Hostal in El Ciervo or Venta de Santa Lucia -- Camino Catalan

[Meeshell]

Hi, I just trying to plot my overnight stays while I do the .Cami de Sant Jaume route. When I leave Bujaraloz the list of accommodation I have does not list a place I can stay until I reach the town of Pina de Ebro which is distance of 37km. I would not be able to walk this far in one day. Does anyone know of a hostal or Albergue in either El Ciervo or Venta de Santa Lucia I could stay? My list did mention Hostal El Ciervo, but it has been crossed out so I guess it has closed down.

 

[Meeshell]

Hi, I just trying to plot my overnight stays while I do the .Cami de Sant Jaume route. When I leave Bujaraloz the list of accommodation I have does not list a place I can stay until I reach the town of Pina de Ebro which is distance of 37km. I would not be able to walk this far in one day. Does anyone know of a hostal or Albergue in either El Ciervo or Venta de Santa Lucia I could stay? My list did mention Hostal El Ciervo, but it has been crossed out so I guess it has closed down.

 

[Meeshell]

I have just checked goggle maps & the distance from Bujaraloz to Pina de Ebro is only 20.4km. My list I got from Montserrat says it is 37km. Someone else's blog I am referencing also mentions this distance as 34km. Can someone please confirm what the correct distance is for me as I am very confused.

 

[KinkyOne]

I have just checked goggle maps & the distance from Bujaraloz to Pina de Ebro is only 20.4km. My list I got from Montserrat says it is 37km. Someone else's blog I am referencing also mentions this distance as 34km. Can someone please confirm what the correct distance is for me as I am very confused.

Gronze has 37,9km:
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/bujaraloz/pina-ebro
Mundicamino has 34km:
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/bujaraloz/pina-ebro

It's true that GoogleMaps shows 20,4km but that's on the N-II and the Camino obviously doesn't stick to it but runs left of it most of the way.
It looks like there's no intermediate overnight stay but you can hitchhike back or forth to Bujaraloz or Pina de Ebro when you reach your desired daily mileage. Or call for a taxi from one of the two bar-restaurantes on N-II.

Buen Camino!

 

[Meeshell]

Gronze has 37,9km:
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/bujaraloz/pina-ebro
Mundicamino has 34km:
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/bujaraloz/pina-ebro

It's true that GoogleMaps shows 20,4km but that's on the N-II and the Camino obviously doesn't stick to it but runs left of it most of the way.
It looks like there's no intermediate overnight stay but you can hitchhike back or forth to Bujaraloz or Pina de Ebro when you reach your desired daily mileage. Or call for a taxi from one of the two bar-restaurantes on N-II.

Buen Camino!

Okay thanks for that information Buen. I guess I will have a get a lift at some point then as I will have no choice. Seems a shame as I feel like I am cheating by catching a ride, but I just would not be able to walk that far, 30km is my absolute limit.

 

[KinkyOne]

Okay thanks for that information Buen. I guess I will have a get a lift at some point then as I will have no choice. Seems a shame as I feel like I am cheating by catching a ride, but I just would not be able to walk that far, 30km is my absolute limit.

You can return the next day to the point you ended the walk the previous day. I don't see that as "cheating" (whatever that might be on a Camino ) because you would still walk every kilometer of it.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Meeshell, Welcome to the forum. I have walked from Montserrat, but I went via Huesca instead of Lleida. You can see the two branches here (but you of course may already know this) https://www.gronze.com/camino-santiago-catalan Based on what the forum members who have taken the Lleida variant have said, I think the Huesca alternative is probably nicer. After Huesca, the scenery is beautiful (before, not so much, but I walked in June when the crops had been harvested and things were all some shade of brown). The Huesca alternative also gives you the not to be missed opportunity to visit the monastery of San Juan de la Pena and the possibility of heading back up to Somport to walk the Aragones, which we did. The ARagones is not very popular, for some reason, but it is beautiful.

If you go through Lleida, you will merge onto Ruta del Ebro, which I walked a few years ago. That's also a very nice route, but again, I think a variant is the better option. Instead of continuing on the Ebro all the way into Logrono, I turned off a few days after Zaragoza to get on the Castellano Aragones, which is one of my favorite solitary caminos ever. But not one I would walk without a GPS. If you look at the schematic Gronze map, all of these alternatives will be much clearer than my rambling. https://www.gronze.com/#todos

It's of course not for me to tell you which route to walk, but just in case you don't know about the alternatives, I thought I'd throw them out. And one more thing -- have you considered starting before Montserrat and walking the Cami St. Jaume from the French border, through Girona, Vic and Manresa to Montserrat. Now that is one lovely walk, with LOTS of unbelievable romanesque churches thrown in if by chance that is an interest of yours!

 

[hel&scott]

It's of course not for me to tell you which route to walk, but just in case you don't know about the alternatives, I thought I'd throw them out.

Is there anywhere you haven't walked? As ever, very useful advice from the forums font of knowledge.

 

[KinkyOne]

Is there anywhere you haven't walked? As ever, very useful advice from the forums font of knowledge.

Plenty of routes in Spain and Portugal she haven't but be sure she will. Met her twice and she's a real trooper

 

[oursonpolaire]

El Cievro was ddefinitely closed in 2016 when I walked that route. At that time the turismo in Lleida/Lerida told me that it was open..... but they were misinformed. It was late afternoon when I got there so the alternatives were hiking through to Pina de Ebro, which I think I might have reached 8ish, or returning to Bujaroloz, which was what I did (to Hostal Los Monegros III). I never walked the stretch from there to Zaragoza as one of the bar's customers, seeing me stagger in after a 32km day, told me that he would drive me to Zaragoza the next morning as he believed that I was in no shape to walk. On our drive I learned that he was on his way into his oncologist's stopping first at the Cathedral of El Pilar to pray, so his generosity when he undoubtedly had other things on his mind was exceptional.

Venta de Sta Lucia's FB page is functioning, but there is no mention of rooms-- they might well be some, as rooms are frequently available above restaurants and bars but it might be best to call them (+34 976 16 20 01). It might be possible to get a taxi or a ride from there to to Pina, and then either return the next day to continue, or just head off from Pina. I have found restaurant owners and barmen to be extremely helpful to pilgrims in such circumstances.

Whatever you do, take enough water with you as the stretch out of Bujaroloz is long and dry-- happily the Catalans are cheerful and generous hosts, and Zaragoza will provide you with a few agreeable cafés where you can stretch your feet out and sip on some artisanal vermouth.

PS As far as distances go, google tells us it is about 21km from Bujaraloz to Pina de Ebro but close attention shows that the google distance is to the pueblo's eastern boundary and the town centre (Correos) is 23km from El Cievro, therefore 32 from Bujaraloz. It took me over two hours to make it to El Cievro, which is supposed to be 9km, so I think it's a little more. If you follow the country roads parallel (I have been waiting for a telephone call, so in my spare time, I google-earthed it along the N-11) to the N-11, it would be another 23km. This is a very penitential day, so whether or not you breathe exhaust near the N-11 or parched country air along roads off the Camino would be up to you. If you do the latter, a GPS would be of some help.

 

[LTfit]

I would second Laurie's advice to take the Camí via Huesca. The scenery once you enter Aragón and especially around Sarsamarcuello-Ena-Botaya and beyond around San Juan de la Peña is indeed spectacular! Although the more northern section is more interesting than the bit from Monserrat, I am not in complete agreement with Laurie (and we walked together). There is great variation in browns which you learn to appreciate if you walk in the summer.

 

[Meeshell]

Hi, Meeshell, Welcome to the forum. I have walked from Montserrat, but I went via Huesca instead of Lleida. You can see the two branches here (but you of course may already know this) https://www.gronze.com/camino-santiago-catalan Based on what the forum members who have taken the Lleida variant have said, I think the Huesca alternative is probably nicer. After Huesca, the scenery is beautiful (before, not so much, but I walked in June when the crops had been harvested and things were all some shade of brown). The Huesca alternative also gives you the not to be missed opportunity to visit the monastery of San Juan de la Pena and the possibility of heading back up to Somport to walk the Aragones, which we did. The ARagones is not very popular, for some reason, but it is beautiful.

If you go through Lleida, you will merge onto Ruta del Ebro, which I walked a few years ago. That's also a very nice route, but again, I think a variant is the better option. Instead of continuing on the Ebro all the way into Logrono, I turned off a few days after Zaragoza to get on the Castellano Aragones, which is one of my favorite solitary caminos ever. But not one I would walk without a GPS. If you look at the schematic Gronze map, all of these alternatives will be much clearer than my rambling. https://www.gronze.com/#todos

It's of course not for me to tell you which route to walk, but just in case you don't know about the alternatives, I thought I'd throw them out. And one more thing -- have you considered starting before Montserrat and walking the Cami St. Jaume from the French border, through Girona, Vic and Manresa to Montserrat. Now that is one lovely walk, with LOTS of unbelievable romanesque churches thrown in if by chance that is an interest of yours!

Thanks for that info Laurie. I have already started my journey from Barcelona & am currently staying at Frago for the night. So far I have not meet any another pilgrims, but I wasn't expecting to either on this stage as I new it was not a very popular route. I don't mind the solitude though. The locals have been so friendly with many stopping me on the way to ask if I'm doing the Camino alone, where I started from & what country I am from or even giving me fruit (picked fresh from the orchard). The language barrier is sometimes challenging as I don't speak Spanish & not many speak English, but I'm getting by okay. It helps that I have list of address in Spanish when looking for a hostel or albergue. The friendliness of the people makes up for the sore feet & blisters haha

 

[oursonpolaire]

Candasnos, your next stop, is a dusty but pleasant village. I stayed at the Colina, a truck stop at the west end of the village, but there are two other hotels there, including the Cruzanzana, by the autoroute just east of the town, which might have the best restaurant. The proprietor of the Hermandad bar, opposite the cinema club, will happily tell you about the local cats.