aquabilly
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- El Norte oct 2012, camino del sureste
, 2013, camino del sureste 2014, camino mozarabe march 2015, back to the Sureste July 2015
Rather than post scattergun all over the place, I`ll collate my info here. I`ve reached Tembleque so far ( near Toledo) I am doing this trip approx 8 days at a time depending on my time off. Thats me completed my second section recently.
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. Theres not that much information about as you know...although the mundicamino and gronze websites seem 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.
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.
Hi . Peregrina.yes. Depending on which site you look at..the sureste heads up to cuenca or toledo. Both labelled as sureste. I don`t have a lot of time...I am going to head up as far as Albacete this time.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. 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
hallo all. Thats me back home.(2013)..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 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 in the villages. 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 or you will regret it.
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 slower 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. ( I spoke to others since who took the bike route, the mountain hike through rough terrain is very very tough)
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
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. img041.jpg ( I did postpone...minus 7 is too cold.)
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
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. Theres not that much information about as you know...although the mundicamino and gronze websites seem 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.
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.
Hi . Peregrina.yes. Depending on which site you look at..the sureste heads up to cuenca or toledo. Both labelled as sureste. I don`t have a lot of time...I am going to head up as far as Albacete this time.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. 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
hallo all. Thats me back home.(2013)..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 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 in the villages. 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 or you will regret it.
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 slower 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. ( I spoke to others since who took the bike route, the mountain hike through rough terrain is very very tough)
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
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. img041.jpg ( I did postpone...minus 7 is too cold.)
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