LIVE from the Camino Camino Mozárabe, Almería to Granada

[MarkyD]

Finally, I've got back onto a Camino, it's been a long time since May 2019. This time I'm blessed with the company of my daughter, who has never done a walk like this before.
Apart from some heavy trodding through dry riverbeds, the route has been a marvelous experience so far. The support from Nely Peregrino of the Camino Mozárabe Association is absolutely first class. The albergues are beautifully kept and run, it seems a pity that there are few pilgrims to enjoy them.
I've attached a few photos of the journey so far:

 

[RussB]

Thanks for sharing , a magical experience

 

[Fred Bovenkamp]

Finally, I've got back on to a Camino, it's been a long time since May 2019. This time I'm blessed with the company of my daughter, who has never done a walk like this before.
Apart from some heavy trodding through dry riverbeds, the route has been a marvelous experience so far. The support from Nelly Peregrino of the Camino Mozárabe Association is absolutely first class. The albergues are beautifully kept and run, it seems a pity that there are few pilgrims to enjoy them.
I've attached a few photos of the journey so far:

Buen Camino, Peregrinos! How special to be walking with your daughter! My last Camino was also in May 2019, the Via de la Plata from Sevilla. And my next one will be March - May 2023, leaving from Almeria on the Mozárabe! So looking forward to meeting Nely and walking this route! Keep the posts coming!
Fred

 

[OzAnnie]

leaving from Almeria on the Mozárabe! So looking forward to meeting Nely and walking this route!

Me too. Im in touch with these wonderful amigo/as in Almeria.
I start from there on 27 October 2022.
This year hoping to walk to Mérida.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

Finally, I've got back on to a Camino,

Beautiful photos, Mark. Stunning landscapes.

 

[camino_rooky]

We ( my husband and myself) have just restarted our Camino Mozarabe also. We finished in Cordoba in October 2019. We had to skip the stage from Cordoba to Cerro Muriano as our flights were changed. So flew into Malaga yesterday, got train to Cordoba and taxi to Cerro Muriano. Stayed in Bar X and set off this morning. Now in Villaharta staying in El Cruce.Mostly walked on track alongside N432a through old Olive trees and Holm oaks. Quite warm but overcast 24°.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Apart from some heavy trodding through dry riverbeds, the route has been a marvelous experience so far. The support from Nelly Peregrino of the Camino Mozárabe Association is absolutely first class

Glad you're enjoying this Camino, @MarkyD !
The dry riverbeds don't last for ever, and you'll have some beautiful walking ahead of you.

We're doing the Jaén spur right now, and we'll be back on the main Mozárabe after tomorrow.

Nely doesn't just look after you until Granada, but beyond, as we have experienced.

In Guadix, get in touch with Paco! He's also an angel of the Camino.

And if you're the one authoring the videos that Nely shares on the FB page, a big Thank you! They are fabulous!

Buen Camino!

 

[OzAnnie]

And if you're the one authoring the videos that Nely shares on the FB page, a big Thank you! They are fabulous!

AJ. I must need to join this fb group to see them ? I’ve been sent the monthly link to amigos from Almería tho.

 

[AJGuillaume]

AJ. I must need to join this fb group to see them ? I’ve been sent the monthly link to amigos from Almería tho.

@OzAnnie , you don't need to join a group, it's just the Asociación Jacobea de Almería-Granada' FB page:

Camino Mozarabe De Santiago De Almeria a Granada | Almería

Camino Mozarabe De Santiago De Almeria a Granada, Almería, Andalucía. 6,511 likes · 1,842 talking about this. Asociación Jacobea de Almeria-Granada Camino Mozárabe. Todo lo concerniente al camino...

www.facebook.com

The nice thing about this page is that Nely puts up photos of all the pilgrims starting in Almería. So for us, we saw who started after us and when they caught up with us, we knew who they were.

And as @MarkyD mentioned he was walking with his daughter, I assumed he was the one sharing photos and short videos with Nely.

 

[MarkyD]

Glad you're enjoying this Camino, @MarkyD !
The dry riverbeds don't last for ever, and you'll have some beautiful walking ahead of you.

We're doing the Jaén spur right now, and we'll be back on the main Mozárabe after tomorrow.

Nely doesn't just look after you until Granada, but beyond, as we have experienced.

In Guadix, get in touch with Paco! He's also an angel of the Camino.

And if you're the one authoring the videos that Nely shares on the FB page, a big Thank you! They are fabulous!

Buen Camino!

Aha, yes, the video compilations of photos are made by me using movie maker function within Google photos. We will be staying in Cuevas Al Jaraiz in Guadix, looking forward to that.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Aha, yes, the video compilations of photos are made by me using movie maker function within Google photos. We will be staying in Cuevas Al Jaraiz in Guadix, looking forward to that.

Paco will come and pick you up and take you to the cathedral to give you a tour, and explain how the cathedral has so many links to the Camino and Santiago. His number is on the Asociación Jacobea guide and he uses WhatsApp.

Enjoy Guadix!

Buen Camino!

 

[MarkyD]

We took a rest day in Huéneja yesterday, and today we walked to Alquife. We went through the villages of Dólar, Ferreira, La Calahorra (with the castle on top of the hill), then passed the opencast iron-ore mine just before reaching Alquife to stay at the charming Albergue Lacho, just outside the town and up a hill, of course...

This stage was quite gentle compared to some of the previous ones, with some lovely paths that wind through hillside slopes of chestnut trees and almond trees. There is a huge reservoir that is used to irrigate the agricultural land here.

For the first time, we had a spot of rain, but hardly anything to fuss about. This land needs rain badly, so our needs are the least of anyone's concerns here. The cloudy sky gave us a welcome respite from the blazing sun that we've had up until today.

Here are some photos we took today:

 

[OzAnnie]

We took a rest day in Huéneja yesterday, and today we walked to Alquife. We went through the villages of Dólar, Ferreira, La Calahorra (with the castle on top of the hill), then passed the opencast iron-ore mine just before reaching Alquife to stay at the charming Albergue Lacho, just outside the town and up a hill, of course...

This stage was quite gentle compared to some of the previous ones, with some lovely paths that wind through hillside slopes of chestnut trees and almond trees. There is a huge reservoir that is used to irrigate the agricultural land here.

For the first time, we had a spot of rain, but hardly anything to fuss about. This land needs rain badly, so our needs are the least of anyone's concerns here. The cloudy sky gave us a welcome respite from the blazing sun that we've had up until today.

Here are some photos we took today:

@MarkyD
Your camino is looking great - I am enjoying your pics. Having your daughter for company would make for a perfect experience IMO.
Buen camino
Annie.

 

[MarkyD]

The Camino Mozárabe from Almería to Granada has been a fascinating and challenging experience. Today I arrived at the end of the journey for now, having reached Granada with a relatively easy day in the mountains.
My daughter was unable to complete the route with me, despite us both skipping a couple of stages (Abla to Huéneja and then Alquife to Guadix). The risk to her damaged right heel wasn't worth suffering needlessly. She gained valuable experience and says she would come back another time. Luckily, I have a sister who lives in the south of the Granada province, so she and her husband came up to Guadix to pick up my daughter and we had a great evening together.
The following day, it was strange to set off alone after the first 6 days with my daughter, but we had some priceless time together on the Camino. Now it was my solo time, with a hard day from Guadix to La Peza, which took me through the "Badlands" of Spain, the Troglodyte villages and Cave Houses to finally descend down a very steep incline into La Peza at around 7pm in the evening.
The next day was even harder, 27km of steep up and down hill walking from La Peza to Quéntar. The views were absolutely stunning in a different way, with more vegetation and wide "top of the mountain" views that took my breath away at times.
Finally, today, was the relatively easier stage from Quéntar to Granada, which nonetheless had spectacular views from the climb up the mountain after the village of Dúdar. In Dúdar, I was met by another "Mark", who I first met on the Cathedral guided tour, given by the wonderful Paco, in Guadix. We met at the albergue in La Peza, but didn't coincide on the way until this morning. We also bumped into another pilgrim, Yves from France, who quickly paced away into the distance.
I guess I'll have to come back another day and pick up where I left off in Granada. Mark from Sydney, Australia, plans to continue on to Mérida. Buen Camino Mark, from Mark!
Here are three short videos of photo compilations of my last 3 days:

 

[Peregrinopaul]

The Camino Mozárabe from Almería to Granada has been a fascinating and challenging experience. Today I arrived at the end of the journey for now, having reached Granada with a relatively easy day in the mountains.:

Thanks for the videos, Mark. i get the impression that the track parts are in very good condition. Or were you selective in your picture choices? I’m thinking, bucket-list.

 

[Rita Flower]

Finally, I've got back onto a Camino, it's been a long time since May 2019. This time I'm blessed with the company of my daughter, who has never done a walk like this before.
Apart from some heavy trodding through dry riverbeds, the route has been a marvelous experience so far. The support from Nely Peregrino of the Camino Mozárabe Association is absolutely first class. The albergues are beautifully kept and run, it seems a pity that there are few pilgrims to enjoy them.
I've attached a few photos of the journey so far:

Beautiful photos. I would love to do this Camino. Who knows.

 

[MarkyD]

Thanks for the videos, Mark. i get the impression that the track parts are in very good condition. Or were you selective in your picture choices? I’m thinking, bucket-list.

The tracks are generally good, a mixture of loose grit mountain roads, forest and mountain paths, valley paths which cut through areas of vegetation and, of course, there are the uncomfortable and exposed dry riverbeds for the first three stages. There are also a few short road sections, or longer road sections for people doing the route on a bike. Walking poles are essential for the sections of very steep hills and descents, much of which is loose stones, dirt and dust. Some parts even go close to steep drops into the valley.
I would say it's a great route for views and the incredible history of how the Camino Mozárabe is connected to Santiago the Apostle. It's definitely not to be undertaken in the hot months, unless one is completely experienced in that kind of terrain at extreme high temperature, even then I would say it's a crazy thing to do. The high sun elevation and lack of any shade for long stretches would present a serious risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke to many people.
The overall route is always going up in altitude, sometimes gently and sometimes more steeply. There are lots of up and down hills on some stages, but others are more flat. There is an infrastructure of donativo albergues, private albergues and municipal facilities, as well as the odd hotel in some towns.
It's essential to contact the Association of the Camino Mozárabe before going and consult with them during the walk - their knowledge and readiness to help is second to none.
Buen Camino

 

[nickymd1]

Slightly off topic but I fly out of Málaga tomorrow after completing my Camino and I have a pair of decathlon walking poles to donate. Does anyone starting today/tomorrow want them?

 

[MarkyD]

Slightly off topic but I fly out of Málaga tomorrow after completing my Camino and I have a pair of decathlon walking poles to donate. Does anyone starting today/tomorrow want them?

You could drop them off at an albergue perhaps. Me and my daughter had used a walking stick and walking pole given to us by Nely Peregrino from her albergue in Almería. We returned them before flying back home yesterday.

 

[Dougyharry]

The tracks are generally good, a mixture of loose grit mountain roads, forest and mountain paths, valley paths which cut through areas of vegetation and, of course, there are the uncomfortable and exposed dry riverbeds for the first three stages. There are also a few short road sections, or longer road sections for people doing the route on a bike. Walking poles are essential for the sections of very steep hills and descents, much of which is loose stones, dirt and dust. Some parts even go close to steep drops into the valley.
I would say it's a great route for views and the incredible history of how the Camino Mozárabe is connected to Santiago the Apostle. It's definitely not to be undertaken in the hot months, unless one is completely experienced in that kind of terrain at extreme high temperature, even then I would say it's a crazy thing to do. The high sun elevation and lack of any shade for long stretches would present a serious risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke to many people.
The overall route is always going up in altitude, sometimes gently and sometimes more steeply. There are lots of up and down hills on some stages, but others are more flat. There is an infrastructure of donativo albergues, private albergues and municipal facilities, as well as the odd hotel in some towns.
It's essential to contact the Association of the Camino Mozárabe before going and consult with them during the walk - their knowledge and readiness to help is second to none.
Buen Camino

Finally, I've got back onto a Camino, it's been a long time since May 2019. This time I'm blessed with the company of my daughter, who has never done a walk like this before.
Apart from some heavy trodding through dry riverbeds, the route has been a marvelous experience so far. The support from Nely Peregrino of the Camino Mozárabe Association is absolutely first class. The albergues are beautifully kept and run, it seems a pity that there are few pilgrims to enjoy them.
I've attached a few photos of the journey so far:

We walked this about 5 years ago but in the hot weather. 42 celsius when we reached Cordoba. Looking at your pics brings back memories. Have you met many other pilgrims? We did not meet any at that time. Link below to a short video of that walk - Buen Camino.