Bad Pilgrim
Veteran Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Yes
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I am curious about this. What happened?To make a long story short: I ran out of water.
How local? Slaughtered on site?Locally-sourced (!) beef is on the menu.
I missed that! It sounds rather messyAt your table!!
But very fresh to say the least!I missed that! It sounds rather messy
I am curious about this. What happened?
This was one of my concerns at the start of the CP this year. I was regularly drinking three litres during the walking day, then perhaps another litre in assorted beverages at the end of the day.Oh I just didn't carry enough water. I forgot to check the elevation before I started: that should have given me a hint. I still make those mistakes...
I will be looking forward to your posts. I plan on walking first week of October.Hello again,
I will be walking the Mozárabe from Málaga. I took the AVE train from Cuenca to Málaga (via Madrid) yesterday. (I stopped my Camino de la Lana in Cuenca.)
I arrived to Málaga late in the evening yesterday. I had to stay at a youth hostel *gasp*: Hostal Málaga Centro, 27 euros. I had time to do the laundry and see the cathedral - that's it!
I will post a little something at the end of every stage.
I plan to walk to Mérida. (From Baena I know my way, since I already walked the Mozárabe from Almería.)
It was too late in the evening to take decent pictures. (My cellphone needs sunlight). A bad photo of the cathedral in Málaga is all I have!
More to come!
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That's a donativo? Wow.This one will have to do:
BP, you have an original way with words, and evoking an appetizing breakfast!Toasts as the size of toilet lids, a trough of butter and jam, a café con leche large enough to drown in.
You have my sympathies, BP. That just sucks. May they settle down quickly.My grumpy mood is due to a painful blister that I have developped since the descent from El Torcal two days
I will be looking forward to your posts. I plan on walking first week of October.
Bien camino,
Donna
I would not like to face the amazing descent to Antequera with all the previous climbs between Almogia, then Villanueva de la Concepción, then even higher to Torcal. I loved this part early in a winter morning, but it looked very different to a blazing summer afternoon like you did. Antequera is worth a long stop, indeed! And, yes, there are quite a few dogs. This camino, in the first two stages is surprisingly hilly, at the end of the day, the climbing adds up to quite a lot, really, and the descent to Antequera can be tricky on heavy legs!Day 2: Almogía - Antequera, 34 kms
Yes, you read that right. When I got to Villanueva de la Concepción I felt I had more to give, so why not continue? I am in the bar next to the church in Antequera now, waiting for the priest to give me the keys to the parrochial albergue (5 euros).
The walk from Almogía was hard at first. It was still dark when I descended the gullies/slopes and the woods. I do not recommend doing this too early: wait until daylight.
The terrain slowly got easier the nearer I got to Villanueva. But the dogs...! I stopped counting them. Unchained and coming towards me from one farm after another. If there was a fence, they would crawl under it. A family of four swarmed around my legs for a quarter of an hour and although they were cute, I almost tripped over them.
Cute also the turtles that I saw from the bridge before Villanueva. Turtles are less aggressive and don't come running at my calves...
Waymarking: We are not amused. But I don't feel like explaining. It will be in my summary at the end of the journey.
From Villanueva there are 7 kms uphill, which feels like 117 kms. Then of course the walk towards the cliff(s) El Torcal and the peculiar landscape shaped by the rocks. The descent from the cliff is brutal, especially on a 30+ stage (with added kms where I went wrong, or lost time because I thought I went wrong).
My feet were bruised and battered when I entered Antequera, otherwise I feel fine.
The doors of the albergue were wide open when I arrived. But God forbid I should leave my backpack in there. They use it as a sort of storage room and they are preparing something for the church this evening. I can't use it until the priest arrives. I asked if I could at least leave my shoes in there and put on my sandals (since my feet were dead). The guy snorted at me: "Do it quickly then". Ah, the hospitality of parrochial albergues. How I have missed it.
Antequera is a monumental, beautiful town. I know most pilgrims will do a shorter stage to be able to explore what is to see there. As for me, I have been walking all day... Oh well, it is what it is and I seldom take rest days. Tomorrow? I haven't even checked the maps yet...
To be continued!
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I am enjoying your posts. I am planning to walk it but not sure about the best starting point. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Wise words. I would do it differently if I was to walk it a second time. I now understand why the first suggested stage in my guidebook is to Junta de los Caminos: to shorten the difficult stretch to Almogía.I would not like to face the amazing descent to Antequera with all the previous climbs between Almogia, then Villanueva de la Concepción, then even higher to Torcal. I loved this part early in a winter morning, but it looked very different to a blazing summer afternoon like you did. Antequera is worth a long stop, indeed! And, yes, there are quite a few dogs. This camino, in the first two stages is surprisingly hilly, at the end of the day, the climbing adds up to quite a lot, really, and the descent to Antequera can be tricky on heavy legs!
Buen Camino. Good luck and Godspeed. I miss that part of the world.Day 1: Málaga - Almogía, 21 kms
Wow. This is not the Camino de la Lana. To make a long story short: I ran out of water. The walk to Junta de los Caminos was easy, then murderous mountains appeared. Beautiful views and I could see all the way back to the Mediterranean, but I couldn't enjoy it as my water supply dwindled. But I have only myself to blame.
Albergue donativo is five-star. A municipal albergue with AC? that works?? Impressive. You don't need to pass by the Ayuntamiento: walk directly to the albergue and call one of the three numbers on the wall. The hospitalero might not answer due to bad reception. The people at the nearby restaurante-hostal told me to try after 3 pm. But I reached him a bit earlier. There are no rooms at the nearby hostal anymore (I had to ask, didn't I...) and I don't know about other alternatives. Nothing appears on Booking.
Tomorrow: Villanueva de la Concepción.
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Hope La Fuente is quiet this evening?Wonderful patio but the accoustics of the place are quite something.
If you still have energy tonight , a quiet walk to the plaza de Capuchinos with the statue of Christo de los Faroles maybe? Lovely atmosphere.
Wow @Bad Pilgrim : what an achievement!
Hope La Fuente is quiet this evening?Wonderful patio but the accoustics of the place are quite something.
If you still have energy tonight , a quiet walk to the plaza de Capuchinos with the statue of Christo de los Faroles maybe? Lovely atmosphere.
Face it, BP, you are a magnet for raucous teenagers. Or maybe they read the forum and figure out how to get there just in time to torment you.They follow me wherever I go...
Face it, BP, you are a magnet for raucous teenagers. Or maybe they read the forum and figure out how to get there just in time to torment you.
I can’t imagine being in Córdoba and not going into the Mezquita — how did you resist?
Not the LTRA!
Sorry, BP.
But you are in Cordoba. Which kinda balaces things out.
We just missed you in Cordoba, by a day, we’ve been doing a tourist thing post Lana. It was scorching hot, real mad dogs and Englishmen grade heat and they have an issue with their drains but we loved it. The teenager thing is happening all over Spain - seems to be high school graduation. The tourist office took one look at our backpacks and handed us brochures about the part of the Mozarabe that passes through Cordoba province, but only Cordoba province. Why do they do that? Don’t they get on? Anyway, Buen Camino and good luck with the next part.
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I agree. Imagine coming in from the fields in the afternoon thenIt’s a must visit place, but not in mid- summer. It was 38 degs when I visited.
Great news AJ !we'll be walking from Almería starting on 22 September.
As you know, we're not puristsGreat news AJ !
Lucky you and your beloved. Buen camino. This thread will be very helpful. What will you both do on the long stretch that bad Pilgrim will be walking tomorrow. ? (Knowing you are the star researcher for shorter etapas)
As you know, we're not purists
So our plan is to walk half way up to a place called Puerto Calatraveño. We'll call a taxi (Taxi Juan 600 05 94 94, listed in the Mozárabe guide) to take us to Alcaracejos. Then the next morning, he'll take us back to Puerto Calatraveño, and we'll walk the second half. And I know my darling will like this, because on the 2nd half, she won't have to carry a backpack
I have heard of people asking a taxi in Villaharta to take their backpacks to Alcaracejos, and they walked the whole stage with a light day pack. But 35km is really too much for my darling.
Day 9: Cerro Muriano - Villaharta, 21 kms
I slept in since it would be another short stage. I left Cerro Muriano, passed the military base El Obejo and at least hundred military vehicles of different sorts... The Camino follows the N-432 almost all the way to Villaharta. But it is off-road, on a dirt trail and sometimes on tarmac.
After 12 kms there is the small pueblo El Vacar, clutched to the motorway and therefore sprinkled with bars and restaurants. I think I never saw so many bars, restaurants and panaderías concentrated to one street. Last time I was here it was early Sunday or Monday morning and only one of them was open. This Saturday I was luckier. I had breakfast in one of them, a café con leche and a magdalena in another...
In the bar Acuario, the owner told me she has five rooms in the hostal. She also said that El Vacar was talking about having their own albergue de peregrinos: only the pandemic had thwarted their plans. Now the future of the albergue is uncertain. Unfortunately I don't think pilgrims will benefit from accomodation in El Vacar anyway. Villaharta is only 9 kms away, and you have to reach Villaharta in order to make the following stage to Alcaracejos (35 kms with nothing in between).
I had to phone the albergue in Villaharta yesterday, since it was friday, so that the guy would come by and hand me the keys when I arrived (orders from Gronze). The albergue is... Wow. It has everything. 10 euros is a steal any day of the week. No AC, but fans in the ceiling and that is all I need. You can't use the stove, that is the only thing not working. Fridge, micro-oven, washing machine and detergent, 3 dormitorios with 2 or 4 beds each. Two bathrooms. It used to be an apartment, so... you get the picture. The albergue opened earlier this year as the previous owners of the apartment retired and went back to Madrid. The beds in the dormitories look brand new. (- Edit: there is no wifi. But in the Biblioteca Municipal (library) there is wifi, and outside the Biblioteca. I found the password on an infoboard in the restaurante Mirasierra across the street.)
Tomorrow is a hard stage: 35 kms with no village until I reach Alcaracejos. It will be an early rise...
Picture of the day: Calle Posito in Villaharta where the albergue is located. The albergue is behind me, and I am facing the Ayuntamiento.
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Spain looks just like Southern California.
Hermosa Beach, California.
About twenty minutes south of Los Angeles.
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The Portuguese do exactly the same thing. Seems to be a mixture of local loyalties plus the non-sensical way the tourism department's euros are split between the different regions.The tourist office took one look at our backpacks and handed us brochures about the part of the Mozarabe that passes through Cordoba province, but only Cordoba province. Why do they do that? Don’t they get on?
Thank you, thank you.I tried to leave the apartment as tidy as possible for future pilgrims.
The sad thing about LTRAs is that in a few short years they turn into your doctor and your dentist.Maybe they already transfered to another city to wreak havoc
Thank you @Bad Pilgrim !Flat flat flat all the way to Hinojosa del Duque. I passed the cute towns of Villanueva del Duque
Thank you @Bad Pilgrim !
We're slow walkers, or distance challenged, and I was thinking that if the 21 km was a tad too much for my darling (we'll see on the day), we might take a taxi from Alcaracejos to Villanueva del Duque. Would we be missing anything beautiful?
An excellent suggestion! ¡Gracias @Bad Pilgrim !Since you seem to be interested in the taxi alternative to split up the long stage between Villaharta and Alcaracejos, you could choose not to stay in Alcaracejos but walk on to Villanueva del Duque (+ 3 kms from Alcaracejos). I hope this makes sense... It would make your stages shorter. That is:
1) Villaharta
2 ) Taxi somewhere between Villaharta and Alcaracejos
3) Villanueva del Duque
4) Hinojosa del Duque
If anyone is going to take a taxi on this stage, I would highly recommend walking the first part and getting picked up for the kms into Alcaracejos. Unless BP’s more recent experience tellsl me I’m remembering wrong, I remember the first part as being quite beautiful, and the last kms into Alcaracejos as being along the side of a road in the sun.2 ) Taxi somewhere between Villaharta and Alcaracejos
If anyone is going to take a taxi on this stage, I would highly recommend walking the first part and getting picked up for the kms into Alcaracejos. Unless BP’s more recent experience tellsl me I’m remembering wrong, I remember the first part as being quite beautiful, and the last kms into Alcaracejos as being along the side of a road in the sun.
Alcaracejos does have several taxis, and I remember there was an obvious pick-up point at some road/highway crossing,
Here you go:I would like to know more about it.
Here you go:
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (Catedral de la Sierra)
Popularly known as the Cathedral of the Mountains because of its monumental character and architectural mastery, it is the most noteworthy buildi...www.andalucia.org
There's another opportunity for the non purists slow walkers distance challenged that we are to call a taxi in Monterrubio, asking them to pick us up at the Ermita.The bucolic beauty ends abrubtly at the Ermita Virgen de la Alcantarilla. The last 8 kms is on the road A-3280, later called EX-211 when you cross the border to Extremadura. It is a real slog in the heat at the end of a long stage.
There's another opportunity for the non purists slow walkers distance challenged that we are to call a taxi in Monterrubio, asking them to pick us up at the Ermita.
The remaining 24 kms are still going to be a challenge for my darling.
You missed the Día del Queso! It was a big party in early May 2018, and apparently it was re-activated (after Covid) in April 2022.As for cultural exploits
You missed the Día del Queso! It was a big party in early May 2018, and apparently it was re-activated (after Covid) in April 2022.
What I worry about is the fact that the Santa Amalia option looks like it gives you even MORE kms on the N-430 than if you had walked through Yelbes (and not tried the river crossing). I am hoping that since tomorrow is Saturday, there will be less traffic than M-F, but that stretch was one of the most terrifying of all my caminos. Be very careful, BP, we want to hear that you have arrived safely in Mérida.Anyway, my final thoughts are that Santa Amalia is a great place to end a stage and to spend the day.
It’s been so much fun following your posts bad pilgrim. Shame it has to end —- or will you be switching to another route from Mérida ?Day 15: Magacela - Santa Amalia, 34 kms
I will try to reach Mérida tomorrow - and it will be the end of my Mozárabe adventure.
I am really looking forward to your comments on that route!Then I will start walking the Camino de Invierno on July 11.
What I worry about is the fact that the Santa Amalia option looks like it gives you even MORE kms on the N-430 than if you had walked through Yelbes (and not tried the river crossing).
will you be switching to another route from Mérida ?
Buen camino
Thanks for the daily posts on the Mozarabe!
I am really looking forward to your comments on that route!
I am disappointed, but I understand - it can be quite a chore to keep up the daily posts. Maybe occasionally, though?Yes I will be back on the Invierno... But I don't think I will post about it here.
I take from that comment that you haven’t walked the San Olav from Covarrubias.The churchtower in Torrefresneda, identical to the one in Yelbes, must be the ugliest in Western Europe.
Ohhh I can think of a certain few who you will never bore to deathYes I will be back on the Invierno... But I don't think I will post about it here. I blabbed enough about it as recently as last year! I will bore people to death if I write about it again!!
I take from that comment that you haven’t walked the San Olav from Covarrubias.
Please continue to post. I lost connection with your posts for a while, but I can agree wholeheartedly that your posts are delightful.Yes I will be back on the Invierno... But I don't think I will post about it here. I blabbed enough about it as recently as last year! I will bore people to death if I write about it again!!
I am late in catching up to your posts on this thread (stage 9). This albergue sure sounds like it was "heaven on earth". Favorites such as this one are always a morale booster along the way!I had to phone the albergue in Villaharta yesterday, since it was friday, so that the guy would come by and hand me the keys when I arrived (orders from Gronze). The albergue is... Wow.
The route through Yelbes was recently waymarked and it leads pilgrims to a point where they can ford the river. By doing this pilgrims can avoid the dangerous traffic To verify that the river is not in flood, you are advised to ask the Guardia Civil or Tourism office in Medellin.Day 16: Santa Amalia - Mérida, 36 kms
The Camino from Santa Amalia joins the Camino from Yelbes at the bridge over the river Burdalo. This is where the Camino enters the infamous motorway N-430. (There is no additional stretch on the dangerous road if you come from Santa Amalia.) There is no other option than to walk next to the cars and trucks on the motorway, so you better be careful.
You are correct. This stretch of highway is an accident waiting to happen. Please advise all pilgrims to follow the route through Yelbes unless advised that the dams are open and the river is flooded.That stretch on the national highway is just awful, I am sure someone someday is going to be killed or badly injured. But I was relieved to hear that you didn’t have even more kilometers on it than “usual.”
I am late in catching up to your posts on this thread (stage 9). This albergue sure sounds like it was "heaven on earth". Favorites such as this one are always a morale booster along the way!
Well then, it appears you have hit a "gold mine" of albergues on this Camino.Yes. In general, all the albergues where I stayed were nice. There is no need to stay in hostals when standard is this good! I wasn't disappointed once.
Well then, it appears you have hit a "gold mine" of albergues on this Camino.
Thank you @Bad Pilgrim for your daily posts. It has helped us immensely,and we look forward to walking the Mozárabe later this year.
¡Muchísimas gracias y Buen Camino!
I'm curious that you left the Lana. I did too in Cuenca back in early June. Just couldn't handle the heat, lack of decent infrastructure, little shade, and no other pilgrims.Hello again,
I will be walking the Mozárabe from Málaga. I took the AVE train from Cuenca to Málaga (via Madrid) yesterday. (I stopped my Camino de la Lana in Cuenca.)
I arrived to Málaga late in the evening yesterday. I had to stay at a youth hostel *gasp*: Hostal Málaga Centro, 27 euros. I had time to do the laundry and see the cathedral - that's it!
I will post a little something at the end of every stage.
I plan to walk to Mérida. (From Baena I know my way, since I already walked the Mozárabe from Almería.)
It was too late in the evening to take decent pictures. (My cellphone needs sunlight). A bad photo of the cathedral in Málaga is all I have!
More to come!
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I'm curious that you left the Lana. I did too in Cuenca back in early June. Just couldn't handle the heat, lack of decent infrastructure, little shade, and no other pilgrims.
UMMMMM, you are not taking a break from the forum as you threatened in your post yesterday.I have already walked from Cuenca, so I chose to jump to the Mozárabe!
Most of the things you mention is what I like about the Lana though!
With more pilgrims, the infrastructure would surely follow. More albergues are needed. I would pay 30 euros for a hostal one day, the next day sleep for free in the polideportivo... There should be something in between!
UMMMMM, you are not taking a break from the forum as you threatened in your post yesterday.
About the 2 pickup points between Villaharta and Alcaracejos , I know the 17km point is Puerto Calatraveno and has a fountain , bench and shelter. Does the 25km point have a name or any features to refer to if we wanted taxi to pick us up there ?I agree: the first part is the most beautiful. I also remember walking on the side of a road (asphalt) four years ago: the last 4 kms to Alcaracejos. But my memory is fuzzy too. This time, there was only tarmac for 1 km or so. The remaining 3 kms to Alcaracejos was on a country road! I don't know if the Camino has been re-routed since four years ago, or if I don't remember it correctly. Either way there is not much tarmac to talk about.
There are two. At 17 kms or 25 kms from Villaharta. I thought about the second one for @AJGuillaume and his beloved. They would be able to have a hearty breakfast or lunch in Alcaracejos and then continue 3 more kms to the albergue in Villanueva del Duque, to shorten the next stage to Hinojosa del Duque at least a little bit.
The 25km point crosses the A-435.About the 2 pickup points between Villaharta and Alcaracejos , I know the 17km point is Puerto Calatraveno and has a fountain , bench and shelter. Does the 25km point have a name or any features to refer to if we wanted taxi to pick us up there ?
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