Bad Pilgrim
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Yes
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Even if we do have other things we should be doing!Tag along if you don't have anything else to do!
This evening it's all about relaxing in the old town in central Bilbao
I just had a café con leche and a dry croissant - does that count?I would love for you to take some pictures of the amazing pintxos displays that you find in nearly every bar in that entire area. Some are really works of art! Not to mention delicious.
I'll see what I can do. I don't even know where I go tomorrow! I saw there's a choice 2A and 3A according to the maps? Maybe not going through Nava de Ordunte then? I am in Sodupe now, taking one step at a time... on the bidegorri [cycle track]!Adolfo is a true camino angel on the first part of the route. He came to Villasana de Mena to meet us when we got back from our walk out to the amazing romanesque churches (which probably don’t interest you, BP). And then he met up with us the next morning when we took a taxi back from Villasana to his town Nava de Ordunte (He has since put in a donativo albergue, which always gets high reviews). He walked with us for the morning, and I remember having a very good pan con chorizo at the bakery when we got to the place where his son (?) came to pick him up.
His phone 652 773 055 (uses Whats App).
I first walked the Olvidado in 2014. When Susanna had an injury and had to leave after the first week, I was kind of freaking out because I couldn’t figure out how to use my GPS (having relied on her and her expertise). @GunnarW was my tech angel, and Adolfo was my go-to person for everything else I needed. One of my strongest memories is how he helped me out when I was alone in Fasgar and couldn’t find Rosi.
If you stay there, will you please send him my abrazos? This photo might jog his memory!
Both routes go Güenes to Balmaseda
Oh, my, BP in an albergue juvenil usually spells trouble.where I am in the albergue juvenil right now!
Well, that's a blessing.but it looks like I will be here alone tonight.
Wow.I paid 33 euros in Sept 19 for the Convento.Day 1: Bilbao - Balmaseda, 38 kms (+ ? kms in Bilbao)
I had to walk 1.5 hours extra in the morning to get to the Devil's Bridge where the Camino Olvidado starts. The further I went, the uglier the suburbs of Bilbao got. Everything accompanied by a foul stench that only got worse as I crossed the bridge and continued through sketchy areas with derelict factories, graffiti and overfilled trash cans. Not until I hopped on the bidegorri [cycle track] did I feel I began to leave the horrors of Bilbao behind me. Sodupe was the first pretty basque town of the day, and from there it only got better! The part between Zalla and Balmaseda was the best one, in the woods with a river. At times I was walking in luscious, green tunnels of foliage, and it looked beautiful in the afternoon light... But: today was 100 % asphalt from start to finish.
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While I was walking I tried to get hold of some sort of accommodation in Balmaseda. The hotel Convento San Roque would be 89 euros *gasp*. The only other option in town, the albergue juvenil, didn't even pick up the phone. I decided to go straight to the albergue to see if I could find someone there to help me, or another number to call. Finally a guy answered. But he couldn't get there to help me as he had just come out of the dentist's after surgery! The poor soul guided me by phone, with his sore mouth, to the keys and through the building. Eventually I got inside the albergue. He told me one should generally call in advance (I think he meant at least one day). Future pilgrims: take note.
The albergue is spacious with 22 beds, but it looks like I will be here alone tonight. Fully equipped kitchen. In spite of being called an albergue juvenil the guy said it is exclusively for pilgrims (?!). 12 euros is certainly a better deal than 89 euros at the hotel. I like luxury, but I ain't that crazy!
Tomorrow is a hard stage to plan. Nava de Ordunte is too short (11 kms) and Espinosa de Montero is too long (40+ kms). In between: donativo at Isabel's place in Villasante (but she asked me to call her again tomorrow and we'll see) and Taranco (where there is a couple of places to stay that Isabel messaged me about on WhatsApp). It's complicated. Isabel seems to be a nice and helpful person anyway! Her phone number is listed in the resource with accommodation for the Olvidado that @omicko has posted. If you plan to stay at her house I suggest you ask her several days in advance (which I didn't). She lets pilgrims stay only in case she is in town.
Who knows where I'll end up tomorrow...
To be continued
I walked in 2014 and we paid 40 something for a double room! Google suggests that’s a greater price increase than just inflation. Looking at the website, it does look to me like the hotel has had a substantial upgrade and is a much more “high end” place than it was when we walked. I also remember a fairly uninteresting meal in their dining room, and now they show all sorts of glamourous photos!Wow.I paid 33 euros in Sept 19 for the Convento.
I definitely told them I was a pilgrim (always trying to catch that discount) but it was still 89 euros. So yeah things must have changed. From the outside it looked really posh as well!I walked in 2014 and we paid 40 something for a double room! Google suggests that’s a greater price increase than just inflation. Looking at the website, it does look to me like the hotel has had a substantial upgrade and is a much more “high end” place than it was when we walked. I also remember a fairly uninteresting meal in their dining room, and now they show all sorts of glamourous photos!
I remember that town was in fiestas when Susanna and I walked. We stayed in a cute little hotel right on the Plaza where you are sitting and enjoyed watching everything below. Music, parade, dancing, you know, the typical Spanish fiesta in the pueblo!I'm lagging behind with my reports because of the whole situation yesterday (I was bitten by a dog) but I'll try to catch up. Now in Espinosa de Montero enjoying a second breakfast... including my new medicine. Nom nom
If you need the sleep and can do it until 6:30, I think it is a sin not to.I slept until 06:30, an unforgivable sin on a Camino.
I remember the walking through those woods and hoping for a gate or opening, fortunately I waited a tad longer than you and found a gap. I walked to Olea in a day from Soncillo. Was not my original plan but I got to Arroyo intending top stay at La Lobera at 1300 which was way too early for me to stop and to top it all the rooms would not have been available for another 2 or 3 hours. I therefore decided to walk on and hence I ended up on Olea. However, having not intended to be at Casa Miguel in Olea I arrive with nothing but emergency rations. Miguel solved this by taking me to his friend's (now closed) restaurant, who supplied me with a take away plus a cold beer and vino tinto. What more could I want? Casa Miguel was great and the people could not have been more helpful. Did Miguel take you to is bodega…… hic!Day 5: Arija - Olea, 32 kms
Yesterday I had dinner with the only other guest at the hotel, a young woman from Madrid. As we didn't know each other the owner had placed us at separate tables in the vast dining room. The three of us giggled at the awkward situation and concluded that the girl and I might as well sit together and keep each other company. Although, as the gentleman I am, I added: "If I don't like her, I'm moving back to my table!" And the three of us laughed heartily.
I was sure Marina was in Olea to visit family, since many people in Spain usually travel to their villages during summer to spend part of their vacation there. But no: she had no connection to Olea at all! She would stay a week at the hotel, alone, and had chosen Olea because it was a calm place with very little people. She would walk different routes in the area, relax, write, and have time to think; she stressed the last word. She was so funny and interesting to talk too..! And finally I had company for dinner again, after having left my little Camino family on the Francés-Aragonés a week ago.
The next morning I had a small breakfast in my room. Too little to adequately prepare for the first 20 kms on the country road. It was a nightmare. The road was devoid of any open bar or café. The lake was nice to look at but I was hungry, tired and needed coffee. But there would be none of that for 32 kms.
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I almost couldn't believe it when the Camino finally turned left towards Retortillo and left the country road. The scenery immediately changed. Green Cantabrian hills, forests and pastures with cows and horses everywhere.
I followed the recordings of two guys who have done this stage on Wikiloc. After Retortillo, both guys left the calle de Nuestra Señora at one point to push through the woods. There was no signage for me to do so, but I decided to follow in their footsteps. Unfortunately they led me to a fence with barbed wire which separated me from the Camino. I followed the fence for a while to look for a breach. There kind of was one, and with a bit of acrobatics I got through without tearing myself up. I then saw that if I had continued a couple of 100 meters further along the fence, I would have reached a gate. Future pilgrims better stay on the calle Nuestra Señora instead of walking through the woods like I did. Then they will not have problems with barbed wire, and they will eventually reach that gate. In general, I suggest you use Google maps on this stage.
The Camino took another shortcut across the moor. From the wuthering heights I got the best view of the day: a broad valley, green pastures below me, and the fantastic mountains of Cantabria far away in the horizon.
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When I got to the last village before Olea, Cervatos, I hoped the hardships were over. But the worst was yet to come. More uphill walking, bushwhacking to hop on the country road, arrows barely visible... All the way up to Alto del Bardal at 1080 mtrs above sea level, where it started to rain. I used my umbrella the last kms that comfortably took me down to Olea and the apartments Casamiguel.
There is a small shop and a bar in Olea, but you'll have to backtrack 500 mtrs to get there. They close at 2 p.m. and open again at 4. Closed on Tuesdays. I didn't need to go there though. When I got to my little cottage at Casamiguel, a tray with my breakfast (included in the 30 euros) was already prepared. The owner had thrown in a couple of eggs, and as they have their own supplies for sale I could buy tomato sauce. With the things I have with me (pasta, cheese, pocket soups...) I can have both dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. And I rather not go outside right now because it is raining hard!
Last chapter tomorrow!
I remember the walking through those woods and hoping for a gate or opening, fortunately I waited a tad longer than you and found a gap. I walked to Olea in a day from Soncillo. Was not my original plan but I got to Arroyo intending top stay at La Lobera at 1300 which was way too early for me to stop and to top it all the rooms would not have been available for another 2 or 3 hours. I therefore decided to walk on and hence I ended up on Olea. However, having not intended to be at Casa Miguel in Olea I arrive with nothing but emergency rations. Miguel solved this by taking me to his friend's (now closed) restaurant, who supplied me with a take away plus a cold beer and vino tinto. What more could I want? Casa Miguel was great and the people could not have been more helpful. Did Miguel take you to is bodega…… hic!
I didn’t get to the bodega, but that’s probably because Miguel and some friends had a barbeque outside and brought half the contents of the bodega to the tables. Lots of slabs of meat thrown on the grill, lots of wine and other stuff. We were taken in like one of the family. This guy obviously enjoys his job in the hospitality business and is so kind. He took us back up to the store when it opened because Susanna was hurting with bad blisters. And he charged us a pittance. I am glad to see he is still going strong!Miguel solved this by taking me to his friend's (now closed) restaurant, who supplied me with a take away plus a cold beer and vino tinto. What more could I want? Casa Miguel was great and the people could not have been more helpful. Did Miguel take you to is bodega…… hic!
It was heavenly to arrive in Aguilar after only 24 kms, instead of close to 44!! A whole other experience. A very good "end" to the Olvidado!Well that beats the 40+kms you had to walk coming in from the Viejo! Really enjoyed following your Olvidado, @Bad Pilgrim.
And there's more coming? You do know how to keep us in suspense...
There was a reason I ended up doing that. The forecast that morning was for heavy rain and thunderstorms so i started at around 0700 and walked quickly to try to beat the storms. However, that meant I got to Arroyo very early……… Then the sky was clear blue and nothing showing on the rain radar and is was one of those days when the body felt great and decided another 20kms was fine.Just thinking about walking from Soncillo to Olea gives me a heart attack! That's impressive! I thought walking from Arija was enough. Still the weather was cool. Yesterday evening I binged Sara Dhooma's YouTube videos on the Olvidado and she walked Arija - Olea in scorching sun... I would have died! And can't imagine walking all the way from Soncillo!
I only spoke to Miguel on the phone: he sent one of his sisters to show me my room, another sister to stamp my credential in the evening. No, there was no bodega yesterday. I think he mentioned something about a bodega and wine when I called him to make the reservation though. He is very talkative on the phone! I noticed all three of them were super helpful, yes! When I saw the cottage, the facilities and the breakfast I couldn't believe it was no more than 30 euros. Definitely my favorite place on the Olvidado this year. But then again, I only have 5 other lodgings to compare with...
According to @omicko 's information sheet it was unclear (Summer 2022) if La Lobera still operates. Were you /going to stay/ there this year?intending top stay at La Lobera at 1300 which was way too early for me to stop and to top it all the rooms would not have been available for another 2 or 3 hours.
... I just found a post from @jerry lordan who paid 61 euros for a room in 2023. So it's gone from 33 euros to 40, 61 and 89 euros since 2019! I should have walked the Olvidado earlier...I walked in 2014 and we paid 40 something for a double room! Google suggests that’s a greater price increase than just inflation. Looking at the website, it does look to me like the hotel has had a substantial upgrade and is a much more “high end” place than it was when we walked. I also remember a fairly uninteresting meal in their dining room, and now they show all sorts of glamourous photos!
Well, between Bilbao and Aguilar de Campoo I was all alone! There was a group of four Spanish youngsters who continued on the Olvidado right after Puente del Diablo in Bilbao but I never saw them again...According to the Camino Olvidado Facebook Page there are way more pilgrims walking ther Olvidado this year. I've seen a picture with I believe 5 or 6 at the wonderful muni run by Sonia in Puente Almuhey.
You're lucky with the new albergue in Zalla. In order to avoid staying in a hotel I walked the first day to Balmeseda.
Enjoy!
Join the crowdWell, between Bilbao and Aguilar de Campoo I was all alone! There was a group of four Spanish youngsters who continued on the Olvidado right after Puente del Diablo in Bilbao but I never saw them again...
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