Camino de Sureste

[peregrina2000]

I am in the initial phases of planning Camino 2013, and have been drawn to the two caminos that leave from Valencia (Levante) or Alicante (sureste).

There is less information on the Sureste, though there is a Spanish site now, http://caminodelsureste.es.tl/ and there is also a guidebook in Spanish.

In addition, the mundicamino site has excellent information on the Sureste as well.

I'm going to PM the moderators to see about adding a separate Sureste section, so maybe we can get more information for English-speaking pilgrims.

buen camino, Laurie

 

[ranthr]

Hola Laurie.
As you I have also been thinking about these caminos for next spring. I am going down to the Alicante area in a week and will be looking for the guidebook and other information. As I have heard there is also a marked camino from Benidorm to the Sureste. I will be staying there for a month so I might try out a few streches.
Have also been looking at the Ebro camino.
For some reason I think the Ebro way looks less lonely. On the Sureste there are a few very long streches without any towns on the way. Have you walked the Ebro way?
Buen camino!
Randi

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, randi,

I think you preceded me by a few months on the Vdlp a while back, if I'm remembering correctly you had a nice blog.

I had been thinking I would walk the Aragones from somewhere in France to join the Frances in Puente la Reina, since I haven't walked the entire Frances for a long time. But the reports of huge crowds are a tremendous disincentive for me. Not that I like solitary, but I prefer it to hoards. So, that got me thinking about some more options.

The hospitalero in Bodenaya on the Primitivo strongly recommends the Camino de la Lana, which is one I've been considering also, but it's shorter. I don't know much about the Ebro, but the Baztan and the Vasco Interior are two other shorter ones that I'm also drawn to. But since I'm looking for a longer route, when the recent posts on the Levante came up, that got me thinking.

I am learning a bit more from the Spanish forum where I also participate, and Andy's comment about the Sureste being more historical seems accurate. That's not a huge issue for me, but the two things I am more concerned about are waymarking and length of stages. The fact that several forum members (Kevin, Andy, and Johnnie Walker) have walked the Levante is also a huge positive. Since I walk alone, it's nice to be able to stand on their shoulders so to speak. So, at this point, I'm virtually certain I'll be walking from Valencia.

But I will post back with any more information I find about the Sureste (which coincides and/or goes very very close to the Levante on a number of occasions, I've learned).

Here is a video of the Camino del Sureste recently posted on the Spanish forum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYPiVb1_ ... e=youtu.be

And if you speak Spanish, here are the postings he made to that forum while walking (courtesy of my amigo amodo on the forum):

http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-328513
http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-328666
http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-328937
http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-329046
http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-329284
http://fsvr1.ibdinternet.com/read.php?6 ... msg-329461

You will see that the stages he posts tend to the long side, much longer than I'm comfortable with on a daily basis. The Levante seems to have much more manageable stages, at least if you have 47-50 days to walk!

Let me know what you learn about the Sureste; are you considering the Levante? Buen camino, Laurie

 

[ranthr]

Hallo Laurie!
Thank you for all information! I do not speak Spanish but manage to get information, use a guidebook and so on. I have not had a blog on the forum, but posted a link to some photos at the picasa from Via de la Plata spring 2011. This spring I walked Camino Aragon after some walking in France and stopped in Puente la Reina!
I have been thinking about Camino Norte and recently read some of your writing about it. But the last weeks the camino from Valencia or Alicante have been in focus!
If I find out something while I am in Spain, I'll let you know.
Buen camino!
randi

 

[Kevin F. O*brien]

Hi Ranveig eller Randi? I have just sent a day by day account of the Levante to Laurie - from Valencia to Zamora. I could send it to you if you think you could use it. I walked the Levante in April/May this year. If it suits you could PM me with your email address or send it through Ivar.Hilsen. Kev

 

[ranthr]

Today I was in Benidorm and was trying to get some information about the Camino from here to the Sureste. The touristinfo did not know anything about the route. After several telephones they could show me on the map where the camino was through the town, but nothing about stages and so on. The Jacob church were closed, only open at messes. Did not find any caminomarks around the church.
Will try to find out more in Alicante later.
Thank you Kevin for your mails with information about the Levante! Going there in a couple of days and will try to find a guidebook.
Randi

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Randi,

I have been in touch with the association that prints the guide in Valencia, and they tell me it is only sold by them in their office. Their hours are extremely reduced:

Thurs. and Fri: 17.00 h. - 20.30 h. (But only from June 15 to Aug. 31)
Rest of the year, only Friday evening.

They will send it to you also, but for me in the US the postage and the bank transfer costs add up to tripling the cost of the guide.

Sounds like the Sureste would be more challenging (and not in good ways) then the Levante. Let me know what you decide. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[ranthr]

Today II have been at the office of the asociacion de amihos del camino de Santiago en Alicante. There I got a guide they have made about the camino from here. It is like the size of a magazin, 50 a4 sides with maps and some information. They have a mailadress: peregrinos@encaminodesdealicante.org. The walk from Benavente via Astorga to Santiago is incluided.
Laurie, I could scan it and send it by mail when I come home from Spain. I also spoke to a lot of people in a Norwegian walking club here in Alfaz. There is the opiion that the Sureste is a very "lonely" camino with long stages along the highway as i also can see from the maps in the guide.
Randi

 

[peregrina2000]

Just wondering if ranther or anyone else is out there with any more Sureste information?

I chose the Levante over the Sureste last year but would love to be told I made the wrong decision so I could start investigating the Sureste!

 

[aquabilly]

hi, I`m just starting to have a look at this camino...I may order the guide book found at http://caminodelsureste.es.tl

I think its 12 Euros...i don`t know if thats a pdf download or an actual hardcopy. I was going to do the Primitivo...but the year has flown in and I don`t want to freeze as I did on the Norte last year. Theres not that much information about as you know...although the mundicamino seems to have a good deal of basic info. According to page one , the yellow arrows start from the Basilica de Santa Maria and are regular for the whole route. Thats a good start. Now, if theres regular water stops ...I think I have found this years camino.

 

[aquabilly]

I emailed Paco about his guide. It is only available as a hardcopy..no ebooks or pdf. Thats a shame...I use my phone for everything these days (and small solar panel to charge.) ...the days of lugging books about are gone. For me at any rate.ohwell.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, aquabilly,
Hope you will report back if you actually walk the Sureste. I don't think we've had any other first hand reports, and it's a Camino I'm interested in. I wonder if the pilgrim infrastructure is as good as the Levante.

I looked at the map on the web page of the guy who wrote the guide, and it is kind of confusing. It shows the Levante merging with the Sureste in Albacete, and then the Levante never appears again. Even if you don't get the book, there is a fair amount of information on that site, like a list of albergues, if you click on some of those tabs on the left. Based on all the updates that are there, though, I don't think the guidebook can be very up to date.

 

[aquabilly]

Hi . Peregrina.yes. Depending on which site you look at..the sureste heads up to cuenca or toledo. Both labelled as sureste. I dont have a lot of time...I am going to head up as far as albacete this time..hoping to leave end of next week. Booked easyJet and am just going to walk out from the airport and make a beeline for the trail bypassing alicante town. I am not bothered about credencials or paperwork and exactitudes.its all about the journey.for me at any rate. Hoping to get my spanish simcard sorted and report back my findings. Its a pity about the guide not being available as an ebook though there is plenty of info on gronze etc. I wild camp so the albergue side of things doesnt really figure in my planning.its not for everybody. My main concern is water availability on the long stretches.oh well...lets see how it goes.bye for now.billy

 

[aquabilly]

Oh well...should be arriving in alicante tomorrow. Shall need to head into town for simcard...not thrilled about that but hey ho. Had a look at the forecast. ..dipping to freezing some nights according to accuweather. So...thermal long johns packed too. Bye for now . Billy

 

[peregrina2000]

Buen camino, aquabilly, hope the weather cooperates a bit more than is forecast. Let us know how it goes.

 

[george.g]

Hi Bill,
Please keep us all informed of your progress, I am very interested as this is the route I plan to take in April '14.
Are you going to follow the Sureste up to Benavente and on to Astorga?
I plan to divert off the Sureste at some point, probably Toledo or thereabouts and continue up the Levante to Zamora and take the road to Orense and Santiago
at Granja de Moreruela.
If you have the time could you post any information about, finding and type of accomodation, availability of wifi, routemarking etc.
Hope everything goes well, but if you did the Norte in October you shoudn't have any problems. Have a good time, best wishes.
Regards
george

 

[ranthr]

Just wondering if ranther or anyone else is out there with any more Sureste information?

I chose the Levante over the Sureste last year but would love to be told I made the wrong decision so I could start investigating the Sureste!

Laurie.
I did not walk the Sureste this year. Ended up walking from Le Puy to Figeac and the Norte from Irun to Santander. I have just come home from Alicante but I was not at the pilgrims office. I still have my guidebook which they gave me for free last year. It looks OK and I study it now and then. Perhaps I will walk a short part of it when I go back in April. I have read your notes from the Levante and was glad you were not all alone all the way. The weather seemed to be better than up in the northwest too! So I now and then regretted my Choice.
ranthr

 

[aquabilly]

hallo all. Thats me back home...8 days alicante to albacete. I`ll try and summarise. Its a great camino...well marked out and interesting. I brought my mobile phone with Osmand mapping preloaded as well as the gpx file of the route overlaid. This was the first time using such as I was a bit concerned about the waymarkings. But, kudos to those who keep them up to date and repainted. I would still take the mapping and gpx file as back up for any trip but its not needed here. If you are unfamiliar with such...start researching now...routemapping isnt difficult..its just another string to your bow.

Its quiet...no other pilgrims. There are no cafes by the roadside as in other caminos...just long stretches of trail. Shopping is a bit hit and miss. the odd store here and there. But you wont go a day without passing somewhere to replenish, albeit basically. In the bigger towns there are the usual Mercadonas etc.

There are no springs or wells on the route. I was carrying up to 6 liters of water which is a fair weight in the pack . There are no rivers to speak of and any streams marked on the map were bone dry. Its not out and out desert..there are sprawling vineyards in many places..but it was a bit ` cactus gulch` here and there. I found the trail got easier as it went on. Incidentally ,you will see on some web pages the first stage is 40km to Novelda. Yes, if you are an elite marine...otherwise its 2 stages. The other stages are between 16 and 24 miles. As I was camping first 5 days , I made up my own stages.

Microclimates : the first 2 days were lovely and warm at night....sleeping in a mesh pop up tent..great. It was hot during the day...I could not possibly do this walk in the summer...I think it would be a nightmare. days 3 to 5 ...markedly cooler as terrain turned less coastal and more desert. Very uncomfortable at night. days 5 to 8, checking the forecast...it was still lovely in alicante but heading more inland it dropped to minus 2 for a few nights. I had to swallow my pride and head for the refugios.

the refugios are fine. small... 4 beds or sometimes no beds, just a mattress. All safe, a heck of a lot warmer than outside, running water , lights etc. very basic...no cooking facilities but usually something going in the village. looking at the guest book, it was a month since the last visitors. You normally have to phone ahead a day in advance to arrange for a key. Nobody speaks English...my Spanish is pretty good but i still had struggled with the accents.

boots : not trainers, or trail shoes or whatever. Proper boots.end of.

I use the digi navega 500 simcard. you can buy this for 13 quid on ebay or ten euros in Alicante. either way, you`ll need to supply passport details to register it. I have used this card. It is reliable. You get 700 mb of usage and 3 euros of calls. To Scotland it was 8 cents a minute. I used the net but didn`t make more than 2 minutes of calls. Its easy to top up and when your 700 mb allowance runs out (mine never has) it simply gets downgraded to a slow connection rather than just cut off. great. i researched all cards, take my word ...this is what you want. If you buy it in Alicante, the shop is called MaxMara. Thats the only shop...its actually a grocer.Again, no English is spoken so if you are unsure...order it on ebay and all the palavar is dealt with , in English, before you arrive.

i used a 30 x 15 cm pack mounted solar panel to keep my phone charged. i also converted my headlamp quite simply to use the same cable to recharge it. no worries about batteries etc.

The camino is marked from the town center very well and it should only take a few hours to clear the outskirts and be in open country.

Overall, its not a very strenuous camino if you keep your goals reasonable. However, the hike up to the church at Orito was tough going. Albeit, it was very hot, no wind and very rough terrain. There is , i recall, another route on the gpx map which avoids this. Otherwise, some really great walking sections. There are a few sections on asphalt but the roads were quiet and pretty safe as far as road walking goes.

So, excuse me if I have rambled on...just putting the info up as it came to me. Don`t hesitate to do this camino, even if its bit by bit . I am raring to go on the next section up to Toledo from Albacete. The bus and train routes are reliable and frequent so I`ll easyjet it to alicante again then bus it up to Albacete to continue. Just as an aside, after Albacete I did bus it back down to Alicante to fly home and spent a night in the San Remo hotel. 25 pounds, clean , comfortable and friendly.

any other questions, just ask. Otherwise, I`ll see you on the road to Toledo.

cheers,
Billy

 

[bjorgts]

I have been away from the forum for quite a long time now. Nice to be back! My husband and I started on Camino Levante in April, but had to stop and go home before Almansa. We returned now in October, and since we arrived in Alicante we just went out of town on Lana/Sureste, and continued on Levante when we met it. We came as fare as Las Pedroñeras. I have thought of giving some information here, because we have been walking around the first one or two weeks of Lana, Sureste and Levante this year, but I do not have time to do that now. Just this + : No problems with signs! Untill we got a bit lost..., my husband ment that Lana/Sureste were the best marked Caminos in the whole Christianity. And this - : We concluded that there seems to be a sort of "fight" between Sureste and Levante, which is not good for the walkers, because som places where the two Caminos meet, you can end up on the other one... (I will give more information later. For the benefit of the walkers, I hope the people behind the Caminos will work together to inform the walkers of the alternatives in stead of painting the best arrows to get the Wakers on there Camino. As far as we could see - and walked - the Sureste is now better marked than Levante.

I will come back later with more exact information.

Bjorg

 

[LTfit]

Welcome back Bjorg and look forward to the information you have about the Levante. Could you post that portion in the forum for the Levante please. That way those of us interested in walking that Camino will find it there.
But hope to read about your impressions of all three

 

[aquabilly]

Here is a scan of a small pamphlet I picked up. It seems to be up to date as far as the refugios i used. As you can see, it only goes as far as Caudete region goes. This seems to be normal as far as I can see. All the minor assosciations look after their own patch and have their own websites. I don`t think they link particularly well to other sites. Thats not a criticism , just an observation . Plus, I think a little competition is a good thing. Right, I am planning the Albacete to Toledo stage next. Aaaargh....-7 degrees C at night!!! Might need to postpone till spring time.

 

[aquabilly]

Well, thats me packed again to continue on the Sureste. First stage was Alicante to Albacete as per my previous posts. Flying to Alicante on 14/4/2014, bus to Albacete and just carry on from where I left off last year. Hoping to take ten days or so to wander up to Toledo...seems to be a commuter suburb of Madrid these days. Then fly home to Scotland , Easyjet to Edinburgh.

I kept my Spanish simcard active by calling it to let it ring once every month, so all i have to do is buy a ten euro top up card when i get there and i should be good to go with cheap internet and calls. See my previous blurb on that.

I shall be mostly wild camping but if there`s any bad weather nights, I`ll head for a refugio. Looks like its very mild this time of year so no waking up to frozen puddles like last year.

I`ll post my findings on here soon. Bye for now, Billy

 

[george.g]

I will be in Albercete round about then, orange and grey ospray, let's have a beer.
George

 

[aquabilly]

Hi george. Shall keep an eye out for your pack. Am heading straight from the station so may see u on the trail. Am probably only Scottish guy in Spain who doesnt drink so you shall need to have my beer.buen camino.billy

 

[evanlow]

Hi Laurie,

I've just came back from 12 days on the Camino Levante stopping at Pedroneras. What Aquabilly said is pretty much accurate.

The waymarkings are not as fantastic as the other Caminos. I was fortunate to have a Spanish SIM card with internet so it is a matter of rerouting my path instead of having to spend time backtracking (how all pilgrims hated that!) to get back on track.

Extra water (and lunch) according to what you need especially on some days where there are no towns in between.

Many times one would need to call either the police or ayuntamiento to get the keys to the albergue (some albergues only for 2-3 beds). Some albergue are not so fitting for ladies. Expect to treat yourself to a hostal from time to time.

The first day out of Valencia is 38 km (way too much for the first day). As it is mostly leaving the urban sprawl of the Valencia district, the person I walked with decided to walk only 24 km and took a train (one station) for the rest of the distance. There are pilgrims who walked all of the 38 km and have slow down for the next couple of days just to rest their body. The second 38 km a few days later can be split with a detour into two 20 km day. Only the third 40 km day a week later did we attempt to do that at one stretch since it was boring (near the highway) and we had recovered enough. Like they say, pick your own fight. No guilt taking part of the first day by train.

This is what I consider the 3rd level Camino. First level being Camino Frances, second the via de la Plata, del Norte, Primitivo. Very few people although we have 3-4 constantly (the luck of the Camino), more Spanish language ability required, etc.

More info on my blog.

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Evan,

I remembered you had said you'd be able to walk for about 10 days this fall, but I had no idea you were heading to the Levante. I actually took the Levante plunge in 2013 (link to my blog below) and walked from Valencia to Santiago in May/June. I wound up breaking the first day into two so that I could spend more time in Valencia (gorgeous city!). So I walked to Silla in the morning, took the train back to town and had the whole afternoon to visit. Then the next day, train back to Silla, and on to Algemesi.

I was so lucky to meet two French peregrinos in Xativa -- we were very compatible in all ways, and wound up walking into Santiago together weeks later. We always left together in the morning and met up together at the day's destination, but had plenty of time for alone time, which was just perfect for me.

This Camino in May/June was incredibly beautiful with flowers and fields of shocking green, and all those castles. I know some have had problems with the waymarking, but I found the guidebook published by the friends Assoc. in Valencia to be totally sufficient.

I think the numbers on this camino are increasing, and if you found others on the route in October, I'm sure there are more in the springtime. I look forward to reading your blog -- as an aside, I notice at your first post that you talk about Vasco Interior tunnel route. That's one of the ones I'm thinking about for next year, what changed your mind to the Levante? Buen camino, Laurie

 

[evanlow]

Hi Laurie,

Although it is not my original intent to walk the Camino de Levante, I was not walking alone this time but with a pilgrim I've met in 2008 who is now semi-retired and has a house in Andalucia.

After visiting him, found he already had the guide for the Levante and he was thinking about doing it, and also it is was a slightly easier journey to Valencia than Irun, plus I was quite flexible so we went for it instead. We did it in whatever free days I had (12 days) to Las Pedroñeras, then a spare day we bus overto Cuenca before I return to Madrid for a 25 years work reunion from my first company I'd work. This Camino was not so much planned but more like if I have fly all the way from Singapore to Madrid just for 2 days, I may as well spend some time on the Camino.

That said, now that I have walked slightly over a third of the journey of Levante instead of the complete branch of Vasco Interior, I guess it would a push factor now for me to return in the near future to complete it (or at least to Zamora).

 

[Heidi Lyshol]

I'm taking notes. It seems likely that My husband and I will be in Alicante over New Year's Eve,a nd I'm thinking about enticing him to walk just the first couple of days on this route. I've written to the local Amigos and asked about conditions, if it all seems too dire, we'll probably stay in our warm hotel beds instead...

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

I think the numbers on this camino are increasing, and if you found others on the route in October, I'm sure there are more in the springtime. I look forward to reading your blog -- as an aside, I notice at your first post that you talk about Vasco Interior tunnel route. That's one of the ones I'm thinking about for next year, what changed your mind to the Levante? Buen camino, Laurie

Laurie - I can't stand looking at any more of your beautiful photos of the Levante.
It just makes me want to BE there
Blessings from England!