Cami St. Jaume from Alcarràs to Zaragoza & on to Logrono

[BrentskiL]

Does anyone have/know of information or guides to the section of Cami de Sant Jaume from Alcarràs to Zaragoza and then on to Logrono [Ruta de Elbro??] where it joins the Camino Frances?
I've found lots of stuff on the Cami de Sant Jaume from La Jonquera/El Port de la Selva to Alcarràs, but nothing from thereon to the Camino Frances. Help :cry: :?:

 

[SabsP]

Hi ,

I walked this year from Zaragoza to Logrono. Had to stop due to bad weather conditions but I used this very good guide.
http://www.jacobeo.net/index.php?m=ruta ... bro&pad=48
The internet site also gives good updates
Only walking out of Zaragoza can be quite daunting because of no yellow flechas but after that finding the way is rather easy. Good albergues also although some towns only open the albergues for groups. Cheap pensions are avaiable too.
After Gallur you also have the option to take the Camino Castellon-Aragones that will take you to Burgos. No albergues there though.

 

[BrentskiL]

Thanks for the information. I and a friend plan on walking it sometime between mid-April or early May...any suggestions. We walked the Camino Frances this year during that time period and all-in-all the weather was very good.

 

[SabsP]

Weatherlike it can vary so much. Locals around Alagon and Gallur said they always experience heavy winds but the flooding was quite something this year.
If you like a solitary walk the Camino del Ebro is certainly something you should try. I only met one other walker/ pilgrim on the route. He stopped in a nice municipal in Torres de Berellen. Key collecting in local bar. I stopped in Alagon where I had a whole pension / appartment for 15 €. Day after we met again in the nice municipal of Gallur that also serves as a local bar / waiting area for the trainstation. Lovely owners and they serve very decent food.
After Gallur we decided to take train to Logrono and continue on the regular Frances. I did stop though in Tudela and Alfaro ( already booked a room there ) on the ruta de Ebro for some sightseeing. Nice smaller towns with lots of culture to explore.

 

[esyt]

In July-beginning of August 2015 I walked The Camino Catalan via Zaragoza. Here is a rough guidline for how I found it.



Day 1: Barcelona to Monistrol de Monserrat.

I set off from my flat and headed towards the mountainous Collseroala park on the edge of the city, from where I would take the path which leads to the first town on the route of Sant Cugat. Leaving the city there are not really any markings so I just used my local knowledge to get to the path onto Sant Cugat; from there the markings were excellent for a good while. The first 15km to Sant Cugat is a lovely walk along a leisurely path in quiet tree lined countryside, the urban outskirts and busy roads of Barcelona are kept to a refreshing minimum as the city is exited. After Sant Cugat the walk is a touch ugly and a little hair raising as some very busy roads have to be skirted before the open countryside can be re-joined. Once the countryside is re-joined it is quiet and pleasant walk with that day's goal of Monserrat alluringly visible in the distance. Later on there are a mixture of roads and countryside; on the whole the walk is pleasant. The markings were generally good although there were a couple of occasions when they were a touch ambiguous. However I had the ace up my sleeve of having done the walk the year before so I remembered where I had got lost and corrected myself accordingly; and it worked I had no problems with getting lost. I did not get to Monserrat by the days end instead I stopped at a village at the foot of the mountain. I could have done what I did the year before and followed a signposted path up to the summit; however this path rather than resembling a footpath was more akin to mountaineering and therefore even without a heavy backpack and at the end of a long day I did not fancy taking this route which bordered on the dangerous.



Day 2: Monistrol to Jorba.

Next morning I followed a different straightforward path up to Monserrat and enjoyed the early sunrise from this wonderful place, in the quiet tranquillity of a fresh day before all the touristy business swung into life. From Monserrat the markings are good, with the cravat that a lot of road walking has to be endured, although there are some lovely views. This sums up the day, the path itself is tough so often on unrelenting concrete and often within the proximity of busy roads, but the surrounding landscape is delightful. Ignore the feet and the noise of cars and be led with the eyes then the day will be a feast!



Day 3: Jorba to Cervera

The early part of the day follows wide paved roads which were seemingly built for regular traffic but are now scarcely used. Therefore the walk is quiet while the topography of the land pleasantly evolves as the scenery ever so gradually continues to flatten out as mountains become light hills. The latter part of the day is more pleasant within quiet countryside away now from the sounds of the motorway. Cervera looks enchanting from the distance perched on top of a hill within the golden countryside and after a steep climb into the town it does not disappoint. I stopped here for the day on a spontaneous whim owing to a combination of my feet aching (again the day was almost exclusively on concrete), the friendliness of a group of women (as they invited me to have afternoon octopus with them in the town square), and then the darkening sky ushered in by a fierce wind as the threat of a storm seemed imminent. Another enjoyable day with perfect arrows. This night I stayed in the albergue with the elderly nuns; sorting out a room was terribly slow although I viewed it comically owing to their herculean willingness to please.





Day 4: Cervera to Castellnou de Seana

The initial parts of the 10km section between Cervera and Terrega is along a delightful country track dissecting rolling hills and rements of ruins dotted about among the rich countryside. Terrega as a town is unremarkable in appearance but significant on the map since it is where the Camino Catalan splits in two. I continued straight through the town and followed the main road 5kms onto the next village. After there is yet more main road walking onto the next village. The weather as is to be expected is again very hot. Owing to the combination of the heat and the tedious concrete I had many blisters, one in particular was a real cause for concern and made every step increasingly difficult. I therefore knew the last 13 km section for the day from one village to another in the afternoon sun with nothing in between was going to be a terrible challenge. And so it proved as my pace became torturously slow while walking felt as unnatural as an old dog doing handstands. As a consolation the path was away from the roads amidst the countryside which had now virtually completely flattened out. There were however a couple of moments of doubts with the markings. The first time there were two fairly adjacent paths to take but no arrows to indicate which path was correct; I took one but fortunately after a few hundred metres I was still near to the other path and from where I was I saw an arrow on the other path so I clambered with some difficulty over the banky foliage onto the correct path. The other occasion was when the path reached a road and there was no arrow showing left or right. I stopped looked and fortunately in the distance I could just make out a Camino Catalan sign pointing the way onto another path in the distance up the road and to the left. Finally I arrived at Castellnou or Newcastle as the village translates to in English. It was a pleasant village with some wonderfully friendly people who I would later in particular to a family be especially grateful to for the help they gave me with my blister problem. The problem itself took a long time to address and even then it was hard to get to the bottom of since I had a massive blister beneath a competeed. Being beneath a competeed I could not pop it adequately and nor despite much effort could we remove the competeed. It remaind a concern as I went to bed for the night.



Day 5: Castellnou to Bell-loc-d'Urgell

My foot hurt and hindered my sleep and therefore with sleep difficult I set off very early. Having no watch I did not realise just how early I had set off but it must have been 02:00 or 03:00 as for a long time there was no hint of a sun rise. Walking was becoming ever more difficult which itself seemed hard to believe as it had been pretty unbearable at times the previous day. Had breakfast in the next village of Mollerussa. My sombre mood was lifted a touch when a lovely woman insisted on paying for my breakfast, she had herself done the Camino in the past. She was the closest I had come to meeting a pilgrim so far since I still had by this stage not seen any pilgrims on the path (although I had seen some cyclists). I think it was another 11-13kms to the next village, despite my foot I decided I was going to give it a go. I appreciate the sensations that come from a struggle. And it was a struggle. The way was at least within farmland although the motorway was never too far away. The markings today were again very good while the scenery like the previous afternoon was in flat samey countryside. Bell-loc-d'Urgell, the most ugly of villages/ small towns I had been to on this Camino was appropriately to be the terminus for my journey. I had to admit defeat and stop; my foot was simply too painful and if my pace had been any slower I would have been liable to have been overtaken by a scarecrow. I caught the train back to Barcelona and thought perhaps this Camino was done.

But after 5 days rest in which I could address the blister I was keen and eager to complete this journey. I caught the train back to the same village so I could recommence the journey from where I had temporarily stopped 5 days before.

 

[esyt]

Day 6: Bell-loc-d'Urgell to Alcarras

It was 12-13 kms from Bell-loc d'Urgell to the city of Lleida and it would have been simpler to have caught the train to Lleida as the path was in a similar vein to the previous sections with the motorway often closer than before. Nevertheless I did not care because I revelled in the sensation of having a healed foot and that regained novelty of walking with a natural pace and rhythm. Lleida Cathedral on top of a hill overlooking the town could be seen from the distance and it was a nice focus point on which to approach the city, which was itself a bit of a disappointment. Though Lleida itself is clearly sad to see pilgrims leave since there are a complete dearth of arrows both within the city and beyond. Finding anyone who knew where to go proved almost equally as problematic. I eventually found out I had to follow the river; the direction itself seemed counterintuitive but it was correct and a while later I was back among the familiar signs. From then on that day there were no issues with the arrows. The countryside in truth was fairly dull, but at least the bulk was off the concrete. I stopped in Alcarras for the night, the final stop in Catalonia. The village itself was remarkable for the thousands of migrant fruit pickers who were living here while working on the orchards that comprised the luscious countryside of this part of Catalonia.





Day 7: Alcarras to somewhere on The Monegros

Crossing from Catalonia into Aragon the landscape again became hilly and immensely more interesting than previous sections. It was a nice way to start the day on this long section (17-18kms) into the town of Fraga. To follow the Camino out of Fraga you have to look at the pavement and try to spot the intermittent grey camino carvings leading out of the town. Out of the town and there is a wonderful long steep hill to climb as the countryside is beginning to become arid. Later on it is flat long and straight through dusty dry unfertile countryside. The sections between villages are now very long. This is the beginning of The Monegros. It was July and the temperature was hot; but for me this was what I wanted; I loved the otherworldliness and vastness of its horizon. Although it was soured a touch because the Camino follows the main Barcelona to Zaragoza road (it was single lane at least); the two are not always side by side but they are for long sections regrettably close to one another. The advantage though of the main road being near by was that service stations could substitute as villages for providing provisions and somewhere to rest. I spent a particularly pleasant night sleeping in the countryside.



Day 8: towards Bujaraloz

A similarly enjoyable day to the previous one. Three villages today, all were quiet within this barren landscape. No problems with the signs. The temperature was par for the course in July and very hot. To prevent blisters had to stop regularly and change socks; if the feet over sweat the blisters will be bad. The path did not always follow the main road which created one brief moment of doubt with the markings but followed the logical direction and quickly saw I was correct. Within this kind of landscape it is hard to find anything to paint an arrow onto. In the evening saw my first pilgrims, a group of Irish guys.



Day 9: Bujaraloz to Pina de Ebro

A long day of nearly nothing. 34kms between villages, with a service station (where I had a morning machine made coffee) and then later on a road side bar where I stopped and rested. Path dry and very arid. Today though contained the first real sign issues. Real dearth of arrows (which is natural I suppose because even if they are pained to something they must fade so quickly within this dusty wilderness) created confusion on which track to follow, when in doubt I followed the track closest to the main road which worked out well. Then by mid morning had what turned out to be an inexplicable moment with an arrow when the track reached a countryside road which led off from the main road. It occurred as there was an arrow painted left which implied to follow the very quiet road. This surprised me so I scanned very carefully for arrows but could see nothing so I followed the country road all the while continuing to watch vigilantly for new tracks and arrows. I ended up following the road for 5kms until eventually my growing suspicions snapped and I was sure that having not seen any arrows for so long I had gone wrong. Stopped a car and hitchhiked back 5kms. Re-examining the scene shed no further light on my previous error so I ignored the arrow which clearly pointed left down that country lane and simply followed the busy main road. Fortunately after 2-3kms I came to a roadside bar and rested. The bar was back on the official Camino, which was a huge relief yet made me none the wiser with regards to the arrow issue. In the afternoon I had a wonderful walk in the wilderness before the meeting of The River Ebro in the village of Pina de Ebro signals the end of The Monegros and the start of a long journey following The Ebro to Logrono. As the evening sun fell I was sad to be at the end of The Monegros; I had found this a wonderfully vast, interesting and challenging section of the Camino Catalan.



Day 10: Pina de Ebro to Burgo de Ebro

The day began with getting a little lost. Initially leaving the village was difficult and I had had to ask for directions and then when on the edge of Pina de Ebro I could see no arrows and had a dilemma between continuing along the road after crossing a bridge or following the river via a path. I did the latter and walked for a while until I realised I must have been wrong so I turned back confused. I got back looked for an arrow and could see nothing so I followed the river in the other direction in the hope of seeing an arrow, but again nothing. I went back to the road and finally I saw an arrow I had missed before on a crash barrier pointing straight on; it was small and very faded and therefore very easy to miss. The road was not followed for long fortunately as the Camino was along country tracks for the majority of the day. After that initial problem the markings were good. I had expected with the meeting of The Ebro that villages would again be frequent but in fact there were some long in excess of 10-15kms stages between the initial couple of villages. The path was not yet really close to the river, although the sudden freshness of the countryside in complete contrast to the previous 100kms through The Monegros was vivid green, with field upon filed of crops and a regular buzz of farming life. The walk was flat and unremarkable fairly similar in nature to the sections before Lleida. Fuentes de Ebro was really decent village with friendly locals. Finished the day in Burgo de Ebro which in contrast was a drab village on the far periphery of Zaragoza.



Day 11: Burgo de Ebro to Ulebo (through Zaragoza)

Started early for the walk into Zaragotha. July here temperatures of around 40 are the norm, but the weather like it had suddenly turned the previous evening was fresh and cool. Indeed the maximum temperature for the day was 23 and that was with a brief interval of sun on a fairly overcast rain threatened day. I actually felt a little cold in Zaragoza! Nevertheless Zaragoza was a beautiful city after a tedious and what seemed a far longer than stated walk into it's heart. Being the penultimate day of July the city at times felt more like a provincial town with relatively few people about; it seems most of the locals escape the summer here. Late afternoon I left and had no problems with the arrows; indeed the city administrators seemed to have put a lot of effort into sign posting the Camino throughout the city. Irrespective leaving Zaragoza is easy just follow the river and do not cross it. Walked to Ulebo the first village after Zaragoza.

 

[esyt]

Day 12: Ulebo to Alagon

Walked through moderately pleasant fairly quiet countryside this morning with a few small villages here and there; the metropolis of Zaragoza seemed long gone. Way marking seemed good. Covered the distance for the day in the morning, because as the locals had warned me and as the news confirmed there would be torrential rain from lunchtime onwards. For once the forecast was reliable (although probably understated) and shortly after arriving in Alagon the heavens well and truly opened. It was torrential. Splashed across the front pages of the regional papers the next day were images of flooding in the surrounding area. I was relieved to be in Alagon and was told that this was where an albergue was. I soon found out the albergue was closed so I spent the afternoon sitting around waiting for both the rain and the threat of another deluge to abate but it never happened. Downpours thundered long into the night. It created a nice opportunity as a local man in the bar where I was sat offered me the spare room for the night in his flat. He was very hospitable and eager to please my meagre tastes. Ended up drinking gin and tonics and talking politics long into the night.



Day13: Alagon to Cortes

The Camino has made me an obsessional walker because at first light and with very little sleep and a touch hungover I was awake and eager to hit the path. A wonderfully pure blue sky greeted the day although it was accompanied by a biting breeze and a decidedly fresh temperature; it felt more like November. The way for a time was close to The River Ebro in between more quiet, pleasant and truth be told for Spain unspectacular countryside; but it was The Camino so there is something wonderful in it. Some country tracks but a large bulk like the previous day was back on the concrete albeit along mainly quiet country lanes. Again saw no more pilgrims nor any cyclists (the Irish guys were the only others I had seen). The way marking was good (tiny bit of confusion exiting the village before Cortes but for me I had no issue, maybe that was more luck than anything). I finished the day in the extremely picturesque village of Cortes in the province of Navarra.



Day 14: Cortes to Castejon

Major marking issue very early on. Was walking dead straight along a country track when the way suddenly ended. Very confused as there had been no turnings. I stopped and began to retrace steps. I was to be in luck because a 4x4 came up the track; I was told I was not wrong and I was on the path but that the way had changed and had not been rerouted. I ended up having to cut across some fields so that I could continue in the direction I was heading. Apart from this the markings were very good again during the day. The countryside remained flat and the distance between villages was surprisingly far between 10-18kms during the day. The villages themselves were disappointing very bland and quite modern. Scenery wise the last section between Tudela and Castejon was nice, but the walk itself was horrendous. It was horrible because it was late afternoon and being close to the river I was viciously and unrelentingly attacked by mosquitos. It was a real pain. Despite the seasonally scorching temperature I resorted to dressing like I was in a home with broken down heating during the middle of a January cold snap, so as to avoid leaving any part of my body exposed. It was a real pity because it made it an impossibility to truly appreciate what was a very pretty section of the way. Perhaps rather than the heat it is the mosquitos that are the reason no one walks this Camino in the summer. And I could understand why, since they really are a continual nuisance, which made sleeping at night too especially unpleasant. Mosquitos are not normally attracted to me but by the time I had reached Logrono I had been bitten many times all over.



Day 15: Castejon to Calahorra

The day began by entering for the first time La Rioja (although the path switches between these two provinces numerous times before Logrono), and then there was the novelty of small distances between the first couple of villages. The path is straightforward and the way marking good, with a tinge of heightened aridness to the countryside. Again a downside was that the path consisted of a lot of concrete. The way continued like previous days to track the railway line and to loosely follow the winding river. The main road was often today not far away which made getting lost (in the good sense) within the wonderful tranquillity of The Camino hard. Spent the afternoon in the village before Calahorra experiencing the carnival atmosphere of a Spanish village as they celebrated their yearly festival, complete with bull fighting. Every village has their own party in the summer months and despite countless times passing through villages which had either just had or were about to have their fiesta I had still not seen one in full swing. Today I had an early evening taste of this interesting cultural experience.

 

[esyt]

Day 16: Calahorra to Alcanadre

Some difficulty finding any hint of markings out of the small city of Calahorra which is like a mini Logrono, until I found a kind gentleman himself an ex pilgrim who gave me very clear directions. Indeed if he did not have his young granddaughter with him he probably would have walked me to Logrono so full of questions and good humour was he. After Calahorra the markings were again good. It is a very long section of near25kms without any stops between Calhorra and Alcandre which caught me by surprise and left me a little short of water. I enjoyed the scenery and the light hills it provided, although the adjacent motorway was a blight. Nearing Alcanadre the path left the motorway and led into this beautiful village tucked away within some hills. I would have walked on after stopping for a leisurely rest but I was invited to have lunch with a husband and wife in their home. Having a short day was a non existent opportunity cost for a wonderful free lunch.



Day 17: Alcanadre to Logrono

The final day. I began early and did some night walking. The initial stage was really nice within quiet secluded countryside, which was in stark contrast to the final underwhelming 20kms to Logrono alongside or near concreted busy roads. Still looking out into the countryside was a delight and I could soon make out where The Camino Frances lay in the distance with its stream of pilgrims. The way marking was good all day. It was a surprising relief to arrive into the centre of Logrono and for the insolation to be at an end. It had been a long and special journey. My journey continued but not on The Frances this time. The next day I caught a bus to Irun and from there in wet cool weather I embarked on The Camino Norte.







Conclusion

In the summer this route is very hot, 35 is the norm, while it is often more. The heat makes blisters a real problem and this proved especially initially to be a real challenge. I had no choice but to stop regularly and air my feet and dry my socks. During the second half of the walk it is the mosquitos which take the prize in a landslide as the biggest annoyance. I have never known them in such numbers, at times they were unbearable.

If you do the walk in the summer don't bank on seeing anyone. Being totally alone was at times hard but certainly a worthwhile challenge. I do speak some Spanish so this mitigated the worst effects of being alone as I always had people to chat to in villages. Indeed Spanish really is rather important on this route. Apart from Zaragoza and I suppose Monserrat I scarcely found anyone who spoke English.

If you want to mitigate these challenges (barring the Spanish) then do this Camino in the spring. Locals tell me they virtually never see anyone walking this route in the summer, while in the spring there is a light consistent trickle.

In terms of topography it is not especially challenging. Apart from Barcelona to Monserrat with the possible slight exception of a small section on the early fringes of Aragon there were very few real hills. It is quite a flat Camino. The biggest physical challenge for me was without question the surface; there is an unfortunately large amount of concrete. It was a shame. There were countless sections when the path was in the countryside yet it was along isolated paved road. This makes blisters more likely. By the end of the summer I could feel discomfort in the bone after so much road walking (I did the Norte after).

Another potential challenge are the distances between stages. There are some long stages of nothing (which make the fabled Carrion section on The Frances seem simple) which would make getting stranded a real problem. Not only did I not see pilgrims I scarcely if at all saw any other hikers.

The way marking 8.5 out of 10, generally very good, although not quite perfect. I probably walked an additional 20 kms owing to getting lost (the bulk of which was spread over 2 instances which I have explained). Generally things were very clear and I never felt remotely near the point of desperation. I had no guide book and I used no internet so I was relying solely on my eyes finding the way.

I cannot offer anything with regards to the accommodation since I slept outside.


If I compare The Camino Catalan via Huesca to this one then they are very different. After Huesca there were some scenic moments of jaw dropping splendour which I never quite felt on the route via Zaragoza. I prefer hot weather so I preferred the weather on the Zaragoza route, although I am sure the majority of people would not. Via Huesca the weather is cooler (although still quite hot in the summer) and more fickle. The hiking taken by itself is certainly more challenging on the Huesca route with some very mountainous path in the second half. There is far less concrete too on this route which when combined with the cooler temperatures and generally shorter sections may reduce the disparity of the physical challenge between the two routes. On the Huesca route there are far more people (relatively speaking), especially so in the final part from Jaca. Again as I have been told more people do this route in the spring like the Zaragoza route.

From a personal point of view I somehow feel I got more out of the Zaragoza route, though this is solely some unquantifiable personal whim. Maybe it felt more Caminoey somehow?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, esyt,
Great information, thanks so much. For people contemplating this route, there are now three sticky posts that give information on the two variants from Montserrat or Barcelona (Huesca and Zaragoza) and the earlier part from the coast near the border to Montserrat.

I have only walked the Huesca variant, and agree with your comment about the jaw dropping (particularly if you head back up to Somport once you reach the Aragones at Santa Cilia, it's just gorgeous). We met very few pilgrims -- none before Huesca, and three after. And we were surprised to learn that traffic on the Aragones has dropped very much, too. Not sure what explains that, since it's generally very pretty, well marked, great infrastructure....

We were walking in June and it was hot and dry, but I imagine that in spring a lot of what was brown stubble for us would be glorious green, maybe like the Levante in May, I don't know. If I were to walk it again, or if I decide to do the Zaragoza variant, I would definitely try to start in early May.

Thanks again for the very informative post! Buen camino, Laurie