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Camino Routes
🇪🇸 Routes in Spain
🇪🇸 Camino de LEVANTE (Valencia - Zamora)
Walking In The Footsteps Of Pilgr (and Others!)
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[QUOTE="Sheffield James, post: 501634, member: 23079"] OK, Round 3.... Day 6: Alpera (21kms?) I had to lose a day before reaching Albacete (more on that later) and so breaking-up the long day from Almansa to Higueruela into two stages seemed the sensible thing to do. Being aware there are no intermediate towns or villages listed for the Levante in between these two points, I booked a room in a hotel in Bonete, which I could see was roughly at the half-way point, albeit off-camino. The day's walking went well - a steady climb towards the front-edge of the large escarpment, followed by a similar easy descent to a track running alongside the Almansa-Albacete railway line. I was able to keep track of my walking pace by reference to some very helpful way-marker signs that gave distances and estimated time durations to the next key place along the route. I was surprised however to find that at one point the signage changed from the 'Camino de Santiago de Levante' to the 'Camino de Santiago de la Lana' ("The Wool Way", that apparently goes from Alicante to Burgos) and, what's more, it indicated the town of Alpera (+ its albergue) was just one hour further on. Most people will probably already have known about this town, but as a non -guide book owner it came as a very pleasant surprise to me. I didn't need to alter my course to get there, either. Alpera is a nice, small agricultural town, with some impressive boulevards for a place of its scale. The Ayunt is easy to find by following the street signs, and it's there you'll get the key for the albergue, situated in an adjacent street. The albergue has two rooms with 2+3 beds respectively. It was very clean and the shower was hot. There's a little sitting room, but there are no kitchen facilities. There's a couple of heaters, too. It is free to stay there. After cancelling my internet room booking, I settled in for a very relaxing afternoon and evening, with several decent places to eat and drink close by. Day 7: Higueruela (19kms) After breakfast, I had the choice of retracing my steps to pick up the camino trail at the entry to Alpera, or exiting along the 19km direct road to Hig at the other end of town. I chose the latter. (I seem to recall KinkyOne talks about a third-way on page2 of Pilgr's thread, but it wasn't obvious to me when I went on a reconnaissance walkabout the night before. Admittedly, I didn't look that hard). The 19km road walk was exactly that!! The open fields were a pleasure to behold, though it did become a bit monotonous at times. Worse still, I had to withstand a strong, cold wind all the way. At its worst, it was like being in a prolonged wind-tunnel experiment. The many wind turbines nearby suggest that winds are a constant feature of this landscape, though I guess they will feel a little warmer with each passing month. After 9kms, the official camino path joined from the left. I don't know how much of it had been path/road to this point, but the next 10kms for either of the two routes I've mentioned were going to be completed with asphalt underfoot. Hig is a small town on a hillside. It was a Saturday when I arrived and the Ayunt was closed. I obtained the key for the Albergue at La Posada bar/restaurant/hostel which is on the left as you follow the unmissable street sign directing you to the Albergue de Peregrinos. The albergue is situated less than 3 minutes further up the town, in the tiny Plaza Mayor. It is the white building to the right of the tree and has a no-entry street sign on its wall. The key opens the second of the two aluminium doors. The albergue has three beds and approx 10 chairs, including a rocking chair. It is one room, but with access to a toilet/shower room across the entrance-way. It has a heater and one blanket. There is no charge to stay there. It is very basic, but I have stayed in a lot worse places. If more comfort is sought, then La Posada may have rooms to rent (I have no tel number, lo siento!) The route of the camino through the town is shown on one of the information panels by the children's park once you've arrived in the town. The ceramic concha shells are in good order, too. Make sure to enjoy the magnificent vistas over the plains, from the ermitage at the top of the town. Day 8: Chinchilla de Montearagón (26kms) There was no place open for breakfast on Sunday morning, so I headed out to Hayo Goldazo (?spelling) 9kms away. The trail mixed track- and road-walking, and yesterday's wind was present again, though far less strong. I arrived in HG in time for the 11.30mass, followed by a couple of long-awaited cafe con leches. The afternoon walk to Chinchilla was an absolute delight + not just because it was gently downhill all the way. Chinchilla is a 'split-level' town up a hillside, crowned with yet another marvellous castle. You enter at 'level 2' and the first thing you see is an information board detailing things like accommodation options and the camino route through the town. There are 2 hostels on 'level 1', accessible via a 99-step stairway a few metres further on. I stayed at El Volante, a brash place catering for truckers and locals alike (tel:967260059).. I paid 21€ for a tired-looking but ok single room, which was 7€ cheaper at the front-desk than if I'd booked it on the internet the same day. The other hostel, El Peñón (tel: 967260058) is next door, but I didn't bother doing a price comparison. Again, if you're looking for quality ahead of price, you might wish to look elsewhere. Chinchilla is an interesting, touristy place. As well as the castle, there's an impressive main square, lots of narrow, winding streets, plus a good number of homes built into the hillside. It's well worth a wander, even after a hard day on the trail. The route out of town is easy, as it's back on 'level 2' and follows the contours of the approach road into town. One thing to note is that if you sleep at the hostels down below, you'll have to climb those 99-steps at the start of the next day!! [/QUOTE]
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