Photo-video and info, Lana from Almansa to Cuenca

[bjorgts]

Here comes a photo-video and some information.
For more photo-videos, see my channel:

Bjørg Tvetene Sæter

www.youtube.com

October 18th to 28th 2018 we walked Ruta de la Lana from Almansa to Cuenca. We had started at Camino de Levante in Valencia six days earlier, but switched to Lana from Almansa. It was a nice walk! The route was well marked all the way. We never had serious troubles finding our way. The landscape was varied. The distances were mostly easy to divide into short daily walk when we needed that. There was little asphalt, two very nice cities (Alcalá del Júcar and Cuenca). We saw no other walkers.

It was nice to walk a route where one of our helpers said this about the pilgrims who passed: "Cada peregrino es una fiesta." "Every pilgrim is a “fiesta”. Many friendly and helpful people, Pedro Antonio in Alatoz. Maria in Campillo de Altobuey, Sandra in Monteagudo de las Salinas. … If you watch the video, be aware that we walked several short distances because my husband had problems with his knee.

Some comments:
There are some inconsistencies between guide / map and the yellow arrows in several places. http://www.encaminodesdealicante.or...a/guia-camino-de-la-lana-version-imprimir.pdf

1: Out from Alcalá del Júcar (p 142-143): The map and guide show the route out of the city to the northeast, and along some roads. We went there. It wasn't a single yellow arrow there. We saw the arrows up by the castillo and further along the edge of the gorg.

2: Out from Villamalea (p 150-151): We followed the map and guide out of Villamalea. No arrows. My GPS track had marked another route out. I guess that the arrows were on that way out. It doesn't matter though, because the two roads meet after about a kilometer.

3: Between Campillo de Altobuey and Paragueios ( p 163-164) there is conflict between guide/map and arrows. The arrows send us back down on the asphalt road much earlier than the guide/map does.

4: Out of Paracuellos de la Vega (p 168): The guide/map and arrows go out of town differently. We followed the arrows down to the castillo. This was a very nice route!

6: Inn to Monteagudo de las Salinas (p 170-?) The guide lacks the last map.

 

[Levi]

Thank you posting this beautiful video! I am planning to walk the Lana - hopefully in October - and this has made me want to walk it even more.

 

[bjorgts]

I forgot to write this yesterday: The camino was well marked all the way, but we had trouble two places.

1: Between Alpera and Alatoz, there were only a blue square in several places, with no yellow arrow on it. We thought maybe it was sabotage, but it wasn't. The friends of the camino repaint the markings and they had painted the first blue stroke, not the yellow arrows. (Told us in Alatoz.)

2: As Kevin says in his English guide, there are problems with missing arrows between Casas Ibañes and Villamalea. But it is not a big problem, because there are several roads that run relatively parallel to Villamalea.

 

[bjorgts]

I also see that I have not presented my photo-video from the first part of Ruta de la Lana here (Alicante - Almansa). Maybe that's because I'm not so happy with that video. My camera broke down in the middle of the walk, so the rest of the pictures are not of very good quality. That time (in 2013) we continued on Camino de Levante. But here you can find Alicante - Almansa:

 

[Bernice M]

Thank you Bjorgts for this wonderful survey of your route. I have been thinking of the Ruta de Lana for a couple of months now, and the video has confirmed that it’s the one to do. Let the planning and practising in earnest begin!
One question: what was your start date?
Kind regards, Bernice

 

[peregrina2000]

Ahhh, bjorts, your videos make it hard to contain myself! I am hoping to walk Alicante to Santiago in 2020 to celebrate my 70th birthday. Great video, the pics of Alcalá del Júcar and Cuenca are stunning. Good looking food, too.

One of the things I liked best about the Levante and Mozárabe was the many castles dotting the landscape. Looks like the Lana has its fair share as well. And I do appreciate your putting in some of the not-so-picturesque parts, like the hog farms, the roadside truck stop, etc. Helps maintain a balanced perspective.

Are you planning to go on beyond Cuenca?

 

[bjorgts]

Thank you Bjorgts for this wonderful survey of your route. I have been thinking of the Ruta de Lana for a couple of months now, and the video has confirmed that it’s the one to do. Let the planning and practising in earnest begin!
One question: what was your start date?
Kind regards, Bernice

2013 from Alicante: We started in Alicante October 3rd, and were very lucky with the weather on that walk (ended October 15th). 2018 from Almansa: We went from Almansa on October 18th (from Valencia October 12th) and finished in Cuenca on October 28th.
We were a little anxious about the weather since it was quite late in the fall, and we thought we might get bad weather and rain, but we didn't. We had some rain. It was often cold in the morning and nice temperature throughout the day. In Cuenca we got snow. But considering the season, we thought we were very lucky.

 

[bjorgts]

Ahhh, bjorts, your videos make it hard to contain myself! I am hoping to walk Alicante to Santiago in 2020 to celebrate my 70th birthday. Great video, the pics of Alcalá del Júcar and Cuenca are stunning. Good looking food, too.

One of the things I liked best about the Levante and Mozárabe was the many castles dotting the landscape. Looks like the Lana has its fair share as well. And I do appreciate your putting in some of the not-so-picturesque parts, like the hog farms, the roadside truck stop, etc. Helps maintain a balanced perspective.

Are you planning to go on beyond Cuenca?

If you like castles : Sax, Villana, Almansa, Alcalá, Paracuellos, Montagudo...
Go beyond Cuenca: We have no specific plans for this, but our camino this autumn is not yet planned. We can't walk many long distances anymore, because of my husband's left knee, but we can still walk.
Now in March we start in Huelva on Camino Sur. Then I have a dream of going to France again, because I liked very much walking in France. I have a dream to combine the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail from Le Puy with the Arles route to Somport. ... and I want very much to walk Der Ökumenische Pilgerweg (Via Regia) in south Germany ... and Ruta del Salvador ... and Camino Primitivo ... and Camino de Invierno ... and then it may well be that life is too short, when we after all are heading for 70 years.

 

[Mareng]

Thank you bjorgts for your videos and especially for comments on finding the best way to walk. Very useful for me as solowalker, getting stressed when I feel lost.
I will definitely walk La Lana in spring 2020.

 

[econodan]

Thanks, Bjorgts. Wonderful videos
Dan

 

[marilyn van graan]

Here comes a photo-video and some information:

October 18th to 28th 2018 we walked Ruta de la Lana from Almansa to Cuenca. We had started at Camino de Levante in Valencia six days earlier, but switched to Lana from Almansa. It was a nice walk! The route was well marked all the way. We never had serious troubles finding our way. The landscape was varied. The distances were mostly easy to divide into short daily walk when we needed that. There was little asphalt, two very nice cities (Alcalá del Júcar and Cuenca). We saw no other walkers.

It was nice to walk a route where one of our helpers said this about the pilgrims who passed: "Cada peregrino es una fiesta." "Every pilgrim is a “fiesta”. Many friendly and helpful people, Pedro Antonio in Alatoz. Maria in Campillo de Altobuey, Sandra in Monteagudo de las Salinas. … If you watch the video, be aware that we walked several short distances because my husband had problems with his knee.

Some comments:
There are some inconsistencies between guide / map and the yellow arrows in several places. http://www.encaminodesdealicante.or...a/guia-camino-de-la-lana-version-imprimir.pdf

1: Out from Alcalá del Júcar (p 142-143): The map and guide show the route out of the city to the northeast, and along some roads. We went there. It wasn't a single yellow arrow there. We saw the arrows up by the castillo and further along the edge of the gorg.

2: Out from Villamalea (p 150-151): We followed the map and guide out of Villamalea. No arrows. My GPS track had marked another route out. I guess that the arrows were on that way out. It doesn't matter though, because the two roads meet after about a kilometer.

3: Between Campillo de Altobuey and Paragueios ( p 163-164) there is conflict between guide/map and arrows. The arrows send us back down on the asphalt road much earlier than the guide/map does.

4: Out of Paracuellos de la Vega (p 168): The guide/map and arrows go out of town differently. We followed the arrows down to the castillo. This was a very nice route!

6: Inn to Monteagudo de las Salinas (p 170-?) The guide lacks the last map.

Thank you for sharing this fabulous video - loved the music and your photos are super. Just seen this one and as I have decided to walk this route in September was excited to follow you. Buen camino for the next one!!!