Yoah
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances (Winter 2022)
Hi everyone,
I've just arrived in Seville and thought I'd share some basic info from my trip along the Via Serrana, in the hope it may prove useful.
I started in Tarifa instead of La Linea (thought that would be cool), so ignore the first three days if you're curious about the 'official' Via Serrana only.
Day 1: ~36k from Tarifa to Algeciras. First ~10k gorgeous, then a little monotonous along dirt roads. No services the entire way until you get to the Algeciras area. Accomodation: Pension Versalles (€22).
Day 2: ~38k from Algeciras to La Linea. Had to climb through a few fences and I avoided going via San Roque because that's on the Via Serrana. No facilities until Venta Juan Carlos, but they offer a fantastic 3-course meal which includes a drink for €9. Accomodation: La Esteponera (€16).
Day 3: ~20k to and around Gibraltar, then back to La Linea (where accomodation is much cheaper). Had a lovely day climbing the Rock! Accomodation: Small Room Close to Border (€14). Very mixed reviews on booking.com but I thought it was fine - I'm not super demanding.
Day 4: ~29k from La Linea to San Martin del Tesorillo. Bought a credential from the church of Santiago in La Linea from the kind priest who wished me a buen camino - the first one! Lots of yellow arrows - feels like a camino from La Linea onwards (in many though not all ways). Nice trail to San Roque and then quite a bit of road to San Martin. Accomodation: Ochomin Hostel (€25; not actually in San Martin but the village right next to it, Secadero).
Day 5: ~38km to El Colmenar (but add 1-2 to go into Jimena de la Frontera about halfway). I loved the climb out of Jimena - I enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the top of the hills/mountains. Because I lingered and took photos/video, the descent into El Colmenar was in the dark - fine with a headtorch. Accomodation: Las Buitreras (€40) - beautifully rustic and a bit castle-like. Couldn't find anything cheaper, which I would have preferred.
Day 6: ~40km to Ronda. Absolutely stunning day that I should have split in two to be able to really savour this stretch. The gorge just out of Colmenar was one of the highlights of this route. The climb out is steep and not short, but *views*. Very beautiful again along the river Guadiaro on the side of the hill/mountain later on. Ronda is absolutely stunning, in case you were not already aware!
Day 7: ~30k to Olvera. Mostly along agricultural tracks - a little monotonous but the last 10k to Olvera is through beautiful undulating farmland - kind of what I imagined Andalusia to look like, but prettier! Accomodation: Olvera B&B (€34). Bad experience - they didn't seem to know I was coming. Locked door, nobody there, no answer when I phoned. Got hold of them in the end and received instructions to let myself in. Don't expect much of breakfast either!
Day 8: ~25k to Coripe, all along a greenway punctuated by lots of tunnels through the hillsides. Very nice (necessary?!) to have a shorter day. The only bar/cafe along the way was closed (for winter, presumably), so no services along the way. There was water available from a fountain at the place that was closed, though. Accomodation: Pension Coripe (€25). Thanks @alansykes - I knew about this place from reading your report. The only other place I could find on booking.com was more than twice as expensive. Juan, the owner, was very kind and treated me to a cup of tea in the morning.
Day 9: ~30k to El Coronil, through more lovely, undulating Andalusian countryside. Amenities available in Montellano at ~19k from Coripe. Unpleasant (heavy with speeding traffic) road walk for most of the last ~10k into El Coronil. Accomodation: Hostal Don Juan (€31).
Day 10: ~40k to Dos Hermanas. Pleasant because varied; flat for the most part. Accomodation: El Emigrante (€36).
Day 11: ~16k to Seville. Almost entirely along roads, but once you hit Parque de Maria Luisa you're in the beautiful parts of Seville. Accomodation: Hostal San Isidoro (€14) - nice little place from where I am now writing!
And that's it! A few concluding thoughts: I wouldn't recommend the bit between Tarifa and La Linea - probably only worth doing if you want the 'I walked to Santiago from the southernmost point of Spain' street cred. I did this in late November and the weather was absolutely fine. The mornings and evenings are chilly, particularly up high (Ronda and the days leading up to it). I did not meet any other pilgrims. There were no real (municipal) albergues - that is, no pilgrim-oriented accomodation and, therefore, a more expensive camino than your mainstream ones (for most people). If you walk with a partner, it probably works out a bit cheaper since, most of the time, I was given a double room because there were no single-room options.
Happy to answer questions if you have any!
I'm moving on to the Via de la Plata tomorrow (December 3rd) - I could keep you lovely forum dwellers up to date on my progress if this might be of interest, although there's already quite a bit of info about the VdlP out there, obviously. Let me know.
Buen camino!
I've just arrived in Seville and thought I'd share some basic info from my trip along the Via Serrana, in the hope it may prove useful.
I started in Tarifa instead of La Linea (thought that would be cool), so ignore the first three days if you're curious about the 'official' Via Serrana only.
Day 1: ~36k from Tarifa to Algeciras. First ~10k gorgeous, then a little monotonous along dirt roads. No services the entire way until you get to the Algeciras area. Accomodation: Pension Versalles (€22).
Day 2: ~38k from Algeciras to La Linea. Had to climb through a few fences and I avoided going via San Roque because that's on the Via Serrana. No facilities until Venta Juan Carlos, but they offer a fantastic 3-course meal which includes a drink for €9. Accomodation: La Esteponera (€16).
Day 3: ~20k to and around Gibraltar, then back to La Linea (where accomodation is much cheaper). Had a lovely day climbing the Rock! Accomodation: Small Room Close to Border (€14). Very mixed reviews on booking.com but I thought it was fine - I'm not super demanding.
Day 4: ~29k from La Linea to San Martin del Tesorillo. Bought a credential from the church of Santiago in La Linea from the kind priest who wished me a buen camino - the first one! Lots of yellow arrows - feels like a camino from La Linea onwards (in many though not all ways). Nice trail to San Roque and then quite a bit of road to San Martin. Accomodation: Ochomin Hostel (€25; not actually in San Martin but the village right next to it, Secadero).
Day 5: ~38km to El Colmenar (but add 1-2 to go into Jimena de la Frontera about halfway). I loved the climb out of Jimena - I enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the top of the hills/mountains. Because I lingered and took photos/video, the descent into El Colmenar was in the dark - fine with a headtorch. Accomodation: Las Buitreras (€40) - beautifully rustic and a bit castle-like. Couldn't find anything cheaper, which I would have preferred.
Day 6: ~40km to Ronda. Absolutely stunning day that I should have split in two to be able to really savour this stretch. The gorge just out of Colmenar was one of the highlights of this route. The climb out is steep and not short, but *views*. Very beautiful again along the river Guadiaro on the side of the hill/mountain later on. Ronda is absolutely stunning, in case you were not already aware!
Day 7: ~30k to Olvera. Mostly along agricultural tracks - a little monotonous but the last 10k to Olvera is through beautiful undulating farmland - kind of what I imagined Andalusia to look like, but prettier! Accomodation: Olvera B&B (€34). Bad experience - they didn't seem to know I was coming. Locked door, nobody there, no answer when I phoned. Got hold of them in the end and received instructions to let myself in. Don't expect much of breakfast either!
Day 8: ~25k to Coripe, all along a greenway punctuated by lots of tunnels through the hillsides. Very nice (necessary?!) to have a shorter day. The only bar/cafe along the way was closed (for winter, presumably), so no services along the way. There was water available from a fountain at the place that was closed, though. Accomodation: Pension Coripe (€25). Thanks @alansykes - I knew about this place from reading your report. The only other place I could find on booking.com was more than twice as expensive. Juan, the owner, was very kind and treated me to a cup of tea in the morning.
Day 9: ~30k to El Coronil, through more lovely, undulating Andalusian countryside. Amenities available in Montellano at ~19k from Coripe. Unpleasant (heavy with speeding traffic) road walk for most of the last ~10k into El Coronil. Accomodation: Hostal Don Juan (€31).
Day 10: ~40k to Dos Hermanas. Pleasant because varied; flat for the most part. Accomodation: El Emigrante (€36).
Day 11: ~16k to Seville. Almost entirely along roads, but once you hit Parque de Maria Luisa you're in the beautiful parts of Seville. Accomodation: Hostal San Isidoro (€14) - nice little place from where I am now writing!
And that's it! A few concluding thoughts: I wouldn't recommend the bit between Tarifa and La Linea - probably only worth doing if you want the 'I walked to Santiago from the southernmost point of Spain' street cred. I did this in late November and the weather was absolutely fine. The mornings and evenings are chilly, particularly up high (Ronda and the days leading up to it). I did not meet any other pilgrims. There were no real (municipal) albergues - that is, no pilgrim-oriented accomodation and, therefore, a more expensive camino than your mainstream ones (for most people). If you walk with a partner, it probably works out a bit cheaper since, most of the time, I was given a double room because there were no single-room options.
Happy to answer questions if you have any!
I'm moving on to the Via de la Plata tomorrow (December 3rd) - I could keep you lovely forum dwellers up to date on my progress if this might be of interest, although there's already quite a bit of info about the VdlP out there, obviously. Let me know.
Buen camino!
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