Baños de Montemayor - Should we stop here?

[Anniesantiago]

We're looking at our schedule for the VDLP and trying to figure out Stage 16.
Should we stop in Banos de Montemayor? Is it worth the stop?
What is there to do there?

Or should we just continue on to La Calzada?

Opinions?
Suggestions?

 

[ranthr]

Nice albergue, some sort of a visitorcenter for the camino in the same building. Hot baths. I think it is a town where buses arrives with people who wants to cure in hot baths.
I stayed in a hotel which was full of Spanish jubliados on a trip to hot baths.
Comfortable next stage to the nice albergue which also have private rooms in Calzada de Béjar.

I f I remember right, The camino to Bańos was along the N-625? highway. Most people took the bus. I thought it was quite ok to have a stop there, while most people went on.

 

[OzAnnie]

Hi Annie
I think that would depend where you spent the night before.
I had stopped at hostel Asturias after visiting Arco de Cáparra.. so next day walked through Aldeanueva and stopped at Baños de Montemayor.. note: you are walking on side of road for a while. / I didn’t meet anyone bussing it though.
- it was packed then (in April last year but after Easter ) another lot of pilgrims I’d met fumbled until they negotiated a rate in a place they found after arriving. I’d booked a hotel there (most expensive night on my camino ).
I met up with them all in a tiny park that evening but social ‘eating out’ areas seemed pretty sparse from what I could see. Bars etc, I mean .
Very popular as ranthr says for the baths.
A good climb out next day !!
I had a short day following there and stopped at La Calzada de Béjar next night. Private room / quaint / the owner cooked a meal but quoted costs first and rounded up a couple of people from the Albergue ..
in hindsight though., the Albergue there looks nice and friendly with good view and places to dry clothes etc. I’d stay there if I stopped there again.
Buen camino
Annie

 

[peregrina2000]

We're looking at our schedule for the VDLP and trying to figure out Stage 16.
Should we stop in Banos de Montemayor? Is it worth the stop?
What is there to do there?

Or should we just continue on to La Calzada?

Opinions?
Suggestions?

Annie, tell us where you plan to spend the night before, that might make a difference. I have stayed in Baños and also in Calzada. Baños is a much nicer town, more going on (I never did make it to the baths though), good restaurants. Calzada has some very nice casas rurales (the albergue is also very highly recommended but I went to a very nice casa rural), but it is a village with nothing going on. So it just depends on how you feel when you get there and what kind of an environment you want to spend the rest of your day in.

I don’t know if you saw the old chatter about the off-road way to walk from Carcaboso. I followed Isabelle’s map years ago and went from Carcaboso to Oliva de Plasencia, and then the next day from Oliva to Baños de Montemayor. It was a great way to split up the stage without road walking, without a bus, and with plenty of time to see the Arco de Caparra and the museum and the rest of the excavations. Isabelle’s map was of great use to me way back when. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/galisteo-arco-de-caparra.7625/

So glad you are planning this! Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Anniesantiago]

Annie, tell us where you plan to spend the night before, that might make a difference. I have stayed in Baños and also in Calzada. Baños is a much nicer town, more going on (I never did make it to the baths though), good restaurants. Calzada has some very nice casas rurales (the albergue is also very highly recommended but I went to a very nice casa rural), but it is a village with nothing going on. So it just depends on how you feel when you get there and what kind of an environment you want to spend the rest of your day in.

I don’t know if you saw the old chatter about the off-road way to walk from Carcaboso. I followed Isabelle’s map years ago and went from Carcaboso to Oliva de Plasencia, and then the next day from Oliva to Baños de Montemayor. It was a great way to split up the stage without road walking, without a bus, and with plenty of time to see the Arco de Caparra and the museum and the rest of the excavations. Isabelle’s map was of great use to me way back when. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/galisteo-arco-de-caparra.7625/

So glad you are planning this! Buen camino, Laurie

We are staying at Jarilla the night before.
We just can't decide if it's worth stopping in Baños or just continuing on to Calzada.
We have asked for reservations at Alba Soraya but haven't yet heard back.
Personally I don't really want to stop at Baños but Joe does.
I think he wants to get a hot tub.lol!

 

[peregrina2000]

We are staying at Jarilla the night before.
We just can't decide if it's worth stopping in Baños or just continuing on to Calzada.
We have asked for reservations at Alba Soraya but haven't yet heard back.
Personally I don't really want to stop at Baños but Joe does.
I think he wants to get a hot tub.lol!

I think that is Hostal Asturias. I won’t try to persuade you to alter that plan, but IMO there are better options than going there from Carcaboso. . Going to Oliva de Plasencia, and then from there to Baños or Calzada, for instance.

The albergue in Baños, if it is still where it was when I stayed there many years ago, is really nice. It’s in the museum, and the town is big and lively. So Baños is a good option.

From Hostal Asturias, the choice is either 20 to Aldeanueva or 31 to Calzada, as you undoubtedly know.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I think that is Hostal Asturias. I won’t try to persuade you to alter that plan, but IMO there are better options than going there from Carcaboso. . Going to Oliva de Plasencia, and then from there to Baños or Calzada, for instance.

The albergue in Baños, if it is still where it was when I stayed there many years ago, is really nice. It’s in the museum, and the town is big and lively. So Baños is a good option.

From Hostal Asturias, the choice is either 20 to Aldeanueva or 31 to Calzada, as you undoubtedly know.

When looking at the map, it appears you exchange 6k of walking for 13k of walking by going to Oliva.

We can't figure out why someone would do that?

Jarilla IS Hostal Asturias and we are going the 20 to Calzada from there. Is there a better option we aren’t seeing???

 

[peregrina2000]

When looking at the map, it appears you exchange 6k of walking for 13k of walking by going to Oliva.
We can't figure out why someone would do that?

Jarilla IS Hostal Asturias and we are going the 20 to Calzada from there.

So here is the rationale. I did this back in the day before I walked in trail runners and when asphalt was the demon. And before I knew I would enjoy 38-40 km stages. Last time through I walked from Carcaboso to Aldeanueva and it was fine Good private albergue in Aldeanueva so I was able to reserve ahead of time. It just all depends on what the stages are that you want to walk.

So back in 2010 or thereabouts, I was in Carcaboso. What are my choices? I can walk to Hostal Asturias, and then the next day to either Aldeanueva or Baños. That involves getting a ride from the Arco or walking beyond the Arco and hen walking to the off-camino Hostal Asturias. Nothing wrong with that.

The other choice is to follow Isabelle’s map. That means that you get to the Arco in the morning and have a lot of time to visit the ruins and the museum. This is a very good use of your time if you like antiquity. Then take the off-camino route to Oliva, you get there in the afternoon. The next day, you walk back through the Arco, but since you have already visited it you keep on walking after gaping at the beauty of the site in the early morning sun. And then you have to decide whether to walk to Aldeanueva or Baños. So you wind up in the same place as you would with the Hostal Asturias option, but having avoided asphalt and having enjoyed what is really a highlight of the Vdlp, the Arco de Caparra and its ruins and museum.

 

[C clearly]

I found the Hostal Asturias arrangement to be good - they will pick up at Caparra. Then the next morning they point you to a slight short cut to get back onto the Camino without returning to Caparra.

I've stayed twice in the Banos albergue. Nice enough town but I didn't see anything special.

 

[Donna Sch]

Banos is where I used the hot baths and had a massage at very cheap Pilgrim rates. Didn't stay at the private albergue but at the hotel on the main street which was pleasant. We had stayed at the Hostal Asturias and it was a very hot day. We reached Aldeanueva by morning tea time so went on to Banos which included a lot of hot sticky road walking and hot enough for me to use my umbrella so it would have been at least 35 deg. We would have arrived by mid-afternoon. They have an ATM there too.

So Roman baths, cheap massage, good accommodation options and reasonable food and ATMs. Why wouldn't you stop there?

 

[Anniesantiago]

I found the Hostal Asturias arrangement to be good - they will pick up at Caparra. Then the next morning they point you to a slight short cut to get back onto the Camino without returning to Caparra.

I've stayed twice in the Banos albergue. Nice enough town but I didn't see anything special.

This was our plan, though Laurie's sounds very inviting and I love the idea of seeing Caparra at sunrise.
We are on a bit of a time schedule since we've already made some reservations.
So this is the option we will do this time.

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

I found Banos very interesting, and I was not in a hurry. I took a bus next day to Salamanca as I'd walked far enough on this camino. Many pics on my blog at:

Banos de Montemayor

I left Hotel Sinagoga at 9.30 am and walked about 2 kms down the road to get back on the Via de la Plata. It was another perfect sunny day, ...

caminoconfidential.blogspot.com

 

[ranthr]

I stayed at Olivia and followed Isabelle´s map next morning. When I came to the crossroad some other pilgrims were waiting there to be picked up, so I stayed there and got a lift too. So no exstra walking.
Nice route to Caparra next morning, but too early for the museum. A lot to see anyway.
This was in 2011 and at the time there seemed to be a fight for the pilgrims between Asturias and Olivia.
When I stopped at the bar in the previous town, I was told not to go to Olivia, that´s why I decided to go there. Nice place, common meal in the evening, a small town with a shop and some bars.

 

[William Marques]

Banos was where we both at 60 felt like children at the hotel restaurant as the other diners were all 80+

 

[John Sikora]

Banos is a very pleasant town. I stayed in the hotel rather than the albergue. It was like stepping back in time to the 1930s (as most of the clients were also). As a warning thought, it was the typical Spanish town where everything shuts down during the afternoon (banks, stores, bars, everything). So if you want to replenish something you have to plan the time right. But that said, the silence on the street during the afternoon was kind of nice in its own right.

 

[lt56ny]

Annie, tell us where you plan to spend the night before, that might make a difference. I have stayed in Baños and also in Calzada. Baños is a much nicer town, more going on (I never did make it to the baths though), good restaurants. Calzada has some very nice casas rurales (the albergue is also very highly recommended but I went to a very nice casa rural), but it is a village with nothing going on. So it just depends on how you feel when you get there and what kind of an environment you want to spend the rest of your day in.

I don’t know if you saw the old chatter about the off-road way to walk from Carcaboso. I followed Isabelle’s map years ago and went from Carcaboso to Oliva de Plasencia, and then the next day from Oliva to Baños de Montemayor. It was a great way to split up the stage without road walking, without a bus, and with plenty of time to see the Arco de Caparra and the museum and the rest of the excavations. Isabelle’s map was of great use to me way back when. https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/galisteo-arco-de-caparra.7625/

So glad you are planning this! Buen camino, Laurie

Hope to do the VDLP in late February/Early March 2021 I will be keeping you in mind as my pre-camino spiritual visual advisor for my upcoming adventure!

 

[frjuliangreen]

Coming through Banos de Montemayor earlier this month, all I can say is that it was as dead as the proverbial dodo. It seemed like there were so many places to stay and eat...but everywhere was closed, and some seemed permanently so. I can only think it's a place for the summer. Personally, I would go on to Calzada, which is a one horse village, but the welcome at the Alba Soraya is very warm. Max and Manuela are lovely.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Coming through Banos de Montemayor earlier this month, all I can say is that it was as dead as the proverbial dodo. It seemed like there were so many places to stay and eat...but everywhere was closed, and some seemed permanently so. I can only think it's a place for the summer. Personally, I would go on to Calzada, which is a one horse village, but the welcome at the Alba Soraya is very warm. Max and Manuela are lovely.

Thank you. That is our plan.
Any other tips since you just walked it?

 

[frjuliangreen]

Not really. All I would say is you are in for a treat. Not the walk up to Montemayor from Aldeanueva, on the road, which is awful. But the calzada romana through the Béjar pass is good. And then the last part through the valley of the Río Cuerpo del Hombre is one of the most beautiful parts of the Camino so far. Just one little tip - there's a café in one of the private houses as you descend into the valley. Might be worth popping in to. Calzada has very little to recommend it, except as a journey back in time to a previous century.

 

[Kanga]

I stayed at the albergue in Baños and liked it, loved setting out early the next morning and walking up the hill - a heart starter! I wanted to try the spa but found I had to book ahead at the hotel, and the only offering was not the natural water but simply a heated bath! There were probably other places, but in the short time I had they were not obvious.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I'm also a fan of the albergue in Baños - My night at the museum was in November 2017. It's a very pretty town. Bring your credential to the baths for a discounted soak.

My itinerary was similar to what @Anniesantiago is considering. I walked from Carcaboso to Jarilla and then from Jarilla to Baños. (But I can't tell you what the hotel is like. I spent the night in Caceres, since I needed to pick up a package at the post office there - the buses to and from Caceres stop directly in front of the roadside hostal).

 

[JR9162]

Most definitely. There is a municipal albergue. You have to make an effort to find it. You have a bit of a climb leaving the pueblo, terrific vistas of the lake and pueblo as you climb up the hill. To me a big climb later in the day is not preferred versus one in the morning.

 

[sharon w]

We stayed in Banos at the albergue. We went to the thermal pools and got in with a pilgrim discount. It was great.

 

[geraldkelly]

The last couple of times I've walked this part I've always stayed in Carcaboso and then walked to Hostal Asturia. It's 28km door to door. I've never requested a pick-up in Caparra. I don't see the point. Hostal Asturias is only a little under 2km off the Camino and in the morning there's a direct route from there which rejoins the Camino near Aldeanueva which makes it a comfortable 22km to Baños de Montemayor.

 

[Simon Shum]

We walked VdLP in April 2017, after visiting the wonderful Caparra, we stayed at Hostal Asturia, enjoyed the hospitality and the stay. Next day when we walked pass Baños de Montemayor, we came across a colorful street festival with guys dressed in full Roman soldiers costumes with armours, spears, shields etc. they even let my wife hold a spear and took a picture! We loved the town and the surprise of the camino (April 8, 2017)!!
And then the welcome at the Alba Soraya casa rural is indeed very warm, being a bit off season it was quiet, but quite nice and comfortable! Just thinking about VdLP, I want to walk it again!