First camino arrows installed in Badajoz, for project linking VDLP and Portugues

[jungleboy]

The first camino arrows were placed in Badajoz yesterday as part of a project to link the Vía de la Plata with two Portuguese caminos, the Nascente and Raia.



Article in Spanish:
Badajoz ya forma parte del Camino de Santiago

 

[peregrina2000]

Great news, more options for more combo-caminos! Badajoz will have a hard sell, I think, to get Vdlp pilgrims to leave Mérida with Salamanca and Zamora ahead of them. But lots of repeat performers might take the bait!

I assume they’ve thought through the routing, but Mérida to Bajadoz is 67 km (at least for cars), so one stopping point in the middle will require two 30-plus stages. The article says the route will pass through Puebla de la calzada and Lobón, but looking at a. map that seems weird.

Badajoz to Elvas is 20, so that part is easy.

I wonder if there is an active amigos association there to support and promote the effort or if this is just a government effort.

Thanks for this news, @jungleboy. It is good news for the caminhos in Portugal especially.

 

[jungleboy]

Badajoz will have a hard sell, I think, to get Vdlp pilgrims to leave Mérida with Salamanca and Zamora ahead of them.

It is a bit of a peculiar route, isn’t it? To start in Spain and then switch to Portugal so quickly when the existing single-country alternatives (VdlP/Spain and Nascente/Portugal) are so good. But the Nascente hooked me on the southern caminos so I agree that more options can only be a good thing!

I wonder if there is an active amigos association there to support and promote the effort or if this is just a government effort.

Thanks for this news, @jungleboy. It is good news for the caminhos in Portugal especially.

I assume government. I believe the Caminhos do Alentejo e Ribatejo are driving it (definitely on the Portuguese side); they told me about the development of this route last year and I found out about this article through their social media today.

 

[peregrina2000]

It is a bit of a peculiar route, isn’t it? To start in Spain and then switch to Portugal so quickly when the existing single-country alternatives (VdlP/Spain and Nascente/Portugal) are so good. But the Nascente hooked me on the southern caminos so I agree that more options can only be a good thing!


I assume government. I believe the Caminhos do Alentejo e Ribatejo are driving it (definitely on the Portuguese side); they told me about the development of this route last year and I found out about this article through their social media today.

Based on what you say, it may be that using Badajoz as a starting point for Spaniards getting over to the Nascente will be the main attraction. Not sure why they wouldn’t prefer to start in the beautiful little town of Tavira, though!

 

[JabbaPapa]

[Note from moderator: This post was moved from another thread.]

An official route has been inaugurated, with its waymarkers & yellow arrows, between Mérida on the Via de la Plata and Estremoz in Portugal, via Badajoz.

Badajoz ya forma parte del Camino de Santiago | Hoy

Esta mañana han empezado a colocarse las señales con la concha desde la Catedral hasta Caya, recorrido que harán los peregrinos que opten por combinar la Ruta de la Plat

www.hoy.es

As this concerns a new offshoot from the VdlP, I'm posing it in that forum, though there's no clear idea about where to put it, as this new official route straddles Spain and Portugal both.

Not explained in the article, but in Portugal there are multiple options for the Camino once there, though principally for Santiago pilgrims up the Nascente after reaching Estremoz ; there is a potential alternative south from Estremoz > Évora Monte > Évora towards Lisbon, though it would clearly be very DIY and with some rather long days, and great care would be needed not to get stuck by a river or reservoir, not to mention enough food & water etc. ; and just personally, whilst I am far from being certain about my own route, it will likely be up the Nascente to Alter de Chão, then West > Ponte de Sor > (...) > Abrantes > Cônstancia > Entroncamento > Torres Novas > reaching the Caminho do Tejo at Minde > Fátima > Compostela.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Though, again just personally, I can see there's a significant alternative for me at Entroncamento, as I could go up to Tomar, and from there take the Caminho de Fátima Nacente to Fátima.

There are several imponderables to my route in Portugal -- but I am very glad personally about this new waymarked route between Spain and Portugal, as that particular section of what I thought would be DIY was worrying me.

 

[JabbaPapa]

The article says the route will pass through Puebla de la calzada and Lobón, but looking at a. map that seems weird.

One of the few bridges over the Rio Guadiana is between Puebla de la Calzada and Lobón, so my guess would be that it takes a more northerly route via La Garrovilla to Puebla de la Calzada ; heads south over the bridge to Lobón ; from there, mainly dirt roads into Badajoz, likely via Talavera la Real.

Seems quite sensible to me, for the purposes of motorway avoidance !!