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In Monteagudo de las Salinas I stayed at a casa rural at the entrance to the village. The owner has converted its attic into an "albergue", with 4-5 beds in alcoves. Very comfortable, and the bar/restaurant downstairs does perfectly decent food. As Kevin says, the Rincón de Sandra casa rural, up near the castle, is the other option in the village.
The walk from Monteagudo to Fuentes (24km) was great. Effectively no tarmac from start to finish, except in the villages themselves. No water en route. At first through deep pine forests going steadily up to beautiful open moorland with holm oaks, then down through rolling cereal fields to Fuentes, a bustling friendly village. The albergue there is attached to the ermita of the Virgen de Gracia, with a bunk bed and a tiny loo/shower, free. The key is held by the nearby Cazadores bar, which does a good menú del día (and is open at 7am for breakfast). If two people happen to coincide in the albergue I would suggest the richer one goes to one of the two pensións or the casa rural in the village, unless they are very good friends, not least as they would have to draw lots for who gets the blanket and who the pillow, as there is only one of each.
Keep 'em coming, Alan! Enjoying them.In Monteagudo de las Salinas I stayed at a casa rural at the entrance to the village. The owner has converted its attic into an "albergue", with 4-5 beds in alcoves. Very comfortable, and the bar/restaurant downstairs does perfectly decent food. As Kevin says, the Rincón de Sandra casa rural, up near the castle, is the other option in the village.
The walk from Monteagudo to Fuentes (24km) was great. Effectively no tarmac from start to finish, except in the villages themselves. No water en route. At first through deep pine forests going steadily up to beautiful open moorland with holm oaks, then down through rolling cereal fields to Fuentes, a bustling friendly village. The albergue there is attached to the ermita of the Virgen de Gracia, with a bunk bed and a tiny loo/shower, free. The key is held by the nearby Cazadores bar, which does a good menú del día (and is open at 7am for breakfast). If two people happen to coincide in the albergue I would suggest the richer one goes to one of the two pensións or the casa rural in the village, unless they are very good friends, not least as they would have to draw lots for who gets the blanket and who the pillow, as there is only one of each.
So many thanks to you for your words and advice,,,very inspirationalIn Monteagudo de las Salinas I stayed at a casa rural at the entrance to the village. The owner has converted its attic into an "albergue", with 4-5 beds in alcoves. Very comfortable, and the bar/restaurant downstairs does perfectly decent food. As Kevin says, the Rincón de Sandra casa rural, up near the castle, is the other option in the village.
The walk from Monteagudo to Fuentes (24km) was great. Effectively no tarmac from start to finish, except in the villages themselves. No water en route. At first through deep pine forests going steadily up to beautiful open moorland with holm oaks, then down through rolling cereal fields to Fuentes, a bustling friendly village. The albergue there is attached to the ermita of the Virgen de Gracia, with a bunk bed and a tiny loo/shower, free. The key is held by the nearby Cazadores bar, which does a good menú del día (and is open at 7am for breakfast). If two people happen to coincide in the albergue I would suggest the richer one goes to one of the two pensións or the casa rural in the village, unless they are very good friends, not least as they would have to draw lots for who gets the blanket and who the pillow, as there is only one of each.
Arrows excellent, bit muddy today but mostly not. One finca after Monteagudo de las Salinas has "prohibido el paso" signs but yellow arrows right next to them, and in 2 days there is apparently a block at Villaescusa de los Palositas where a new landlord is trying to close the cañada real/camino but I've been told to jump the gate as the block is illegal. Otherwise fine. February could be claggy or could be dry, no way of predicting. The guide EL CAMINO DE LA Lana CAmINO DE SANTIAGO DESDE VALENCIA Y Alicante (can't find a Web link, but easily googled) is pretty good, coupled with info from the hospitaler@s etc.Hi Alan just some questions I have if you don't mind.Are the arrows well marked for the sections you have walked since coming back, do you need a guide? Have you had any access problems because of fincas, etc? What is your opinion of walking the way in February, do you think the paths will be passable after the Winter rains?
Yours very gratefully
M
Dias Muire duit a Mhairtin Antaine (cnocadoiri) anseo! Aon scéal? Tony and I are walking the Le Puy to SJPdP and I've done the LaLana last year - very solitary after Cuenca. Soria is tough and it's preferable to walk with a partner. One or 2 rough nights on floors but accomodation is available. The real killer for me was getting breakfast ! and on 6 or 7 mornings I had 20km walks before getting food. One rip off hostal which I will send you name of on this thread when I get a chance to look it up (later found out that a hospitalero from 6 k out the road will collect you and put you up for a fraction of the price - perhaps other readers can provide a phone no. or name ? Brilliant scenery and most of the last 150 k shares the Camino El Cid. Ádh mórHello Alan. Walked the Alicante to Cuenca section of the Lana, finishing in Cuenca a couple of weeks ago. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and was disappointed to have to stop at Cuenca. I'd be really interested to hear how the section Cuenca/Burgos works out for you if you walk that far, particularly in those one or two places where the Amigos' Guia indicates that accommodation is doubtful. In the meantime do take care and Buen Camino! Martin o Leary.
Dias Muire duit a Mhairtin Antaine (cnocadoiri) anseo! Aon scéal? Tony and I are walking the Le Puy to SJPdP and I've done the LaLana last year - very solitary after Cuenca. Soria is tough and it's preferable to walk with a partner. One or 2 rough nights on floors but accomodation is available. The real killer for me was getting breakfast ! and on 6 or 7 mornings I had 20km walks before getting food. One rip off hostal which I will send you name of on this thread when I get a chance to look it up (later found out that a hospitalero from 6 k out the road will collect you and put you up for a fraction of the price - perhaps other readers can provide a phone no. or name ? Brilliant scenery and most of the last 150 k shares the Camino El Cid. Ádh
Dias Muire duit a Mhairtin Antaine (cnocadoiri) anseo! Aon scéal? Tony and I are walking the Le Puy to SJPdP and I've done the LaLana last year - very solitary after Cuenca. Soria is tough and it's preferable to walk with a partner. One or 2 rough nights on floors but accomodation is available. The real killer for me was getting breakfast ! and on 6 or 7 mornings I had 20km walks before getting food. One rip off hostal which I will send you name of on this thread when I get a chance to look it up (later found out that a hospitalero from 6 k out the road will collect you and put you up for a fraction of the price - perhaps other readers can provide a phone no. or name ? Brilliant scenery and most of the last 150 k shares the Camino El Cid. Ádh mór
Fuentes to Cuenca is a pleasant easy day. Left just before dawn to get as much time in the hanging city as possible. The cañada real is easy to follow in the half light. A couple of bird rich lagunas, a couple of villages with fuentes, and then the dreary suburbs of the ciudad encantada.
I was the 100th person in Cuenca's albergue this year, beating last year's record by 20 or more, and the first ever to arrive from Xàbia. The duty hospitaler@'s number is on the door, and Luis arrived almost immediately to let me in. 3 bunks and three single beds, loo and shower, microwave, donativo. The albergue is opposite the hospital of Santiago, just by the Júcar on the camino leaving northwards. Luis is hugely helpful and an enthusiastic caminant so we had a pleasant chat about caminos less travelled - he is the only other person I've met who has walked the Castellano-Aragonés
He is always out and about walking various Caminos, sometimes with his 80+ year old father! I
!!! Oh, my. I'm torn between admiration and envy.Not just his father, I met his very charming daughter, who already has 7 compostelas at ~16.
Hi Alan, you are quite right about the lady in the bar at Caracena. We had a lovely short rest day after the blazing heat in the cañon. Maria's son has completely renovated one of the small houses just down from the bar. We took the offer and she amazed us by refusing any payment. We had both a good dinner and she got up specially to make us an early breakfast. We were in Fresno very sad looking place, by 0830. Thanks again for a lively, erudite description. Best. KevinRetortillo de Soria to Fresno de Caracena
Nearly 8km of tarmac to Tarancueña. Very quiet road, but still. Sign at Tarancueña says I could have followed the GR86 from Retorillo de Soria to Losana and on to Tarancueña taking c12 km but all off road.
After Tarancueña it was amongst the most spectacular 3 hours of my life.
The camino follows the cañón of Caracena downhill until you reach Caracena itself. Total solitude; astonishing, sometimes jaw-dropping beauty, surrounded by high cliffs, circling eagles, autumn trees with leaves turning every colour from black red to pure gold, millions of wild rose hips (the valley must be even more spectacular when they are in flower), wild lavender, flowering thorns, juniper, thyme and more. Just amazing. Quite hard work, as the sometimes narrow path did not seem to be used much, and there were scrambles and stoney river crossings that would not be pleasant in rainy weather, but on a perfect autumn day it was too wonderful for words.
The cañón itself probably took me nearly 2 hours for its 4km, including long pauses to gasp in wonder at the sheer beauty, but I was ready to enjoy some man made beauty when the first of Caracena's romanesque churches eventually appeared on top of a cliff. And a short but sharp climb upwards found me having lunch in Caracena's small but most welcome bar. A very welcome surprise, as Caracena has a permanent population of c8 to go with its 2 glorious churches and handsome stone main street and square.
Sadly, the camino is then again almost entirely on tarmac for the next 9km to Fresno de Caracena, where the acogida is, to put it politely, basic - no beds, no showers, no hot water: a store room above the medical centre.
"Next time" I will take the slightly longer tarmac free GR to Caracena and stay there (the landlady at the bar told me her son is now offering shelter for pilgrims: not quite sure what, but definitely including a shower) and then carry on to San Esteban de Gormaz, skipping sad dying Fresno de Caracena.
And from here? Lana or San Olav? Every time I read one of your posts, I think — man, can that guy write! You really capture it all. It is always such fun to follow along on your autumn caminos, buen camino, LaurieQuintanarraya to Santo Domingo de Silos.
The village bar only opens at noon, but the microwave made me some instant, and I got proper coffee at Huerta del Rey, 6km on.
Towards the end of the day, the Lana converges with the Castellano-Aragonés and you get your first distant view of the abbey nestling in its secret valley far below. If there's a better way to arrive, I've not tried it.
It was Sunday afternoon when I turned up, so the magical cloister was virtually deserted and I was able to enjoy it in total silence, with just an occasional flurry of snow for company. "cada vez que se miran las arquierías magnificas, estella en el alma un acorda de majestuosidad antigua"
Fray Alfredo, the genial brother hospitaler, showed me across the road to the albergue and quickly confirmed something that had been bugging me for the last few days - the capitals and twisted central column at San Pedro de Caracena were indeed done by the same sculptor as the early part of the cloister here. The albergue is luxurious. 2 bunks, microwave, fridge, washing machine and drier, loo and shower, donativo.
Vespers in the darkened church is always an experience, with the Abbot providing the only splash of colour, but I think Lauds at dawn next morning was even more memorable - totally monochrome, starting on the dark with the light gathering as the singing proceeded, only 4 of us in the congregation and a dusting of snow lying outside.
Too kind, and in the minority, I'm sure. Finished up half Lana half OlavAnd from here? Lana or San Olav? Every time I read one of your posts, I think — man, can that guy write! You really capture it all. It is always such fun to follow along on your autumn caminos, buen camino, Laurie
Hi Kevin,Hello Alan. Echoing Laurie's remark. You really can write! It bought back so many wonderful memories. Your quote from Lorca was deeply moving as I connect so much of his life, work and end with the terrible tragedy of the Civil War and it's aftermath. I'm busy now writing some sort of English guide to the Lana, and would like to ask your permission to use some of your remarks. We sometimes stayed in different places and your knowledge of the historical/cultural background helps to put this Camino into "context" I would, if an email address is available, send you the complete guide for remarks/ approval before publishing it, free of course, on the Forum. My email is kfobrien@online.no Best. Kevin
Villalbilla is described in Los pueblos deshabitados: Villalbilla (Cuenca) The inhabitants sold their houses and fields to a landowner at the beginning of 20th century. Lack of water for the agriculture and lack of work by mechanization drove them away. That's what a lot of villages suffer(ed) in Spain.Cuenca to Villar de Domingo Garcia
The first 16km are on tarmac but otherwise OK. From Tondos you are back on the cañada real, and back in proper countryside. The last coffee is at Chillarón, 8km from Cuenca. At Nohelda there is a Roman villa with famous mosaic, all shut up for the holiday weekend. 2km on a fast, busy and quite narrow road, then back into countryside, past the sad remains of the deserted village of Villalbilla. Quite recently abandoned, by the looks of it. The Bar Goyo in Villar de Domingo Garcia does some food and has the keys to the albergue, in the former school. 2 bunks in a cramped room, loo and shower, free. The Bar Plaza was open at 7 for breakfast.
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