Camino de Santiago del Estrecho in march

[Brandy]

Hallo
I'm starting a new thread here because that's the closest I can get to my planned camino.
Camino del Estrecho starts in Algeciras near Gibraltar and goes to Puerto Real near Cadiz. From there Via Augusta Starts to Sevilla.
Instead I will walk trough Donana Natural Park to Huelva and from there to Zafra (on the VDLP).
The latter is called "Camino Sur de Huelva".
After Zafra I will return home.
Of course not many pilgrims in that area, but they say that Donana Nat Park is a safe heaven for many species. So I'm looking forward to see a lot of wild life.

Buen Camino

Brandy

 

[Canuck]

I will follow your steps shortly after, starting in Algéciras on the 8th of May.
Wish you a pleasant walk.

 

[omicko]

Hallo
I'm starting a new thread here because that's the closest I can get to my planned camino.
Camino del Estrecho starts in Algeciras near Gibraltar and goes to Puerto Real near Cadiz. From there Via Augusta Starts to Sevilla.
Instead I will walk trough Donana Natural Park to Huelva and from there to Zafra (on the VDLP).
The latter is called "Camino Sur de Huelva".
After Zafra I will return home.
Of course not many pilgrims in that area, but they say that Donana Nat Park is a safe heaven for many species. So I'm looking forward to see a lot of wild life.

Buen Camino

Brandy

Hola Brandy, do you have a permitted route for hiking through the Donana Natural Park?Cheers, Mick.

 

[Brandy]

I will follow your steps shortly after, starting in Algéciras on the 8th of May.
Wish you a pleasant walk.

Dear Canuck
I'm starting the 8th as well. I will land in Malaga the day before.
Maybe will met on the camino:
Buen camino.
Brandy

 

[Brandy]

Hola Brandy, do you have a permitted route for hiking through the Donana Natural Park?Cheers, Mick.

Hallo Omicko, I don't have yet.
I will try to get one, if it doesn't work I will stay on the path on the coast line between Sanlucar and Matalascanas.
Any suggestion on how to get permission or on how to make it to Huelva ?
Thanks
Buen Camino
Brandy

 

[Canuck]

Hallo Omicko, I don't have yet.
I will try to get one, if it doesn't work I will stay on the path on the coast line between Sanlucar and Matalascanas.
Any suggestion on how to get permission or on how to make it to Huelva ?
Thanks
Buen Camino
Brandy

Hi! Brandy,
Concerning your start date, you indicate in the subject title that you are going in March. I will be there in May. I doubt that we'll meet. Would've been nice...
Whether you make it through the park or reach Matalascanas along the coast, you should'nt miss a visit to the very special village of El Rocio. A short detour for a big surprise, guaranteed!!
https://tammytourguide.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/el-rocio-spains-strangest-town-andalucias-wild-west/
Have a good one,
Cheers,
Jean-Marc

 

[omicko]

Hallo Omicko, I don't have yet.
I will try to get one, if it doesn't work I will stay on the path on the coast line between Sanlucar and Matalascanas.
Any suggestion on how to get permission or on how to make it to Huelva ?
Thanks
Buen Camino
Brandy

Hi! Brandy,
Concerning your start date, you indicate in the subject title that you are going in March. I will be there in May. I doubt that we'll meet. Would've been nice...
Whether you make it through the park or reach Matalascanas along the coast, you should'nt miss a visit to the very special village of El Rocio. A short detour for a big surprise, guaranteed!!
https://tammytourguide.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/el-rocio-spains-strangest-town-andalucias-wild-west/
Have a good one,
Cheers,
Jean-Marc

Hallo Omicko, I don't have yet.
I will try to get one, if it doesn't work I will stay on the path on the coast line between Sanlucar and Matalascanas.
Any suggestion on how to get permission or on how to make it to Huelva ?
Thanks
Buen Camino
Brandy

Well Brandy, in 2013 I couldn't find any definitive information about whether it was possible to pass through the Donana National Park. My gut feeling was that it was illegal.So in December 2013 I hired a car and went to Sanlucar de Barrameda. The tourist office there couldn't give me a definitive answer. I thought if I take the ferry to the park I might find some information and also visit Rocio. Because it was winter there was only one ferry a day that went to the park. I tried but the boat was full. I didn't want to walk around Donana National Park to Huelva so in April 2014 I started in Tarifa to Cadiz then to Seville.Regards Mick.

 

[Brandy]

Hi! Brandy,
Concerning your start date, you indicate in the subject title that you are going in March. I will be there in May. I doubt that we'll meet. Would've been nice...
Whether you make it through the park or reach Matalascanas along the coast, you should'nt miss a visit to the very special village of El Rocio. A short detour for a big surprise, guaranteed!!
https://tammytourguide.wordpress.com/2017/03/29/el-rocio-spains-strangest-town-andalucias-wild-west/
Have a good one,
Cheers,
Jean-Marc

Hy Jean-Marc
You are right, I misunderstood your post.
Sorry.
Brandy

 

[amancio]

Hallo Omicko, I don't have yet.
I will try to get one, if it doesn't work I will stay on the path on the coast line between Sanlucar and Matalascanas.
Any suggestion on how to get permission or on how to make it to Huelva ?
Thanks
Buen Camino
Brandy

You can forget about crossing Doñana National Park on foot, it is illegal, only some fraternities are allowed to cross from Sanlucar to El Rocio in May, for a couple of days. The only alternative would be the walk along the coast, where you have nothing in terms of shade, fresh water, probably not even mobile reception, for 31 km. However, 31 km on soft sand and on a hot day can easily turn into hell.

In any case, I wish you a Buen Camino, I hope I will be doing the Huelva stretch to Zafra one of these years...

 

[Brandy]

Hola to all.
Camino del Estrecho day 0.
Flew fm Italy to Malaga and then in 3,5 hours by bus to Algeciras. In the city really nothing to see except the main square: Plaza Alta. In the same square you can get the stamp at the Parish of Our Lady of La Palma.
I slept at Mir Octavio hotel near the bus station at a reasonable price.
Buen Camino
Brandy

 

[KinkyOne]

If I remember correctly I was following you on one of your Caminos on your blog/FB??? Do you post from this Camino too? Would love to follow you this way (for now).

Buen Camino, Brandy!

 

[amancio]

Hola to all.
Camino del Estrecho day 0.
Flew fm Italy to Malaga and then in 3,5 hours by bus to Algeciras. In the city really nothing to see except the main square: Plaza Alta. In the same square you can get the stamp at the Parish of Our Lady of La Palma.
I slept at Mir Octavio hotel near the bus station at a reasonable price.
Buen Camino
Brandy

I want to hear EVERYTHING about the route, buen Camino, compañero!!! I know the way from Pelayo to Tarifa over the coast, and from Algeciras to Pelayo through Garganta del Capitán, it is absolutely stunning, but it has rained a lot, and I mean something like 20 inches, and the forecast is for more rain in the next 3 or 4 days. Heavy rain.
Buen Camino!!!

 

[Brandy]

If I remember correctly I was following you on one of your Caminos on your blog/FB??? Do you post from this Camino too? Would love to follow you this way (for now).

Buen Camino, Brandy!

Hola KinkiOne you followed me in 2017 on my Camino from Valencia via Levante - Sureste - Madrid - San Salvador - Primitivo - Santiago Finis terra. It was on this site not blog/FB.
Take care.
Buen Camino.
Brandy

 

[Brandy]

Hola
Camino del Estrecho day 1.
Algeciras Tarifa.
Just beautiful.
To begin few numbers : to my knowledge the track is 32 k long. Plus I went to Pelayo for lunch and this adds 3 more kilometers. No other places for food on the entire track.
The first 10 k are on asphalt : first leaving Algeciras on a nice sidewalk and then on a military road climbing to the Natural Park Alcornocales. After you enter the park you feel very isolated and surrounded by incontaminate nature.
Then you descend to the ocean and you walk for more then 10k with the ocean on your left. Amazing.
Tarifa is a very nice city where the center of the city is in the old fortress.
Like I said lunch was in El Pelayo.
In Tarifa I stayed in Hospedahe Villanova.
Buen Camino
Brandy

 

[Brandy]

Camino del Estrecho day 2:
Tarifa - Zahara de Los Atunes.
Hola everybody.
First of all why Zahara which is not on the Camino and not Tahivilla which is on the Camino?
Simple there was no way to find a place for the night in Tahivilla. The only hotel there opens in Spring. So you may find it open later in the season.
This leg is long (also going to Tahivilla) and is complicated because you have to walk near the ocean for few kilometers which is very rocky and difficult sometimes. I tried to stay more on land but in this case I had to enter and exit private land with fences and barber wire. Later the coast gets sandy so it was easier to stay near the ocean.
Then to El Lentiscal it was easy with some mud caused by the rain of the last few days.
Then Bolonia with the famous sand dune. Then, off the Camino, to Zahara it was just a walk on the road passing near the Faro de Camarinal.
In Zahara I stayed at Hospedaria Zahara.
Buen Camino.
Brandy

 

[Brandy]

Camino del Estrecho day 3. Zahara de Los Atunes - Casas Viejas.
With this track I returned to the Camino. Leaving Zahara to the north to La Zarzuela and then continued to the north joining the Camino to an easy walk to Casas Viejas.
As usual there are no albergue you have to relay on hostal or hotels.
Buen Camino
Brandy

 

[peregrina2000]

Hallo
I'm starting a new thread here because that's the closest I can get to my planned camino.
Camino del Estrecho starts in Algeciras near Gibraltar and goes to Puerto Real near Cadiz. From there Via Augusta Starts to Sevilla.
Instead I will walk trough Donana Natural Park to Huelva and from there to Zafra (on the VDLP).
The latter is called "Camino Sur de Huelva".
After Zafra I will return home.
Of course not many pilgrims in that area, but they say that Donana Nat Park is a safe heaven for many species. So I'm looking forward to see a lot of wild life.

Buen Camino

Brandy

Wow, this looks wonderful. I have done some day hiking around Aracena and it is really lovely. If you go through Almonaster, make sure to visit the tiny mosque. It is beautiful, built on the site of a visigothic church. So many layers in Spain! Buen camino, Brandy, hope the weather cooperates for you. Laurie

 

[Brandy]

Hola Peregrina thanks for your wishes. Sure I will not miss the mosque.
The weather so far was really bad.
I hope you can enjoy your Camino.
Cheers.
Brandy

 

[Brandy]

Camino de l'Estrecho day 4: Casas Viejas - Medina Sidonia.
Very short walking day (18 km) and with no particular difficulties. As throughout the Camino the weather was very bad. Two times I had to leave the Camino and go to the caretera for mud or flooded conditions. There were also strong gusting winds particularly climbing to Medina.
The city is very nice with a lovely Plaza de Espagna.
I stayed at the hotel all Castillo.
Buen Camino
Brandy

 

[Brandy]

Camino del Estrecho day 5: Medina Sidonia - Puerto Real.
This is the end of the Camino del Estrecho. In Puerto Real you can join Via Augusta to Seville.
On this leg I decided to stay on the caretera. Too much water and too much mud and sometime the Camino was flooded in such a way that passing was almost impossible.
In the evening I took the train to Cadiz still in the rain but I still enjoyed it.
I needed to be in Sanlucar de Barrameda the day after so I just took Via Augusta to Jerez de la Frontera and then a bus to Sanlucar. Jerez is imo more interesting than Cadiz and for few euro I could visit the cathedral.
I spent a night in Sanlucar then the next morning with a small both I crossed the Guadalquivir. On the other side I was picked up by a ranger with a car and I had the chance to visit the Donana National Park, not walking unfortunately but on a car. Still a very interesting visit to see deers all kind of birds, moving dunes etc.
At the end of the visit I walked from the visitor center to El Rocio to spend a night over there. El Rocio is a very famous pilgrim destination and they say that in May during a week of festivities more than a million meet in this place to honor the Virgin Mary.
By the way that week is the only time when pilgrims from an Hermanderia from Sanlucar can walk trough the Donana National Park carrying the image of the Virgin Mary.
The pilgrimage takes 3 days.
After a night in El Rocio I took a bus to Huelva and started from there il Camino Sur de Huelva.
But this is a different story.
Buen Camino
Brandy

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

Thanks for a very helpful description. I have a question: Is Camino del Estrecho signposted?

 

[Brandy]

Yes it is. At the same time I have to say that I never relay only on arrows. I always have a navigation system with me. In particular on this non frequent caminos. But Camino del Estrecho is beautiful. Enjoy. Brandy

 

[MarieLauFlorin]

How wonderful! I will prepare to navigatethen. And I think I will call the priest in Tahivilla to hear if we can sleep there if needed.

 

[WalkingInGers]

I am leaving Algeciras in early March 2025. Hope the weather will cooperate.

 

[WalkingInGers]

I am leaving Algeciras in early March 2025. Hope the weather will cooperate.

I have just changed my ETD to leaving Algeciras to Cadiz one week later. We are now talking of leaving for Malaga on March 14th and then taking the bus on Sunday on the 16th to Algeciras with walking starting Monday 17th. This means that I should be in Merida during la Semana Santa (Holy Week).