Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[eze]

Hello,

Still preparing our Camino...whose beginning date becomes closer and closer !

I feel that we shall do what many of you did, i mean when arriving (or from Galisteo) to Arco de Caparra, we shall ask for a lift to Hostal Asturias, situated a few kms away, on the 630 motorway.

Could you please give us your feelings and experiences about this hostal. Cleanness, confort, showers, food, quietness ?

Thanks vm in advance

Francis

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Eze/Francis,

I'm planning the same route, and have read a few things about this segment, but I can't remember exactly where my information came from. Here's what I remember about the Hostal Asturias -- there is a 4 pm pick-up at the Arco, to take you to what is essentially a charm-free highway pension, the Hostal Asturias, that is perfectly fine and clean.

Someone else said on a blog that a better alternative is to walk to Oliva de Plasencia, which is slightly off route. Albergue and private accommodation reported there. The turnoff is signed before Caparra, and it's 5 or 6 km from there to the town . Then the next day from Oliva de plasencia to Caparra is 5 km, making Aldeanueva del Camino or Banos de Montemayor the next logical stop. (about 26 or 34 kms for those two).

I'll be interested in hearing some first hand reports as well. Laurie

[AJ]

I walked from Galisteo to Jarilla in April 2008, about 44 km all up. Jarilla and the Hostal Asturias is about 2 km from the Camino and about 12 km from the arch at Caparra. A group of people were waiting to be picked up and taken to the Hostal when I arrived at Caparra.

The Hostal was unremarkable, not too unpleasant and it has a bar and dining room The room and menu came to 30 euro. I don't remember whether the bathroom was shared or ensuite.

[eze]

Thanks Laurie and AJ

Hope that we'll get some more comments about this place.

I have found their site and it doesn't seem too bad. I have read elsewhere that due to the opening of the motorway close to the N630, road trafic is less intense...
http://www.hostalasturias.es/

I am a little worried when i see hostal windows overlooking that N630 !
Earplugs please...

Buen camino

[isabelle304]

I am a little worried when i see hostal windows overlooking that N630 !
Earplugs please...

Hi Francis
If you are worried about noise from the N630, be aware that two albergues later on the route (after Zamora) are right on the side of the N630. They are Montamarta and Granja de Moreruela. Impossible to relax properly outside either of these albergues during the day but thankfully during the night the traffic lessened a great deal.

As for Hostal Asturias, I did not stay there (but at the lovely albergue turistico in Oliva de Plasencia), but did not hear anything negative about the hostal from anyone I met later who had stayed there, so would assume it is just fine.

Isabelle

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Isabelle, I was hoping you'd respond to this.

Can you tell me where you started out on the day you walked to Oliva de Plasencia, and where you stopped on the day you left? And if you have any idea about how many kms each day was, that'd be very helpful as well.

Thanks for the info, Laurie

[Canuck]

I stayed at Hostal Asturias last fall.
Everything was perfect. I didn't expect a 4 star hotel...room was clean and food excellent.
Forget the noise from the N, it's irrelevant. The traffic is very light.
The next day, the owner sends you on a route, he marked himself (in blue), to rejoin the VDLP and avoid the long stretch back, cutting a couple of Km.

Use it and go on your merry way.
Jean-Marc

[isabelle304]

Hi, Isabelle, I was hoping you'd respond to this.

Can you tell me where you started out on the day you walked to Oliva de Plasencia, and where you stopped on the day you left? And if you have any idea about how many kms each day was, that'd be very helpful as well.

Thanks for the info, Laurie

Hi Laurie

I tried to recreate below a hand-drawn map which I saw pinned on noticeboards of the albergues in Grimaldo and Carcaboso (excuse my lack of drawing skills!). It shows how easy it is to detour via Oliva de Plasencia to make the Carcaboso-Aldeanueva section more manageable.



Basically, when you get to VQ, you turn right onto the main road to Oliva. Next day, you take a different, very quiet path direct to Caparra from Oliva. The house at Venta Quemada (which is at the crossroad of the camino and the road to Oliva) is the only one you will come across after leaving Carcaboso so it's impossible to miss it.

The whole Carcaboso to Aldeanueva section can be effected thus:
1. Carcaboso to Oliva de Plasencia: 13km + 6km detour = 19km total
2. Oliva de Plasencia to Aldeanueva del Camino: 5km detour + 18.5km = 23.5km total

Doing it this way means you don't get to walk on the actual camino between Venta Quemada and Caparra. This bothered me a little as I was eager not to miss any chunk of the camino and also I hate walking along the road so what I did is, instead of turning right to go to Oliva when I got to Vente Quemada, I actually carried on the 6.5km to Caparra and took the quiet path to Oliva. This path is well indicated - about 5mins from Caparra, just as you start to see the arc in the distance, there is a wooden sign indicating way to Oliva (you can just about make out the sign in the photo below) via the quiet path. This path goes along secure bull enclosures and is totally car-free apart from the occasional farm truck.



So in fact my days went like this:
1. Carcaboso to Oliva de Plasencia: 19.5km + 5km detour: 24.5km total
2. Oliva de Plasencia to Aldeanueva del Camino: 5km detour + 18.5km = 23.5km total

I was very pleased by my choice as it mean that not only did I not miss any of the camino, I did not have to walk the 6km along the road, and my two consecutive days were more equal in distance.

This is probably more information than you required but I got carried away! Hope it helps.

Isabelle

ps. In the bar in Grimaldo I saw a phone number for a taxi driver who can pick up people at Venta Quemada and take them to Oliva.

[peregrina2000]

You're a real gem, Isabelle. Many thanks for this -- I really appreciate all the trouble you went to to clear this up for me and others who will be on the Vdlp this year. Assuming my feet hold out longer than Caceres this year, I will follow in your footsteps -- avoid the road, take the car-free path, and make the same Carcaboso-Olive-Aldeanueva stops. Mil gracias, Laurie

[eze]

Merci beaucoup for your contributions Isabelle and Jean-Marc. Your indications cannot be clearer.
I do have now a clearer picture of what to do when arrived in that area.

[bjorgts]

We stayd at this hostal in April 2008. It is a quite OK place. Nothing to worry about. Did not think of the N-road. We were picked up at Caparra. We found it a good way to make the distances resonalbe.

Since you are telling about alternatives a bit off the Camino, there is a very nice alternative AFTER Caparra and the hostal Asturias. Some kilometers before Baños de Montemayor, you can turn right to the small city Hervas. It is a nice place, with a nice albergue, and the best preserved jewish quarter in Spain. It is recommended! Bjørg

[eze]

Thanks for this info Bjorg

[Aldernath]

My apologies for coming a little late to this thread. The relevant entry from my blog, which may be the one referred to near the start, is at http://aldernath.blogspot.com/2009/05/jarilla.html. My VdlP experience is still less than a year old and there may be information in my blog that is of interest to anyone walking the route this year.

Aldernath
http://aldernath.blogspot.com/

[eze]

A comment about our stay in Hostal Asturias.
First of all, we enjoyed a car pick up at Arco de Capara as scheduled. Brand new Mercedes Vito.
Staff very friendly and helpful. Room (on trucks parking - south oriented) was quiet. As some of you already said, N630 is not a noise problem.
Food, good specially soup and trout.
From there, we followed, the following morning, N630 towards Béjar without leaving it, excepted to cross Banos de Montemayor and the Calzada.