Granada-Mérida

[maritr]

Hello everybody!
I walked Via de la Plata two years ago and I'm planning on walking the Camino Mozárabe in june 2011. And I wonder if someone knows how to get a credential in Granada if you're not able to be there a wednesday evening to get it at the Amigos? In Sevilla you could get it at the cathedral and even at the tourist office. Have read some about this here at the forum but wonder if there are any news. Hope so, as here in Sweden you can't get hold of one - as far as I know anyway.
I also have a question about the site Mundicamino: is it updated and to be trusted? According to it there seems to be more albergues on this camino than I've found in books, updates and the like. And it's good not to have too high expectations...
Maritr

 

[aleesha]

Hi there,
I walked from Granada in April 2010, and it was easy to get the credencial from the office of the cathedral. It is just behind the cathedral itself, and from memory the office was open in the morning and afternoon, with a middle of the day closure.
All the best. it's a beautiful walk.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Aleesha, do you have a blog on this section?
Was there ample lodging?
How long were your stages?

 

[maritr]

Hi there,
I walked from Granada in April 2010, and it was easy to get the credencial from the office of the cathedral. It is just behind the cathedral itself, and from memory the office was open in the morning and afternoon, with a middle of the day closure.
All the best. it's a beautiful walk.

Thank you Aleesha! Good to know. I will spend one day in Granada so there will be time to get the credencial.
A bit curious about how you managed the long stages. In the books it seems like there are two very long ones, 38 kms or something. Too far for me to walk in one day so I'm hoping to find alternatives. Did you?

 

[bjorgts]

I have walked from Granada to Cordoba. You can find my description here: camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic8801.html The first long distance before Cordoba is no problem. You make a detour to Santa Cruz. Its marked. People in Santa Cruz said in April 2010 that they had pilgrims staying there almost every night. I have not walked from Cordoba to Merida, but I have done some research about the second long distance. (Can not remember the names there now.) I have not found any posibilities to make it shorter.

About albergues, I think the albergues listed on Mundicamino was ment for others than the modern pilgrims. I wrote this on the question last year: "We slept in Hostales. There are almost no albergues. I think the parroqial places was not ment for modern pilgrims originally. The church helped poor people who needed a place to sleep by having those places. We have found that they are often closed now, may be because they were ment for other people than us. Relativly wealthy modern pilgrims - out for a modern walk - have may be done something to this institutions which is not all good? I am not sure of this. It is just a growing feeling from several years of walking." Bjørg

 

[maritr]

I have walked from Granada to Cordoba. You can find my description here: camino-mozarabe-and-via-de-la-plata/topic8801.html The first long distance before Cordoba is no problem. You make a detour to Santa Cruz. Its marked. People in Santa Cruz said in April 2010 that they had pilgrims staying there almost every night. I have not walked from Cordoba to Merida, but I have done some research about the second long distance. (Can not remember the names there now.) I have not found any posibilities to make it shorter.

About albergues, I think the albergues listed on Mundicamino was ment for others than the modern pilgrims. I wrote this on the question last year: "We slept in Hostales. There are almost no albergues. I think the parroqial places was not ment for modern pilgrims originally. The church helped poor people who needed a place to sleep by having those places. We have found that they are often closed now, may be because they were ment for other people than us. Relativly wealthy modern pilgrims - out for a modern walk - have may be done something to this institutions which is not all good? I am not sure of this. It is just a growing feeling from several years of walking." Bjørg

Thanks Björg! Remember that I've read your post earlier and marked it to bring on my walk!
Marit

 

[stephenhill]

I am about to start the walk from Granada, all I need is some new boots and my credenciales. Thanks for the info here, very useful. stephen

 

[stephenhill]

Hi yes, I have done some of the route and there are some tricky parts. However its a great walk, really!
A friend has wrote on the part from cordoba as follows.
In any event I will probably write the walk up in one of my blogs in due course but the purpose of this email is to in turn point out a couple of tricky bits after Cordova one of which actually threw me off course.

I really prefer to walk with maps but have not been able to find any. However between Alison Raju's very good trail notes and sporadic blazing and some divine inspiration I have found the route on all but one day. That one day was when I decided to choose clearly marked blazes in preference to Raju's clear instructions. Coming out of Cordava after passing by the back of the bus depot and crossing a busy road to drop down on the old highway you cross the old bridge over the river and Raju tells you to continue on round and go under the new highway - which is clearly visible from the bridge - and then follow some convoluted instructions involving new housing developments. However veering up left (ie in the right direction) there is a clearly blazed dirt road. The yellow arrows continue for a bit and then disappear without hint. I don't know whether this is the work of some prankster but it certainly threw me off. I then won't bore you with all the wrong things that I did rather than do the long retrace to the bridge but suffice it to say the 18 km trip up to Cerro Muriano ended up being a highly disagreeable all day trip most of the constructive part of which was on CO3408 which has no curb and on Thursday of Samana Santa was quite busy. In justification of my idiocy since Raju's book they have newly blazed a route through Cordova so it was possible that they had found a less convoluted way through the outskirts of the city. So do not get tempted to doubt our good trailblazer or at least not there.

The other very confusing bit which by some total miracle after wandering back and forward and struggling with Andaluz directions from any farmer I could find I actually guessed right was shortly out of Villaharta. You leave the village up hill by the road and then turn right down a very pretty track There has been some enthusiastic GR blazing (but no yellow arrows) down the track crossing the Arroyo which come to an abrupt halt at right angles to a paved road. A signpost shows GR 48 to the right and GR 40 to the left. Raju says the Camino shares route with GR 40 for most of the 38 km to Alcaracejos. GR blazers had totally given up after this point. So Raju says you meet the road and in 100 m you turn left uphill behind a farm. She omits to mention in which direction one proceeds 100 meter in but the only left uphill would have to be right on the road on GR 48 and going in the wrong direction. I explored in both directions and there were no farms anywhere near 100 meters. I then chose left to try in vain to find hint of GR 40. The road turns into a dirt track going in the right direction and eventually comes out on a rather better paved road (which I assume is the one that she was referring to). I then went up and down this for a while and was on the verge of going back when I saw what looked like a very faint curved yellow arrow on the Tarmac pointing to a grassy sort of hill going behind and unnamed farm that was for sale and moreover in the right direction. This then joins a beautiful and endless gravel road that descends the valley forever. Absolutely no other signage or hint that this is right until you are halfway down when out of the blue and not at a decision point there is a very clear new yellow arrow. So from the signpost turn left. When this road (later gravel road) meets a good Tarmac road turn right briefly and you will see an old farm with a for sale sign on it. Before you get to it go up the grassy shoulder beside a fenced field behind the farm and turn left almost immediately on the good dirt road going down the valley.


I need to find my notes and get back to you for the parts trevious to cordoba, bear with me.

Stephen