Stage 3 Via de la Plata help

[Tezza]

Hi all!
I'm planning on walking for a couple of weeks from Seville. All the stages look manageable expect Stage 3 from Castiblanco de los Arroyos to Almaden de la Plata - it's too long for me to manage. I can't see any way to shorten it! Any suggestions?
Many thanks
Buen Camino

 

[C clearly]

Many people take a taxi for the first 16 km or so (on the road), to the entrance of the parque/finca El Berrocal. The taxis in Castiblanco are very familiar with this!

 

[Paul-CH]

You may also check on GRONZE VdlP for accommodations and other hints.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

If you want to walk all the way you can walk to the entrance of the national park and phone a taxi from there and go back to Castilblanco or to Almaden and next day take a taxi back to the enteance. I did this stage twice and did not bother to walk the first 16 dull asphaltkilometers. Most of the times you can share a taxi, the hospitalero is used to this and will arrange this

 

[Tezza]

Many people take a taxi for the first 16 km or so (on the road), to the entrance of the parque/finca El Berrocal. The taxis in Castiblanco are very familiar with this!

Ah, interesting, thank you!

 

[Tezza]

If you want to walk all the way you can walk to the entrance of the national park and phone a taxi from there and go back to Castilblanco or to Almaden and next day take a taxi back to the enteance. I did this stage twice and did not bother to walk the first 16 dull asphaltkilometers. Most of the times you can share a taxi, the hospitalero is used to this and will arrange this

Thanks, that's really helpful

 

[Tezza]

You may also check on GRONZE VdlP for accommodations and other hints.

Thanks, I've checked Gronze, there's no intermediate services, also checked Google maps to be sure.

 

[jungleboy]

Many people take a taxi for the first 16 km or so (on the road)

I did this stage twice and did not bother to walk the first 16 dull asphalt kilometers.

I checked Gronze just out of curiosity (having never walked the VdlP) and they say only the first nine km is asphalt and the next seven is a dirt path. Are they wrong?

Podemos dividir la larga jornada en tres partes: la primera, hasta la entrada a la finca El Berrocal, son 16 kilómetros —9 por carretera local y 7 por pista de tierra—, en moderado ascenso

 

[alexwalker]

When I walked there in 2012 it was raining heavily in the morning. We were 4 people who shared a taxi to the park entrance. No point in walking 16 kms in soaking rain and destroy the day. That first stretch (@jungleboy is correct) is on a small/narrow asphalt road for many kms, dangerous (much traffic), and then along the roadside, if I remember correctly.

At the park, the rain had stopped, and we had a splendid, peaceful sunshine day through the park. Many black pigs (friendly) that now must have been converted into delicious hamon iberico, on that walk.

In medieval times pilgrims would have done the same, but with horse and cart

 

[Bradypus]

I checked Gronze just out of curiosity (having never walked the VdlP) and they say only the first nine km is asphalt and the next seven is a dirt path. Are they wrong?

I think that within the last year there has been some rerouting on to an off-road path for the last few km before El Berrocal. Perhaps @geraldkelly can confirm that.

 

[RodlaRob]

I checked Gronze just out of curiosity (having never walked the VdlP) and they say only the first nine km is asphalt and the next seven is a dirt path. Are they wrong?

Yep... Gronze is correct. There is 7km before the Park. is a wide dirt path recently constructed. I found the whole 16km a very pleasant walk & would definitely do it again if I repeated the VDLP....in preference to other sections I would happily miss

 

[dick bird]

The albergue in Castilblanco will have taxi phone numbers. When we were there, one of them even came round touting for custom. It turned out to be not a very difficult stage, even if a bit long and early in the morning there was absolutely no traffic at all - it´s an old main road that has been superseded by a motorway.

 

[JustJack]

I was there last April. I was planning on walking the entire stretch but the owner of the albergue I stayed at was driving two others the first 16 km to the park gate so I joined them. From what I saw out the window it would have been a decent walk and if I do it again I'll walk it. The walk through the park is fantastic. I loved every step.

 

[Antonius Vaessen]

Referring back to the question of the OP his concern was the distance of this stage. Skipping the first 16 km is a solution. Certainly for a third stage of the VdlP 31 km is much. Certainly there are worse stretches on the VdlP but that was not the point here.

 

[Tezza]

Thanks for so many useful responses. I don't mind walking on quiet roads, it's just the length of this stage would be a real problem for me, so it's great to know there should be a taxi option for part of the way

 

[Tom Conklin]

If you want to walk all the way you can walk to the entrance of the national park and phone a taxi from there and go back to Castilblanco or to Almaden and next day take a taxi back to the enteance. I did this stage twice and did not bother to walk the first 16 dull asphaltkilometers. Most of the times you can share a taxi, the hospitalero is used to this and will arrange this

That was exactly what I was going to do in 2022, but somehow I got wrangled into walking that chunk of asphalt. It was actually quite enjoyable, but it was a nice day and there was very little traffic. The park is not to be missed. It is beautiful and eases you into the monster hill just before town.

 

[Blister Bill]

Glad to hear they've got some off road now. In April 22 it was 16km to the gate all on the road verge. There was limited traffic (mainly taxis carrying pilgrims) and it certainly wasn't an unpleasant walk at all. Great to see the suggestion to walk to the gate, taxi back (or forward) and then restart where you left off the next day. Far better than skipping stages. Buen Camino.

 

[Patrick1970]

At my first Plata I took a taxi, but the other 2 times I walked, and the walk was very easy, did not feel like 16km on asphalt (no part is a dirt track, walked last this april). There are many farm-entrances on the way where one can sit down for a rest.
After those first 16km I could enjoy the park much more - until the steep climb just before the end...
Still a great day of walking!

And the next step is quite short, so you can arrive early at El Real de la Jara, and relax

 

[LTfit]

I checked Gronze just out of curiosity (having never walked the VdlP) and they say only the first nine km is asphalt and the next seven is a dirt path. Are they wrong?

I've walked that section of the Plata three times and always walked from Castilblanco to Almadén. Leaving early morning there are few to no cars and your reward is the turnoff into the park (and a nice steep climb before entering Almadén).

From what I understand there is now a path alongside the highway but possibly not the entire way. Maybe that explains the comment in Gronze. The last time I walked it was in 2016. I tried to stay as much as possible off the asphalt making my own path.

I guess you can call me a "purist" as I prefer to walk every step but do understand that some people need to shorten a stage. As someone mentioned, take a cab back to Castilblanco after the first 16 km and restart at the entrance to the park the next day.

 

[mlhhome]

When planning my VDLP, I remember the anxiety I had about four of the longer Plata stages that didn’t have Camino Frances level of support (small villages). This was first of those stages - road walk, no 2nd breakfast and unsure of potable water in the park. I channeled my best Mark Watney (The Martian) and developed a strategy that I used on my six weeks on the Plata. I packed extra liters of water, a 2nd breakfast, lunch, road cookies (Oreos), chocolate bars and an even a warm canned coke. I enjoyed the longer stages; often alone. I also enjoyed my backpack getting progressively lighter as I approached my destination.
I guess my point is that I wasn’t sure of taxis, bus schedules, weather or injury, but I was going to give myself every opportunity to complete the Plata on foot.