A few notes from my VDLP walk last August that might help yo
I walked the first 8 days from Seville in August.
The way is well-marked and the people are friendly and helpful.
There are some LONG stretches however, and I'd highly suggest you pick up a map in Seville when you get your Credential there. The office is helpful and has lists of alburges, or at least they did when I was there.
CARRY WATER. There are long stretches with NO WATER and NO VILLAGES on this road.
Here are a few notes from my few days on the Plata. I'd like to try this walk again, but NOT in the summer, which was nearly suicidal!
Guillena has a nice place called Bar Lolo. If they are serving caracolas, ORDER THEM. They are snails and are wonderful! They also have very good tapas there. If you get to the fountain in the middle of this town, you may not find water. That's because it is turned off. If you look to the side of the fountain base, you will see a steel plate which is loose. Move it aside and you can turn the fountain ON. Please turn it back off once you've filled up your water bottles. The alburgue here is in a sports center and is donativo. Do not leave valuables. There have been thefts. You can get the key in the bar next door.
Castiblanco has a great little alburgue for 5 Euro. We slept out on the veranda, which has great views. Right across the street and to the left is a little bar with wonderful food. For 8 Euro we got a dinner of:
Beer
Gaspacho
Stewed Goat (wonderful!)
Potatoes
Water
Bread
It is a long trek from here to Casa Forestal. When we arrived it was empty and locked up.There was NO WATER in the fountain. We slept under the stars on the tile veranda. Gorgeous views and sunrise. There was no place to buy food. I'd call ahead and make sure this place is open before you set out. Otherwise, carry plenty of food and water!
WARNING: When you get to Almaden, steer clear of a place called Bar Macias. The lady there cheated us. Made us pay twice for our food. We had no recourse because our Spanish was not good enough. We ordered our food and beers, paid her, then when we got ready to leave, she insisted we pay again. It was disheartening. She's one of the few bad eggs along the Way. It is a hard climb into Almaden, but beautiful. Lots of wild pigs along the way. The alburgue there is very nice and clean and is 5 Euro. They have a nice kitchen and laundry area. There is a note on the door. You have to call the number to be let into the alburgue or you can walk up the street to a lady's house and ask. There is a market here where you can buy food. We cooked pasta with mussel sauce. We didn't have oil, so we used mayonnaise, garlic, onion, mussels... it was delicious! I soaked stale bread in milk and used that to thicken the sauce. Amazing...
El Real de la Jara. We left Almaden about 6:30 and by 11:30 we arrived at the beginning of town. But you must walk all the way THROUGH town to the swimming pool to obtain the key, then walk all the way BACK to the alburgue which is right at the beginning of town. It's lovely! A little hobbit house with 2 bedrooms of 4 beds each. Small, so get there early. Has a microwave, but no kitchen that I recall. This place was 8 Euro. A pretty town.
Next day for us was Hell day. It took us 7.5 hours in the extreme heat to arrive in Monesterio, only to find no alburgue there anymore. Hostal Maya at the beginning of town is 40 Euro for a double, way out of our budget. We continued through town to Hostal Extremadura for 15 Euro with air conditioning! (12 without) It was nice, ensuite, with a tv. Nice to have a good rest. Dinner was a pilgrim platter for 7.50 euro in the Hostal.
We rested a day there. There is a lovely little Hermita there. The lady next door has a key and is happy to let you in to see it. The mass is at 9 pm if you're interested in attending.
There is a lovely place to eat here called the DF Cafeteria. The food was EXCELLENT and plentiful. We had
Salad
Soup
Pork Steak
Potatoes
Ice Cream
Wine
Que BUENO!
Fuente de Campos is the next place we walked. On this stretch you will cross a creek which may have water this time of year. It was bone dry when we crossed, and here is where we met an Angel of the Camino asking us "Quieres agua frio?" He took us into his house up on the hill, gave us water, peaches, and gaspacho. His name is Antonio Duran and he is an artist, a wood carver. The food and water gave me strength to make another 6 km.
We tried stopping at the Alburgue in Fuente, but it's not really an alburgue for Pilgrims and the guy at the desk was quite mean to us. So we walked on to Hostal Extremadura again (must be a chain) and bought a room for 38 Euro (ouch!)
It was here we made the decision to walk another route. We caught a bus to Leon. It was a difficult decision, but the lack of water was killing us.
I think you're smart to walk this route in the early spring.
I'd love to hear your notes, because I plan on attempting it again another year.
Buen Camino!
May God Walk With You!
Annie