LIVE from the Camino Granada to Guadalupe

[AlanSykes]

The next section of my annual autumn adventure is to follow the camino Mozárabe from Granada to Guadalupe.

Granada to Pinos Puente:

Granada has some of the worst ugly sprawling suburbs of any great city. 20km gets you to Pinos Puente, and you are effectively still in a dormitory of Granada. Boabdil sighed when he got to the city limits. I did too but, unlike el rey Chico, mine was a sigh of relief rather than regret. At Pinos Puente there is a historic bridge, complete with guard tower, which two brave Moorish captain brothers tried to defend against the Christian hoards. Unlike Horatius and Herminius at the gate, they and their troops got slaughtered. The local albergue appears to be shut, so I stayed at the Hostal Montserrat, by the entrance to town. It was fine, 25€.

Pinos Puente to Moclin:

The day started badly, with the first rain of this camino. A tough track across muddy and claggy fields in pouring rain with thunderclaps for company, and I succeeded in slipping over and covering myself and my rucksack in mud. The sun came out by noon, when I had a tapa in Olivares, and met my first fellow peregrinos of the trip, a Dutch couple who are doing Granada to Córdoba. The next hour is quite strenuous, as you rise 400m in 4km before reaching Moclín, which has an amazing hilltop castle, described as the shield of Granada. It looks quite impregnable, but apparently a fireball from one of the Reyes Católicos' cannons got lucky, hitting the moorish gunpowder magazine and bringing down a bit of wall as a result, and tightening the noose round Granada.

I stayed in the Hostal, which is amazingly comfortable and right on the track. Off season, it often shuts except at weekends so I was lucky my new Dutch friends had booked, otherwise it might have been awkward. 25€ b&b, and they let us use their kitchen to knock up an evening meal as everything else in the village, except the tienda, was closed.

 

[peregrina2000]

Go well, Alan. Your posts are amazingly evocative. Keep them coming!!! Buen camino, Laurie.

 

[Magwood]

Thanks for the info, I'm looking forward to the next instalment.

 

[LTfit]

Love following your posts Alan - I pick up historical tidbits after the fact.

Oh do I remember that incline! I was silly enough to continue on and not stop in Monclín.

I sure hope that the signage has improved since Sept/Oct 2014. I got lost probably once a day from Granada-Cordoba, signage through those olive groves was often very tricky! Many times I thought to myself 'this would be a horror in the rain '
Do hope that it stays dry for you.

This was my loneliest Camino - I saw no one in 16 days!

Ánimo y Buen Camino peregrino!

 

[AlanSykes]

Moclín to Alcalá la Real:

What goes up must come down. The first km straight from the hostal sees you 200m downhill. My Dutch friends had a German guide which suggested following the serpentine road, which would mean 2-3km of tarmac to get you to the same spot. At some point in the olive groves I took my first (camino) footsteps in Jaén province. Alcalá la Real boasts a superb mostly moorish hilltop fortress, occupied and developed by different civilisations over millennia. Much of the rest of the town is a bit of a dump - so, Granada in miniature, but without the tourists. I stayed in the very central hostal Río de Oro, which was fine, 28€.

Mundicamino says this stage is 27.3km, while my wikiloc tracks only made it 22.9, door to door.

 

[AlanSykes]

Alcalá la Real to Alcaudete:

Another day, another imposing moorish hill fort. Alcaudete's was taken over by the knights of Calatrava, and somebody in the town told me it had never been captured since. I didn't like to ask about Napoleon.

Not a day for somebody with an allergy to olive trees. Arbolé, arbolé, seco y verdé. And a few more arbolés, and then some more. I did decide to reduce the monotony by plugging in my mp3 - Mozart's Andalusian opera seemed appropriate for a warm autumn day in Andalusia, and helped pass the last 8km more quickly, so by 3pm I was gratefully filling my empty bottle at the hermita de la Fuensanta at the outskirts of town. There is a new donativo albergue in Alcaudete, opened by Peter Nickson in a nice old house just under the castle, on the way out of town. 4 bunk beds, some friendly dogs and a sunny garden to enjoy a chat and a can of cold beer.

 

[AlanSykes]

Alcaudete to Baena:

More olives. That's about it really. Where the camino crosses the Guadajoz (or Guacamole, as my spell check wanted to call it) you enter Córdoba provinuce, my 4th and last new camino province of this trip. Not a huge number left to tick off.

I like Baena very much indeed. Don't know why so much more than the previous several days towns nestled at feet of imposing castles. Perhaps it was arriving on a Friday afternoon just as the primary schools were being let out, so the streets were thronged with noisy children looking forward to the weekend. Perhaps it's just a nicer place.

At first I could have wished that the albergue was not right at the top of town by the castle but, once you slog up there, it is worth it, with fabulous views on all sides, and a reproduction of the eager 6th century BC Celtiberian "leona de Baena". The plaza de la Constitución is handsome as well, with a striking but sympathetic modern ayuntamiento next to the splendid 18th century Casa del Monte, in front of which, 80 years ago this July, 700 people were more or less randomly shot by the rebels, including at least one 8 year old boy, in the Matanza de Baena.

The albergue is excellent, 10€, a large room with 5 bunks, all to myself (although there were 6 people here last night) in the Albergue Ruta del Califato.

 

[AlanSykes]

Baena to Castro del Río:

Two very nice towns at each end of the day, and lots and lots of olives in between. I think I'm getting mild cafard, not least at it's well over 30 centigrade - although I got limited sympathy from my son in Scotland when I complained about heat as he grumbled that he'd had to de-ice his car windscreen.

Castro del Río can legitimately claim to be the birthplace of Don Quixote, as it is possible that it was while Cervantes was in prison here that he wrote the first pages of the ingenioso hidalgo.

The policemen who have the key to the albergue are very jolly (when I commiserated about the 55 degree summer heat, they said they liked it, as it was too hot for the criminals to do anything). The albergue is right in the centre of town, very comfortable, about 6 bunks in 2 upstairs rooms, with a sitting room downstairs, donativo.

 

[AlanSykes]

Castro del Río to Santa Cruz:

No coffee or tostada until Espejo, a couple of hours out. A really nice village, and they were having a matanza today, so was seriously tempted to stay and enjoy the fun, but it would have meant a long day to Córdoba mañana. Santa Cruz is pleasant enough, although the last hour is frustrating as you can see you're close, but have to make a big detour to get to the bridge across the Guadajoz. The camino has been shadowing the river for the last days and I've frequently been tempted to have a swim, but my trunks are right in the bottom of my rucksack and the water looks a bit sluggish.

Stayed in the hostal Casa José at the start of the village on the main road and paid 20€, although I believe you can ask for a pilgrim discount and get it for 15€, but I forgot on checking in. Full length bath, yum.

 

[LTfit]

Enjoying your posts Alan. The police in Castro are indeed lovely. Smart move to stop in Santa Cruz rather than going all the way to Córdoba in one day as I did.

The way into Córdoba is a bit like the approach into Salamanca or Zamora - you see the city for what seems hours before actually arriving. This time to your right, running parallel rather than front on.

The Amigos from Córdoba have done a wonderful job marking to the north.

Buen Camino.

 

[AlanSykes]

Santa Cruz to Córdoba:

The monoculture of olives gave way to one of grain as Córdoba drew near. The entrance into town is great, a huge Roman bridge across the Guadalquivir - it's up there with the river crossings at Mérida and Zamora. Straight in front of you is the Mezquita, with its slightly dour exterior successfully concealing the fact that it houses one of the wonders of the world.

 

[Carel5]

Hi Alan. If you go on to the albergue in Cerro Muriano, you will meet the very hospitable Dutch couple Gert-Jan and Maria.

 

[Magwood]

Hi Alan. If you go on to the albergue in Cerro Muriano, you will meet the very hospitable Dutch couple Gert-Jan and Maria.

a fabulous place where we were made to feel most welcome.

 

[KinkyOne]

Hi, KinkyOne. Reading your post, I understand this battle ( Batalla de Bailen) were won by the allied Spanish a Englis forces. Being a enthusiastic fan of the History of my country, I, never heard before nothing about English forces fighting in this battle. (Here there is a post about the spanish forces in that battle. Would you please tell me were did you find this mention about english forces? Because I though that the alliance beween G. Britain and Spain started during September of 1808. Would love to learn anything new about what we in Spain call Guerra de la Independencia.
Thanks.

Hola, Pinguigrino,

Ups, my bad, very BAAAAD, sorry for misleading anyone! I think I found the source (http://www.spain.info/en/que-quiere..._de_los_castillos_y_las_batallas_de_jaen.html) but can't really understand how I managed to mix Bailen and Alcaudete (ca.85kms between them, Bailen being up to N-NE)??? Maybe a beer or two too much at 03:13AM
Thank you for bringing this up again to finally clear it.

Again, I'm sorry

 

[KinkyOne]

Toeing the line - really going off topic here - was also a test that was employed by traffic police in Europe (and elsewhere?) before 'breathing tests' existed. The idea was to let the suspicious driver 'toe the sideline' aka let him/her walk the white sideline like a tightrope, one foot after the other. If s/he failed it was off to the hospital for a blood test for alcohol and/or drugs.

Buen Camino, SY

I think that was what Laurie thought
I found explanation that comes from 1800's from athletics when runners had to step exactly on the starting line and not over it...

 

[AlanSykes]

Hi Alan. If you go on to the albergue in Cerro Muriano, you will meet the very hospitable Dutch couple Gert-Jan and Maria.

Sadly not as they've closed their albergue, permanently as far as I can understand, if the person who told me they'd gone back to Holland is right. Room 7 of the Bar X on the main road is now the "albergue" of Cerro Muriano. I was charged 20€, which is pretty much the normal rate for a (perfectly acceptable) hostal room like this.

Córdoba to Cerro Muriano:

At 8.30am this morning I was amongst the 30-odd people waiting for the huge brass doors to open and let us in to the Mezquita. What a wonder. I really think it may be my favourite man made thing anywhere. Its beauty is almost literally breathtaking.

By soon after 10am the selfie sticks and bus tours were filling the place up and I headed for my rucksack and on to the sierras. You get out of Córdoba remarkably painlessly and fairly soon I was in open countryside. Today, most trees had been occupied by multi-generational family picnics, presumably after they'd dropped off their All Souls' flowers at the family graves. The camino partly follows the Cañada Real Soriana upwards through varied sweet smelling garriga - holm oaks, evergreen oaks, pines, wild rosemary, juniper and sage, with lovely shaded sections enfolding sunny spots of greenery, and occasional views back down onto Córdoba.

It felt a tougher walk than 17km, but that's probably due to only starting at 11am, losing 3½ hours of good cool walking, and arriving when it was almost uncomfortably hot - the unseasonable weather continues: I hadn't expected to be bothered by flies in November.

 

[wayfarer]

I have moved some off topic posts to a new thread here.
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/alcaudete.44168/

 

[Carel5]

Sadly not as they've closed their albergue, permanently as far as I can understand, if the person who told me they'd gone back to Holland is right. Room 7 of the Bar X on the main road is now the "albergue" of Cerro Muriano. I was charged 20€, which is pretty much the normal rate for a (perfectly acceptable) hostal room like this.

Sad to hear that this friendly couple has gone.

Another advice for the coming days. The friendly owner of Hostal Mirasierra in Villaharta is willing to help for the next stage if 37 kilometers (with two fords) in one go to Alcarejos is too long. In that case he can pick you up at a mountain pass half way and bring you back the next morning for a reasonable taxi fee. I did not need it as I was in good shape for the distance, but it is a good alternative if you find it too long.

 

[AlanSykes]

Cerro Muriano to Villaharta:

Leaving at 7.15am to avoid the heat, nothing was open. I had brief hope seeing a lively brightly lit café in the distance in the (huge) military camp. Sadly, it was firmly in the zona militar, so a bearded unknown with dodgy backpack was distinctly unwelcome amongst the tanks and 1000s of soldiers. So it was gone 10 before I got my tostada. Not many more hours and I was drinking the delicious mineral water of the former, now ruined, spa near Villaharta, and then enjoying a fino in the Hostal Mirasierra in Villaharta.

Angel, the owner of the Mirasierra, and a camino angel, has given me the confidence to do the 38km to Alcaracejos tomorrow. My knee has been mostly well behaved, and last year I managed 6 days of over 40km, so can't yet accept my inevitable decline. He's also given me telephone numbers and an escape point if the heat etc gets too much. We shall see.

 

[AlanSykes]

PS signing the register at the Mirasierra, they mentioned they had 2 Scots booked in for next Monday. So I said "oh, ¿Juan y Esteban?" And of course it was our own @JohnnieWalker - word of advice, John: bring fruit if you need it, as there was none in any of the three tiendas in town, and I was hoping for a half dozen tangerines to help me through the 37km tomorrow.

 

[KinkyOne]

PS signing the register at the Mirasierra, they mentioned they had 2 Scots booked in for next Monday. So I said "oh, ¿Juan y Esteban?" And of course it was our own @JohnnieWalker - word of advice, John: bring fruit if you need it, as there was none in any of the three tiendas in town, and I was hoping for a half dozen tangerines to help me through the 37km tomorrow.

That's a crowd on Mozarabe

 

[Carel5]

PS signing the register at the Mirasierra, they mentioned they had 2 Scots booked in for next Monday. So I said "oh, ¿Juan y Esteban?" And of course it was our own @JohnnieWalker - word of advice, John: bring fruit if you need it, as there was none in any of the three tiendas in town, and I was hoping for a half dozen tangerines to help me through the 37km tomorrow.

Please tell me about the fords. The first one had water well above the knees. But when I passed it had rained for 1,5 days while you seem to have a drier period. Good luck. It will be a splendid walk.

 

[AlanSykes]

Villaharta to Alcaracejos:

No fords at all, just one place where you had to step on stones to avoid the 3" deep water.

A really great day. The lovely Angel was open at just after 7am, so I got some needed coffee and tostada. And then a lovely morning walking through sweet smelling dehesa, and seeing my first pretty black pigs of the trip, busy turning acorns into delicious jamón ibérico. The 37km go through no towns or villages, and I was beginning to ration my water nervously, but luckily there is a fuente about half way. It's named San Juan, and I was listening to Don Giovanni as I got to it, so was able to fill my stomach and my bottle while toasting Juan the saint and Juan the sinner.

 

[Walli Walker]

Oh, I am so enjoying these posts! We leave from Granada next April and you are really whetting my appetite.
Thank you, Alan.

 

[AlanSykes]

Alcaracejos to Hinojosa del Duque:

On Thursday night, the 6 bed albergue in Alcaracejos had been full for the first time in its brief existence, and as the only person who had walked all the way from Villaharta in one go (the others had split the stage into 2 days, getting a lift to and from the half way point), I was the last to arrive, so had to stay in a hostal (Cesar, 20€, perfectly pleasant, and the barman had bicycled to Santiago this September, and was keen to share his photographs).

Luckily there are 8 beds in the (donativo) albergue at Hinojosa del Duque so no need for a bed race as there was room for the 4 Belgians, 2 Spaniards and me. One of the Spaniards is very keen that people should follow the camino through Trujillo, joining the Vía de la Plata at Aldeanueva del Camino, rather than at Mérida, and saving about 90km. As I'm aiming for Guadalupe, I shall miss both, although I would like to see Trujillo (and Mérida is a delight).

I'm having a rest day in Hinojosa, which is a very pretty town, with an amazing parish church, known as "la Catedral de la Sierra", several fine chapels, an interesting museum and a beautiful, huge public fountain, designed for watering stock moving between summer and winter pasture. And some friendly bustling bars where I can enjoy what I suspect may be the last of my recent favourite tipple, the harsh but tasty, desert dry, fino de Montilla, from just south of Córdoba.

With any luck, my surprising "bubble" of fellow pilgrims (individually pleasant, but rather a lot - one of the Belgians finds it necessary to leave his or her false teeth in a glass by the sink, and one of them could enter the Olympics if they had a category for snoring) will be a day ahead of me again.

My 24th and last day in Andalusia - mañana Extremadura.

 

[AlanSykes]

Hinojosa del Duque to Monterrubio de la Serena:

Heavy rain overnight but a cloudless sky for Jupiter to strut his stuff as I dropped the keys off at the police station. And then an almost perfect morning across farm tracks, with an occasional hen harrier circling overhead for company. Shortly before the Extremadura border, just off the camino, is the solitary chapel of Nuestra Señora de Gracia de la Alcantarilla. By luck, there is a service there on the first Sunday of the month, so it was open and I could admire the recycled Roman columns used in the nave, and also the statue of the virgin, patrona of nearby Belalcázar, wearing a very natty electric blue dress.

Soon afterwards I was taking my first steps in Extremadura for four years, with the road on the Andalusian side newly tarmac-ed and grey, and the Estremadura road ochre and somewhat tatty. You stay on tarmac for the next 6-8 km, all the way to Monterrubio. Which has a museum of olive oil (they are extremely proud of their DO oil, which is very good).

I stayed at the parish priest's house, on a mattress on the floor of the village hall, where there is also a shower and loo. I think during the week people usually stay at the polideportivo, or there was one very nice looking hotel opposite the church and the less inviting, but doubtless much cheaper, Hostal Vaticano, also near the church.

Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera:

Not a long day, but it felt it as about 15 of the 19km were on tarmac. Castuera was worth it: a lively friendly town with an outstanding albergue. You pick the keys up from the police by the town hall. It's 8€, the beds (4 bunks at the moment, but room for more) have cotton sheets on them and there's also a comfy communal area with a fully equipped kitchen. The town boasts a museum dedicated to nougat.

 

[AlanSykes]

Castuera to Campanario:

It was a chilly morning when I set off (the temperature has dropped 10 or more degrees in the last days, which suits me), so I decided not to add to it by detouring to see the site of Castuera's campo de concentración, one of the relatively few purpose built ones, where many thousands of admirers of la niña bonita were imprisoned and thousands were tortured and or shot. It's now been declared a Bien de Interés Cultural.

To make up for yesterday's tarmac, today the camino was almost entirely on farm tracks, on the GR-115. Wonderful views ahead to Magacela's hilltop castle, and back at Castuera. Campanario has a plaque which claims it's the birthplace of Pedro de Valdivia, the conquistador of Chile.

I stayed a couple of km beyond Campanario, at the albergue at the railway station. Decent twin rooms, 12€, and you can eat there rather than slogging back to town, and try a glass of the tasty DO Ribera del Guadiana red. First washing machine since before Granada, another plus. My fourth railway station albergue, I think.

 

[AlanSykes]

Campanario to Villanueva de la Serena:

At Magacela, almost exactly the half way point, I reluctantly ignored a yellow arrow for the first time in almost 500km, and turned right, past a dolmen and across country onto the camino a Guadalupe rather than de Santiago. The marking is not quite non-existent, but it certainly ain't the arrows. But the next two days are mostly on a vía verde and then it's only a day from Guadalupe, so I shouldn't be able to get too lost.

Villanueva de la Serena also claims to be the birthplace of Pedro de Valdivia, and has a statue of him in full conquistador armour marching on the town hall. It also has a delicious sharp strong sheep cheese, not dissimilar to the torta de Casar from the Vía de la Plata.

Slightly to my surprise, and certainly without my asking for it, the Hotel el Emigrante, in the town centre, gave me a small pilgrim discount, knocking the price for a very decent en suite down to 25€ b&b.

 

[Magwood]

Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera:
Not a long day, but it felt it as about 15 of the 19km were on tarmac. Castuera was worth it: a lively friendly town with an outstanding albergue. You pick the keys up from the police by the town hall. It's 8€, the beds (4 bunks at the moment, but room for more) have cotton sheets on them and there's also a comfy communal area with a fully equipped kitchen. The town boasts a museum dedicated to nougat.

I loved Castuera. Lovely friendly reception at the Policia local office, including a chat with the alcalde, a guided walk to the fabulous albergue, and after settling in, we found a good bar for sustenance and wifi and señor alcalde entered and proceeded to buy us drinks all afternoon.

 

[peregrina2000]

Campanario to Villanueva de la Serena:

At Magacela, almost exactly the half way point, I reluctantly ignored a yellow arrow for the first time in almost 500km, and turned right, past a dolmen and across country onto the camino a Guadalupe rather than de Santiago. The marking is not quite non-existent, but it certainly ain't the arrows. But the next two days are mostly on a vía verde and then it's only a day from Guadalupe, so I shouldn't be able to get too lost.

Villanueva de la Serena also claims to be the birthplace of Pedro de Valdivia, and has a statue of him in full conquistador armour marching on the town hall. It also has a delicious sharp strong sheep cheese, not dissimilar to the torta de Casar from the Vía de la Plata.

Slightly to my surprise, and certainly without my asking for it, the Hotel el Emigrante, in the town centre, gave me a small pilgrim discount, knocking the price for a very decent en suite down to 25€ b&b.

This is quite a detour, isn't it? Where will you go from Guadalupe? Really enjoying your posts, as always, alan. And once again, hoping to walk in your footsteps (though not till 2018) -- this is getting to be quite a habit, I know. Buen camino, thanks for these delightful posts. Laurie

 

[AlanSykes]

There's a possibility this route is a bit shorter than going via Mérida - the facebook page plugging the route via Trujillo and Monfragüe claims it is 90km shorter.

Villanueva de la Serena to Madrigalejo:

34km, mostly very flat, mostly on the Vía Verde Vegas del Guadiana. Several rivers and swamps, lots of birds, including the largest flock of storks I've ever seen - 20 or more taking off at once from a paddy field, quite a sight.

Madrigalejo is where Ferdinand of Aragon wrote his will and died 500 years ago this January, while on his way to Guadalupe. I hope I don't follow him, as it's not a desperately inviting little town, although the church, brand new when he snuffed it, has a fine barrel vaulted nave.

 

[AlanSykes]

Madrigalejo to Logrosán:

Another day on the Vía Verde, moving slowly uphill from the wetlands to the arid sierra, and from stocks and cranes to eagles.

The official route from here to Guadalupe takes 34km and goes mostly on the flat. A couple of wikiloc trails take about 27km, with a couple of 1000' of ascent, and the prospect of views in every direction. I know which I'll be hoping to take, especially as it's forecast to be another clear day.

 

[AlanSykes]

Logrosán to Guadalupe:

The mountain route proved fairly straightforward as it is marked as PR 242, leaving the flatter, longer (better marked) GR 116 at Cañamero. The PR goes up the gorge of the Ruecas, around its reservoir and then up over the pass, about 300m of ascent in 3km from the reservoir ("a través de unas montañas bravías y fragosas", as Unamuno put it when he visited in 1910). Once over the top, you are in an immense chestnut forest, including some 800 year old ones. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but they mean that at first you have only tantalising glimpses of the monastery complex far below across the valley. But soon you are rewarded with better views, and it's almost as good as the first sight of Toledo from the Levante, or coming down onto Santo Domingo de Silos from the Castellano-Aragonés.

 

[Carel5]

Now you really go away from well known Caminos. Interesting to follow your reports.

 

[Magwood]

Just taking serious interest in this diversion when your posts stop. @alansykes, what were your stages between Guadalupe and Caceres? Many thanks and buen camino for your current walk.

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Thanks for that info about the route... I have decided this should be my mission this summer. I have to go around June 22 so it will be hot and lonely I suppose! I will throw in the Invierno also, I think. Oh, and I will start from Almería. Does anyone have a piece of advice about the best guidebooks? In Spanish hopefully?

 

[Magwood]

Thanks for that info about the route... I have decided this should be my mission this summer. I have to go around June 22 so it will be hot and lonely I suppose! I will throw in the Invierno also, I think. Oh, and I will start from Almería. Does anyone have a piece of advice about the best guidebooks? In Spanish hopefully?

I shall be setting off from Almeria in April and expect to post to my blog every day. I am planning to take the diversion from Castuera through Trujillo to Aldeanuevo del Camino, and from Salamanca along the camino Torres. All could change, but that is the plan!