Camino Levante, Lana and Sureste

[bjorgts]

I said a couple of months ago that I should write something about the Levant-, Lana-, Sureste-routes, and then nobody heard anything from me. Sorry! One of the problems is that I do not know what should be written on the forums for the different routes. So now I post some here and some there on the three places.
In 2013 we walked 5 days on the Levante-route from Valencia to La Font de la Figuera in April. The weather was bad – rain and low temperature - and we had to go home for family reasons.
We returned in October, started out from Alicante on the Sureste-/Lana-route, and had 12 wonderful walking days to Las Pedroñeras. So then I know something about all three routes.

The Levante from Valencia to La Font de la Figuera:
On the first days on Levante from Valencia there is a bit too much asphalt, but nice walk. We lost our way in one of the industrial areas in the small pueblos we went through. During our 12 years of waking in Spain, we have very seldom lost our way, so the route is marked, but not very well marked. (More about that later.) Stopped the first day in Almussafes at Hotel Isabel – nice. The next day one of the worst rain showers I have ever had, made us stop in Carcaixent. Less industry and more agriculture (oranges) on the third day, nice landscapes. Interesting talks with people working among the trees. Stopped in Xativa. This is a town well worth visiting.
The two next days, from Xativa to Moixent and from Moixent to La Font de la Figuera we said to each other several times, that the landscape seemed to be so nice that it could have been some of our best walking days in Spain, but actually we did not see much of it. In Moixent we stayed in a Casa Rural That we think was Casa Rural Corral de Pablanch. Very nice people.

Levante from Albacete:
The guide from the amigos in Valencia is good, but not new. From time to time, the route is changed. Between Higueruela and Hoya Gonzalo is one of these places. When you come to Oncebreros, the map in the guide tell you to turn left on the main road, but the signs tell you to cross the main road and walk up to a small farm. Follow the signs. Turn left just before you reach the farm, and you will have a nice walk among the fields.
When you leave Chinchilla too, you should follow the signs and not the map in the guide. When you have crossed the A31 and have walked down towards the railway, the map tell you to take the first road to the right, but you should wait and take the next road to the right – before you come to the railway. Then you cross over and follow the road. All the way to Albacete you stay left of A31.
We also had the guide from Conrad Stein Verlag (Camino de Levante von Valencia nach Zamora) and found it more updated than the guide from the amigos in Valencia. The German guide and the maps in the Spanish guide was an excellent combination.

All three routes:
Note! When you walk in this region, you must be aware of the fact that there are three Caminos going here and there, crossing each other, going together sometimes and then splitting up again. Sometimes the places where they split up are well marked, but not always. In Villena Sureste and Lana split up. This is very well marked in Villena. We followed the Lana-route.

Levante and Sureste:
From Albacete to Minaya Levante and Sureste stay together. We were not aware of this. You should be!! They split up at the outskirt of the town! You come to Hostal Restaurante Antolin. On the left side there is a big yellow arrow on blue bottom. After a rest, we followed that arrow, but that was wrong. We hesitated, because on the map the camino passed the main road N-301 to the right, but we looked around there and saw no signs. So we thought that the route had been changed and followed the yellow arrow to the left… and went far away from where we should have been… following Camino Sureste… We stopped in a village and asked, but the people there did not know anything about different caminos. We headed for Casas de los Pinos far out of any map, and were lucky. We found it and had walked 38 km when we at last came to San Clemente.
We think that on many places Levante is not well enough signed. The parts where we went on both Sureste and Levante the route was very well signed. May be Sureste har active amigos keeping up the markings? May be The people who ones marked Levante is not active enough keeping up the marks? 6 km after San Clemente, the route turns left up to an abandoned house (well described here on the forum). We had the description, went up and down for several hundred meters looking for yellow arrows, but could not find any. So we followed some old arrows straight ahead (as the German guide said) and came to a main road. There a yellow arrow pointed straight ahead across the main road, but we could see from the guide that that was wrong. The guide told us to turn left and after some hundred meters, we turned right and were on the marked route again. Our conclusion are that Levante on some stretches has a problem with old marks fading away, while Sureste is well marked. That is not a good development for the beautiful San Clemente! Do not miss it!
Levante meet Sureste again I El Toboso, but we stopped in Las Pedrõners.

 

[Trevhock]

This posting has been transferred from Camino Sureste area, most of it relates to Camino Levante.
Arrived Alicante to join Levante at Almansa via la Lana or Sureste. I am using the Amigos of Valencia guide (old English guide) the very useful information from bjorgts and Pergegrina's info and PDF stages guide, am now in San Clemente.
I am finding this camino the toughest one so far, amongst other things today I actually did veer on to the Sureste from the levante something I never thought I'd do! however! There is the unexpected, last night at La Roda the Refugio is the Bullring. I was looking forward to San Clemente and a good meal, sadly that was not to be the case.
The problem is at Minaya, I stopped there for a coffee and at Antolin I followed the arrows, after a enough time for me to wonder when San Clemente would appear the yellow arrows turned into ones with a blue background, my heart sank, and when I came across a Quijote marker with San Clemente 14kms, it almost stopped. Luckily had enough water but I had to walk an incredible distance that day I was worn out when I got to San Ckemente so I took the first hostal going, I was so hungry and what kept me going was an upscale meal described by Peregrina2000, I should have gone into town to the brothers hostal where she had that meal.
BTw, this was the second time I should have questioned the arrows, the first time was before Novelda on the Lana/Sureste at Monforte Del CID, here I followed them out of town yo the wrong side of an AVE track, I should have turned left at the roundabout before the end of town.
On the day 12 stage to Las pedronas where one should turn left up to the abandoned farm, the farmer was ploughing just in front, he was very friendly and insisted I should continue along the track, which I did when I came to the asphalt road the arrow pointed straight ahead, which I did not do, it felt wrong. I turned left on to the road and after a while came to a crossing track with Quijote and yellow arrows, so this time fortunately I disregarded the first yellow arrow I came to.
Please don't get the idea I'm not enjoying the camino,it's tough but they're all like that, I've done enough to know that, it's not about suffering more about taking on the challenge, and remain amazed how the body recovers after a meal and a sleep. The thing that bothers me is having to question the yellow arrows and try and interpret the maps in my very good but heavy guide.
I'm finding the farmers who are still pruning their vines always friendly, they want you to stop and chat even if I'm rubbish at Spanish we converse. Today I was taught how to drink wine from a wll worn leather pouch, I was a bit hesitant at first, but you simply squirt it from a distance into your open mouth. Before the vines I've walked through wide landscapes, mSsive fields of onions, peas wheat and grass as far as the eye can see.come across weather beaten shepherds with a flocks of sheep, and rows of almond trees, sometimes the blossom is heady with fragrance.
I'm very grateful to Bjorgts and Peregrina 2000 for their information, I'm using P2's stage guide for accommodation, and at the moment I'm at the Casa Rural in Don Fadrique, waiting for the aperitivo, and just been told,I'm going to shown the way in the morning.

The plaza Mayor here at Tembleque is unique, very beautiful, you feel the history, it is still shored up in one place. Haven't met any pilgrims since Santa Ana at Caudete, I believe there are a couple of Spanish, a couple fro Germany and an English woman, but they are between a week or two ahead.
The Casa Rural at Don Fadrique was another very good experience, Juan the man who runs it is very generous with his care. It's still the same, for 28euros you get private room with bathroom, all your washing done, in the evening it's aperitivo, basically a good bottle of wine, bruschetta, and he kept coming in with plate after plate of cold meats, manchego and chorizo. I couldn't eat anymore either, he also had a cold water dispenser. In the morning at any time I wanted, so 7 o'clock in my case there was a jug of coffee, jug of hot milk, toast, confitures cake and biscuits. When I left he showed me the direction and just to make certain he drove in front of me to make sure I was on my way safely. I just hope he stays in business and he attracts loads of pilgrims.
There was one more thing I keep forgetting to mention, that at Albecete I stayed at Hostal Atienza for two nights, and broke the 40k stage up by leaving my pack at the hostal( my osprey's top can be detached to become another bag) and walking to Gineta (it was a Sunday) there's a good local bar/ restaurante as you leave Gineta on the camino. At about 5 o'clock the train for Albecete stops so I took that back, I had bought my ticket the previous day for 2.65. The next day I took the bus back at 9.30 to continue where I left off to La Roda. I've done that a few times in the past at Bilbao, Cordoba and Lisbon, and it works for me.

 

[Trevhock]

Continued..............
Just finished the Levante at Zamora, no time to complete camino Sanabres, the forecast is bad weather, so happy not to tarnish my memory of when I did it on VDLP, that was a magnificent walk.
It is a pity my memory won't be so memorable of the Levante, but then you have to take rough with smooth and maybe I should have planned it better( I did buy the guide to Sureste which was very similar in format to the Levante guide but only available in Spanish and also quite heavy so left it at home) also walking solo,it's easier to miss things, like fading yellow arrows. That is my major bug bear with this camino for me the lack of clear, consistent markings. The Levante GR-239 in my experience was inconsistent in its markings sometimes it was very clear not just with red and white stripes but also with signposts. Giving distances etc, but it felt only where the local authority were willing to do that. After The Minaya experience and straying on yo the Sureste I used my smartphone a lot to check, I've seen a lot of yellow arrows which have become white, either jfaded white or painted over, on two occasions pointing the opposite way, after Avila you get a red arrow like the Portuguese with the Fatima blue but it stops after a stage, frequently no arrows where you would expect them. When you're by yourself you need that reassurance, they symbolise a camino.BUT, from the Toros de Guisando after San Martin de Valdeiglesias the camino not only changes into something beautiful and hilly it also becomes very well marked and you can rely on the arrows all the way to Toro, you will also find that the misleading arrows that Peregina2000 mentions before Cebreros have now been altered to point down the track, so no problem there. Just before Zamora there's a village called Vilaralbo, if look at the map in the guide book the yellow marked camino joins the red marked CL-605 and the green marked ZA-610, I felt disaster, I chickened out and found the GR-14 camino del Duerno on my phone which was running to my right that takes you very quietly into Zamora. Very appropriate to finish the GR-239 on a very well marked GR-14.
I used the PDF stage guide from Peregrina2000and found it very useful for accommodation etc just a few updates.I wouldn't stay at Milan1again in San Clemente( but I don't think she did) or eat there.In Cebreros the hotel Castrejon, said they were full, when they clearly weren't, a much friendlier welcome at Hotel Dracos where for 30 euros I had a fantastic room with a sunny balcony with unhindered panoramic views of the mountains. La Casa del Abuelo Blas was closed when I arrived but the metal gates opened later, that might have been a good option. Also at Arevalo, Hostal del Campo had increased their price to 30 euros and menu to 12E and wasn't worth it. Good memories of refugios at La Roda the bullring, Torrijos,Avila, Gotarrendura, where there's only 150 people and the bar opens especially to cook you a meal, the Carmelites at Medina del Campo and the albergue in the ayuntamiento at the village of Siete Iglesias, where the tiny shop has everything.
There have been many good things. I've been lucky with the weather, just a few spots of rain near Alicante and the last day I had patchy rain. Since Avila it has been very cold and looking back from Medina I saw the mountains just crossed, covered in snow but in Toledo it was a sunny 29C. Fantastic castles, Almansa, Chinchilla, Almonacid and the amazing Medina Del Campo. Toledo is yet another fantastic Spanish city, a mixture of religious beliefs, history and cultures expressed In its architecture. Many old, beautiful plazas such as Temblique, Arevalo and Medina Del Campo to name just a few. And so many interesting churches glowing in history and a few with curious interiors.
I found the camino very flat and sometimes monotonous, I'm used to walking hills, so found remaining in fifth gear boring. Good memories of farmers diligently pruning and tending their vines in the middle of nowhere and ploughing what seems to be very stony or sandy ground.
As a matter of interest, at the albergue in Avila ( Levante & Sureste) I was 17th pilgrim at Siete Iglesias(Levante only) I was the 3rd this year. Also it occurs to me that the Sureste is better marked than Levante hence the straying. Talking of which, I'm posting on the Sureste part of the forum when it probably should be the Levante, so there's confusion all over the place.
I am not a reliable contributor to your forum, but if you think I can be of help please private message me so I can respond, and if anything else springs to mind I'll post it .

 

[peregrina2000]

I was just going through my computer blog list to update and clean out and came across this Levante blog. If I remember correctly the writer began her Levante well before I did, then took a break, and now is doing bit by bit walking with dogs. I haven't read it carefully, but I saw there was some current information about re-routings, so it might be useful for people starting out.

http://leadchangesspain.blogspot.com/