Detailed Stage Planning — Camino de Levante - Camí de Llevant

[AlanSykes]

and this castle, as well as the rest of the town, looks like it's worth visiting:

The views from (and back towards) the castle are impressive. Cesare Borgia was a prisoner here in about 1504. His father Rodrigo de Borja (later pope Alexander VI) had been born at Xàtiva, a few days earlier on the walk.

More recently the castle of Chinchilla was a particularly nasty sounding "penal" for political prisoners.

El penal franquista de los horrores: Chinchilla de Montearagón

Este penal fue de los peores de la dictadura, a él llevaban a los presos políticos que habían tratado de fugarse de otras cárceles, según cuenta una página de documentalista memorialista y republicana.

www.ecorepublicano.es

 

[JLWV]

But looking at the maps that came with my Levante guide, I figured it out. If you look at the screenshot of the Levante maps, you will see that the route marked heads off (in light lime green) circumventing the town on the left side, then turns at about 10 o’clock after going under the A-1, in and then heads away from the camino before zig zagging to get to the N-430. Even when we walked, the route had been re-marked with arrows, so I am sure it is no trouble now.

The attachment is old version, here is the last one:

 

[JLWV]

 

[murraydv]

Right, it's time we got moving again, and burned a few calories gained from those lovely pastries!

Day 14: Hoya-Gonzalo to Chinchilla de Montearagón

The walk today, 17.7 km, completes the official 7th stage of the Levante.
This is how @peregrina2000 described this stage in her blog:

Those beehive huts are called cucos in this area. They served generally as shelters for shepherds, and are also found in parts of southern France, where they are called bories, or caselles.

It's an easy flat-ish walk, so we should have enough time to visit Chinchilla after our arrival. This is also a town on @JLWV 's list of towns with castles, and this castle, as well as the rest of the town, looks like it's worth visiting:

Go and check the photos @peregrina2000 has kindly shared earlier. And if we need more time, we can also extend our visit tomorrow morning before leaving. (In real life, Rachel and I would probably take a rest day here)

The Amigos' accommodation list includes a note about a municipal albergue:

It lists otherwise Hostal el Peñón, Hostal el Volante, which are both on the highway coming into town, one of these being possibly where @peregrina2000 stayed in 2013, as well as another 3 private places. The tourism website for Chinchilla has a few more, and includes one that attracted attention earlier in this thread, the Hotel La Posada de Chinchilla. Nice! Very nice! ☺
An interesting lodging is Casa cueva del Alfarero (Cuevas del Agujero). It appears in the video above, the dwellings with the funny white chimneys, which are caves dug out of the rock. It reminds me of the Sacromonte in Granada. I don't think it is available for an overnight, though, but it wouldn't hurt to ask, I guess.

There are a number of options for eating, according to the Chinchilla tourism website. El Rincón Manchego looks nice, what do you think, @VNwalking ? ☺

Now, before I go to bed, I have to ask what @peregrina2000 meant with this:

Is the useless meander just getting out of town?

Stayed in La Posada de Chinchilla last October and I have to say that, apart from it being so beautiful and elegant, the owners there, a young Spanish couple, were so helpful and friendly. And Chinchilla itself is certainly very quaint.

 

[peregrina2000]

More recently the castle of Chinchilla was a particularly nasty sounding "penal" for political prisoners.

You can find information about this in English if people care to google, but one thing I think I can mention without getting close to a “rules problem” is that I was surprised to see that the picture in the article shows the prison as actually being within the walls of the castle. Interesting to note that it has been demolished, as my 2013 picture shows.

 

[JLWV]

Interesting to note that it has been demolished, as my 2013 picture shows.

I first passed there about 1975 and it was yet demolished.
As far as I know, by the moment only external visit is possible.

 

[JLWV]

BTW, are you seeing any Levante traffic these days? I suppose the heat of summer is still too blazing, but it will be interesting to see if people head out in fall.

This morning at the AACS's office we attended Davide, a young (39) man from Parma, Italia, who arrived in Valencia by bicycle (some 1350 km) and continues to Santiago by the camino de Levante.

Also 5 persons from Canals, after Xativa, who will begin the Camino de Levante on week-ends for the first 100 km, then continue for longer times.

 

[JLWV]

I am still looking for somewhere to stay in Vallada, besides Casa Peseta, which looks expensive and is off the camino

Today Amparo, the secretary of AACSCV told me she had a good comment of a german pilgrim about this casa rural.
The price announced by Booking for a double room is 60€, but at this other web https://www.ruralgia.com/casa-peseta-casa-rural-h-5381773 they announce only 28€ for one person.
It is at 250 m from the way

 

[oursonpolaire]

Assuming 'sybaritic' also means wealthy: I looked at the rates, and for starters, they will charge for a minimum of 6 people, even if you're a couple, let alone if you're single

I cannot speak for this destination, but on back-country Caminos (Vadiniense and Castellano-Aragon), I have found that about half of such casas rurales will open up and give pilgrims single-room rates (35€-50€) IF they're so inclined. Or at least that's what happened with me-- they may have entirely misunderstood my John-Wayne castellano, but they gave me a single rate anyway-- perhaps out of desperation to end the telephone call. This is much more likely in a quiet season, when the owner prefers a few euro to no euro.

 

[JLWV]

About Casas Rurales, my feeling and little experience make me think that in holidays time they are more interested by a complete occupation, but when they have few or no customers, a pilgrim is welcomed and may obtain lower price.

About MOIXENT - Corral de Pablanch, after two mails (one returned for wrong direction, although got on the web), and three phone calls, I got a positive answer from the boss, Marco Antonio Garcia, Yes the casa rural is open !
The phone numbers listed as 647 787 335 and 962 260 049 are correct, but he says it is better to call to 744 602 053.

 

[Albertagirl]

Today Amparo, the secretary of AACSCV told me she had a good comment of a german pilgrim about this casa rural.
The price announced by Booking for a double room is 60€, but at this other web https://www.ruralgia.com/casa-peseta-casa-rural-h-5381773 they announce only 28€ for one person.
It is at 250 m from the way

Thank you very much for this. I do not know how far I shall be able or willing to walk in a day when I can return to Spain to walk the Levante. So I am trying to find at least one place in each town or village where I could spend a night when I am able to walk.

 

[peregrina2000]

About MOIXENT - Corral de Pablanch, after two mails (one returned for wrong direction, although got on the web), and three phone calls, I got a positive answer from the boss, Marco Antonio Garcia, Yes the casa rural is open !
The phone numbers listed as 647 787 335 and 962 260 049 are correct, but he says it is better to call to 744 602 053.

Thank you so much, Jean Luis. I stayed there many years ago, but I remember that the Peruvian-Spanish couple were extremely nice. Unless things have changed, thougn, I would NOT eat dinner there.

 

[VNwalking]

Chinchilla looks like one of those fascinating places you walk into on a camino, never having heard of it before. It looks like it's definitely worth taking some time here to nose around. My OSMand map is studded with points of interest, not even considering the castle.

From Spain.info:

Located on a hill that dominates the plains of La Mancha, the town of Chinchilla de Monte Aragón has a remarkable castle built in the 15th century by Juan Pacheco, marquis of Villena, and a beautiful medieval historic quarter.

Chinchilla de Monte Aragón calls for a serene walk through its streets, in order to admire the great houses and courtyards, and discover the quarter of Hondón, with its typical houses dug on the earth. It preserves the remains of the wall, some Arab vestiges, and the gate of Tiradores. It also has an impressive moat, dug on the rock, ten metres wide by six metres deep. In the urban centre we can still find ancient Arab public baths, as well as several emblazoned houses from the 16th to 18th centuries, such as the ancestral homes of López de Haro, Núñez Robles, the Palace of Barnuevo, the 16th-century house of Tercia, and the old public granary.

And...
One thing the OSMand map isn't studded with is grocery stores. So heads up, @Albertagirl. Though there's a filling station down near the highway which might be a spot to get drinks, yoghurt, and snacks.

Edit - Googlemaps shows a Coviran by the Convento Santo Domingo

 

[VNwalking]

And look at this fun place!:

Museo de Cerámica Nacional (Chinchilla de Montearagón) - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

es.m.wikipedia.org

Museo de Cerámica Nacional de Chinchilla de Montearagón

 

[Albertagirl]

I usually budget for a restaurant meal each evening and a cafe breakfast in the morning, plus bread, cheese, and fruit for lunch. But my next camino is going more first class. I will economize where I can, but am reconciled to spending more and enjoying it, whether gas station snacks or a menu del dia. And I seem to have acquired the usual COVID 15 (like the freshman 15), so I don't have to worry about fading away.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Chinchilla looks like one of those fascinating places you walk into on a camino, never having heard of it before. It looks like it's definitely worth taking some time here to nose around. My OSMand map is studded with points of interest, not even considering the castle.

That's what I thought, and that's why in a real life Camino, we would probably stay two nights here.
However, in this virtual Camino, we are continuing our journey.

Day 15: Chinchilla to Albacete

This is the 8th stage on the official Amigos' website. It's a 16 km walk, and looks quite uneventful. This is one of these days that @peregrina2000 , in her blog, qualifies as:

"put your nose to the grind and walk" days

She continues:

I have been in a lot of Spanish cities and I can´t think of another one with fewer interesting buildings or less of a historic core. It was pretty awful, though I´m sure the people who live there love it as their home, so I´m not trying to insult anyone here. [...] After a café con leche, I decided to change my original plans of staying in Albacete (I couldn´t for the life of me imagine what I would do there all day)

Well, we're not going to stay long, just one night and then we'll move on. It's just that the 36 km to La Gineta are too much for us.

There's ample choice of accommodation in Albacete, and there's even a Parador, although it is not centrally located. Unfortunately, the Amigos' website advises us that there is no municipal albergue, but they do list three lodgings: Hostal San Agustín, Hostal Atienzar, and Hotel Castilla.

I have also made a mental note that on the way out, 4.5 km from the town centre, there is a Decathlon, should we need to replace/update/renew some of our gear.

 

[VNwalking]

Albacete has a longish English Wikipedia entry with such gems as:

[Part of the historic region of La Mancha, Albacete has a reputation as producer of clasp knives. Its flat area and the removal of architectural barriers have reportedly made it one of the most accessible cities across the country.

☺

What do they mean by architectural barriers? Old buildings?

Much of its growth has been relatively recent, and the symbol of the city is a giant water tank. Take from that what you will. Clearly it's a military and industrial city.

But if you are interested in the Civil War, and airplanes, this may actually be a place of interest.

For most of the war, the airbase at Los Llanos was the main headquarters of the Republican air force. It was also the headquarters of the International Brigades

The aviation industry is one of the main economic engines of the city. Albacete hosts the School of TLP NATO pilots, Los Llanos Air Base, Ala 14 and the Air Maestranza Albacete. In addition, the city houses the Air and Logistic Park of Albacete, home to major companies

 

[murraydv]

https://www.paginasamarillas.es/f/mogente-moixent/corral-de-pablanch_219582582_000000001.html

Edit - It doesn't show up for me with Googlemap, either. (I'm not a fan of FB, so I sympathize with the conundum you face when dealing with places that only have a FB page.)

El Corral de Pablanch | Moixent
www.moixent.es › content › corral-p...
Ctra. Navalón, 7. 46640 Moixent Valencia. 962 260 049. elcorraldepablanch@hotmail.es · https://www.facebook.com/El-Corral-De-Pablanch-585604318116398 ...

 

[peregrina2000]

In an effort to get more focused help on Albertagirl’s map issues, and to keep the flow of AJ’s walk going, I have moved the map questions to a new thread. As someone who frequently needs tech help, I always find it easier to deal with if the content of the thread is linearly focused on my tech problems! HOpe it works here, and here is the link.

 

[peregrina2000]

As VN pointed out, Albacete was the headquarters for the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. I’m assuming that that fact means that most of the city was in rubble at the end of the war, which would explain the current state of things. Most of the apartment buildings look like they were build in the mid 20th century. It is truthfully pretty dreary. I didn’t stay in Albacete long enough to get any sense of its ambiente, and it may be a lively and well-loved place in spite of its urbanistic shortcomings. The cathedral dates from the XVI century.

And yes, Albacete is known as the knife capital of Spain. Lots and lots of shops with all different kinds. I was actually planning to buy a good wilderness knife for my son-in-law, but we were there on a Sunday and everything was closed. And there is a KNIFE MUSEUM!!!!!

One thing I remember, leaving Chinchilla (on the route now shown in the map JLWV posted) was that at a certain point, some prankster must have intentionally steered us wrong. We were at a fork, and the arrow was on a stone (which must have been moved). Only kms later did we realize that we had been taken off route. No GPS in those days, but thankfully things were very flat and it wasn’t too hard for my French friends to figure out. I was just dutifully following behind.

The pictures show the industrial area of Chinchilla early in the morning, our coffee break in Albacete, and a glimpse of beauty even on what was otherwise kind of a tedious day.

 

[JLWV]

One thing the OSMand map isn't studded with is grocery stores. So heads up, @Albertagirl. Though there's a filling station down near the highway which might be a spot to get drinks, yoghurt, and snacks.

Edit - Googlemaps shows a Coviran by the Convento Santo Domingo

When I stayed at Hostal El Peñón, I bought very near, in a little supermarket behind the Repsol station, in street Santa Elena.

Other note about Chinchilla: it is the first place where I got a stamp at the Guardia Civil without need to explain what and why. The Oficer on Duty was very friendly.

 

[VNwalking]

Other note about Chinchilla: it is the first place where I got a stamp at the Guardia Civil without need to explain what and why. The Oficer on Duty was very friendly.

Pilgrim-friendly Guarda Civil. ☺

It sounds like Chinchilla is much more pleasant place to linger than the modern bustle of Albacete.
I'm still stuck on the ceramics museum...as opposed to a knife museum.

Unfortunately if you want to split that stage between Chinchilla and La Gineta into two shorter days, Albacete is the only option. Though I see it's possible to stretch the day out a little by staying a short distance off the camino in the Hotel Santa Isabel on the West edge of town...which just so happens to be right next to the Decathlon.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Unfortunately if you want to split that stage between Chinchilla and La Gineta into two shorter days, Albacete is the only option.

There is a little village called El Trigal, slightly off the Camino. It's about 10 km out of Albacete, and the Amigos' accommodation lists it with two entries, both hotels: Hotel Los Gabrieles, Hotel Seis Hermanos.
This would mean there are only 30.4 km left to La Roda.

Though I see it's possible to stretch the day out a little by staying a short distance off the camino in the Hotel Santa Isabel on the West edge of town...which just so happens to be right next to the Decathlon.

☺ That's if you're more interested in Decathlon than knives

Day 16: Albacete to La Gineta

The ninth official stage on the Levante is a 40.4 km walk from Albacete to La Roda.

We're going to break this into two days, hopefully, with a 20.1 km walk today from Albacete to La Gineta.

I say hopefully, because there is only place to stay in, and it is the municipal albergue. That shouldn't be a problem, except if we take @peregrina2000 's experience into account:

But by 3 pm we arrived in La Gineta, where the polideportivo (sports center) has a place where pilgrims can shower and sleep. Since it was Sunday, we had already called ahead on Friday to the town hall to say that 2 or 3 pilgrims would be arriving on Sunday. The woman I spoke with said to go to the local police, who would have the key. Once we got to the center of this small town, a young boy on roller blades came up to us and was essentially our guide for the next frustrating hour. First he took us to the local police -- closed. The phone number on the door didn´t work. Then he took us to the sports center -- closed and no sign of life. Then to a bar or two to ask for help -- nothing, nada, rien.

I note that she was trying to stay at the polideportivo, whereas the Amigos' accommodation list indicates that the albergue is:

en pequeño edificio cerca de la GC. Son 3 habitaciones dobles, con baños.

Now is that still the same place as in 2013? There is a phone number:

Contactar Ayto antes de 14h. Tel 687 578 013

@KinkyOne remembers that it may have moved to a nearby house, so hopefully we won't have any trouble finding a bed.

There's a Coviran (supermarket), a bakery, a fruit and vegetable place, a restaurant (Los Chopos), and a few cafés/bars, so we shouldn't go hungry.

Looking at Google maps in more details, it appears that there are two albergues, one next to the Guardia Civil, as per the Amigos' information, and the other on Calle Camino Real, number 83, with Google maps showing a photo of the Bar Chely. Hmmm... Any advice from veterans, please?

 

[VNwalking]

That's if you're more interested in Decathlon than knives

Aren't we all? I mean, socks after all!
Anyway, if you needed to go to the decathlon, the hotel next door would be very convenient. It's on the far side of town, which would make the next day's walk that much shorter.

What I am noticing about these days, at least from my maps, are the flatness of the terrain and the endless agricultural landscape. This part of La Mancha seems like the meseta on steroids. Do I have the wrong impression?

 

[peregrina2000]

I can’t imagine that there are two albergues in La Gineta. I think that it’s more likely that the one in the polideportivo (which was where it was in 2013 when I was there) has closed and the other one, near the Guardia Civil, has opened to replace it. I think this information is probably accurate. It is the same as what the Valencia Association shows.

As I was googling around to try to find out more information, I came across another list of services put together by the camino association in Hospital de Llobregat (Catalunya). I’ve used their list on the Camino Catalán and it was very helpful. On this Levante list of theirs, they show that La Gineta has “oferta hotelera,” which must be referring to the Hostal Los Gabrieles, which AJ has already mentioned. Google maps shows that that is about 8 km before La Gineta (so almost in the middle between Albacete and La Gineta) but it is apparently close to the camino. It might be useful for people trying to split up stages.

This part of La Mancha seems like the meseta on steroids.

Actually this is part of the big meseta, at least that’s my impression. It is very flat, almost all the way to Toledo, where things pick up a bit. And you’re right that it is now almost exclusively agricultural fields, though there used to be a lot of grazing, I believe, at least that’s what I was told was the purpose of the last century mortar-less beehive huts that you see.

I’ll bet there’s not a day before Toledo with more than 100 or 200 m elevation gain. Good for endless vistas of springtime poppies and crops, but not as appealing in the hot shadeless summers of dry brown fields.

And one p.s. If you find yourself with nothing open, there is a train in late afternoon/early evening that will take you up to the next stage at La Roda in about 6 minutes.

 

[C clearly]

There is a little village called El Trigal, slightly off the Camino. It's about 10 km out of Albacete, and the Amigos' accommodation lists it with two entries, both hotels: Hotel Los Gabrieles, Hotel Seis Hermanos.
This would mean there are only 30.4 km left to La Roda.

And if 30 km is too much, you can walk the 8-10 km to Gineta, stay there, and then just have 20 km to La Roda.

The important thing to note is that when people say "the stages are too long" on a route, it just means that the typical published stages are too long. If you have the time, there are many opportunities to break them up, even without sleeping outdoors.

 

[AJGuillaume]

I can’t imagine that there are two albergues in La Gineta. I think that it’s more likely that the one in the polideportivo (which was where it was in 2013 when I was there) has closed and the other one, near the Guardia Civil, has opened to replace it. I think this information is probably accurate. It is the same as what the Valencia Association shows.

I should notify Google that their map is incorrect... I have done that in the past with shop opening times, or exact placement of lodgings, but I'll have to check out the place before I do so.
The information you gave, as well as the one in the Amigos' accommodation list, shows the address of the albergue as Calle Fuensanta.

And one p.s. If you find yourself with nothing open, there is a train in late afternoon/early evening that will take you up to the next stage at La Roda in about 6 minutes

I had made a note of this after reading your blog, and I put it down as Plan B.

The important thing to note is that when people say "the stages are too long" on a route, it just means that the typical published stages are too long. If you have the time, there are many opportunities to break them up, even without sleeping outdoors.

That's the message I have been trying to communicate in this virtual Camino, and why I refer to the 'official' stages from the Amigos' website, before giving the details of our stages. As most pilgrims would be faster than us two slow walkers, I thought I would try to give the alternatives too, and I am glad the Veterans are chiming in! ☺

 

[VNwalking]

What I see when I search with for La Gineta with Google is that the single albergue is at the far end of town (see attached screnshot/map)
My OSMand map shows neither, but has a place called Casa Oreja - presumably a CR - well north of town (about 8ks!). Thinking this might be an interesting alternative, I tried to chase down any information about it, but without success.

Edit...the map I got searching and the one I got by just opening GM were different. I see where you have 2 albergues, AJ. Confusing!

 

[AJGuillaume]

What I see when I search with for La Gineta with Google is that the single albergue is at the far end of town (see attached screnshot/map)
My OSMand map shows neither, but has a place called Casa Oreja - presumably a CR - well north of town (about 8ks!). Thinking this might be an interesting alternative, I tried to chase down any information about it, but without success.

Edit...the map I got searching and the one I got by just opening GM were different. I see where you have 2 albergues, AJ. Confusing!

That's the one, @VNwalking .
The other one pops up when you zoom in to the town center (see screenshot).
I'm assuming that someone entered the information in Google maps incorrectly.

 

[VNwalking]

Here's the original map I found, and I'm not sure what the other logo means, where it just says La Gineta. Maybe this is where to get the keys?

 

[VNwalking]

And here is the other place, Casa Oreja.
If you had a bike it would be easy. Or maybe they'd be willing to collect you in La Gineta?

 

[AJGuillaume]

Here's the original map I found, and I'm not sure what the other logo means, where it just says La Gineta. Maybe this is where to get the keys?

The pin next to the wording La Gineta is roughly where the other albergue (?) is located.
The keys to the albergue in Calle Fuensanta are collected from the Ayuntamiento or the police, I believe.

And @VNwalking , you need to recharge your phone

 

[VNwalking]

And @VNwalking , you need to recharge your phone

Haha, yes, gracias. Now I'm on my computer and it's plugged in.
This may be another thing for the tech thread that Laurie started. It seems you get different versions of
Googlemap, depending on what you ask and where you access them.

 

[JLWV]

There is a little village called El Trigal, slightly off the Camino. It's about 10 km out of Albacete, and the Amigos' accommodation lists it with two entries, both hotels: Hotel Los Gabrieles, Hotel Seis Hermanos.
This would mean there are only 30.4 km left to La Roda.

Last time, as I resumed my way in Albacete, arriving by train at 12AM, and as I had seen a post from Laurie about El Trigal, y walked directly there and stayed there.
It is very practical but you have to know that it is a service area of the highway, so there is absolutely nothing more than the hotel, and a petrol station with the usual shop of highway (limited products and higher prices).
The urbanización is private and has no services.
On the other side of the highway, accesible by the bridge, there is other hostal, a restaurant, and a Burguer-King.
I join an access map, and you can also go there from the Albacete's Decathlon directly by the left 'vía de servicio' of the higway.

 

[C clearly]

I join an access map

Your map seems to show a completely different route from the one shown in red in the screenshot I am attaching? Is that a marked route or is it just a record of where you walked on service roads? Does your route through El Trigal continue on the south side of the Autovia?

Also, I am confused because the amigos website says that Hostal Los Gabrieles is "about 4 Km from La Gineta" but my attachment shows that it is over 8 km in a straight line from Urb El Trigal to La Gineta.

 

[JLWV]

Your map seems to show a completely different route.......

Yes, it is completely different.
The route as defined and marked today is the yellow one on my map. I walked it twice. I understand that your map shows an old route, from before 2013, or maybe the Camino del Sureste.

I have just read again my notes of the day I walked this leg, and the distancy I registered with GPS was 16,5 km, but as I was checking the marks I didn't enter at El Trigal direct from the South-East, as shown on my map, but by the Nord-West, so I walked some 2 km more and the direct distancy remains in 14 km, which means some 6 to La Gineta. Next day, from El Trigal to the albergue of La Roda I measured 29,5 km.

Reading my notes I remember that the little shop at the 'gazolinera' was a Carrefour-Express.
The price of a single room at The Gabrieles was 25€ in 2017.

 

[C clearly]

The route as defined and marked today is the yellow one on my map.

Thats. Now I remember that you are JLW on Wikiloc, and I have found your tracks.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Day 17: La Gineta to La Roda

This is the second part of the 'official' or 'published' (that's a better word, thank you @C clearly ) 9th stage of the Levante. This stretch to La Roda is 20.3 km, so La Gineta sits nicely right in the middle of this published stage.

@peregrina2000 mentioned that there is a train running through La Gineta to La Roda. It is on the line running to Madrid Chamartin, and the ride is only 8 minutes. So it's good to know, in case there are any issues.

You need to take a packed lunch: there is nothing, absolutely nothing, between these two towns, apart from vast fields. Nor does there seem to be any place to stop and sit in the shade.

La Roda has a municipal albergue, which is in the bull ring. It also has a number of private lodgings, as mentioned in the Amigos' accommodation list: Hostal Molina, where @peregrina2000 stayed in 2013, Hotel Juanito, and Hotel Flor de la Mancha. The official tourism website of La Roda has another two hotels: El Poligono, and El Sueño de Jemik. These last three are not central.

La Roda is famous for its miguelitos, pastries that look really delicious.

There are a few sights that you can check out in La Roda. I'll let you discover other aspects of La Roda in this video:

 

[VNwalking]

La Roda has a municipal albergue, which is in the bull ring.

Fortunately, there are a number òf other options for those who might have qualms anout this.

La Roda is famous for its miguelitos, pastries that look really delicious.

Well...who needs sights?? From the link you offerred:

Miguelitos, have also been known to be served with a cup of café con leche.

 

[peregrina2000]

Since we arrived late in the day, after having waited for several hours for the train in La Gineta, I never did get to see much of La Roda. But I have a vivid memory, though I will have to check my blog to see if it corroborates this memory, of being served some of the best manchego cheese in the hostal’s bar. Absolutely lip smacking good.

It could be fun to experience the novelty of sleeping in a bull ring. There was one other on the Camino de Madrid, in Nava de la Asunción, but it seems to have been de-commissioned and replaced by a newer, bigger, and better albergue. I remember some forum member was injured and spent a few days there, and really enjoyed it — my point being only that this may be your last and only chance of spending a night in a bull ring albergue, so it is worth considering! My memory, vague as it is, is that it was in the doctor’s office within the bull ring.

 

[AlanSykes]

It could be fun to experience the novelty of sleeping in a bull ring

It's a very comfortable albergue, two rooms with two beds in each, access straight out on to the sand. As Laurie says, in the infirmerary of the Plaza de Toros.

There are a couple of bull ring albergues on the Lana as well. The one at Casas-Ibáñez , which I don't particularly recommend - a bit smokey, and access only from the street, not into the ring itself. The one at Trillo was much better. A tiny ring right by the Tajo, and the albergue in what I assume must be the matador's changing rooms - there's a huge looking glass covering most of one wall. Also the largest paellador I've ever seen: perhaps 3 metres across and and 60-80cm deep, presumably enough to feed most of the village on fiesta days.

 

[murraydv]

Just a small deviation here to acknowledge one of our fellow pilgrims. Ella Anderson posted on Facebook's "Camino de Santiago 2020/2021" yesterday about being heart broken at the sudden and tragic death of her partner in Burgos while on the Camino from SJPD to Santiago. She said that it was with a heavy heart that she agreed to him doing this one time Camino by himself. A sad ending.

 

[AJGuillaume]

It could be fun to experience the novelty of sleeping in a bull ring.

It's a very comfortable albergue, two rooms with two beds in each, access straight out on to the sand. As Laurie says, in the infirmerary of the Plaza de Toros.

Falling asleep with the smell of the warm sand, dreaming of the crowd shouting 'Olé', the trumpet sound announcing the next tercio, the pasodobles...

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I should notify Google that their map is incorrect... I have done that in the past with shop opening times, or exact placement of lodgings, but I'll have to check out the place before I do so.
The information you gave, as well as the one in the Amigos' accommodation list, shows the address of the albergue as Calle Fuensanta.


I had made a note of this after reading your blog, and I put it down as Plan B.


That's the message I have been trying to communicate in this virtual Camino, and why I refer to the 'official' stages from the Amigos' website, before giving the details of our stages. As most pilgrims would be faster than us two slow walkers, I thought I would try to give the alternatives too, and I am glad the Veterans are chiming in! ☺

I changed the info on Google Maps after a request from @peregrina2000 It will take a day or two to percolate through though.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Last time, as I resumed my way in Albacete, arriving by train at 12AM, and as I had seen a post from Laurie about El Trigal, y walked directly there and stayed there.
It is very practical but you have to know that it is a service area of the highway, so there is absolutely nothing more than the hotel, and a petrol station with the usual shop of highway (limited products and higher prices).
The urbanización is private and has no services.
On the other side of the highway, accesible by the bridge, there is other hostal, a restaurant, and a Burguer-King.
I join an access map, and you can also go there from the Albacete's Decathlon directly by the left 'vía de servicio' of the higway.
View attachment 82944

The accommodation across the road is called Pension Los 6 Hermanos

 

[VNwalking]

Manchego cheese and bullring albergues will be entertaining. And for those miguelitos, there are a couple of pastelerias/confiterias right in the main drag: La Moderna in the middle of town, and Gaymon not far from the albergue on the other side of the street.

An ignorant question: if the albergue is at the bullring - in either the Dr's office or the changing room - is it completely unavailable if it's being used?

 

[JLWV]

An ignorant question: if the albergue is at the bullring - in either the Dr's office or the changing room - is it completely unavailable if it's being used?

Yes, completely unavailable.
According to Antonio Cebrian, the person in charge, telephone +34.630.440.215, this use to be only 2 days, and is during the festivity of La Roda, usualy in the first 15 days of August (although in 2020 it should have been ultimate days of July).
In this moment closed for Covid-19, but there are hotels in La Roda.

 

[JLWV]

Levante just one year ago https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/on-this-date-in-september.68430/post-872543

 

[VNwalking]

So I am cheating by posting this as a quote from another thread - and I'm tardy in posting it where it belonged, nearer Valencia, but just learned about it today:

I learned something today.
Horchata is made with 'tiger nuts,' or chufa, which are not nuts at all but the roots of a sedge (of all things).
These were an eye-opener:

Tigernuts ▷ Valencia (Spain) ▷ Permanent stock 🥇 We are Tigernuts.

Tigernuts are the basis of our business. ✅ All qualities. ✅ Permanent stock in large quantity. ✅ Best prices. ✅ All types of tigernuts.

www.tigernuts.com

Chufas Bou - Farming organic Valencian tiger nuts.

Since 1946, we are experts in growing amazing quality tiger nuts in our fields in Alboraya, Valencia.

www.chufasbou.com

If you're walking the Levante, you're in Chufa ground zero.

So if you see vast fields of sedges, you're not imagining things. I never ever thought of eating sedge roots, though I've pulled my share out of gardens over several decades. It turns out that I'm 4000 years behind the times, which for some reason delights me. If you're this far behind the newest trends, there's no hope of catching up.

But here is where in Valencia you can enjoy the end results, from organic growers:
L’Obrador de Bou
Organic artisan horchata shop
Avenida Mare Nostrum, 7
46120 · Playa de la Patacona
Alboraya (Valencia)
(+34) 961 486 185

 

[AJGuillaume]

Nor does there seem to be any place to stop and sit in the shade.

I stand corrected. I recently purchased a Levante guide book, in French, from Gérard du Camino. I received it today (it took a month to get from France to Australia!) He breaks the Amigos' 9th stage into two days, with a stop at La Gineta. In the description of the section from La Gineta to La Roda, he mentions conifers around a half way mark, about 3 km after crossing the road that leads to Montalvos. There's another place with shade under pine trees as you cross the Fuensanta aqueduct.
So delving more into satellite imagery, on Google maps I even found a 'Descanso de peregrino':


Gérard du Camino also has an update, dated 31 January 2020, on the location of the albergue in La Gineta: the albergue has been moved to near the café-restaurant Los Chopos:

- l'Albergue municipal été déplacé et se trouve à présent près du café-restaurant Los Chopos, les clefs toujours à la mairie. avant 14h00. Tél. 687 57 80 13.

Can you verify this, please, @JLWV ? Thank you!

Day 18: La Roda to Minaya

The Amigos publish the next stage, the 10th, as a 34.5 km walk from La Roda to San Clemente. In his guide book, Gérard du Camino breaks this into two stages, both more manageable for slow walkers such as us. Today we will walk 15.9 km to Minaya, according to the Amigos' website.

For @peregrina2000 , in 2013, the

17 km to Minaya flew by

No wonder, with her two French friends, she walked those 17 km in just a little over 3 hours! We definitely can't keep up with you at that pace, @peregrina2000 ! ☺

You'll need to take sufficient water and a packed lunch for this stretch.

Minaya has a few sights, such as a church dedicated to Santiago, a windmill, and cubillos, these round stone huts built without mortar, and the Casa Palacio de los Señores de Minaya.

Minaya has a municipal albergue, which is in the Polideportivo. Gérard du Camino mentions it is a room that serves as a storage in which there are 3 mattresses, with access to the Gymnasium's showers and toilets.

C'est une pièce qui sert de débarras dans laquelle il y a 3 matelas. Accès aux sanitaires du Gymnase.

I think I might prefer the alternative which is the Hostal Antolin. The Amigos' accommodation list have this to say about it:

dueño muy atento a los peregrinos

owner very attentive to pilgrims. The Amigos also list apartments, Apartamentos turísticos 'La Escapada'.

The Antolin has a restaurant, and there are a number of bars and cafés.

It's on the apartments' website that I found this video about Minaya:

 

[VNwalking]

Eeek. I am still eating miguelitos. Time to walk.
That descanso de peregrino is about 6 and a half kms shy of Minaya, a good place to stop for a break.
One thing to add is that Minaya's another place with a big municipal pool with a place to eat. It's just on the outskirts of town as you come from the La Roda direction, three-quarters of a km from the centre of town.

PISCINA MUNICIPAL -MINAYA- | Portal de Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha

deportes.castillalamancha.es

 

[AJGuillaume]

Eeek. I am still eating miguelitos. Time to walk.
That descanso de peregrino is about 6 and a half kms shy of Minaya, a good place to stop for a break.
One thing to add is that Minaya's another place with a big municipal pool with a place to eat. It's just on the outskirts of town as you come from the La Roda direction, three-quarters of a km from the centre of town.

PISCINA MUNICIPAL -MINAYA- | Portal de Deportes de Castilla-La Mancha

deportes.castillalamancha.es

The albergue in Minaya used to be near the swimming pool... That would have been really great!

 

[AJGuillaume]

Day 19: Minaya to San Clemente

From Minaya to San Clemente, it is 18.6 km. It's a flat stage, and the nice thing is that half way, there is the little village of Casas de los Pinos, where we can stop for food. This stretch is the second half of the Amigos' published 10th stage.

Casa de los Pinos has a little church, dedicated to Our Lady of La Candelaria. As I was looking for where to eat, I stumbled upon the ayuntamiento's website, with recipes of local specialities.

In San Clemente, there is an albergue. The keys are at the tourism office or the local police. In addition, there are a number of private lodgings: Hostal Milán I, Hostal Milán II, Hostal Plaza Mayor, La Posada del Reloj, Casa de Los Acacio, in a building dating from 1660, and Casa Rural "Alcañiz".

This is what @peregrina2000 wrote about San Clemente in 2013:

This town has a beautiful plaza mayor and some old convents/monasteries. It is obviously a tourist destination since there are artisinal cheese shops and "productos manchegos" shops (we are in La Mancha, home of manchego cheese, and we´ve had some great cheese). We also had the best meal of the camino so far -- a kind of upscale little place where the menú del día was 10€ and was really good. You know it´s upscale when they squiggle balsamic reduction around your thinly sliced crisply delectable garlic flavored potatoes.

@peregrina2000 stayed at the Hostal Milán II in 2013, and had that nice meal at the restaurant Milán I.

There's also more info (all in Spanish) on the tourism website of the town. The church is dedicated to Santiago Apóstol. There are a few sights that look interesting, as well as Casas Señoriales.

While having our evening meal in Minaya, we noted than San Clemente is another place in @JLWV 's list of towns with castles. In San Clemente, this is the Torre Vieja, which houses the Museo Etnográfico. It has also been a while since we last had a rest day. So we thought we might have an extra night here. What do you think?

Day 20: rest day in San Clemente

 

[peregrina2000]

I liked this little town very much. The owner of the hostal took us on a tour, and we spent some really nice relaxing time in the plaza mayor. Lots of people, lots of good ambiente. The tourist office of San Clemente gives (or gave, before covid) guided tours, so this looks like a good choice for a rest day! Much more interesting than Las Pedroñeras (though it is the garlic capital of Spain). El Toboso, a few days further on, is another good candidate, with all of the Quijote sites.

The walk into San Clemente is another flat straight trajectory, but I enjoyed it very much, except for one last convoluted twisting route to get across the highway, whiose construction obviously did not have pilgrims in mind.

Oh, and the Hostal Milan I and II are related — maybe two brothers? I got the story, but didn’t get the sense that there was any acrimony, as there frequently can be in these situations. In fact the hostal owner recommended that we go eat at the Milan I. (the II is located right at the Camino’s entrance to town, and the I is hidden further back, so the II must nab all the walk-in traffic)

 

[VNwalking]

What do you think?

Absolutely.

On top of all else, here is also this:

Espacio Carlos Pazos

Espacio Carlos Pazos Colección permanente en San Clemente Un lugar muy especial del museo, y que forma parte de la colección permanente desde 2010, es el que ocupa la escultura de 10 metros Cupito… ¿y por qué no?, de Carlos Pazos, ubicada en lo que conoce en San Clemente como el toril.

fundacionantonioperez.com

( scroll down a bit..)

This seals the deal:

You know it´s upscale when they squiggle balsamic reduction around your thinly sliced crisply delectable garlic flavored potatoes.

Garlic capital? Yes please.
(Is there sopa de ajo in la Mancha,too?)

 

[C clearly]

Wow. An interesting day in San Clemente. You people are doing an excellent job of collecting and presenting this information.

 

[peregrina2000]

Wow. An interesting day in San Clemente.

There are ten or more towns like San Clemente on the Levante — small places with lots of interesting “cultural and historical patrimony.” What’s not to like?

Is there sopa de ajo in la Mancha,too?)

Sopa de ajo is claimed by both Castilla and La Mancha, I believe. That has become less confrontational and competitive now that at least some of Castilla is joined with La Mancha (with the other half merged with León, much to the disgruntlement of some Leoneses). What I mean is that sopa de ajo can be claimed by Castilla-La Mancha, rather than having to choose Castilla or La Mancha).

I have never been much of a fan of sopa de ajo, though I love all the ingredients individually. I’ve pretty much given up ordering it, so maybe I should come back with an open mind and try it again. But @VN, you need to be careful, because there are many variations of the soup that stray from its purely non-meat base. Not a novel warning for Spain, I know.

 

[AlanSykes]

I liked this little town very much.

Me too, very much indeed. The church of Santiago has some very fine sculptures, including a massive alabaster renaissance crucifixion, a lovely simple serene romanesque Virgin (pre-dating the church), and a quarter life-sized Santiago doing a bit of matamoros (well, actually, matamoro, as there's only one, and his fierce horse is doing most of the mata, as Santiago's sword has got lost some time in the last few centuries). There are also some impressively massive columns, and lovely gothic ceilings.

The modern art gallery, in a renaissance palace (see pic) near to the church, is also spectacular. When I was in town it had a big exhibition of works by Guillaume Corneille, a large part of the A of the CoBrA art movement - not quite what I was expecting to find in the manchegan meseta.

I had a delicious late lunch (including some sopa de ajo, with raw egg yolk added to the bowl at the last monent) in the Posada del Reloj opposite the church, while waiting for the tourist office to open and give me the albergue key (very comfortable little albergue, a flat in a house on the way out of town, 2-3 rooms with a couple of beds each and a sitting room with local pamphlets). It was All Hallows' Eve when I was there, so the evening was very lively, with costumed children rushing around in high glee, and their parents all out enjoying one of the noisiest paseos I've even encountered.

 

[Deleted member 397]

I liked this little town very much. The owner of the hostal took us on a tour, and we spent some really nice relaxing time in the plaza mayor. Lots of people, lots of good ambiente. The tourist office of San Clemente gives (or gave, before covid) guided tours, so this looks like a good choice for a rest day! Much more interesting than Las Pedroñeras (though it is the garlic capital of Spain). El Toboso, a few days further on, is another good candidate, with all of the Quijote sites.

The walk into San Clemente is another flat straight trajectory, but I enjoyed it very much, except for one last convoluted twisting route to get across the highway, whiose construction obviously did not have pilgrims in mind.

Oh, and the Hostal Milan I and II are related — maybe two brothers? I got the story, but didn’t get the sense that there was any acrimony, as there frequently can be in these situations. In fact the hostal owner recommended that we go eat at the Milan I. (the II is located right at the Camino’s entrance to town, and the I is hidden further back, so the II must nab all the walk-in traffic)

Over the years i've stayed at Milan 2,a hotel on the plaza and the albergue. I was lucky one time as i arrived on a day when everything was shut but fortunate to find the police station opened so got the key to the albergue which was a little further on. From memory it was pretty good with a few separate rooms with single beds..just me as usual. On returning to the square i walked down a narrow street looking for lunch and found the other Milan which,ironically was open and had a nice lunch. Another time i stayed overlooking the plaza and got a very nice room for i think about 20-25 euros.
By the way i too use the french gerard book

 

[peregrina2000]

I had a delicious late lunch (including some sopa de ajo, with raw egg yolk added to the bowl at the last monent) in the Posada del Reloj opposite the church,

On returning to the square i walked down a narrow street looking for lunch and found the other Milan which,ironically was open and had a nice lunch.

So, I think if you do a restaurant tally, you will see that San Clemente is a good gastronomical stop as well. One of us had a good meal in Milan II, one of us in Posada del Reloj, and one of us in Milan I. You will have to try them all and crown the winner.

 

[VNwalking]

I see lots of places to eat - takeaways, bars, restaurants. But only one panaderia, before you cross the river.

There are also a couple of markets, and even an Orange store, if your SIM is acting up or needs a refill.

 

[JLWV]

Can you verify this, please, @JLWV ? Thank you!

La Gineta
Yes, Gérard is well informed.
At the AACS-CV we had some comment but no official information. Nevertheless on Google maps the new albergue is plotted, and the telephone indicated is the one you say.
There are various photographies, one put by a lady whith french name, probably the person who informed Gérard Rousse.
Just be carefull, the albergue is not near the ''restaurant Los Chopos'' but near the ''Salones los Chopos'', extreme NorthWest of the village, not far from the way. See picture

 

[JLWV]

So delving more into satellite imagery, on Google maps I even found a 'Descanso de peregrino':

The spanish guy (name and surname typical) who put it on Google Maps is one of the two persons who put pictures to the location of the albergue de La Gineta.
Sure that a bank under a tree is to be marked in this 'desertic' area!

 

[JLWV]

So if you see vast fields of sedges, you're not imagining things. I never ever thought of eating sedge roots,

Yes, very tipycal in Valencia. Mainly cultivated in the northen area of the city, in sandy earth.
Really we do not eat the roots, but drink the horchata which is a slurry of the starch extracted from the tubers.
A refreshing drink.

 

[JLWV]

The Amigos also list apartments, Apartamentos turísticos 'La Escapada'.

MINAYA
These accommodations are behind the Hostal Antolin, in front of the Cooperativa Viticola Santiago el Mayor.

 

[JLWV]

This the Club de Tenis de Algemesi.
Yes for restaurant, but never heard about accommodation.
It is some 200 m left of the way, very well visible and with direction signal.
May be ok for a stop for refreshment, but no more, and so next to the city....

Back to Algemesi to show where is this club, 37 km from Valencia, and see the signalisation. (Photos of this morning, while refreshing the yellow arrows)

 

[AJGuillaume]

Day 21: San Clemente to Las Pedroñeras

This is the 11th published stage of the Camino de Levante. It is 23.7 km between the two towns, on a flat profile. We need to take a packed lunch, as although we will come across one hamlet, there is no place to eat along the way.

The hamlet's name is Santiago de la Torre, where will we find ruins of a castle. The Wikipedia article (in Spanish) mentions it was the property of 81 heirs, and has therefore suffered from neglect. In 2018, the Ayuntamiento de El Provencio acquired 60% of the property, and there is a plan to work on the restoration of the castle.

Apart from the hamlet, it's a pretty uneventful stage. Even @peregrina2000 qualified this in her blog as 'uneventful':

The day was uneventful, but that´s only because of my Camino buddy Kevin who had warned me that after about km 7, there would be a poorly marked turn to the left, up to an abandoned house, and over onto another track. We would never have seen the arrows without his help, but knowing where to turn made our lives very easy today.

In Las Pedroñeras, the albergue used to be in the 'casa parroquial'. It is still in the same building, but at the Convento del Sagrado Corazón. There are 6 rooms, a kitchen, and pre-Covid, bed linen and towels were included in the cost of 15€. There is also the Hostal El Bomba, where @peregrina2000 stayed in 2013. The Amigos add this:

Valentin es afable

I am assuming Valentin is the owner, and he is friendly ☺
The Amigos also list a Casa Mauricio.

If you're staying at the Hostal El Bomba, you can go to their restaurant. There is also the Restaurante Castilla, as well as a bakeries, supermarkets. We won't go hungry!

Let it be known that Las Pedroñeras is the Spanish capital of garlic:

It even has a garlic museum:

 

[VNwalking]

Bakeries and garlic.
Heaven.

A website I found lists Restaurantes El Bomba and Los Angeles. http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/las-pedroneras-22631/descripcion/#ancla1
And it has this:

 

[AlanSykes]

A new garlic museum? Now I will have to go back, as an enthusiastic collector of Spain's quirkier museums. So far I've got jamón in Monasterio and queso in Casar de Cáceres, both on the Plata, aceite at Monterrubio de la Serena on the Mozárabe, the crayfish at Herrera del Pisuerga on the Besaya, the orinal at Ciudad Rodrigo on the Torres, and one of my life's sadnesses is that the museo del calamar gigante at Luarca on the Norte was closed down (appropriately by flooding).

Back in 2014, the albergue in Las Pedroñeras was a rather cramped room in the corner of the priest's grand house. Perfectly fine for one, but would have been tight for two, so it sounds as if things have improved. The priest strongly recommended I eat in the Castilla, and it was excellent (sopa de ajo, claro), and they gave me the lunchtime menú even tho' it was packed with weekend people and gone 9pm.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Day 22: Las Pedroñeras to Santa María de los Llanos or Mota del Cuervo

The next published stage, the 12th, is a 31.2 km walk from Las Pedroñeras to El Toboso. Most pilgrims will walk this in one day. We have chosen to walk this in two days. We have a choice to either walk 13.8 km to the little village of Santa María de los Llanos, a little before the half way mark, or 19.6 km to Mota del Cuervo.

Along the way, we will walk through the town of El Pedernoso. The Amigos' website recommends:

Do not leave the village without visiting the park, a replica of the Güell park in Barcelona.

In Santa María de los Llanos, there's only one place in which to stay: Casa Rural el Calvario. It is apparently a new building, with 4 bedrooms. The Bar El Rincón is the only place to eat.

There is a wider choice of accommodation in Mota del Cuervo, starting with a municipal albergue. The keys can be retrieved from the police station, but I'm not sure of the location of the albergue. The Amigos list other accommodation: Hostal Rural Plaza, and Hotel Mesón de Don Quijote. The ayuntamiento's website lists two other casas rurales.

The town of Mota del Cuervo has a number of sights, however the attraction is the windmills on the hill above the town. On the first Sunday of the month, you can see the traditional "Molienda", the grinding of the wheat into flour:

With a short walk tomorrow, we'll walk to Mota del Cuervo today.

 

[VNwalking]

Don Quixote and Dulcinea del Toboso...we are coming up on Tobaso. Are Tobaso and Toboso variant spellings of the same place? No matter, the windmill is appropriate!

My quest is for always for food it seems. It's not very noble but perhaps Quioxtically impractical to be wandering in search of a panaderia.

Mota del Cuervo has a number of bars clustered around the Plaza de la Tercia but Santa Maria de los Llanos doesn't seem to have as many options though there are a few places in the Plaza Major...

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 21: San Clemente to Las Pedroñeras

This is the 11th published stage of the Camino de Levante. It is 23.7 km between the two towns, on a flat profile. We need to take a packed lunch, as although we will come across one hamlet, there is no place to eat along the way.

The hamlet's name is Santiago de la Torre, where will we find ruins of a castle. The Wikipedia article (in Spanish) mentions it was the property of 81 heirs, and has therefore suffered from neglect. In 2018, the Ayuntamiento de El Provencio acquired 60% of the property, and there is a plan to work on the restoration of the castle.

Apart from the hamlet, it's a pretty uneventful stage. Even @peregrina2000 qualified this in her blog as 'uneventful':

In Las Pedroñeras, the albergue used to be in the 'casa parroquial'. It is still in the same building, but at the Convento del Sagrado Corazón. There are 6 rooms, a kitchen, and pre-Covid, bed linen and towels were included in the cost of 15€. There is also the Hostal El Bomba, where @peregrina2000 stayed in 2013. The Amigos add this: I am assuming Valentin is the owner, and he is friendly ☺
The Amigos also list a Casa Mauricio.

If you're staying at the Hostal El Bomba, you can go to their restaurant. There is also the Restaurante Castilla, as well as a bakeries, supermarkets. We won't go hungry!

Let it be known that Las Pedroñeras is the Spanish capital of garlic:

It even has a garlic museum:

Sorry I haven’t been paying attention, how did you get a couple of stages ahead of me?!

Only to add a couple of pictures of the two items of interest on the stage to Las Pedroñeras — the house with the obscure arrow and some shots of the castle in ruins. Such good news to hear that the government has stepped in to take the castle out of some of the squabbling heirs’ hands. But I wonder how it works when the government owns 60% and presumably the heirs still own the rest?

Maybe @JLWV can clue us in on whether the route still takes a left turn at that little white house on the hill and whether marking has been improved, but if you are looking for it, you won’t go wrong.

As an aside, I also remember that there was a street lined with stores selling every imaginable kind of cured meat. Lots of those ”productos típicos manchegos.” Good services and good people in Las Pedroñeras!

 

[peregrina2000]

Day 22: Las Pedroñeras to Santa María de los Llanos or Mota del Cuervo

The next published stage, the 12th, is a 31.2 km walk from Las Pedroñeras to El Toboso. Most pilgrims will walk this in one day. We have chosen to walk this in two days. We have a choice to either walk 13.8 km to the little village of Santa María de los Llanos, a little before the half way mark, or 19.6 km to Mota del Cuervo.

Along the way, we will walk through the town of El Pedernoso. The Amigos' website recommends:

In Santa María de los Llanos, there's only one place in which to stay: Casa Rural el Calvario. It is apparently a new building, with 4 bedrooms. The Bar El Rincón is the only place to eat.

There is a wider choice of accommodation in Mota del Cuervo, starting with a municipal albergue. The keys can be retrieved from the police station, but I'm not sure of the location of the albergue. The Amigos list other accommodation: Hostal Rural Plaza, and Hotel Mesón de Don Quijote. The ayuntamiento's website lists two other casas rurales.

The town of Mota del Cuervo has a number of sights, however the attraction is the windmills on the hill above the town. On the first Sunday of the month, you can see the traditional "Molienda", the grinding of the wheat into flour:

With a short walk tomorrow, we'll walk to Mota del Cuervo today.

Definitely a good choice to walk to Mota, IMO. That way you can enjoy those windmills up on the hill. And have more time in El Toboso, which in the good old days got a steady stream of busloads of municipal senior associations. As a Quijote tourist destination, though not a mobbed place, Mota has a good supply of restaurants and services. I walked this stage alone, I remember, meeting up with my amigos in El Toboso, because I wanted to wander around the windmills.

And yes it is another flat flat flat day.

p.s. to VN.

Are Tobaso and Toboso variant spellings of the same place?

I am virtually certain that if you saw a reference to Tobaso it was a typo.

 

[VNwalking]

This looks very cool.
After checking out the windmills, it's worth mentioning that Mota is another place that has one of those gianormous municipal lap pools, in this case on the Western edge of town. There are two restaurants in the immediate vicinity.

These windmills...so why are they in La Mancha and not elsewhere? Is it just that they're relicts that have disappeared elsewhere in Spain but whose fame (thanks to Cervantes) has protected them here?

 

[peregrina2000]

These windmills...so why are they in La Mancha and not elsewhere?

I think that you can find them all over the country, but their preservation probably depends in part on whether the economic benefit is going to be worth the cost of the preservation. The obvious link to Quijote makes that an easy decision in La Mancha, I assume. I have been to the ones outside Toledo, which are really nice.

► 10 preciosos molinos de viento que merece la pena visitar en España - El Viajero Fisgón

¿Sabías qué es lo que, año tras año, viene buscando muchos extranjeros en España? ¿Sol, paella, sangría…? No, la respuesta es: molinos de viento. La importancia mundial del mayor representante de nuestras letras ha hecho que cada vez más turistas de fuera de nuestras fronteras vengan a nuestro...

www.elviajerofisgon.com

Looks like you could plot out a route dedicated to just visiting windmills!

And this site highlights molinos de viento from Andalucía to País Vasco.

 

[C clearly]

Last year I listened to all zillion chapters (39 hours and 37 minutes) of Don Quixote (translated by Edith Grossman, narrated by George Guidall) while walking at home. I enjoyed it, but could not have read it! I think it will help me appreciate my own wanderings in La Mancha. I should study it up a little more before going.

 

[JLWV]

Maybe @JLWV can clue us in on whether the route still takes a left turn at that little white house on the hill and whether marking has been improved, but if you are looking for it, you won’t go wrong.

Yes, you have to turn left at the Casa del Tesorero. The second time I had no orientation problem.
As a comment, on the other side of the white house there is where to seat for a rest or lunch.
Nevertheless, who miss the left turn (as I did the first time, not due to bad signage, but to a confusion at the exit of San Vlemente) can arrive without problem to Santiago de las Torre, as the castle is quickly seen at the horizon and can guide you. Inclusive you walk along a little wood which offers shadow..!
In 2014 there was some kind of gift for pilgrims at Casa del Tesorero, but in 2018 it was no more.

 

[JLWV]

Looks like you could plot out a route dedicated to just visiting windmills!

Out off the way, but if you have some rest day about Toledo, here is a nice place with both windmills and castle: CONSUEGRA.

 

[AJGuillaume]

These windmills...so why are they in La Mancha and not elsewhere? Is it just that they're relicts that have disappeared elsewhere in Spain but whose fame (thanks to Cervantes) has protected them here?

It's the same for windmills in southern France. In some places of Provence, they have been preserved and restored, in others they have just disappeared.
Another example that comes to mind is the windmills of Mykonos: they don't serve any other purpose than for tourism.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Nevertheless, who miss the left turn (as I did the first time, not due to bad signage, but to a confusion at the exit of San Vlemente) can arrive without problem to Santiago de las Torre, as the castle is quickly seen at the horizon and can guide you. Inclusive you walg along a little wood which offers shadow..!

In his 2017 guide book, Gérard du Camino's directions are to walk straight ahead at the Casa del Tesorero. Then when you arrive at the road, you had an option to go straight ahead and then turn towards Santiago de la Torre later (a bit of a detour), or turn left at the road, and then right to join the Levante (or Ruta de Don Quijote). In his update on 31 January 2020, he indicates that you have to turn left at the Casa del Tesoro:

[Page 74]
2ème ligne , au niveau des maisonnettes, un balisage bien marqué indique de tourner à gauche, ce que nous avons fait. Arrivés plus loin un carrefour en T, prendre à droite où l’on retrouve la Ruta Don Quichotte à suivre tout droit et au stop face à la route goudronnée prendre en face toujours la Ruta Don Quichotte

[Page 74]
2nd line, at the level of the small houses, a well marked arrow indicates to turn left, which we did. Once you reach a T-junction, turn right where you will join the Ruta Don Quixote. Go straight ahead and at the stop sign at the asphalt road, continue straight ahead on the Ruta Don Quixote.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Out off the way, but if you have some rest day about Toledo, here is a nice place with both windmills and castle: CONSUEGRA.
View attachment 83610 View attachment 83611 View attachment 83612 View attachment 83613 View attachment 83614

Although in theory there is a bus (Samar) between Toledo and Consuegra, the schedule would probably require an overnight in Consuegra. You would need a car to visit Consuegra. Which can be done...

 

[JLWV]

It's the same for windmills in southern France.

And in northern France, Département du Nord.
No need to remember that Holland in Nederlands has a lot of them.
And less known and less big, in Mallorca some remain which were built, copying Holland, not to mill, but to pump water from low lands.

You would need a car to visit Consuegra. Which can be done...

I said Toledo, as a rest place, but Consuegra is nearer to Mora, Tembleque, Villacañas, or Mota del Cuervo. A rented car is maybe the best option if budget agrees.

 

[VNwalking]

A rented car is maybe the best option if budget agrees.

Please hold your horses, AJ and @JLWV.
We are peregrinas and peregrinos. We have feet...and OSMand.
So here are a few screenshots...and a gpx file - click on it and choose whichever map app you have to open it.

Herewith, two (long) days from Villacañas to Mora via Consuegra - 34 and 41 kms, which is admittedly out of reach for some of us, but ok for others. You could get there and back to Mora more directly, but I routed us as much as I could to agricultural roads (sorry for the clutter of intermediate waypoints but otherwise it routed us on big roads):

 

[AJGuillaume]

Definitely a good choice to walk to Mota, IMO. That way you can enjoy those windmills up on the hill. And have more time in El Toboso

Day 23: Mota del Cuervo to El Toboso

We have enjoyed ourselves in Mota del Cuervo, and our walk today completes the published 12th stage of the Levante. We have 11.6km to El Toboso.

The little town of El Toboso, with its 1700 inhabitants, is one of the oldest of the region. Its name appears in official documents around 1350. What made El Toboso famous is Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quijote de la Mancha (the full title of his work being: El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha). I haven't read

all zillion chapters (39 hours and 37 minutes)

☺ and I can't remember the story about Dulcinea, but I do remember the giants he fought at Mota del Cuervo. In my defense, it was many, many moons ago, at school, and in French, when I read that small part of Don Quijote's story.
Here is what @peregrina2000 wrote in her blog about El Toboso:

So here in this tiny town of El Toboso there is a Casa de Dulcinea, which is supposedly the home of the family of the woman upon whom Cervantes supposedly based the character of Dulcinea. So there are several leaps of faith required here. There are quotes from Don Quijote on the walls at every street corner, and a lot of Manchegan homes that are intended to look like they´re from the period. And of course a few statues of DQ and Dulcinea adorning the roundabouts and the plazas. Maybe a little over the top, but there was a lot to keep us busy this afternoon.

Yes, that will keep us busy too!

In El Toboso, there is a number of places to spend the night. There is an albergue at the Hospederia de Trinitarias. In 2013, @peregrina2000 stayed at Albergue & Hostal El Quijote. The Amigos also mention: Albergue Dulcinea del Toboso (their information indicates that it is an Albergue Juvenil, a youth hostel, closed to pilgrims in June and July), Casa Rural Casa de la Torre, Casa del Cómico.

@VNwalking , I can't find a panadería. Also, where do you suggest we eat?

Right, I'll leave you with this:

¡Buenas noches!

 

[AJGuillaume]

Please hold your horses, AJ and @JLWV.
We are peregrinas and peregrinos. We have feet...and OSMand.
So here are a few screenshots...and a gpx file - click on it and choose whichever map app you have to open it.

Horses held, @VNwalking ! What can I say? You're a genius with OSMand!
This bypasses Tembleque, which I hear is also a beautiful place. Is the distance from Tembleque similar to that from Villacañas?

 

[AJGuillaume]

Without jumping ahead, but just looking at planning... Is Villa de Don Fadrique a must see or must stay place?

 

[VNwalking]

No panaderia!? Horrors.
And...haha...you're asking the one vegetarian amongst us to recommend a place to eat?

Well, Restaurante Casa Gastronómica El Rincón de la Mancha claims to be vegetarian friendly, but there are a number of options. And the photos online look mouthwatering.

Restaurante El Quijote is said to be smaller, with rooms. So if you were staying here it'd be convenient.

La Competencia is a gastropub, and looks like it has lots of pizza. There's also another Pizza place nearby.

El Toboso Restaurante gets some of the best reviews, but it is more out of town; said to be family-run with no menu. It might be worth going out of your way for this one...

 

[VNwalking]

Is the distance from Tembleque similar to that from Villacañas?

Hang on, let me check.

Edit. Even better. 28.5 to Consuegra and 38.9 to Mora. (And I'm not such a whiz. Now I have waypoints and clutter from the last route that won't go away. )

 

[peregrina2000]

Without jumping ahead, but just looking at planning... Is Villa de Don Fadrique a must see or must stay place?

Well, I wouldn’t say that the town is a must see place at all, but there was a good home-cooking type of restaurant, and a Casa Rural that gives pilgrims very good treatment (but maybe a little over the top and annoying). The husband of the family runs it, or at least did when I was there. He had had some sort of work accident, and this was something he could do. I was very comfortable with my surroundings (spacious room, good bed, wonderful bathroom, clothes washed for you, very reasonable price), but not comfortable with his politics. I very much enjoyed the huge plate of food he left out for me at night. My French pals slept in the polideportivo, but I had some good excuse about it being too cold at night. The owner seemed to take it personally that I wanted to leave and meet my French buddies before his normal breakfast time. And as we were leaving town in the dark (dark because it was our one rainy morning on the Levante), there he was driving around up ahead to make sure we didn’t get lost. Fussy is the best word to describe him, and I am sure that some who are more blunt than I would have been able to tell him to leave them in peace.

But p.s. — edited to add that he was a very kind and caring person, and I sound very unappreciative of that in this post.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Before I write about our next virtual day, I would like to write down our thoughts on how we might proceed during the next few days.

From El Toboso, following the published stages, it is 27 km to Villa de Don Fadrique. From there, it is another 29.1 km to Tembleque, a town which looks really beautiful and worth a rest day.

For many pilgrims, those distances will not be a problem, but for us slow walkers, we have alternatives.

One alternative is to break the next two published stages into 3 days walking:
El Toboso to La Puebla de Almoradiel, 17.6 km
La Puebla to Villacañas (not stopping at Villa de Don Fadrique), 20 km
Villacañas to Tembleque, 18.5km
The profile for this option is flat, and this could be achievable for us, the second day being just about the limit that my darling would walk without any issues.

An alternative is to walk shorter stages, and cover the two published stages in 4 days:
El Toboso to Quintanar de la Orden, 10.4 km
Quintanar de la Orden to Villa de Don Fadrique, 16.6 km
Villa de Don Fadrique to Villacañas, 10.6 km
Villacañas to Tembleque, 18.5km

So sitting at a table in the Restaurante Casa Gastronómica El Rincón de la Mancha, which is vegetarian friendly, we're discussing our options...

¡Buen provecho!

 

[VNwalking]

Eat first, plan later. Anyone else need a menu?
https://elrincondelamancha.es/casa-gastronomica

 

[oursonpolaire]

I would normally go for a tomato salad as fresh tomatoes are a sign of the world to come, but from that menu I might go for the partridge salad, followed by the carrillada de cerdo (although if it be Friday, I would go for the chipiron rebozado so as not to take undue advantage of the pilgrim's privilege of not abstaining from meat); I would ask for some cheese as dessert, and wash it down with the last of the wine. As an alternative, I might go for some fruit and a chupito of orujo blanco, to settle my stomach.

 

[VNwalking]

Tomato salad, revuelto de setas, gazpacho, patatas bravas...where to start? Though this is the kind of place where I would be tempted to throw myself at the mercy of the kitchen, saying make me something vegetarian as you like...and see what comes out. I had a stellar meal in Chantada on the Invierno that way, much better than anything I could have asked for.

Dessert...for me definitely the Bizcocho....

 

[AJGuillaume]

Well, that was delicious! That bizcocho was sublime, @VNwalking ! ☺

In real life, we would probably walk the next two published stages (13th and 14th) in 4 days, because we have no commitments, and we have plenty of time. In this virtual Camino, we'll do it in 3 days, to keep things moving along.

Day 24: El Toboso to La Puebla de Almoradiel

Our stage today covers about two thirds of the published 13th stage of the Levante. We're walking 17.6 km. The profile is flat, and this is how @peregrina2000 described it in 2013:

Most of the kms were through fields of vineyards, with the occsional bit alongside a secondary highway. Almost all of it was on dirt, very little asphalt, so the pilgrims' feet were happy.

On our way to La Puebla de Almoradiel, we'll go through Quintanar de la Orden, after 10.4 km. It's a fairly large town, with a choice of accommodation for those who wish to stop here overnight, and plenty of places to stop and rest for a while if you're walking on. If you're going to stop here, there are a number of things to see, one of which is the 16th century Gothic church, dedicated to Santiago Apóstol, more precisely to Santiago de la Espada, which is the Matamoros representation of Santiago.

In La Puebla de Almoradiel, the albergue municipal is unfortunately closed. However, we have alternative lodgings: Casa Rural El Gigüela (not sure if one can book a room just for a night), Complejo Rural La Vega del Zurrón (about 2 km out of town), and Casa Rural Las Olivitas.

No problems in finding a place to eat according to the ayuntamiento's website.

I'll leave you with a video from the ayuntamiento, which, amongst other sights, shows the three lodgings:

 

[JLWV]

In La Puebla de Almoradiel, ........... and Casa Rural Las Olivitas.

In 2015 I have been, alone, in Las Olivitas.
It was time of wine harvest (september), and both municipal and church's albergues were not available, so I falled back to this Casa Rural, which was at that moment the cheapest one (35€ for 1 night 1 room with breakfast). Not booked, just a phone call when I discovered the albergues were unavailable.

Very good casa rural with all services. The rooms on first floor, around a covered patio with corridor, were very good, with private bathroom. Laundry, terrace where we can dry the clothes. Library with about 1.500 books on the walls of the gallery. Buffet for breakfast in the comedor in lower plant.
My best accommodation between Home and Santiago.
I don't know which is the price today.

 

[VNwalking]

Library with about 1.500 books on the walls of the gallery.

Oh, dear. And only one night to read them all. That's "So many books, so little time" taken to the extreme.

I was curious about the name of this town and found this:

"Almoradiel", which is composed, according to some researchers, of the Arabic article "al" = "the", the Latin word "murellu" (diminutive of "muru"), and the ending in Arabic diminutive «iel» = «small»; and according to others, it is an entirely Arabic proper name, formed by the article "al", the noun "murad" and the diminutive "iel". In any case, the root, whether it is Arabic or Latin, has the meaning of "wall", "castle" or fortress ",So its full name could well be translated as "El Castillito", "El Castillo Pequeno" or "El Castillejo". The title of "Puebla" is received some time later, on the occasion of the repopulation promoted by the Order of Santiago.

(Machine translation from http://lapuebladealmoradiel.es/historia-la-localidad/)

The bit about 'repopulation promoted by the Order of Santiago' seems like a short phrase with a huge story behind it.

If you are into astronomy, about 7kms southwest of town there is an observatory - with public viewings on the weekends.

Visitas – Fundación AstroHita

fundacionastrohita.org

 

[Deleted member 397]

Well, I wouldn’t say that the town is a must see place at all, but there was a good home-cooking type of restaurant, and a Casa Rural that gives pilgrims very good treatment (but maybe a little over the top and annoying). The husband of the family runs it, or at least did when I was there. He had had some sort of work accident, and this was something he could do. I was very comfortable with my surroundings (spacious room, good bed, wonderful bathroom, clothes washed for you, very reasonable price), but not comfortable with his politics. I very much enjoyed the huge plate of food he left out for me at night. My French pals slept in the polideportivo, but I had some good excuse about it being too cold at night. The owner seemed to take it personally that I wanted to leave and meet my French buddies before his normal breakfast time. And as we were leaving town in the dark (dark because it was our one rainy morning on the Levante), there he was driving around up ahead to make sure we didn’t get lost. Fussy is the best word to describe him, and I am sure that some who are more blunt than I would have been able to tell him to leave them in peace.

But p.s. — edited to add that he was a very kind and caring person, and I sound very unappreciative of that in this post.

I'm guessing that's El Rincon...i've stayed there a few times and yes the owner was very attentive!.the first time he came out in his car to make sure i found his place. I opted for the evening meal and after the huge bowl of pasta i couldn't eat anything else and he was not happy. Likewise at breakfast i usually only have a cafe solo but he insisted i take some fruit with me. The second time he was most apologetic that i had paid €25 through booking.com and doubly so when i said i was staying in hostal Prickly which he thought was too expensive and offered to drive me there so i could skip that stage. So yes,he can be a bit overly attentive!

 

[Albertagirl]

I am at last on the same page, although just arriving in Albacete, where I had previously marked on maps.me the three accommodation options suggested by the Association, so I shall spend one night there and then go on to La Ginete. I have been busy with various details involved in preparing for knee surgery. There is a bad COVID-19 outbreak (actually, five of them on five different wards) in the hospital that does the knee surgery. What with that and the rising number of cases in Calgary (about 500 active cases at present) I may not get the surgery anytime soon. But I get my preparations done, and live in hope. And Buen camino to us all.

 

[VNwalking]

There is a bad COVID-19 outbreak (actually, five of them on five different wards) in the hospital that does the knee surgery. What with that and the rising number of cases in Calgary (about 500 active cases at present) I may not get the surgery anytime soon.

Eeek.
May it soon be safe for that surgery, @Albertagirl!

 

[Albertagirl]

Today Amparo, the secretary of AACSCV told me she had a good comment of a german pilgrim about this casa rural.
The price announced by Booking for a double room is 60€, but at this other web https://www.ruralgia.com/casa-peseta-casa-rural-h-5381773 they announce only 28€ for one person.
It is at 250 m from the way

For general information, I saw this post today and decided to check on it. Yes, it says 28 euros, if you enter the website above, but asks for the dates of arrival/departure and immediately transfers to booking.com, which gives a price of 50 euros plus, in very small print, another 5 euros for taxes, and also offers breakfast for 5 euros. My guess is that this website is set up to draw in people to consider casas rurales with prices which do not exist. For those whose fluency in Spanish is better than mine and who are travelling in the off season, this would still be a possibility. I do not have a telephone number for Casa Peseta, and am hoping that someone can provide one, in case I should feel the confidence to negotiate.