Extra nights on the Mozárabe

[AJGuillaume]

My darling and I are planning a Camino in September/October this year, and one of the options is to walk the Mozárabe (the other option is a lesser walked Chemin in France). If we don't walk the Mozárabe this year, our preparation will serve for a later year.

We would walk from Almería, starting around 18 September, to Mérida. We'll continue on the VdlP in 2024, si Dios quiere. I'm in the planning stages, and as we are slow walkers, will most likely follow the excellent planning posted by @peregrina2000 .

In early 2019, we stayed in Granada, and we visited Córdoba, and we will spend some extra time in those beautiful cities again. I hear Guadix is worth extra time. We're going to do the side trip to Jaén, and we will also spend extra time there.

We have no time constraints, so I have a query for the veterans of the Mozárabe: in what other places do you recommend we should spend an extra day (or two)?

¡Gracias!

 

[peregrina2000]

The first two places that popped into my head are both castle towns, and both are extremely interesting castles, IMO. Alcalá la Real and Medellín (which also has ruins of a Roman theater). Both are bigger than a one horse town, though neither probably gets the description “city.”

I was in Alcalá la Real on a Sunday so the museum was closed in the afternoon, I think, but the castle is really one to explore, lots of excavation, great views, and steps to climb up to towers.

Medellín is the home of Hernán Cortez, and his statue still dominates the main square. The castle and Roman theater are both worth serious visits. Great little hotel with decent food

I just scanned through my blog and can also suggest Baeza, which is a big town and has all the services. Its castle has been restored in what appears to be the current way to do things — make very clear where the original castle ends and the newly added walls begin. Kind of jarring and if I didn’t explain it well, you’ll see what I mean when you get there. There is a nice plaza with some impressive facades and comfortable cafés, a very nice park in the lower town, and I got a great room in a small hotel which seemed luxurious.

Hinojosa del Duque has several churches and an impressive square. The albergue in town was nice, I heard, but I stayed in a pensión that had been closed for years but whose owners open it up for pilgrims. Not exactly a place to stay for a second night, basic but perfectly clean. The other three have much more comfortable places.

You’ll find lots of places to dawdle on this route, especially if you like climbing around castles!

Springtime would be more glorious with all the wildflowers, but I say go for it in September! I am also hoping to walk in September. I so wanted to walk the Lana in springtime. But I’ve not been able to make it to the camino for three springs in a row, so now I am just going to go for it in September (fingers crossed). So we need to carpe diem and go when we can!

 

[AJGuillaume]

Springtime would be more glorious with all the wildflowers, but I say go for it in September

I would have preferred springtime too, @peregrina2000 , however my mother has her 90th birthday in August, and I didn't want to be out of the country and not be able to return for the event. So I played it safe

 

[AJGuillaume]

I just scanned through my blog and can also suggest Baeza, which is a big town and has all the services. Its castle has been restored in what appears to be the current way to do things — make very clear where the original castle ends and the newly added walls begin.

Thank you for the suggestions, @peregrina2000 . As usual, you're a wealth of information!

Just checking, though, that you meant Baena, as Baeza doesn't seem to be on the Camino.

 

[Former member 99290]

Wow! Super exciting news @AJGuillaume Cant add anything to above re places to spend extra time.

Loved the Mozarabe - local people so welcoming. We walked only Granada to Merida. Merida is a wonderful town. When we eventually get to VdelP we will probably start from there, where we left off all those years ago.

Happy for you and Rachel to be planning this walk.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

My darling and I are planning a Camino in September/October this year, and one of the options is to walk the Mozárabe (the other option is a lesser walked Chemin in France). If we don't walk the Mozárabe this year, our preparation will serve for a later year.

We would walk from Almería, starting around 18 September, to Mérida. We'll continue on the VdlP in 2024, si Dios quiere. I'm in the planning stages, and as we are slow walkers, will most likely follow the excellent planning posted by @peregrina2000 .

In early 2019, we stayed in Granada, and we visited Córdoba, and we will spend some extra time in those beautiful cities again. I hear Guadix is worth extra time. We're going to do the side trip to Jaén, and we will also spend extra time there.

We have no time constraints, so I have a query for the veterans of the Mozárabe: in what other places do you recommend we should spend an extra day (or two)?

¡Gracias!

I am not sure how far off trail you want to get but The Guardian seems to be keen on Sanlúcar de Barrameda, see: https://amp.theguardian.com/travel/...ucar-de-barrameda-spain-capital-of-gastronomy
and https://www.theguardian.com/travel/...pe-france-spain-portugal-greece-italy-croatia