- Time of past OR future Camino
- Via Gebennensis (2018)
Via Podiensis (2018)
Voie Nive Bidassoa (2018)
Camino Del Norte (2018)
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The terrain is changing. The coastal plains filled with orange groves, rice paddies, and fruit orchards, are giving way to hillier land with olive trees, vineyards, and even some fields of grain. It was a beautiful walk, pure Camino. Frogs croaking in a marsh, birds, and oh the wildflowers are out in force. Purple, red, yellow, white, you name it. Just beautiful.
Gaah. This brings back bad memories of sharing stuffy albergue rooms with French pilgrims who made darned sure they get the places next to the windows.no self-respecting French man or woman would ever sleep with the windows open anyway, so it really didn’t matter. Far be it from me to be confrontational on the first night of our acquaintance. And anyway, I was outnumbered.
no self-respecting French man or woman would ever sleep with the windows open anyway, so it really didn’t matter.
Hmmm... should I make it clear that despite my surname, which is William in French, I am not French?Gaah. This brings back bad memories of sharing stuffy albergue rooms with French pilgrims who made darned sure they get the places next to the windows.
No worries, AJ. If you keep the windows open everyone will know.should I make it clear that despite my surname, which is William in French, I am not French?
slightly weird concrete bunks in the albergue
there are two versions of the spelling of local addresses for Moixent/Mogente,
Can anyone help me to find Corral de Pablanch?
And I am beginning to suspect that the actual route of the Levante has been changed since I downloaded a version onto maps.me.
We wouldn't be the first ones to call on Pepe for a ride out of La Font de la Figuera for a few km. Alternatively, as Almansa is a reasonably sized town, we could start walking towards Almansa, and when my darling Rachel says she can't go any further, we could call a taxi from Almansa.Taxi de Pepe: 607 321 422
A third alternative, which involves a wee detour, is to divert from the camino to where you might be able to hop on a train; the added advantage is that there are restaurants nearby, next to the autovia:Alternatively, as Almansa is a reasonably sized town, we could start walking towards Almansa, and when my darling Rachel says she can't go any further, we could call a taxi from Almansa.
That's something I forgot to say: bring your packed lunch, it doesn't look like there is anywhere to stop.I was actually looking for a place to eat near the camino, but it's a bit too long of a detour for that.
Human folly, @VNwalking !That's some castle. So much fighting, over...what? Sigh.
I'm very opinionated about this, but I will own It: that's an oxymoron.Some good baroque architecture
A much better option then only eight kilometers in. And there's an Espresso Bar means that a long detour is unnecessary for refreshment!The amigos guide also indicates a crossing with the N-430 at 21.5 kms from Font, about 6 before Alamansa
That's war for you. Everyone lost.Thought to be the only time an Englishman commanding a French army fought with an English army commanded by a Frenchman. The Englishman won (or the Englishmen lost, according to preference).
I am afraid that my choice of Alpera as a possible rest day was based solely on my attraction to the hotel. In fact, I take very few rest days and am most likely to do so when I feel that I really need a rest. A pleasant hotel is a necessity, since I am assuming that the municipal albergues on this route permit only a one night stay.Baroque churches may not be worth a rest day, but history and a decent restaurant? Sign me up
.
Thank you for the mention of Vicente Rojo Lluch. Until recently, I knew nothing about the Spanish Civil War, and now I know next to nothing about it. I spent some time reading about Vicente Rojo Lluch since I saw this reference, and was most impressed with his life. Thanks to being in the process of reading Michener's Iberia, I was absorbing his perspective that Spain is essentially Fascist (or at least was when Michener wrote, and Franco was still in power). I suppose that, as a foreigner visiting Spain, I was more committed to my project of walking caminos than to understanding the history of the country where I was walking. Thank you for sharing your broader perspective.I liked la Font de la Figuera: . . . There's also a bust honouring Vicente Rojo Lluch, born here in 1894 and one of relatively few senior army officers who remained loyal to their elected government in 1936, the hero of the siege of Madrid.
That would be my choice too. The CdA webpage is very well done, BTW - it's worth a look.That alternative route on the Camino de Alba is very attractive to me, as a way to shorten the day to a pleasant 21 km.
Haha...I got around to looking up the map legand for my OSMand app only today, after 3 years of using it. That was in the context of seeing unfamiliar shading a liitle farther along. It turned out to be military land...It is funny to be minutely investigating these routes.
I'm very opinionated about this, but I will own It: that's an oxymoron.
Haha....(See the facade of the Municipal Museum of Madrid,
Well, I am not going to try to convince you, but I will say that walking on the Calle Fuencarral in Madrid, past hundreds of small stores, bars, consumer heaven, and coming upon a facade that was built to honor something other than consumerism is a huge relief. And it kind of takes your breath away with its permanence and how it splashes out in the streetscape.Haha....
Egad. Just...no, thank you. (shudder...)
Someone had more money than restraint.
Though admittedly the Alamansa versions are much more toned down and palatable.
Someone had more money than restraint.
You definitely have a point...very true. You don't have to like the aesthetic to appreciate that, deeply.will say that walking on the Calle Fuencarral in Madrid, past hundreds of small stores, bars, consumer heaven, and coming upon a facade that was built to honor something other than consumerism is a huge relief. And it kind of takes your breath away with its permanence and how it splashes out in the streetscape.
Heee heee. Yes. No opulent towers trumping everything nearby.It may just be that in comparison to today’s standards, they seem quaint and simple.
I have just discovered the Camino de Alba, thanks to your comment here, and have investigated it to the point that I know where it is going, in relation to the Levante. What with the intersection with the Lana coming up so soon, I am a little overwhelmed by the complexities of this route. However, I see that I shall soon have to get used to the ongoing dance between the Levante and the Sureste, so this is just an introduction to the fun. I don't know how I would ever plan this camino without all the help given by experienced walkers. Thanks to all.That alternative route on the Camino de Alba is very attractive to me, as a way to shorten the day to a pleasant 21 km. It seems to have about 10 km on an old road beside the A-35. I don't mind that.
The confusion you're feeling is justified - there's a plethora of options here.
I'm relieved to know that, Laurie. Getting lost never crosses my mind so I'm sorry if I caused alarm.Just to reassure folks who reacted to the above map with a
That alternative route on the Camino de Alba is very attractive to me, as a way to shorten the day to a pleasant 21 km.
For the purpose of this virtual Camino, we'll be following the arrows of the Levante, but after reading more about the Camino del Alba (thank you for the link, @VNwalking ), in real life we'll be following that section from La Font de la Figuera to Almansa.That would be my choice too. The CdA webpage is very well done, BTW - it's worth a look.
Now the dilemma is tomorrow. There is a 42-44 km stage from here to Higuruela. With a two km detour at about km 23, you can break it into two. The French guys had planned to walk the whole way, but they were under the impression it was 38 km. Upon hearing from the tourist office that it is in fact at least 42, they are having doubts. When I thought it was 38, I was considering getting up with them at 4 and giving it a try. Now that it´s clear that it´s 42-44, I´m probably going to be sensible and only do the first half.
So now I'm surprised, because the track of this Camino that I downloaded from Wikiloc takes the route that goes through Alpera.The nice thing, is that the Camino de la Lana crosses the Levante around here. @peregrina2000 alluded to a detour, which @JLWV also mentioned earlier.
Today we'll walk 23 km to Alpera, which is on the Camino de la Lana.
I guess that not many pilgrims walk the 40 km (and we would definitely not be able to do so!), which is why you have a track that goes via Alpera.So now I'm surprised, because the track of this Camino that I downloaded from Wikiloc takes the route that goes through Alpera.
Well...what's in a name? No matter what it's called, I would be going that way. I could do 40k if I had to, but why?
Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that! Thank you for reminding me, @VNwalking !Either way this looks to be another day to pack a lunch!
I’m glad we had the distance wrong and decided to take the detour because the people in this place are absolutely wonderful.
That's one of the things what makes a Camino wonderful: the people you meet, their kindness and hospitality.Not a lot going on in Alpera, maybe, but it was one of those visits that filled us with appreciation and a general sense of well-being.
If you go to the beach, North beach, you can eat a ''paella'' at the restaurant ''La Pepica'' as did Hemingway, and many other illustrious people. They have a collection of photographies of those people.Perhaps you should follow Ernest Hemingway's example: "In Valencia it's damned stupendous at the beach or in the city to eat a melon washed down with a real cold jug of beer". He stayed at the Reina Victoria, ...
Oh!!! the Moorish tower embedded in the town hall is not in Almussafes, but in Benifaió, 1 km ahead (where I live)I walked through Almussafes on a late Sunday morning and it struck me as a lively friendly place. Where else can you find a Moorish tower embedded in the town hall?!
Good place for a break (rest or lunch)Shortly after Carcaixent, there is the Ermita de Sant Roc de Ternils, built in the 13th century, at the end of the Romanesque
After Vallada there are some kilometers on dirt along the river's bed. Then again pavement until Moxent.I think the pavement finally gave way to dirt after Moixent.
If so, don't lost the religious precessions in the ''barrios maritimos'' (maritime districts)Maybe I shall try to be in Valencia for Holy Week
As far as I read well the numbers, the map is correct.But I think number 31 should be 25 and vice versa
We went to the albergue, which was in a small cement building near the polideportivo.
Yes it was moved between 2014 and 2016. The old one was in the sports area, I think a former changing room, the new one is 100 m ahead on the way.I think it must be the case that they have moved the albergue
Vicente Rojo Lluch, born here in 1894 and one of relatively few senior army officers who remained loyal to their elected government in 1936
General Rojo and General Franco have their portraits next one to the other in the Museo Histórico Militar de Burgos. I am not sure if the were at the same class in the military academy, but any way the were at the same time.Thank you for the mention of Vicente Rojo Lluch.
Victor at the Hostal l'Amable in La Font told me about the alternative route to Almansa by the option of the Camino del Alba, and he does not like it. I didn't walk it so I cannot have an opinion, but I drived a lot of time the parallel higway, and prefer the landscape of the Levant way. Of course it is some 7-8 km shorter...That alternative route on the Camino de Alba is very attractive to me, as a way to shorten the day to a pleasant 21 km. It seems to have about 10 km on an old road beside the A-35. I don't mind that.
Nice to see that our history is known out of the country.You cross the battlefield on the way into Almansa, and there is a little information centre about the battle, with a reproduction of Ricardo Balaca's panoramic battle scene.
The Bourbon general in 1707 was my ancestor James Fitzjames, commanding a mixed bunch of French, Spanish, German and Irish troops, defeating Henri de Ruvigny, commanding an assortment of English, Austro-Hungarian, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian and Dutch troops (presumably the Poles and Danes etc had better things to do). Thought to be the only time an Englishman commanding a French army fought with an English army commanded by a Frenchman. The Englishman won (or the Englishmen lost, according to preference).
when the last Habsburg king of Spain, Carlos II died without succesor.
Yes it was moved between 2014 and 2016. The old one was in the sports area, I think a former changing room, the new one is 100 m ahead on the way.
See attached pictures (first=old, second=new)
I guess that not many pilgrims walk the 40 km (and we would definitely not be able to do so!), which is why you have a track that goes via Alpera.
The official track from the Amigos' website shows the direct route, without the detour.
Ah, yes, I forgot to mention that! Thank you for reminding me, @VNwalking !
Assuming you are referring to @murraydv 's photo, I think it says that Alpera is at an altitude of 840 m, it is a 3.6 km walk from the sign to Alpera, and it would take 55 minutes.I would like to know what all those numbers on the signs mean. I don't recognize anything that could indicate kilometres to the destination indicated on the sign.
Levante is quite unpredictable: the first time I met a pilgrim in La Font de la Figuera (Valencia) and the next one in Torrijos (Toledo), but the second time we stayed 6 pilgrims the same night in Almansa.It was a long and isolated day for sure. Didn't meet a single person while walking that day.
You are rightAssuming you are referring to @murraydv 's photo, I think it says that Alpera is at an altitude of 840 m, it is a 3.6 km walk from the sign to Alpera, and it would take 55 minutes.
Exact.Interesting that on the second sign, the word Desvío (Detour) has been painted over
I think it says that Alpera is at an altitude of 840 m, it is a 3.6 km walk from the sign to Alpera, and it would take 55 minutes.
About Corral de Pablanch I had no answer to a phone call, so I sent two e-mail. I will transmit answer if i get one.
At some locations, it would be useful to know the altitude change over the distance
I'll add my Thanks, Gracias, Merci !@JLWV, I wish I could start a forum-wide round of thankful applause. Or award you a 5 ***** badge of honor. Your participation on this thread is so very helpful, many thanks.
Depending on how Rachel feels, we might try backtracking. There is a GPX track on Wikiloc:Either to backtrack the 4 kms to the turn-off or to take a direct road route to the next stop of Higueruela. Backtracking meant a 25 km day with 11 kms on highway. Going the shorter route was 20 kms all on the side of the road. I was willing to go either way, but was quite happy to hear that the Frenchmen wanted to backtrack. This meant more walking through empty spaces and fields of green, and it was very nice.
She stayed at La Posada. Apparently, and she mentioned this in her notes on this forum:The albergue isn´t bad, but there were only two beds and a bunch of old furniture, a small bathroom and that´s about it.
I later learned that the floor above the albergue is a music school at night, and my two friends who stayed there said the music blared till well after midnight.
Thank you, but no needs for that. As I live in this area and participate in the maintenance of that way, it is easy for me, and for me too it is a virtual way...thankful applause
Really no!are you seeing any Levante traffic these days?
This is interesting, if you walk it thanks for reporting.I tried looking for an alternative which would avoid the road, until we join the Levante after Casillas de Marín de Abajo:
I had seen this track on Wikiloc:This is interesting, if you walk it thanks for reporting.
Tomas, at the Hostal el Cazador, suggests a fifth option (the indication 'Camino de Levante' is of his own, not official)
View attachment 82347:
I had seen this track on Wikiloc:
I didn't know, but I have seen it on the map, located it on Google Earth, and seen it is on Booking.However, am I right in assuming that the diagram shows a casa rural at Las Fuentes (Casa de la Peña)
@JLWV, I wish I could start a forum-wide round of thankful applause. Or award you a 5 ***** badge of honor. Your participation on this thread is so very helpful, many tha
Well we will clap in unison anyway. Just because.☺Thank you, but no needs for that.
Oh, this is very good to know. Gracias!the member of the association who checked the tracks for the web uploaded them on wikiloc. He is Aurelio Belenguer.
Stayed in Hostel la Posada last June. It's fine, but the cafe might not be open too early in the morning before you leave. However, there is another cafe down the hill from La Posada and turn right. This will be open early in the morning.I am pretty sure that I will follow the most direct route from Alpera to Higueruela, which follows the AB216 all the way from Alpera to near Higueruela, Maps.me shows the Levante merging with the AB216 about halfway to Higueruela, then the AB216 merging with the CM3209 about a km before Higueruela. If this is correct, this is the shortest route, but also the most direct. There are a couple of hamlets indicated along the way, which may assist me in identifying my location as I am walking. If the information about the AB216 having little traffic is correct, I anticipate no challenges on this section (weather excluded: but if it is unpleasant, the faster I can walk it the better). I also plan to stay at the Hostal la Posada in Higueruela.
In 2014 I also stayed there, and as the cafe opens after the hour of leaving, and the breakfast was included in the price, at night the owner let at my door a bag with breakfast (with fruit juice instead of cofee).Stayed in Hostel la Posada last June. It's fine, but the cafe might not be open too early in the morning before you leave.
So, should we plan a second night in Chinchilla when we'll get there?In my opinion pilgrims who do not know Chinchilla should spend time visiting it, smaller, but more attractive than Albacete.
Good to know, because it lokks really interesting on my map.In my opinion pilgrims who do not know Chinchilla should spend time visiting it, smaller, but more attractive than Albacete.
Gracias! And I am really appreciating the pace of your posts, AJ. They are regular but with plenty of time in between each one to explore options, discuss, and digest (not to mention, to walk!).If I may remind readers (and new ones joining us), we're slow walkers, and there are limitations which lead us to explore shorter stages where possible
Assuming 'sybaritic' also means wealthy: I looked at the rates, and for starters, they will charge for a minimum of 6 people, even if you're a couple, let alone if you're single(I also see a 'Casa & Spa Don Gonzalo.' This could be a sybaritic stop!)
I have tried, without success, to find information about the trucker stops. All that I could find was that Hostal El Volante appears to be closed, while Restaurante El Volante is still open. I hope that this closure is a temporary result of the pandemic, but I think it probable that some of the many locations suffering financial losses will not re-open.In Chinchilla we stayed in one of two trucker stops on the highway
Thank you for all the information!
I know you're all fast walkers ☺, but I'm not in Chinchilla de Montearagón yet
So are we! Mind if we join you at your table?We're sitting around the table in Hoya Gonzalo jumping ahead already to the next place.
Yep, count us in! Anything to help relax those leg muscles...So it turns out there is a bar at the pool. Anyone?
I had the same thought!!!I would roll the dice and pick the Lucimar, since anything with a ”pub” in the title is likely to be more into mixed drinks than good food.
Ajo mataero! And the queue is long, so Hoya-Gonzalo's recipe has a great reputation!A little local (obviously pre-covid-19) flavor:
In Hoya-Gonzalo, there are two bakeries, a cheese shop and a butcher shop. I believe there is a grocery store, but I couldn't find it on any map.Does anyone know if there is anywhere in the village to buy food? The albergue seems to be set up with a kitchen, but I don't see any food shop.
yes, when I went to buy at the butcher shop they had other products tan their speciality, but only packed or canned, no fresh vegetabes.But in my experience, it is not infrequent for the carnicería (butcher shop) to carry a few non-meat items (cans, jars, pastas, etc), but its hours seem to be morning only.
I had a meal at the bar Marínthe three eating places list “tapas” but not meals.
Don't you remember this Santiago cruceiro: https://flic.kr/p/2eG4KRCI have to confess I have no memory of Hoya Gonzalo
Information I pictured in 2018:The village has a municipal albergue, and in the same building, a casa rural, the Casa del Médico. The Amigos' accommodation list also has the Casa Rural Don Gonzalo
Yes, it's mine.I think this is your tracks, @JLWV :
GR239 09 Camino de Levante - Alpera Hoya Gonzálo
GR239 09 Camino de Levante - Alpera Hoya Gonzálo Hiking trail in Alpera, Castilla-La Mancha (España). Download its GPS track and follow the itinerary on a map. Parte del Camino de Levante a Santiago, partiendo de la parada alternativa de Alpera, en el camino de la Lana, hasta Hoya Gonzalo...www.wikiloc.com
Well, Chinchilla is to be seen, but may be one and a half day is much. Depends at what time you arrive there.So, should we plan a second night in Chinchilla when we'll get there?
Yes, discrepancies on distancies are usual (John Brierley speaks about that in at least one of his guides). It appears that start and end points of measurements are not always center of cities/villages. There are also some changes, due ones, or 'pirate' others. I join a table of distancies measured with GPS on real walk, by Aurelio (AB), myself (JLW), others pilgrims, from Wikiloc's uploads.I am noticing some discrepancies between the two
A few years ago our way always passes by the "Toros de Guisando", an archeological and historical place, but lastly this monument is not free visit, and has opening hours that not always are OK for us, so it is possible to short the way going directly.the 20th stage (San Martín de Valdeiglesias – Cebreros) indicates that the distance is 14.27 km in the title of the page, but 17.2 km in the profile diagram,
Whether one moves or one is planning to move or thinking about someone else moving, overlapping neural networks are activated.
I'm seriously bread deprived and that photo makes me salivate. But there's no risk of weight gain, no matter how long I gaze at it.For those with a sweet tooth, at least one of the panaderías has a wide selection of pastries.
Interesting! That's an article I am going to read on our next rest day ☺I am so enjoying this camino, and am taking refuge in mirror neurons. Seriously...whether we're walking or just thinking about it the same neurons are firing.
From https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2016.00094/full
I'll join my sigh to yours, @VNwalking , our lockdown in Melbourne has been extended by two weeks...Of course...sigh..like @C clearly I wish we were all out there physically.
For those with a sweet tooth, at least one of the panaderías has a wide selection of pastries.
Right, it's time we got moving again, and burned a few calories gained from those lovely pastries!I'm seriously bread deprived and that photo makes me salivate. But there's no risk of weight gain, no matter how long I gaze at it.
Those beehive huts are called cucos in this area. They served generally as shelters for shepherds, and are also found in parts of southern France, where they are called bories, or caselles.I am sure no one would describe Saturday´s walk to Chinchilla as majestic but it was glorious.
My visual image is of field after field of a bright shocking green, halfway between lime and emerald, punctuated every so often by huge blobs of bright red poppies and a number of beehive huts. These huts, which date from the 18th and 19th centuries, were built of stone layered carefully without mortar in successively smaller concentric circles.
It lists otherwise Hostal el Peñón, Hostal el Volante, which are both on the highway coming into town, one of these being possibly where @peregrina2000 stayed in 2013, as well as another 3 private places. The tourism website for Chinchilla has a few more, and includes one that attracted attention earlier in this thread, the Hotel La Posada de Chinchilla. Nice! Very nice! ☺A new albergue is forecast for 2020, check on www.vieiragrino.com
Is the useless meander just getting out of town?As we compared my maps with the terrain we saw, it looked like the next day´s walk was going to take us on a long useless meander. So we checked in with the police office, and the officer not only told us exactly how to get out of town more quickly, but she also took us there to make sure we saw it with our own eyes.
Is the useless meander just getting out of town?
As someone who goes to the camino for the purpose of doing a lot of “useless meandering,” I am surprised that I used those words.
Thank you for the explanation. The tracks that are available on the Amigos' website show the new, more direct, track.Even when we walked, the route had been re-marked with arrows, so I am sure it is no trouble now.
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