Gallur - Tarazona May 2022 — Video and notes!

[bjorgts]

On our hike on the Camino del Ebro this April / May, we had two days on the Camino Castellano-Aragonés. Then it was time to end the hike. It was two great days! Sun, green fields, flowers, good roads, variety. Eventually a small photo video comes out. Now I just wanted to make a few comments on the route, which might help someone.

First day Gallur - Borja
I see that eobennet4 has had problems crossing the two major roads that run parallel on the first day. Here is a description: The route is well marked. Follow the arrows until you come down through the olive grove and encounter the A-68 / N-232. (From there we saw no arrows for a while.) Turn left down along the olive grove until you reach an underpass (100-200 m?). Turn right through the two underpasses that are located one after the other. Then you come out on a paved road. Turn left on this and walk a short distance (100 m?). Turn right on the first road, and go straight ahead between two large industrial buildings. Keep straight ahead and you will see in front of you an underpass under the E-804. There is a faded arrow on the wall. Go through this underpass. Turn right up parallel to the motorway (100 m?). Then turn left and you are on the camino. There is a pole with a mark on it. First picture is a screenshot of these passes (blue color). I do not remember where I found it.

A few kilometers later came a point I had trouble interpreting. We stood at an intersection and had Magallon in front of us a few kilometers away. I have a Spanish App-map on my mobile with the Santiago camino marked, and there the route continued straight ahead. A GPS track I had also went straight ahead. But on the road that turned right, there was a clear yellow arrow. We followed the arrow. It turned out to go to the small village of Bisimbre and there the arrow pointed on to Agón. When we checked the GPS track from Asociación Soriana later, we saw that that track also went straight ahead like my other tracks. (We took a road to the left at Bisimbre back to the "old" track so as not to get too far to go to Magallon. There were no arrows there, or maybe just some old faded ones.) I also found a GPS track that goes through the two small villages, so that's probably where the markings with yellow arrows are now. It was not difficult to walk the old route straight ahead, since we do not have to depend on the yellow arrows to find our way. On my second screenshot you can see that the blue track (Asociasón Soriana) and the green track (my track) go the same way - straight ahead. The blue dot shows where the yellow arrow points to the right.

Second day Borja – Tarazona
We had a GPS track and were not dependent on the yellow arrows, but agreed that we would probably have found the way by following them. This day there are some stretches where you do not see much road / path, but it was not a big problem to walk there. A small comment on the place peregrina2000 calls a "bowl". https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/eobennett-on-the-soriano-aka-castellano-aragonés.74695/#post-1028511 To get to this bowl you have to turn right from the gravel road you walk on in the right place. The arrow was not very clear there, but the place can be easily explained. You are approaching a small building in red brick on the right side of the road, and I do not think we saw other buildings in red brick on this part of the route. Just before this building (50 m?) the route turns right up between two fields. Follow the overgrown road that eventually turns right up to a house ruin. Turn left behind this ruin and you are on your way up on the right side of the bowl. In the middle of the top, the route turns to the right.

Good luck to everyone!

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks, bjorts for these posts. It’s too bad you, @alansykes and I can’t get together! I remember that Alan and I had different experiences experiences getting to the ”bowl” but we made it without mishap. I do have a vague memory of that little red house, and I remember just looking down at the scrub all around me and saying - I KNOW there is a camino path here somewhere!

These routes have become so much more accessible now with the proliferation of GPS tracks. I don’t walk with my nose in my phone, but I really do like the sense of security that comes from knowing that the person whose tracks I’m following made it to the same destination I am looking for!

 

[bjorgts]

We had two days on the Camino Castellano-Aragonés this May. We had walked the Camino del Ebro from the mouth of Ebro and had only two days left of the holiday. I hope to return and continue one day. It was two very nice days, and here is a small photo video from these two days. Gallur - Borja - Tarazona.

 

[peregrina2000]

Withh @bjorgts’ approval, I have merged these two threads, so that now the text and the pictures of her early stages of the Camino Castellano-Aragonés are in the same thread.

The adventures continue here

 

[Acoupar]

On our hike on the Camino del Ebro this April / May, we had two days on the Camino Castellano-Aragonés. Then it was time to end the hike. It was two great days! Sun, green fields, flowers, good roads, variety. Eventually a small photo video comes out. Now I just wanted to make a few comments on the route, which might help someone.

First day Gallur - Borja
I see that eobennet4 has had problems crossing the two major roads that run parallel on the first day. Here is a description: The route is well marked. Follow the arrows until you come down through the olive grove and encounter the A-68 / N-232. (From there we saw no arrows for a while.) Turn left down along the olive grove until you reach an underpass (100-200 m?). Turn right through the two underpasses that are located one after the other. Then you come out on a paved road. Turn left on this and walk a short distance (100 m?). Turn right on the first road, and go straight ahead between two large industrial buildings. Keep straight ahead and you will see in front of you an underpass under the E-804. There is a faded arrow on the wall. Go through this underpass. Turn right up parallel to the motorway (100 m?). Then turn left and you are on the camino. There is a pole with a mark on it. First picture is a screenshot of these passes (blue color). I do not remember where I found it.

A few kilometers later came a point I had trouble interpreting. We stood at an intersection and had Magallon in front of us a few kilometers away. I have a Spanish App-map on my mobile with the Santiago camino marked, and there the route continued straight ahead. A GPS track I had also went straight ahead. But on the road that turned right, there was a clear yellow arrow. We followed the arrow. It turned out to go to the small village of Bisimbre and there the arrow pointed on to Agón. When we checked the GPS track from Asociación Soriana later, we saw that that track also went straight ahead like my other tracks. (We took a road to the left at Bisimbre back to the "old" track so as not to get too far to go to Magallon. There were no arrows there, or maybe just some old faded ones.) I also found a GPS track that goes through the two small villages, so that's probably where the markings with yellow arrows are now. It was not difficult to walk the old route straight ahead, since we do not have to depend on the yellow arrows to find our way. On my second screenshot you can see that the blue track (Asociasón Soriana) and the green track (my track) go the same way - straight ahead. The blue dot shows where the yellow arrow points to the right.

Second day Borja – Tarazona
We had a GPS track and were not dependent on the yellow arrows, but agreed that we would probably have found the way by following them. This day there are some stretches where you do not see much road / path, but it was not a big problem to walk there. A small comment on the place peregrina2000 calls a "bowl". https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/eobennett-on-the-soriano-aka-castellano-aragonés.74695/#post-1028511 To get to this bowl you have to turn right from the gravel road you walk on in the right place. The arrow was not very clear there, but the place can be easily explained. You are approaching a small building in red brick on the right side of the road, and I do not think we saw other buildings in red brick on this part of the route. Just before this building (50 m?) the route turns right up between two fields. Follow the overgrown road that eventually turns right up to a house ruin. Turn left behind this ruin and you are on your way up on the right side of the bowl. In the middle of the top, the route turns to the right.

Good luck to everyone!

We are starting the Camino del Ebro soon, and plan to move to The Castellano-Aragones at Gallur. We are struggling to find accommodation between Soria and San Leonardo. It is a very long stage and I’m curious how you managed it? Any suggestions on accommodations would be appreciated!! BTW, we enjoyed your video, excellent, and your descriptions of the route are very helpful! Thank you.

 

[peregrina2000]

We are struggling to find accommodation between Soria and San Leonardo. It is a very long stage and I’m curious how you managed it? Any suggestions on accommodations would be appreciated!!

I also had long stages, my report is here. I stayed in an albergue in Abejar (38 km from Soria, but doable for me at the time!). There are also several hotels, at least according to google maps. Then the next day to San Leonardo was "only" 31. Very decent small hotel there. And google maps shows other private options too.

I can't resist encouraging you to find a way to walk through the Cañon de Rio Lobos. The trailhead is at Ucero, about 19 km away from San Leonardo. If you stay on the camino, you will get to walk through the "second half" of this cañon, but it is nowhere near as beautiful as the first part. I had reserved a cab to take me to the trailhead the next morning, but in the afternoon they called to say there was a death in the family. A local person volunteered to drive me out there early the next morning and would take nothing in exchange.

Ucero to Hontoria del Pinar is about 25 or 26. It was a glorious stage!

 

[setmeravelles]

We are starting the Camino del Ebro soon, and plan to move to The Castellano-Aragones at Gallur. We are struggling to find accommodation between Soria and San Leonardo. It is a very long stage and I’m curious how you managed it? Any suggestions on accommodations would be appreciated!! BTW, we enjoyed your video, excellent, and your descriptions of the route are very helpful! Thank you.

I was planning on the Camino Castellano Aragonés in a couple of weeks, and I had to change plans because of the lack of lodging options and divert to the Camino Ebro until Logroño (which I may end up changing again). There is an albergue in Abejar, but one hotel was full and the other appears closed after September. The hotel in Herreros cancelled my reservation and will be closed for not sure how long after the last weekend in September.

Soria has provincial fiestas on 2 October, so many places will be full or things will be closed for this reason. Plus there is the Spanish holiday on 12 Oct. I didn't have any problems in the capital, but some of the bus schedules may be different around these dates too.

 

[bjorgts]

We walked short distances and stayed overnight this way between Soria and San Leonardo: From Soria we took a taxi ca 11 km to a park where we picked up the camino. Stayed in Herreros, Enclave Soria (on Booking.com). Next day very short to Abejar. Stayed at Hotel La Barrosa (on Booking.com). Next day to Navalena, where we stayed at Hostal La Tablada (on Booking.com). So a VERY short day to San Leonardo, because vi wanted to walk Cañon de Rio Lobos the day after. We stayed at Hostal Torres, but there is an albergue there. Next night in Hontoria we stayed at Hostal/restaurante Chato. They are not on Booking.com.

Since we are in september now, may be it will be more difficult to find places to stay than in April. As you can see we had to use taxi ones and some very short days to do this. But of course that is because we are to old to walk very long distances any more.

Good luck!

 

[AlanSykes]

Last time I arrived in Abejar the albergue had been block booked by a school group. Which was depressing after quite a long day from Soria. Luckily, the Hotel La Barrosa up the hill had a room available. At a very reasonable price for a 4 star, (I seem to remember thinking the nice dueño must have given me a hefty pilgrim discount). That would have been very late October.

The first time I walked the Castellano-Aragonés, feeling more militantly antifascist than usual, I vowed to boycott San Leonardo, and stayed the next night at La Tablada in Navaleno (c26km from Abejar). Excellent menu, perfectly decent room (22€, in 2016). The next time I walked that way I was a bit less precious, and stayed in the very nice albergue in San Leonardo (attached to the local Red Cross office, 7€ in 2019, 627 903696: that November I was the 10th person to stay there that year). The town still illegally retains several memorials to its local war criminal. I assume there can have been no intentional irony in the banner hanging from the town hall "contra la violencia de género" next to a sign honouring the carnicero de Badajoz, who boasted about using rape as a weapon of war.

October 12 should be less of a problem than usual this year, as it's on a Saturday.

PS I enthusiastically second @peregrina2000 's suggestion to taxi to Ucero and walk the whole of the cañón. Staggering beauty.

 

[bjorgts]

San Leonardo has an Officina de Turismo, and the lady there helped us a lot conserning the next day in Cañon de Rio Lobos!

 

[Acoupar]

We walked short distances and stayed overnight this way between Soria and San Leonardo: From Soria we took a taxi ca 11 km to a park where we picked up the camino. Stayed in Herreros, Enclave Soria (on Booking.com). Next day very short to Abejar. Stayed at Hotel La Barrosa (on Booking.com). Next day to Navalena, where we stayed at Hostal La Tablada (on Booking.com). So a VERY short day to San Leonardo, because vi wanted to walk Cañon de Rio Lobos the day after. We stayed at Hostal Torres, but there is an albergue there. Next night in Hontoria we stayed at Hostal/restaurante Chato. They are not on Booking.com.

Since we are in september now, may be it will be more difficult to find places to stay than in April. As you can see we had to use taxi ones and some very short days to do this. But of course that is because we are to old to walk very long distances any more.

Good luck!

Thankyou!

I also had long stages, my report is here. I stayed in an albergue in Abejar (38 km from Soria, but doable for me at the time!). There are also several hotels, at least according to google maps. Then the next day to San Leonardo was "only" 31. Very decent small hotel there. And google maps shows other private options too.

I can't resist encouraging you to find a way to walk through the Cañon de Rio Lobos. The trailhead is at Ucero, about 19 km away from San Leonardo. If you stay on the camino, you will get to walk through the "second half" of this cañon, but it is nowhere near as beautiful as the first part. I had reserved a cab to take me to the trailhead the next morning, but in the afternoon they called to say there was a death in the family. A local person volunteered to drive me out there early the next morning and would take nothing in exchange.

Ucero to Hontoria del Pinar is about 25 or 26. It was a glorious stage!

Thankyou! We will definitely visit the Canon, by taxi from San Leonardo. Excited!!