santiago church. No fuss, no games. Donativo. They seemed to be serving food until near enough 15:00 and again from 19:00.

Impressive too, I thought, to learn that the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great was born in Coca in 347. He was a sort of a military child. I didn't stay in Coca, but took refreshments and found his bust in a bar there. Other places (in Spain) in fact lay a claim to be his birth place.

He has an important place in Church History, involved in establishing the Nicene Creed and rebutting the Arian heresy.

 

[C clearly]

Whatever happened to getting the key from the nearest bar?

The irony is that walking the ancient Camino is what keeps many of us oldies motivated to learn how to use our new technologies!

Are you following any particular GPS tracks?

 

[Bachibouzouk]

That's a change from last year. Last year, there were 5 people who were supposed to have the key. But the people who were available didn't currently have it, and the people who presumably had it weren't available (at least, for a good 4 hours or so). This new system was presumably afterwards put in place to avoid relying on (un)available locals to provide the key. But it may not be an improvement.

I get it - nobody should be hanging around waiting for walkers who may or may not turn up.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

The irony is that walking the ancient Camino is what keeps many of us oldies motivated to learn how to use our new technologies!

Are you following any particular GPS tracks?

You made me laugh. There is indeed an irony that to use the old ways you need to understand the new ways. Unfortunately this old dog just cannot learn new tricks. My brain shuts down at the first mention of mobile technology.

No GPS here - just following the Yellow Marked Road. (I have done a bit of online research before setting off - mostly on this Forum).

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Impressive too, I thought, to learn that the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great was born in Coca in 347. He was a sort of a military child. I didn't stay in Coca, but took refreshments and found his bust in a bar there. Other places (in Spain) in fact lay a claim to be his birth place.

He has an important place in Church History, involved in establishing the Nicene Creed and rebutting the Arian heresy.

I saw Theodosius’ bust in the square just behind the gate in the muralla. I made a mental note to check him out when I have a bit more time. One of only three Roman emperors born in Spain?

 

[DTCamino]

You made me laugh. There is indeed an irony that to use the old ways you need to understand the new ways. Unfortunately this old dog just cannot learn new tricks. My brain shuts down at the first mention of mobile technology.

No GPS here - just following the Yellow Marked Road. (I have done a bit of online research before setting off - mostly on this Forum).

When I walked is September I noticed the yellow arrows and the Buen Camino app frequently had me walking on more concrete or round about ways when there was a safe, direct way available. Google maps were invaluable to avoid this. You can see from the photos below I found more efficient and “softer” routes. (I’m the blue dot)

 

[NualaOC]

What a joy to discover this thread! Thank you @Bachibouzouk for sharing your journey, observations and insights. It’s making me want to walk this Camino again.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

There’s Rincon Naif in Santa Maria de la Nieva in the center of town that is 40 euros breakfast included. I stayed there in October when I walked the Madrid and found it a relaxing place to stay (with a washing machine too!).You can walk right over to one of the bars or market easily for food and supplies.

I stand corrected. As it happens the following info was in the albergue at Alcazaren:

El Rincon Naïf, Calle Segovia 12, tel: 921 595 435.

Slightly more expensive than Hostal Avanto but much more convenient location.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

We ate in the Jubilado bar. It was just platos combinados, but high end ones.

Yes indeed. Good quality and copious amounts. I really liked this bar, the oldies playing cards, the hard working senora running it and it was the first Hogar del Jubilado that I could enter as a genuine 'jubilado'!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

When I walked is September I noticed the yellow arrows and the Buen Camino app frequently had me walking on more concrete or round about ways when there was a safe, direct way available. Google maps were invaluable to avoid this. You can see from the photos below I found more efficient and “softer” routes. (I’m the blue dot)

A couple of stages ago I met a small group who were using an App (possibly Buen Camino) - they had been taken way off-piste and done a ‘few’ extra kilometres over some rough terrain that they weren’t particularly amused about. They had ignored the yellow arrows to follow their tech-guru. I didn’t laugh too loud ;-)

 

[camino07]

Is there anywhere private to book in Coca if you cant deal with the technology. Last time in 2018 we found where the hospitalera stayed and she came to unlock the Albergue with her rollers in her hair.

 

[DTCamino]

Is there anywhere private to book in Coca if you cant deal with the technology. Last time in 2018 we found where the hospitalera stayed and she came to unlock the Albergue with her rollers in her hair.

I stayed in Apartmentos la Rocanda Coca in September. Nice apartment overlooking the square, and the owner meets you and shows you the apartment. He seemed to really like renting to pilgrims!

 

[timr]

He seemed to really like renting to pilgrims!

That makes a difference doesn't it! Very positive. A feature of quieter routes I think.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Is there anywhere private to book in Coca if you cant deal with the technology. Last time in 2018 we found where the hospitalera stayed and she came to unlock the Albergue with her rollers in her hair.

I met her too, also with rollers in her hair, but by then the Dutch couple had already come to my rescue.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Bit of catching up to do.

Alcazaren - Simancas (30 kms)

Pretty average stage. Pine and sand early on, pine and carretera at the end. The middle stretch was much more 'sympatico' with a couple of river crossings. There's a nice spot to chill as you cross the Eresma (?) by way of an old Roman bridge - tables, benches, shade and enough water to cool your feet. Less than two kilometres further on is the confluence of the Adaja and the Eresma. It's 400m off route but there's a shingle beach and enough water for a swim but no shade or table and benches. Between the two is a Monumento al Pelegrino made of farmyard scraps, wrought iron and all ribbons affluter. Something of a precursor to the following day's stage?

I had planned to overnight in Puente Duero as I had heard good things about the albergue, but this meant an almost impossible juggle for the following day. I wanted to spend some time in Simancas and also get to Wamba in time to visit the Visigothic church and ossuary before it closed for lunch, so I pushed on to Simancas and very glad I was that I did so. Simancas is great place to overnight (but no albergue) with its casti!lo and medieval bridge.

The bridge was blown up by Wellington in 1812, in what we Brits call the Peninsular War and what everyone else refers to as the Napoleonic War or Guerra de Independenvia. Napoleon had after all put his older brother Joseph on the Spanish throne. Whatever you think of Napoleon, he and Jose(ph), a complete wastrel as far as I can ascertain, were not cut from the same clothe.

The castillo is stunning but more intersting from the outside than from within. It's free so worth a few minutes of anyone's time.

Great views over the bridge and Duero from Plaza del Mirador.

I had a wonderful evening meal of 'conejo asado' and chips, a novel combination for me, and a delightful glass (three actually) of Ribeiro del Duero. I did not regret pushing on from Puente Duero at all.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Simancas - Penaflor de Hornija (21 kms)

Back to some great walking today through open fields full of colour.

Being Saturday, I was apprehensive about numbers on the Camino but in truth I saw only a handful of mountain bikers and a couple of old boys out collecting 'caracoles'. It was peaceful if a little windy. The compensation for the latter being the wind (w)rippling through the wheat in waves.

From the bridge at Simancas there is a series of metallic stencilled pilgrim silhouettes that also act as waymarks. One silhouette in particular seemed a little puzzling. What were the Peregrino and Peregrina up to? A few hundred metres further on the next silhouette showed the pilgrims pushing a buggy and child. Maybe just my imagination! Another silhouette of a bicigrino had been made into a bench. All wonderful stuff.

I stopped for breakfast in Cigunuela (Crankshaft, as per Google translate). The albergue here has a painting of a teacher on the door (the albergue was the old school) with his hand extended in welcome as the door handle.

And so on to Wamba. Possibly the place I was most looking forward to visiting on this Camino. As you approach the village you come across your first wind generator, which appropriately enough (well to my ear) makes a great Wambing sound as it turns. Wamb, wamb, wamb, .....

Wamba is one of those places that just creeps up on you. It's in a dip so when you see it you are pretty much there. Any hard yakka done.

The church and ossuary are simply not to be missed but you'll need to time your Camino just right. Opening times are as follows:

11:00-13:30 (last visit at 13:00) and 16:30-19:00 (last visit at 18:15). But here's the rub: Saturday, Sunday, Friday afternoons and public holidays only. Except in July and August when they are open daily - but who in their right mind will be walking then?

Even with my limited Spanish I enjoyed the guided tour and interpretation of the architecture and religious significance. The church is just beyond words and the ossuary is a real knockout too. The latter the best preserved in Spain apparently, though other places that I have visited (Paris, Rome, ...) have more impressive/extensive catacombs.

From Wamba I was hoping to walk on to La Santa Espina but, as per Gronze, the accommodation is closed. This was echoed by the hospitalera in Penaflor de Hornija who told me you couldn't count on being put up there. I then thought I might drop my rucksack off in the albergue here and get there and back in the afternoon only to realise its a good 12kms each way. I'll sleep on it and see if I make the detour tomorrow on my way to Medina del Rioseco. Think Medino del Rioseco requires an early arrival to make the most of the town? Decisions, decisions.

The phone number for the albergue in Penaflor de Hornija, which doesn't appear on the info sheet produced by the Madrid Amigos or on the albergue door is 679 140 532. The hospitalera lives nearby but it may be worth calling in the morning before arriving.

 

[peregrina2000]

. I then thought I might drop my rucksack off in the albergue here and get there and back in the afternoon only to realise its a good 12kms each way. I'll sleep on it and see if I make the detour tomorrow on my way to Medina del Rioseco. Think Medino del Rioseco requires an early arrival to make the most of the town? Decisions, decisions.

Yes, decisions, decisions. Like you, I have started to really pay attention to the many important places that the Camino takes us near, but not through or to. La Santa Espina is surely one of those places! If I understand Gronze right, taking the detour on the way to Medina de Rioseco, rather than out and back from Peñaflor, will only add 9.5 km to your day? If that’s right, and based on your distances here and on the Lana, it seems to be well within your capabilities, less than 35!

As far as Medina de Rioseco, I know there is a Semana Santa museum, which I didn’t visit. I also have a vague memory of there being some kind of factory-turned-museum right where you get on the Canal de Castilla leaving Medina, but I didn’t visit it either. And a quick look on google maps didn’t bring it up either. I think it had to do with flour production.

For me, the attraction of Medina are those arched walkways. Again relying on maybe faulty memory, I think the Plaza Mayor has been rebuilt to remove a lot of its charm.

I’m looking forward to seeing what you decide to do! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[David Tallan]

From Wamba I was hoping to walk on to La Santa Espina but, as per Gronze, the accommodation is closed. This was echoed by the hospitalera in Penaflor de Hornija who told me you couldn't count on being put up there.

Last summer I also read in Gronze that it was closed, but the spreadsheet I got from Ray and Rosa, which they assured me was more up to date, had it as open. I took my chances. You get the key to the local gym in the bar and, after gym classes are done for the day, they put a mattress on the floor for you. On the other hand, the wifi is excellent because the wifi router for the village is in the same room.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

If that’s right, and based on your distances here and on the Lana, it seems to be well within your capabilities, less than 35.

Ola Laurie and David

The conundrum wasn’t so much the distance but rather whether I could do justice to both La Santa Espina and Medina del Rioseco in the same day. I’m happy in my own mind that I made the right decision - and I didn’t need to sleep on a mat in a Polideportivo either ;-)

More later when I can get some Wi-Fi.

For those like me, who may not take to mats on gymnasium floors anymore, I noticed an hotel in La Santa Espina, which appears to also offer evening meals. La Espina Santa would certainly make an interesting and unusual stopover. Like nothing else on this Camino (and perhaps any other?). Wished I’d done so, in a way.

As far as Medina de Rioseco, I know there is a Semana Santa museum, which I didn’t visit. I also have a vague memory of there being some kind of factory-turned-museum right where you get on the Canal de Castilla leaving Medina, but I didn’t visit it either.

Like you, seen both from the outside and won’t have time to visit either. They don’t open until way too late tomorrow morning.

 

[David Tallan]

For those like me, who may not take to mats on gymnasium floors

To be fair, it wasn't a gym mat on the floor (like in Grañon) but a full mattress. Except for being directly on the floor, it was like a bed.

I just saw the monastery in Santa Espina from the outside, because it was closed when I was there. For me, it was all about visiting Urueña.

I did like my visit to Medina de Rioseco, too, where I saw the Semana Santa museum and other places. I think my favourite was the guided tour of the Iglesia de Santa María de Mediavilla.

 

[timr]

The more i read this and other accounts of CdM the more I feel that I need to go back.

As I have often said, I don't think I have a favourite route, but if I did, I think it would be the CdM. There is something pleasingly compact and solitary about it and really every day is rather different and very special.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Watch for the Great Bustards around Santervas de Campos

Think I may have seen some Great Bustards today as I entered Cuenca de Campos. About 8 flying in a very loose formation. Initially thought they were ducks or geese. Could they possibly have been Great Bustards?

 

[Laurie Sanantone]

Very likely! That is how I saw them also, in the air. But I had seen their guano on the trail for a day or two before I saw them in flight.
Congratulations on the sighting!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Penaflor de Hornija - Medina del Rioseco via La Santa Espina (34kms)

I'd had quite a late night, by peregrino standards, the night before. Real Madrid were playing Dortmund in the European Cup Final. Parallel to that was a religious co-fraternity holding their celebration, all in suits of various styles and decades. The only common theme was that suits were all ill-fitting (too tight or too baggy) and all wore dark Trilby hats. Something to do with Corpus Christi? I sat in my corner of the heaving bar, drinking 'clarete' and observing.

To make up some time I set off along the carretera to La Santa Espina at a brisk lick but got there 10 minutes late (or 50 minutes early) for the guided tour of the monastery. This gave me a little time to explore the village.

The village dates only from the late 1950s. The monastery must have stood in splendid isolation up until then. It was part of the Nueva Colonization project initiated under Franco. I had never come across such a village before but there are quite a number, all designed and built according to a similar style (along two parallel streets). The idea being to create something of an agricultural Falangist idyll by developing the wilderness. First they had to clear the land, build roads and irrigation systems, in this case dam the Rio Bajoz, then build their houses and farm the land. As I understand it, if they made a fist of it, the house and the plot of land became theirs after 20 years.

I wasn't particularly interested in the Thorn itself, housed within the monastery. You either believe in such things of you don't. If you do - it's a thorn from Jesus' Crown of Thorns. But the monastery itself is certain worth the detour. Built by Cistercian monks in the C13th, possibly by St Bernard's nephew, who may or may not be buried there, and with a few years of exception, a working monastery until two years ago, when the last four monks left. All architectural and ecclesiastical styles are covered right through to the modernist/Brutalist tombs of Franco's minister for agriculture, Rafael Cavestany and his wife. The Cistercian 'sala capitular' is particularly fine. Just The stonework remains, everything else having been looted by Napoleonic armies and then the Desamortizacion. The monastery also has a rather sinister past - as a concentration camp during the Civil War.

An interesting little aside: it is here that Philip II met his half-brother, John of Austria for the first time. John was Charles I's bastard son and the victor against the Turks at the naval Battle of Lepanto.

I returned to the Camino and Castomonte along the Rio Bajoz and the 'embalse'. It's not clearly marked with Camino waymarking but it's the Senda del Embalse del Rio Bajoz, which is clearly marked, and which I assume also doubles up as the Camino. There were clouds of those butterflies, which are purple on top and brown underneath, all along the river.

There is an unmarked bar in Castromonte but I doubt it's often open. It was when I went through, probably something to do with Corpus Christi. The bar in Valverde de Campos only opens in the evenings. There's a nice wooden carving of Santiago in front of the church in the latter village.

From Castromonte through to Medina del Rioseco you are walking through hundreds upon hundreds of wind generators. You either like them or they blight the landscape. To me they are fascinating: in their gigantism, their vast numbers, their white wings against the blue sky, their stroboscopic shadows and their regular thrum. Euphemistically called a 'parque' here!

I got to Medina del Rioseco with just about enough time to have a quick look around. Most churches, museums, etc were closed but I'd done enough for one day already. The Camino will take though the Plaza Mayor along the main street with the colonnades and up to the start/end of the Canal de Castilla the next day.

Nice albergue, with resident hospitalera, as you enter the town.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Medina del Rioseco - Villalllon de Campos (27 kms)

What a wonderful start to the day along the Canal de Castilla. I had imagined this as an irrigation canal rather than a C19th haulage system that took goods (mainly wheat, flour and other agricultural produce to the coast). It took a hundred years to built, reached its apogee between 1860 and 1880 and then faded in importance with the arrival of the railway. A bit of industrial heritage with locks and mills along the way.

Tamariz de Campos was a lovely stop for two reasons. First!y, the extraordinarily photogenic ruined church of St John the Baptist, which greets you on arrival with its tower and storks nests. I hadn't seen any storks for the last couple of days, perhaps they don't cohabitate well with wind turbines? Secondly because of the friendly Uruguayan couple who run the bar and the albergue. The bar was closed when I arrived but Lorena opened up for me. She and David are pilgrims themselves. I had a quick look in the albergue. It is small but clean and tidy and apparently the only one on this Camino within a church building.

At Tamariz the Camino goes two ways. Lorena advised that there was nothing to be gained by walking the official route via Moral de la Reina. The direct route to Cuenca de Campos saves you 6kms. It was all on carretera but with virtually no traffic. Nonetheless, it was a bit of a slog.

As I entered Cuenca de Campos I saw what I took to be my first Great Bustards. About 8 of them flying above me in loose formation.

Being a Monday, Cuenca de Campos was like the Marie Celeste. I saw a bar and a restaurant but both were closed.

The last 5kms to Villalon de Campos are along a Via Verde which used to be a railway line - El Tren Burra. The very same railway line that had caused the demise of the Canal de Castilla!

Villalon de Campos is a small town with all the required facilities. A great albergue and more of those colonnaded streets, a large main square and Wi-Fi in the library, but mind its cold in there. The aircon turned right up!

 

[DTCamino]

The only common theme was that suits were all ill-fitting (too tight or too baggy) and all wore dark Trilby hats. Something to do with Corpus Christi?

When I was there October 1st they had a religious holiday celebrating Mary and along with marching through the streets carrying her on their shoulders they were also wearing the suits and hats. Afterwards Music was playing and food and drink flowed. For such a small town they really seem to know how to party ! see picture below to see if the outfits look the same.

 

[Pelegrin]

And so on to Wamba. Possibly the place I was most looking forward to visiting on this Camino. As you approach the village you come across your first wind generator, which appropriately enough (well to my ear) makes a great Wambing sound as it turns. Wamb, wamb, wamb, .....

Wamba a Germanic name among the arabic Alcazarén ( from Al qsr castle) and Medina ( city).. When the king was elected there in 672, the name was Gérticos.

 

[timr]

@Bachibouzouk Really very happy that you made it to La Santa Espina. I would have been disappointed if you missed it!

Interesting to hear about the village - which I didn't visit as I was in the monastery for a couple of hours and wanted to keep going. The detail about the Nueva Colonizacion for rural housing is interesting. Tres Cantos (first stage after Madrid) is also the result of deliberate planning of a 'new town' but obviously much more urban, and a bit later.

The monastery was fascinating. I got a personal tour from one of the remaining Brothers (now gone). In fact they were not monks. The Cistercians never came back I think after the Napoleonic times and the monastery building (happily surviving) went through a series of changes, including being an orphanage at one time I think. Latterly it became an agricultural college and I think the Brothers must have been involved in it then. By the time I met them, they were all well retired, but still in residence. They are called De La Salle Brothers, or sometimes Christian Brothers of the Schools, and they are a very large international order whose main concern is education.

There is a statue of their founder St Jean-Baptiste de la Salle in one of the side chapels.He was from Reims.


So those religious Brothers live in community, but are not priests, so they did not keep the chapel going as an active church, a priest has to come in from outside for any services. Apparently it is/was popular for weddings. I worked with De La Salle Brothers in Kenya for many years.

Staying with the Church (I am a Catholic priest) and turning to the eponymous Santa Espina itself. I confess myself as sceptical as the next person! Who knows? However, it is an interesting story. I was very happy to be brought up behind the altar to see the tiny fragment in its very large reliquary.

The Crown of Thorns, from which the thorn was acquired is of course in Paris. Louis IX (St Louis) 'acquired' it from Constantinople. The story (who knows if it is 100% accurate?) is here. Louis IX found himself with extra cash and Emperor Baldwin II (Baldwin the Broke) in Constantinople was strapped for cash so a deal was done, the Pope acting as a sort of mediator.

I am not sure what the going rate for THE Crown of Thorns (I suspect there could have been more than one around) would be, but I always enjoy the detail that Louis IX paid more for the relic than it cost to build the Ste Chapelle in Paris (next to Notre Dame) in which is was housed. More recently it was kept in Notre Dame itself and was one of the treasures rescued on the night of the fire.

My own account of visiting La Santa Espina is here. I remember well Brother Jésus referring to Castromonte as "a town with nothing"! I just missed a fiesta which had been there on the previous day.

I guess the albergue on the way into Medina is still the old monastery dating from 1492. Sadly the Poor Clare Sisters left it in 2017 a few days after I was there, after 525 years. How sad! A Brazilian religious community came for a while I think, but maybe they are no longer there?

If I had the chance I would happily walk this Camino again tomorrow.

Thanks for all your wonderfully interesting updates.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

The monastery was fascinating.

Absolutely agree.

Latterly it became an agricultural college

It still is.

a priest has to come in from outside for any services.

An external priest was officiating mass when I visited.

Apparently it is/was popular for weddings.

There had been one the previous day (Saturday).

I was very happy to be brought up behind the altar to see the tiny fragment in its very large reliquary.

Part of the tour. Much like in SdC - up and around the back of the altar.

The Crown of Thorns, from which the thorn was acquired is of course in Paris.

The story here is that Charlemagne bought it in Constantinople and bought it back to Paris. Without looking it up, I’m not that certain that Charlemagne, amongst all his other exploits, ever got to Constantinople?

They also say here that the Thorn came from the Crown of Thorns in St Denis cathedral. Wasn’t La Sainte Chapelle built for that very purpose?

Thanks for all your wonderfully interesting updates.

Muchas gracias.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Also the only place name in Spain that starts with a W.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

When I was there October 1st they had a religious holiday celebrating Mary and along with marching through the streets carrying her on their shoulders they were also wearing the suits and hats. Afterwards Music was playing and food and drink flowed. For such a small town they really seem to know how to party ! see picture below to see if the outfits look the same.View attachment 171801

Yes same hats and ill-fitting suits. I say that as someone who also only has one suit hanging in the cupboard. Dark blue, for weddings, funerals and interviews ;-)

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@Bachibouzouk, I have only now noticed this thread as you now walk the Camino de Madrid. Having walked it recently last fall, I will enjoy giving the proper attention to your posts, but it will have to wait for several days before I have the time, but look forward to reading.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

@Bachibouzouk, I have only now noticed this thread as you now walk the Camino de Madrid. Having walked it recently last fall, I will enjoy giving the proper attention to your posts, but it will have to wait for several days before I have the time, but look forward to reading.

Ola Camino Chrissy

Am I way off the mark here or was it you that wrote that wonderful (and at times disturbing) book including your time in Cambodia?

If it was you that wrote it I hope I got back to you to say what a great read it was.

 

[peregrina2000]

Ola Camino Chrissy

Am I way off the mark here or was it you that wrote that wonderful (and at times disturbing) book including your time in Cambodia?

If it was you that wrote it I hope I got back to you to say what a great read it was.

I’m pretty sure you are talking about @CaminoDebrita, whose book is described here.

Deb hasn’t been on the forum for a while, but in the past she has been off for a while and then come back, so we can hope that’s the case again!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

I’m pretty sure you are talking about @CaminoDebrita, whose book is described here.

Deb hasn’t been on the forum for a while, but in the past she has been off for a while and then come back, so we can hope that’s the case again!

OK I’m confused - not for the first time. The beer, the sun,…. ;-)

Thanks for the clarification, Laurie.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Villalon de Campos - Grajal de Campos (30 kms)

What a wonderful last stage to complete my Camino de Madrid. It's a 16 kms stretch to Santervas de Campos with only the Great Bustards for company. The hospilatero in VdC provided a donativo breakfast which meant being able to leave relatively early without doubling back into town.

Along the way are simple wooden boxes on poles, which I had read somewhere are dovecots. I rather think they may be nesting boxes for small birds of prey, that help to protect the crops in the fields?

Santervas de Campos is the birthplace of Ponce de Leon (a rather unfortunate name to bear in the UK!). He set off on Colombus' second expedition to the Indies and was the first European to set foot on Puerto Rico (1508) and Florida (1513). Unlike other conquistadors who were looking for spices, gold and silver he appears to have been looking for The Fountain of Youth. (Aren't we all?). He seems to have had a rather chequered history and, not to be too flippant about it, you never hear a Taino say a good word about him.

The bar in Santervas de Campos was closed but I did manage to 'ponce' a couple of donativo beers off the hospitalero. The bar in Arenilla only opens in the evening so you need to be autonomous on this stretch. Leaving Santervas de Campos is a little confusing with arrows in two directions. Take the carretera for 2/3 kms, the track returns on your right.

I bailed out of the Camino at Grajal de Campos for two reasons. I had to catch the last train to Palencia, which I could have caught in Sahagun but I really wanted to see and spend a little time in Grajal. And I didn't want to spoil my impressions of this Camino by meeting up with the hoards on the Camino Frances. Not wanting to be disrespectful to them but I preferred to remain in my Sol y Soledad bubble.

I loved Grajal de Campos and for me it made the perfect culminating point. The simple mudejar-style entrance arch to the village with its storks’ nest, the magnificent castillo, the church tower with its illfitting roof, the main square and the outdoor bar with the old guys playing dominoes in the sombra wondering what that Ingles was doing drinking beer in the full sun. The albergue looked spectacular from the outside. A village and albergue I would very much like to have stayed in, given a bit more time.

And so on to Palencia, from where there might be a short coda to this thread.

 

[henrythedog]

@Bachibouzouk - your thread, along with that of @timr ’s, which greatly informed my CdMadrid a couple of years ago; is excellent. Thanks.

 

[Theatregal]

I just discovered your thread this morning @Bachibouzouk and am enjoying it tremendously. Thank you!

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Palencia (another digression but one that may be of interest to some).

In Palencia you feel like you are walking around in the Guiness Book of Records. They have the oldest church in Spain not too far away, the tallest statue of Christ, the third biggest cathedral in Spain, ....

The Basilica de San Juan is in Banos de Cerrato a short train ride away followed by a 2 kms walk. It was built in 661 AD by the Visigothic King Recesvinto, who had been suffering from kidney trouble. He took the waters in Banos de Cerrato and was miraculously cured. In thanks he had the church built. The church is in essence the original one though modifications have been made over time. Beautiful in its simplicity. Using recycled Roman pillars and large stone blocks. The spring from which Recesvinto drank and bathed is still there but unfortunately 'no potable' nowadays.

Cristo del Otero is an impressive, if rather ugly, statue that stands 21 metres tall on a hill overlooking the town. Apparently the statue is the tallest such statue in Spain and the fourth tallest in the world. It was inaugurated in 1931, the same year as Christ The Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. There are, of course, great views from the hill over the surrounding area and, rather less inspiringly, over the town. Looking up is often better than looking down ;-)

San Antolin cathedral, impressive in its wedding cake Gothic brilliance, is only surpassed in size by Toledo and Seville. Maybe such things mattered once upon a time?

Over and above those records Palencia is a wonderful town to overnight and a pass a hurried day in. The near kilometre long Calle Mayor with its varied architectural styles, the river, the Salon de Isabella (actually a park) and, our old friend, the Canal de Castilla. A surprising sight this morning was half a dozen postmen and women in those fine navy blue and yellow uniforms and each with their trolley board a local bus to deliver the mail.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I stayed in Apartmentos la Rocanda Coca in September. Nice apartment overlooking the square, and the owner meets you and shows you the apartment. He seemed to really like renting to pilgrims!

We stayed here too in Coca. Our very attractive room had a small balcony overlooking the square and church. We had a very personable and friendly gal meet us and show us the apartment.

 

[TuiMarie]

I've loved reading all your posts. I can't wait to go next year. I'm thinking of going about a week earlier than what you did so it was great reading about your experiences. I've now got some idea of what it might be like when I go.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

I've been back over a week now. Have had time to think it all through. A couple of things I would have done differently and one (slight) regret.

I would have liked an extra day. I had planned to walk along the Duero to Tordesillas and bus back (or vice versa) from Puente Duero. I took the advise from this Forum and instead spent two days in Segovia. This was great advise. Unless you've already been to Segovia before, you really ought to spend two nights there. With the benefit of experience I would have saved a day by taking the train to Tres Cantos and starting my walk from there.

Two things I'd do differently:

I'd stay overnight in La Santa Espina for the experience of staying in a Nueva Colonizacion village. This may also have given me the possibility of pushing on to and visiting Uruena.

I'd stay overnight in Grajal de Campos - because it looked such a great place to spend more time.

But hey, as we all know, you can't do it all.

PS I'm busy putting my photos onto Flickr. None of them particularly original or exciting but if anyone is interested, PM me with your email address and I'll get an invitation out to you.

PPS I saw eight other walkers on this Camino (one group of four, a couple and two solo Spaniards), so you will certainly need to like your own company if walking alone. But after the Ruta de la Lana, the Manchego and La Ruta del Argar eight is a veritable crowd!

 

[TuiMarie]

I've been back over a week now. Have had time to think it all through. A couple of things I would have done differently and one (slight) regret.

I would have liked an extra day. I had planned to walk along the Duero to Tordesillas and bus back (or vice versa) from Puente Duero. I took the advise from this Forum and instead spent two days in Segovia. This was great advise. Unless you've already been to Segovia before, you really ought to spend two nights there. With the benefit of experience I would have saved a day by taking the train to Tres Cantos and starting my walk from there.

Two things I'd do differently:

I'd stay overnight in La Santa Espina for the experience of staying in a Nueva Colonizacion village. This may also have given me the possibility of pushing on to and visiting Uruena.

I'd stay overnight in Grajal de Campos - because it looked such a great place to spend more time.

But hey, as we all know, you can't do it all.

PS I'm busy putting my photos onto Flickr. None of them particularly original or exciting but if anyone is interested, PM me with your email address and I'll get an invitation out to you.

PPS I saw eight other walkers on this Camino (one group of four, a couple and two solo Spaniards), so you will certainly need to like your own company if walking alone. But after the Ruta de la Lana, the Manchego and La Ruta del Argar eight is a veritable crowd!

I had to do a quick search for Uruena after you mentioned it, and now I want to go there as well
If you had have gone, would you have walked back the same way, or is there another way of getting back onto the Camino?

I'm now rethinking my whole trip to add in detours along the way instead of getting to Leon and then doing a couple of days trips from there. I've already planned to go via La Granja to Segovia for sightseeing in both, and to Valladolid, but are there any other interesting villages/towns that could be detoured to?

 

[Bachibouzouk]

If you had have gone, would you have walked back the same way, or is there another way of getting back onto the Camino?

I never even got as far as planning for that but there are others here who can answer that question.

I'm now rethinking my whole trip to add in detours along the way instead of getting to Leon and then doing a couple of days trips from there. I've already planned to go via La Granja to Segovia for sightseeing in both, and to Valladolid, but are there any other interesting villages/towns that could be detoured to?

I guess it all depends on how much time you have and your interests.

You can easily 'lose' several days in Madrid, if you haven't been there before.

A day/two nights in Segovia and Valladolid, I would suggest. I didn't go to the latter on this particular walk but I definitely recommend that detour.

La Granja: don't, as I did, miss the turn-off when coming down from Fuenfria. It's blatantly obvious (the first tarmac road you come to) but still I walked right past it! Maybe it came up sooner than expected?

From Valsain to La Granja you could follow the river path that Charles III had constructed to go fishing, down to the dam and reservoir and turn right up to La Granja. I think this would only add a couple of kilometres, if that.

Try to get to La Granja for a fountain day (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday). With the exception of the gardens that the Royal rooms look out onto, the gardens themselves are underwhelming (under funded? lack of water?). The fountains, the palace and the town are what you are there for.

All I would say is plan for the things you really want to see and have some flexibility around everything else. You never know what's coming up - and you don't want to miss it ;-)

Buen Camino and I hope you will post here as you walk.

 

[timr]

@Bachibouzouk you are confirming my long-time feeling that the ratio of interesting things to do and see per kilometre on the CdM is really quite high compared to some other routes - which all have many other attractions of their own. I keep saying I haven't got a favourite, but if I did.....Cdm would be in the top three.

 

[TuiMarie]

Thanks so much for these tips, especially about the fountains and gardens as that was originally the drawcard for me. Back to more research and planning to make sure we are there on a fountain day. Good thing I love researching and planning almost as much as the actual trip

I'll definitely be trying to post here as I walk.

 

[David Tallan]

I had to do a quick search for Uruena after you mentioned it, and now I want to go there as well
If you had have gone, would you have walked back the same way, or is there another way of getting back onto the Camino?

I'm now rethinking my whole trip to add in detours along the way instead of getting to Leon and then doing a couple of days trips from there. I've already planned to go via La Granja to Segovia for sightseeing in both, and to Valladolid, but are there any other interesting villages/towns that could be detoured to?

I went to Urueña last year (at about this time of year, on June 19). I started the day in Peñaflor de Hornija and walked to Santa Espina. I walked to Urueña from Santa Espina and headed back to Santa Espina to spend the night in the albergue there (on a mattress on the floor of the village gym). I got a ride back to Santa Espina, which I didn't consider cheating since the whole expedition from Santa Espina was "off Camino". It is a great village but best visited not on a Monday. I still got to visit a bookstore and the musical instrument museum, though.

 

[TuiMarie]

I went to Urueña last year (at about this time of year, on June 19). I started the day in Peñaflor de Hornija and walked to Santa Espina. I walked to Urueña from Santa Espina and headed back to Santa Espina to spend the night in the albergue there (on a mattress on the floor of the village gym). I got a ride back to Santa Espina, which I didn't consider cheating since the whole expedition from Santa Espina was "off Camino". It is a great village but best visited not on a Monday. I still got to visit a bookstore and the musical instrument museum, though.

Thanks David
I was half way through reading your camino updates and realised I had better stop reading and get my day started
I've looked at google maps and I'm thinking of perhaps walking from Penaflor de Hornija via Santa Espina to Uruena and spend the night there. Then the next day walk to Medina de Roiseco from Uruena, but it would be along a local road so I think I might have to decide if it looks safe enough on the day and if not, either walk back via Santa Espina or take a taxi to Medina de Roiseco. I'd rather walk, but I really want to visit Uruena now that if a taxi is the only option, then that's what I'll do.

 

[David Tallan]

Thanks David
I was half way through reading your camino updates and realised I had better stop reading and get my day started
I've looked at google maps and I'm thinking of perhaps walking from Penaflor de Hornija via Santa Espina to Uruena and spend the night there. Then the next day walk to Medina de Roiseco from Uruena, but it would be along a local road so I think I might have to decide if it looks safe enough on the day and if not, either walk back via Santa Espina or take a taxi to Medina de Roiseco. I'd rather walk, but I really want to visit Uruena now that if a taxi is the only option, then that's what I'll do.

I think walking all the way to Urueña had been my original plan, but the accommodation in Urueña was completo when I checked. So if you plan to stay there, you may want to book a bit in advance. I found Organic Maps a great app for planning walking routes for these detours. You might want to check what it suggests for a walk from Urueña to Medina de Rioseco.

 

[aussieredhat]

June 2024 - the majority sleeping mattress at Granon are not gym mats & are a thick mattress
The gym mats are only used if Albergue has over 45 persons & usually you can have 2 gym mats .
And no pillows , sheets blankets or disposable sheets. The mattress are wiped & cleaned after every pilgrim
And no wifi

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Can anyone here recommend a good biography of Felipe V? Or even of the early Bourbons? In English, of course!

A suivre ......

I can now, as I have just finished reading Henry Kamen's Philip V of Spain.

Highly readable and very informative even if at 238 pages it necessarily only scrapes the surface of the life of the longest ruling Spanish monarch. Up to Kamen's book (2001) no biography existed in English and few even in Spanish. 'Previous writing on Philip has been largely negative, dismissing him as comic, stupid and indolent'. Kamen attempts to put the record straight. While hardly an 'enlightened' monarch Philip V certainly brought a breath of fresh air to a moribund Habsburg Spain.

Philip V suffered from what we might now call a bipolar disorder, isolating and neglecting himself for lengthy periods of time (the five years in Andalucia can be construed as such) and then switching to periods of manic hyperactivity, usually sparked off by war and foreign policy. And his reign was certainly characterized by a lot of war, notably the Spanish War of Succession* and the Austrian War of Succession and a lot of wheeling and dealing between the European powers. He got the moniker of The Warrior King for a reason and he did establish a dynasty that still survives today as well as carving out the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, on the Italian peninsula, which he left to a third son.

Some facts about Philip:
He was third in line to the French throne (so a 'spare, Sp-heir to the French crown).
He spoke no Spanish and had never been to Spain on accession and showed little inclination to speak Spanish throughout his 46-years on the throne. He remained profoundly French and throughout his reign maintained a covetous eye on the French crown.
At one point he had to wage war against his benefactor and the nation of his birth, France, which can't have helped his fragile state of mind. A kind of psychological suicide or patricide?
In spite of all the fighting Spain seems to have achieved economic stability during his reign. Centralising Government after a fashion (and therefore upsetting Catalans and other constituent parts of the Spanish monarchy) and earning an 'absolutist monarch' tag - disputed by Kamen.
Certainly Spain became more open and adopted French and then Italian tastes and culture, though this, of course, would have only applied to small percentage of the population.
He was succeeded and then preceded by his son Luis I. Luis only reigned for a few months and his younger brother Ferdinand was deemed to be too young to reign without a Regent. Philip stepped back up to the plate for another 21 years after his initial abdication.
Three of his sons inherited the throne of Spain: Luis I, Ferdinand VI and Charles III.
La Granja de San Ildefonso was built as a spiritual/religious retreat (yep!) for after his abdication.

* anyone who has undertaken the Caminos from Alicante or Valencia will, mostly probably, have walked across the battlefield at Almansa, the deciding battle of The War of Spanish Succession, won by an Englishman commanding the French (and Spanish) troops against a Frenchman commanding the English (and Portuguese, Dutch and German) army. It is said that the Duke of Berwick, the illegitimate some of James II and Arabella Churchill, the Englishman commanding the French and Spanish army, saved the Bourbon succession at Almansa.

 

[Bachibouzouk]

Felipe is one of only two Spanish kings not buried at El Escorial. He is buried in the Basilica at La Granja de San Ildefonso.

Further reading proves me wrong. There was a third Spanish king not buried at El Escorial - Amadeo I (1870-1873), the only Spanish king to come from the House of Savoy.

For those interested in esoteric facts (or who do pub quizzes!) he is buried at the Basilica of Superga in the vicinity of Turin.