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alansykes,Ambling aimlessly through central Huelva, I noticed some tourism posters advertising Galicia. A closer look showed that it was the office of the local amigos of the camino. By the luckiest fluke, a couple of them were inside and eager to help one of the relatively few pilgrims who start from here. They gave me an up to date list of accommodation and more chat about potential problems and things not to miss. They were so kind and helpful that, when one of them committed my blackest of bêtes noirs - that Extremadura means "extremely hard" - I somehow ignored my red mist and managed not to contradict him.
The next morning, slightly before dawn (gone 8am this far west) I swam out of the warm calm Atlantic waters onto8 a little beach by the huge Río Tinto company staithes.
5-6km pleasant walk along the splendid esplanade takes you to the Columbus monument. Seeing the huge bulk approaching - it's 37m tall - I assumed it was a Franco era work, but it turns out that it was by Gertrude Vanderbilt and a gift from the American people to Spain in 1929.
Columbus sailed west from here, but I started my long walk northwards, ending the day at a pleasant dormitory town called Trigueros, full of noisy children enjoying the start to the weekend.
On the way I was lucky to pass the 13th century Pinete abrevadero. Its claim to fame is that the donkey Platero, in Nobel literature laureate Juan Ramón Jiménez' "Platero y Yo", drinks from it and suffers a bloody mouth from the leach he ingests with the water. I suffered no such problem as the trough is firmly dry at the moment. The author, living and dying in exile after the civil war, was later buried in his hometown, nearby Moguer.
Thanks for posting the list in the Resources. Readers of this thread can find the file for downloading on this page.They gave me an up to date list of accommodation
Ambling aimlessly through central Huelva, I noticed some tourism posters advertising Galicia. A closer look showed that it was the office of the local amigos of the camino. By the luckiest fluke, a couple of them were inside and eager to help one of the relatively few pilgrims who start from here. They gave me an up to date list of accommodation and more chat about potential problems and things not to miss. They were so kind and helpful that, when one of them committed my blackest of bêtes noirs - that Extremadura means "extremely hard" - I somehow ignored my red mist and managed not to contradict him.
The next morning, slightly before dawn (gone 8am this far west) I swam out of the warm calm Atlantic waters onto a little beach by the huge Río Tinto company staithes.
5-6km pleasant walk along the splendid esplanade takes you to the Columbus monument. Seeing the huge bulk approaching - it's 37m tall - I assumed it was a Franco era work, but it turns out that it was by Gertrude Vanderbilt and a gift from the American people to Spain in 1929.
Columbus sailed west from here, but I started my long walk northwards, ending the day at a pleasant dormitory town called Trigueros, full of noisy children enjoying the start to the weekend.
On the way I was lucky to pass the 13th century Pinete abrevadero. Its claim to fame is that the donkey Platero, in Nobel literature laureate Juan Ramón Jiménez' "Platero y Yo", drinks from it and suffers a bloody mouth from the leach he ingests with the water. I suffered no such problem as the trough is firmly dry at the moment. The author, living and dying in exile after the civil war, was later buried in his hometown, nearby Moguer.
It just goes to show that piles of money doesn't buy good taste. Egad, that thing is awful.it turns out that it was by Gertrude Vanderbilt and a gift from the American people to Spain in 1929.
We'll never know what that generation of poets in Spain would have written, had they been been allowed to live. Very sad. Perhaps that village made jack-boots too, back in the day.A sader statue, just outside my hotel, commemorated young local poet Juan Manuel Feria, shot here by the fascists in 1937.
I cannot seem to find this list of accommodation, what am I doing wrong?Thanks for posting the list in the Resources. Readers of this thread can find the file for downloading on this page.
I'm looking forward to your updates!
@alansykes, as always, I am thoroughly enjoying your trip reports. The water situation sounds dire. When we were in Cañaveral de Léon in 2015 (cycling on the GR-48), the laguna in front of the ayuntamiento was completely full.Cañaveral is suffering from the drought, most noticeably in that what must be a really pretty little artificial laguna in front of the ayuntamiento, which also serves to irrigate people's allotments, was completely dry.
Possibly you are neglecting the last step. You go to this page, and then need to click the orange Download button near the top of the page.I cannot seem to find this list of accommodation, what am I doing wrong?
Alan, you capture your thoughts and observations so well that we can almost see what you describe. The judo mats at the end of the day would seem a welcome surprise for a weary walker. I am following your track on Google Earth using the Dutch gpx files of all caminos in Spain. However, it doesnt show where you seem to be walking. For example, from Aracena to Canaveral, the track is shown to be all on the road and not as you describe. What gpx track are you using, if any? unless the local camino office has provided a different track?Aracena to Cañaveral de León
After the scary traffic from Riotinto, it was a relief to walk through almost deserted countryside, almost entirely off tarmac. I left before dawn with my headlamp on, as when I spoke to the mayor of Cañaveral de León, she said the town hall shut at 3pm, and they would give me the key to the town's gym, where I could sleep. She said she would do it herself if I arrived after 3, but I hoped not to have to disturb her.
Leaving early meant no coffee, but it was also almost cool walking on dehesa tracks through the slowly gathering light. About half way, mapy.cz said I should spend several km beside the Aracena reservoir. Not as such, as it is only 18% full. Walking over a long bridge that's supposed to cross it, I saw an ancient usually submerged bridge, and the river that's supposed to feed the reservoir almost entirely dried up. Surreally, in a field, a sign prohibiting swimming and boating. I was starting to flag a little after the early start and lack of caffeine. As it was my last full, very sunny, day in Andalucía, I thought the sunnier of Mozart's two Andalucian operas might put a slight spring in my step. It did, and the count was apologising yet again for being a sod as I swung into Cañaveral de León shortly after 2.30pm. As it happened, the mayor insisted on taking me to the polideportivo herself anyway, so I needn't have rushed. My first pilgrim acogida of this camino. Very comfortable, with judo mats to sleep on, and lots of hot water in the shower, donativo. Cañaveral is suffering from the drought, most noticeably in that what must be a really pretty little artificial laguna in front of the ayuntamiento, which also serves to irrigate people's allotments, was completely dry.
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Thank you, I found the download button where I wasn't looking. Accommodation options are certainly not abundant but I am sure they will welcome the foot traffic. A number of places prefer a call two days before arrival so they can prepare for your arrival. Plan ahead before you walk!Possibly you are neglecting the last step. You go to this page, and then need to click the orange Download button near the top of the page.
indeed, that was it, thanks! not intuitively located in the page, I must say, but this information is very welcome!Possibly you are neglecting the last step. You go to this page, and then need to click the orange Download button near the top of the page.
I'm using mapy.cz, which has a blue line which shows the camino del Sur, and which is also the track marked with yellow arrows. I'm also keeping my tracks with a fitbit (?) my son gave me for Christmas. This is the path I walked from Aracena to Cañaveral de León, closely following the mapy.cz blue line near the (dry) Aracena reservoir. Other than a few km by the reservoir, it was almost all dirt tracks rather than tarmac.However, it doesnt show where you seem to be walking. For example, from Aracena to Canaveral, the track is shown to be all on the road and not as you describe. What gpx track are you using, if any? unless the local camino office has provided a different track?
Indeed. Will you continue walking?Safe travels on your next adventure, we will follow your intrepid steps.
There was never a problem and I never booked ahead. Mostly stayed in 20€—35€ hostales and B&Bs. Could easily have cut costs by staying in a couple more polideportivos (eg El Campillo and Campofrio, and a local "camino angel" will put you up and feed you in Valverde del Camino, but by the time I was sure I was staying there, it seemed too little notice to give him, and it was a weekend, and so on).From the accommodation list provided by the amigos in Huelva, this camino seems not so well supported by reasonably priced places to stay. How did you find it on this camino? Was it difficult to sort out a place to stay at the end of the day?
Was that the giant Hotel Musica (?) place?I carried on to a truckstop in Villafranca de los Barros. It was closer to Inferno, or at least Purgatorio. Norman Bates would have been shocked.
I was the first pilgrim they'd met.
Just slightly.There was a slightly awkward moment when a group of vacas bravas and their calves tried to stare me down when I came to a gate, but once I'd skirted round the side of them they lost interest.
Thanks for the new word of the day. Now, in order to put it to use, I'll need to find some lapwings, but not likely to be in North America.a deceit of lapwings
This is always so embarrasing - but one of the joys of pilgrim life is that no-one ever seems to mind. Sometimes quite the opposite.didn't appear to mind the dripping I was causing on the floor
Great to follow your travels, we really appreciate the effort you make each day to post your highlights. We follow your walk on various maps and of course Google Earth to get a sense of where you have wandered along the trail. A winter trip has its challenges with the cloud and rain. Hang on to those walking sticks! Cant have you down and out.Guarda to Celorico da Beira
The cloud was so thick first thing you could barely see the cathedral from across the square. A sharp squall of sleat sent me scurrying back inside for a last pastel de nata before setting off.
The first few km are on Roman road, possibly the best Roman road I've ever seen - certainly up there with the section from Baños de Montemayor on the Plata. Unfortunately, just as steep, and steeply downwards for longer, and unpleasantly slippery in the continuous rain. I was really glad of my sticks today, as I don't think I could have done this section without them, certainly without going arse over tip. And my new coat kept me much drier and more comfortable than its predecessor.
Once down at ground level the cloud decided to lift, the rain stopped and let me enjoy the lush countryside - green pastureland with cows and the occasional slightly decaying manor house.
Celorico da Beira is big on cheese, with its own cheese museum, sadly shut, and a recent food festival centering on the local "serra da Estrela" brand. I did have some with my lunch: a slightly unlikely pairing with bacalhau and golden onions, but surprisingly delicious. When I queried the bill at the end, the waitress said my soup wasn't included as it was free. What a civilised country.
The sun was now shining as I had a quick ratch around the town's castle, with its Impressively well preserved enceinte and outstanding views of the surrounding mountains.
View attachment 135618
Good progress with your usual flair for apt descriptions of your surroundings. But I had to check what a quincunx was!an almost perfect quincunx of about half an acre of interlocking apple trees
Good progress with your usual flair for apt descriptions of your surroundings. But I had to check what a quincunx was!
People, for starters. Pop a fork into a ripe fruit, and peel it while it's still attached to the plant - then whack it off into a bowl with a coup de grace. They're a bit ike a dragonfruit - juicy and sweet, but without much complex flavor.Also loads of prickly pear cactuses tempting whatever it is they tempt
May that be soon!It will be a relief when the camino ceases to share space with the main roads.
Off topic, but they sure do - and are spread like crazy by birds. Awful plants, very invasive.I doubt they self-seed?
That may be so, but the New Zealand drivers would be a close second. We have made such an art form out of bad and dangerous driving, it has become part of the kiwi culture.Portuguese are the most dangerous drivers in Western Europe
Also my favourite, I can smell it from here.the air was full of the blue-grey smoke of the chestnut roasters - one of my favourite smells, one of my favourite tastes
What a day, what a day, what a day (emphasis on a different one of the three words on each repetition). Pretty much as good as it gets. It started well, with the café up the road open at 7am, which I didn't really expect. Not only open, but my tostada came with a generous slice of possibly the best home made membrillo ever - up there with the pâté de coing I made on the Larzac 40 years ago, and Padre Blas' membrillo at the albergue at Fuenteroble.
A swift but not excessive rise - 400 or so metres up in 4km along, takes you to another open bar, in the middle of nowhere. My wikiloc claims that I did over 2000m of cumulative ascent today, but I think that's bollocks. After the initial rise up to the Roman road it was really relatively, well, not flat, but certainly not strenuous. The miliarios, milestones, were astonishing, occasionally in clumps of four. Up to 8' tall cylinders, presumably several feet extra underground. Many with inscriptions celebrating the Flavian emperors, but with some for colourful baddies like Heliogabalus and Caracella, and some short term emperors I'd never even heard of - Caro (282-283) anybody? The mile was fairly elastic, ranging from a bit under 1600m to nearly 1700m.
At first you could hear the church bells down the valley ringing the hours, and the occasional tooting of a horn announcing the bread or fish delivery van. But the road was in total solitude. Quite a lot of mushrooms. I saw parasols and a lovely tempting clump of chanterelles. Having seen a fierce sign in Soria province the previous year, saying that unauthorised mushroom pickers would have their transportation confiscated, I didn't cut any - I really need my legs. No ceps today, but a few pretty fly agaric. The streams flooding the road were sometimes a bit tiresome, but rarely actually dangerous, and my only fall was more of an enforced sit down. Unfortunately onto some prickly gorse, but so it goes.
A few boar tracks on the way, and some deer, but not a single person for 20km. Arriving in Campo de Gerês shortly before dusk. there was a brief worrying moment when it looked as if there was no accommodation, but the almost invisible bar also runs a B&B (B, really, as breakfast won't happen until I'm long gone) so I was soon happily installed there. And later enjoyed a bowl of soup and a delicious plate of about 5 different cheeses sitting by the bar's warming fire playing with their absurdly furry and cuddly marmalade cat. Jupiter is now really close to bumping into the moon.
A gruelling day, as I'd been warned, but a five star one. Up there in the 25 or so of my top 10 camino days.
View attachment 136217
This is the vultimate bait. Just...wow.often clumps of over a dozen of them; in one case with emperors stretching from Titus to Constantine's sons, vía our old friend Car
Wow. Probably more in one place than you've seen since Huelva.Surprised to learn that there are eighteen Brazilian pilgrims in town
I consider myself very fortunate to have not come into contact with any aggressive loose dogs on the Geira! Loving your posts, @alansykes.Shortly before, I was briefly menaced by three agressive loose cattle dogs, the last time I'll be barked at by a Portuguese dog this year.
Yup, more that the rest of the camino put together. None between Huelva and Zafra. About a dozen between Zafra and Cáceres, none between Cáceres and Lobios on Sunday, and then the Brazilian invasion.Wow. Probably more in one place than you've seen since Huelva.
I loved Baena, with the reproduction celtiberian lion on the plaza. Also got a taste for the local fino de Montilla - a desert dry sharp, even harsh, strong (but unfortified) sherry-like white.I’m watching the rain here now (Baena) in Andalucía..
Wheels?Can't understand how the Brazilians overtook me,
I have to admit I had to look that up. That she is.the eximious @peregrina2000
They took all the beds and gave you Villa-Lobos? Oh, my.Villa-Lobos earworm
Have you stumbled into a weird parallel universe? A random Norma afficionado in the middle of nowhere and Brazillians who appear and disappear equally mysteriously...it sounds like Camino wonderland. God knows what you'll encounter tomorrow.I took out my earplugs and let some Bellini rip. A man resting by some timber startled me by getting up suddenly, and even more by asking "¿Norma?" He had been a music student and played violin in a college orchestra. We agreed that Norma was basically just Romeo and Juliet, but with Romans and Gauls instead of Montacutes and Capulets.
Definitely wheels. They're probably already humming V-L at some bar in Santiago.so I would have expected to see their footprints.
One particular pleasure of this Forum is Alan's yearly account of whatever off the beaten track caminos he's taking on. The threads make very good reading after the fact, too - but beware!- your list of caminos to walk will grow exponentially).You are so close to Santiago now which will sadly soon mean the end to your daily literary masterpieces
The viaduct is a giveaway. A lovely view of where the Sanabres/invierno goes, too.But it was the real thing, and there were some great views of it from a woodland trail on high ground,
I had the very same experience — as I was leaving Estrada, I thought I saw it in the dawn light but thought it was impossible. But going up through that eucalyptus wood a few hours later, it kept popping out at me and I was convinced. I think it was you who once wrote about the legend, and ever since I’ve wanted to go up there on my own two feet but have never made it.And yesterday a bump on the horizon looked very like the Pico Sacro.
“Spargi in terra quella pace!” Absolutely loving your posts Alan. Joining the chorus of those who clamor for the book version…bom/buen caminho/camino!Beariz to Forcarei
Such a comfortable night in Beariz, and then one of the bars was open at 8, so didn't need to set off until the mist was a little lighter. Mostly lovely wooded paths today, occasionally up with the wind turbines. There is some dispute between the Geira camino people and the (xunta-funded) Caminho Miñoto Ribeiro (also from Braga). The people promoting the Geira are so depressed by alleged vandalism to Geira signage and arrows, especially round about where I am now, that they "recomendar que no se recorra este Camino", and have removed accommodation details etc from their website, which seems a bit defeatist. And the eximious @peregrina2000 says "nonsense", you should just follow a decent wikiloc, while Álvaro Lazaga, in one of his YouTube videos, talks about finding "un montón de flechas". Both were right. There was really no problem (unless I get hopelessly lost mañana), especially relying on my trusty mapy.cz, which has a blue line going all the way from Braga (almost all the way from Huelva, I think).
Coming down through dense woods in total solitude, I took out my earplugs and let some Bellini rip. A man resting by some timber startled me by getting up suddenly, and even more by asking "¿Norma?" He had been a music student and played violin in a college orchestra. We agreed that Norma was basically just Romeo and Juliet, but with Romans and Gauls instead of Montacutes and Capulets.
Foncarei, about 2km off the Geira, is actually on the Caminho Miñoto Ribeiro, so I've accidentally added a 7th camino to this year's pick 'n mix - Sur, Plata, Estrela, Nascente, Torres, Geira and now CMR, as the signs call it.
Foncarei is a pleasant little town with several bars and shops and not as many collapsing houses as many of the villages recently. The Pensión Paris is comfortable and warm and has a metal radiator to dry out my shoes (there was one stage again today of walking along a running stream).
I saw no sign of my Brazilians. Odd, as the mud was thick, but there's been no rain for over a day, so I would have expected to see their footprints. So the main result for me, other than not being where I expected to be, is that I can't get rid of an irritating Villa-Lobos earworm. Assuming A Estrada is no problem tomorrow, I think I'll try to make Santiago for Saturday, rather than risk hoping to spend the night at Pontvea or A Raris (where Álvaro stayed) and finding it booked out. I did not expect to find myself in a bed race, in November, on the Geira.
View attachment 136707
No hoards today, normal Galician service resumes. Good day not to be walking. Although if I find myself in a bed race again I might switch allegiances and accept Pollione's invitation to "vieni in Roma", or back to lovely empty Guadalupe., if you look at hoards, you might groan...
Given your predilections you should be safe from that many other pilgrims all at one time - that can only happen once as a result of stochastic bad luck. Like a lightning strike.if I find myself in a bed race again I might switch allegiances and accept Pollione's invitation to "vieni in Roma", or back to lovely empty Guadalupe.
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