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Guide to the Camino de Lana

Isca-camigo

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Various ones.
Here is a link to download a guide to the Camino de Lana, I was convinced other posters had put it elsewhere but when searching through relevant threads for info I realised it might have been missed, apologies to other posters if it has already been posted http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/otros-caminos/camino-de-la-lana it is an excellent guide, giving detailed maps with the variants, profiles of all the stages and extensive listings of accommodation and other services, and if you like hard copies like me then it is perfect.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Here is a link to download a guide to the Camino de Lana, I was convinced other posters had put it elsewhere but when searching through relevant threads for info I realised it might have been missed, apologies to other posters if it has already been posted http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/otros-caminos/camino-de-la-lana it is an excellent guide, giving detailed maps with the variants, profiles of all the stages and extensive listings of accommodation and other services, and if you like hard copies like me then it is perfect.
I looked at this site and the information is great but I’d like to have it in English. Am I missing a translation available thru the web site or do I need to work on translating the directions myself?
Thx! Tess
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
I don't speak Spanish but I can translate sentences, probably because I'm so familiar with the language now. I downloaded the Google translate app before I left, but never used it, I had the benefit of my backup team, my Spanish Novia back in Exeter ringing places for me for accommodation.On this Camino I had many Spanish people wanting to speak to me, I felt a bit upset I couldn't fully reciprocate the offer of friendship, since my long-term goal is to move to Northern Spain I'm going to start what I should have started 8 years ago and learn the language.

The Guide is excellent, I can't recommend it highly enough, the only problem is its big and bulky if you print it, so I downloaded it on to my mobile. That became a big problem for me in Alpera, day 5, when I damaged the charging pins to my mobile, making it incapable of powering up. This route is well marked in the country, however signage in towns doesn't exist so I would keep referring to the guide, and another problem was that I realised some farmers didn't like the Camino going through their property, I had one section after Alpera where the arrows had been painted over at crucial points to indicate which way and another after Alatoz where the the route goes through a wooded area, it was a narrow natural trail and without the arrows you could not be sure which way to go, I soon started coming across trees that had been felled to lean across the trail, I had to keep going around them but was was aware that keeping track of the arrows was difficult, a couple of times I had to refer to the guide, which I didn't want to do because I was trying to save the power on my mobile.
My Camino ended in Casas Ibanez, day 8. When I woke up in Alpera I was thinking of packing it in anyway, my right knee had been throbbing through the night, my shoes were the worst, every footstep was torture, then when I saw the phone was damaged I knew that was it, I continued for another 3 days because it wanted to make as far as Alcala del Jucar, it was worth it, I walked the short 12km to Casas on my last day, I arrived at 11:15am, caught the 11:45am bus to Albacete and was in Atocha , Madrid at 1705pm, end of Camino for this time.
 
Thx so much for your reply. The additional info you gave is really helpful. I love the guide but didnt want to be trying to translate as I walked so I’ve translated most of the pages and have the info in a document file on my phone. I start walking out of Alicante on the 20th of April ..... here’s hoping I make it to Burgos! Thx again... Tessa
 
Just a little bit more info to this thread. The 1st day out of Alicante is a gentle one, 60/40 to Asphalt, probably higher. The last few km before you get to the Ermita are on quite uneven tracks, lots of deep gully's and the markings can be lacking. I didn't go to the Ermita, it was 5pm, the wind was a bit crazy and even this early in the Camino my feet were killing me, I remembered BP's comment that the path down from the Ermita was quite tricky so decided to give it a miss, instead when e I hit the road that leads up to the Ermita, I went down instead, I took a guess that it would lead to Orito. I had started at 11ish that morning, my flight had arrived at 9:30am, I got my first sello from inside the Cathedral, I had just gone up to a father leaving a confession box. The path out of Alicante was ok, but not clearly marked you will need to refer to the guide. The next day I walked to Sax or to be more accurate Yelda I got the bus to Sax from there, I arrived at the church upin Central Yelda at 3.30pm and realised that my feet had gone, I wasn't going to get 9 more km from them, a local off duty police officer gave me a lift to the bus station and I was in Sax at 4.30pm. I stayed at CasaSax Rural, it's on Airbnb, my Novia Rang direct a few days earlier, and was quoted a price of 12 Euros for staying in a Caravan on the property when I got there they charged me 10 Euros, you have access to the swimming pool, the house and the fully equipped kitchen I went to bed at 530pm, my feets issues had drained me. You will have to get a Sello elsewhere.On the days walk if you go via Novelda you have the opportunity to go to a stunning Ermita about 3km past Novelda, if I went this way again I would have planned a shorter day and made the steep climb up there and back down again, the option to do it is clearly waymarked and indicated at the base of the Ermita.The days walking is largely along the dry floodplain of the Rio Vinalopo, it protected me from the wind and is quite quiet, the noise from the nearby Autovia does not get into it and you don't see it. The path into Yelda at about 5/6km out starts to go into urban areas and is mostly on Asphalt, the route into central Yelda takes lots of turns along busy town streets, I decided to follow the long boulevard I was on until it met up with the Vinalopo again and then follow a cycle path around to the main church, I tend to do that in large urban areas, I look at the guide or the map and just find the easiest or greenest way to where I want to go. In Sax the next day I got my Sello from the Ayuntimento, and the stocked up at a Panderia about 30 metres past it, the Baker had walked to Santiago from Sax two years earlier, it took him 42 days.
 
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A selection of Camino Jewellery
Sax to Caudette via Villena.
An easy day, almost level walking after a few km you are on farm tracks. The route passes within 200 metres of the high speed train stop for Villena and I think it is possible to get from the station and on to the Camino, this is about 6 or 7 km before Villena itself. Villena has an igelisa de Santiago and a historic barrio within an busy town, I spent two hours there looking for new walking shoes, I realised it wasn't going to happen so took a knife to the ones I was wearing to cut the area that I believed were causing the most pain in my feet, it relieved the pressure, however my attention which had been distracted by one set of pains was now free to look at other pains my shoes were causing me, it seems amusing now as I type this but at the time I was firmly digging into into my attachment to the Camino to keep me going.
Leaving Villena takes you along a busy main road on the road side of crash barriers and across a big roundabout with fast moving traffic, about 1km after this the roadside path takes comes to writing in yellow and two arrows, 1 points at a right angle to the busy dual carriage and says Caudette 14km the other points straight on, following the road side path and says Almansa 36km, which seems to be an alternative missing out Caudette. Going to Caudette means you head slightly westward then the next day you go slightly north eastward again to connect up with the path to Almansa. My recommendation is if you want to walk next to a busy noisy road for 28km then go straight to Almansa, however if you want to visit a friendly town where the locals are interested in the Camino and the Hospitalero is a gem then head to Caudette. The Albergue in Caudette is right in the upper part of it on rear part of town as you are heading into it, I can't give exact directions because the Hospitalero was waiting for me in his car about half way into town, he gave me a half hour guided tour of the town showing me places of interest and the way out the next day. It's a proper Albergue with places for 10. The only problem seems to be that the power cuts out at 7pm, my recommendation is arrive early do your washing, get your clothes out on the balcony drying, set your bed up and get your your torch outready. I had done the 1st three and I always have my torch readily accessible so it wasn't a problem. I went out out at 8pm to a Spanish/ Bulgarian restaurant had a goat cheese salad, 2 bottles of Beer, and to further celebrate my 50th birthday had apple flan. For people who like getting up early and want an early morning Coffee fix, there is a bar called El Charo which opens at 5:30am. I am pretty sure you could even have a full meal at around 8/9am it seemed to be full of workers coming in at 0830 and having a menu del dia with bottles of wine, it closes at 4:30pm, I have feeling it is the best place to eat in town and offers pilgrims a quite extensive Menu del Peregrino for 8 Euros, it is advertised in the Albergue.
Caudette to Almansa,
An unspectacular day for large parts on farm tracks next to a busy dual carriage and train tracks, no where to stop until you get to Almansa, take water and provisions. You do pass the site of a British/Portuguese defeat in the Peninsular wars and there is some boards up to show you where the battles took place and the route the defeated armies fled. I stayed at the accommodation the nuns provide in Almansa, strangely enough I didn't have a clue where I was going, I followed a long straight road into deepest Almansa the arrows disappearing again, and when I decided I better ask someone they pointed to door no more than 30 metres away and said next to the Sabinell bank, I didn't even have to knock on the door, someone else did that, the nun opened the door ignored the lady who had knocked and beckoned me in, I wish it was always that easy to find the accommodation. I was in bed by 5:45pm, I was shattered, the wind had been very intense all day, and my feet had drained me again, I have done a few Caminos now and my feet and suitable footwear is always a problem, I have what's called duck feet, they are very broad at the forefoot. Sometimes I find something which I think excellent I can live with these, but they usually stop making them so it's a constant search for the next footwear. This is not the first time my feet have been tortured, but usually I work my way through it and have a great time, this time I don't want to take one more footstep than I have to, wether it's backtracking or looking at something interesting or just going for a wander, my feet have hurt plenty in the past, this time just seems extreme, however no blisters which I don't quite understand.
 
ALMANSA to Alpera

22km, I had been told by two different people that it was going to rain or snow today, what it did do was blow very high winds. When I arrived in Alpera I saw on the news that most of the peninsula had been buffeted by strong winds, they had been bad for the previous days but today was the cherry on the cake, the news said that the 3 places with the highest recorded winds in Spain that day were 1) A Coruna 145km/h - good old Galicia 2) Murcia - I think 3) and Yecla 125km/h which was only 30 km from Almansa. Strangely enough I had my strongest day walking, managed to get up some pace when I wasn't been thrown around. It was a beautiful day's walking, one when I expected the worst but ended up feeling at home on the camino. This for me was the proper start of the Camino de Lana, after a few km of heading out of Almansa on quiet asphalted words, you hit farm tracks, but these felt softer underfoot and more natural, I even started visualising the shepherds and their sheep in times gone past going up and down these paths. You are walking too, next to and around a mini Serra for the 1st half of this walk, you pass some bunkers from the Civil War with a little plaque, and then once you are around the edge of the Serra, you again descend and start walking in a more northerly direction rather than North Westerly. The path starts to go through more arable and livestock based lands I managed to get some respite from the wind as the path followed the embankment of a high speed train line. Then after a few km you go into more wine based fields again . You come to a bitrufication 5km before Alpera where the Levante continues on its way and the Lana goes the other. You come into Alpera on a wide boulevard, there is immediately a bar/ restaurant on your left but if you continue another 50 metres there is a Hotel/ Restaurant across the other side of the Road with a scallop shell ceramic on its front, this is where I eventually had my menu del dia, it's good value. The pilgrim accommodation is in a shared building, downstairs is a social centre for young and old people, you can use the kitchen facilities, upstairs are the sleeping rooms, shower and lounge which pilgrims use. It is near to the restaurant where I had my meal, but if you need to go to the Ayuntimento to collect keys then you will have to go past it for a 200/300 metres to collect them and then back track on yourself. I was lucky again, I headed to the main church,, when I was there I rang my girlfriend and she said I had told her to tell them to meet me at 5pm, it was now Saturday and 2pm, I couldn't remember saying that but that was my situation, so I grabbed my bag and started walking back to the scallop shell bar, just as I did that 2 ladies came out of a shop, told me that they had walked the Camino and would drive me to the Albergue, they then rang the Mayor who came and met me, she after 3 failed attempts found the right key, I was in the Albergue by 330pm and in the restaurant by 4pm. Thanks to the mayor and those ladies for showing me a big kindness and patience. I was in bed by 6:30pm after washing my clothes, the heating was on downstairs so they dried very nicely. The rain and snow didn't come on this day but my first step into Alpera onto pavement from the farm track and it started sleeting.
 
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Alpera to Alatoz.
In Bad Pilgrims posts he said he felt that this section was amongst one of the best he walked before Cuenca, its on undulating farm tracks, I agree with him, the first 7km are eventually on perfect tracks- for me, soft, slightly clay and sand surfaces. It is also the first time you get the impression someone is painting over the yellow arrows, the guide will get you through any uncertainty. You come to a second turnoff for the Levante( look at my Avatar picture), and then you walk through a valley to get to Alatoz. The valley section would be a special part of any Camino, I saw my 1st deer and it runs on a Canada( Spanish meaning with the accentuation over the n). The Albergue is in the back end of Alatoz attached to a polideportivo, I got a lift of the Hospitalero from the 1st bar in town, I had eaten and he came and had a couple of beers together, he didn't speak English and I don't speak Spanish we managed to share duck feet stories, he has them as well. He told me 20 pilgrims came from Benidorm for the recent inauguration of the Albergue, he told me that a nearby bar could be the best place to eat or worst in Alatoz, depending on which chef was working. I told him about my mobile phone problems, and in typical Spanish style several people in the bar tried to fix the broken pins with a steak knife. The Albergue in a large room with 5 single beds, it has heating. There is showers and a toilet area.
The day had been very difficult for me, several times in Alpera I woke through the night to feel my right knee throbbing, this felt like a decision time, When I woke in the morning to find that I had accidentally damaged my charging pins to my mobile, I decided to end it. Sounds a soft way to end it, but it was an accumulation of things, I wasn't unhappy but I have damaged my right knee on two previous Caminos and have ignored it both times with long term effects, the phone and all the associated uncertainty I would have finding accommodation and way through Fincas with out the guide to give tips just made me certain it was the time to finish, however I still wanted to reach Alcala del Jucar, so decided that I would walk the next two days at least. Visually the walk that day had been pleasant to stunning, inwardly it had felt like torture,my inward resolve to complete it had seemed to have gone and the pains I was feeling from my feet seemed to have magnified.
 
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Alatoz to Alcala del Jucar

An easy day 16/17km, the path from Alatoz exits very close to the way you come in, if you head back down from Albergue to the the 1st bar you would have encountered the previous day, there is a shop nearby to stock up, and the way out from here is very close as well, I had my first Cafe Bombom on this Camino from the best/worst bar in town, I'm not sure if I like them I feel they are a bit gimmicky. I had my first one 16 years ago in Valencia, I felt they were ok but not worthy of the big fuss people make of them, on this Camino I have seen locals drinking them every day and thought I would give them a go again, maybe they are an acquired taste.

The Camino itself is a real mix of surfaces and terrains on this short day, the path eventually goes onto farm track where you are before you hit a road and asphalt for about 2km, it then leads you into a wooded section on a natural trail, this would be excellent if it were not for someone felling trees to fall on the path, intentional saboutage? Probably, I couldn't see other trees cut down elsewhere and trees had been cut down on either side to fall to the path but not quite on it laying across it at an angle, you couldn't go over or under you have to go around the obstacles, paying close attention and referring to the guide will get you through after 1km you start to descend and then end up on a farm track which goes up again and eventually leads you to the town on the other side of the Gorge from Alcala, you do not really see this until you have gone through the town and the option of standing at a little Mirador gives you a clue of where you are going next and and where you should head, it also shows the full majesty of Alcala in front of you and the gorge. At the start of the switchback path which leads down to the gorge someone has started renovating a house and they have cemented the first part of the path and put foundations in, if this extends it could totally block of the start of the path, the builders who were involved with it were there as I started the path, they stopped and watched me then conferred, so who knows what is going to happen, the path is also a PR route so I would imagine if they blocked it there would be all kinds of people getting involved. The path takes about a 1-2km to zig zag to the bottom on rocky/ grassy paths, you cross two sections of asphalted roads near the bottom,the 1st time you could bail out and follow that, the last part of the descent is a bit steep and rocky. The bottom of the gorge is very nice, a river and little sandy areas next to it, shops, hotels, restaurants and lots of tourists. The casa cultural is also down there, which is where you stay if you take the pilgrim option, you need a roll matt, it also has showers and toilets, it is gratis, not even donativo.i stayed in a art room which was full of pixels I would have been in another room if I had arrived another day. I went to the restaurant Fogones ' El Chato', I would go again and not even bother looking at the others, they may be very good but this is very good and not too expensive 15€ for a menu del dia.

The way out is confusing but to make it simple I will say head to the Castillo the next day, you have two ways out of Alcala of ascending through it, both are good, just follow either Castillo signs. At the back end of the Castillo is a cobbled road which leads up to a a couple of buildings you will see your first yellow arrow there for a while, it takes you along a path which runs on the side of the gorge for about 1km,if you don't like heights or drop offs then investigate it the day before you go, it's not too bad, I don't like heights and nearly kept with the cobbled road, I am so glad I didn't.
 
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If you look at the picture you can see the Castillo on the left hand side, when you are leaving that is where you want to head to, signs on houses will indicate the ways. Behind the castle you can just about see a road head up towards the left, you go up there and after about 200 metres you will see abandoned buildings on your left with you your first sprayed arrow, it invites you to walk along a path on the side of the gorge, it is not as bad as it looks.IMG_20180326_125416862.jpg
 
I liked Alcala del Jucar, but feet dictated that I needed to rest them, so I was asleep on my mat in in my locked art room at 1730, I was given the key, I drifted off to the sounds of people pumping iron, the gymnasium is one of the many things in the Casa Cultural, you are given the front door key and you have to lock that at 10pm. I woke up at 9pm to the sounds of church bells, I didn't know what time it was, I wanted to save what little power my mobile is had for getting out the next day and contacting my girlfriend's family in Madrid when I arrived there. On my late night paseo, I walked up to the castle and hoped I would see yellow arrows, no luck. It must have been a strange sight a man walking around with a head torch, shining it at kerbs and walls. It wasn't until I walked back to the bottom, I saw board with a senderismo paths in the area, it did not indicate the Camino but it did show a path from the castle to the next village which I knew was on the Camino, so when I did walk the route the next day which turned out to be the Camino as well I was always going to go that way anyway.

Alcala del Jucar to Casas Ibanez ( 12km)

My last day, a stunning walk along the side of the Gorge to begin with, a little section that matches anything I have done on my previous Caminos. Then a long straight walk on a flat path.If I had good shoes and felt like I needed to do a big section to cut down my days taken then this is where I would do it, this 12km + the 24km of the next etapa, which is flat and next to a road I believe. There would be several places you could stop and break your day into sections. Casas Ibanez is good place to get in and get out if you start or finish your camino, several buses to Albacete and Valencia through the day and possibly a Samar bus to/ from Madrid, but you need a Phd in statistical analysis to understand their website.
I'm keeping glued to this section, A few people will be walking the Lana in the next days, weeks and months I hope to pick up their tips. Hopefully I can sort out my shoes and come back for at least a week this year.

Buen Camino
 
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Here is a link to download a guide to the Camino de Lana, I was convinced other posters had put it elsewhere but when searching through relevant threads for info I realised it might have been missed, apologies to other posters if it has already been posted http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/otros-caminos/camino-de-la-lana it is an excellent guide, giving detailed maps with the variants, profiles of all the stages and extensive listings of accommodation and other services, and if you like hard copies like me then it is perfect.

Oh, dang that second language deficit!!
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
The maps are quite good, the problem is enlarging them to get really small details, I don't think it is possible, maybe on the dropboxes it is possible,.
 
The maps are quite good, the problem is enlarging them to get really small details, I don't think it is possible, maybe on the dropboxes it is possible,.
FYI....Also be aware that some hostals, albergues and hotels listed have gone out of business.
 
FYI....Also be aware that some hostals, albergues and hotels listed have gone out of business.

I know, I had some unpleasant suprises last summer... My version certainly was not up to date so a lot of the casas rurales/albergues etc were closed down, some of them since years ago according to the local townspeople... I hope this year's version is better...

/BP
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I liked Alcala del Jucar, but feet dictated that I needed to rest them, so I was asleep on my mat in in my locked art room at 1730, I was given the key, I drifted off to the sounds of people pumping iron, the gymnasium is one of the many things in the Casa Cultural, you are given the front door key and you have to lock that at 10pm. I woke up at 9pm to the sounds of church bells, I didn't know what time it was, I wanted to save what little power my mobile is had for getting out the next day and contacting my girlfriend's family in Madrid when I arrived there. On my late night paseo, I walked up to the castle and hoped I would see yellow arrows, no luck. It must have been a strange sight a man walking around with a head torch, shining it at kerbs and walls. It wasn't until I walked back to the bottom, I saw board with a senderismo paths in the area, it did not indicate the Camino but it did show a path from the castle to the next village which I knew was on the Camino, so when I did walk the route the next day which turned out to be the Camino as well I was always going to go that way anyway.

Alcala del Jucar to Casas Ibanez ( 12km)

My last day, a stunning walk along the side of the Gorge to begin with, a little section that matches anything I have done on my previous Caminos. Then a long straight walk on a flat path.If I had good shoes and felt like I needed to do a big section to cut down my days taken then this is where I would do it, this 12km + the 24km of the next etapa, which is flat and next to a road I believe. There would be several places you could stop and break your day into sections. Casas Ibanez is good place to get in and get out if you start or finish your camino, several buses to Albacete and Valencia through the day and possibly a Samar bus to/ from Madrid, but you need a Phd in statistical analysis to understand their website.
I'm keeping glued to this section, A few people will be walking the Lana in the next days, weeks and months I hope to pick up their tips. Hopefully I can sort out my shoes and come back for at least a week this year.

Buen Camino

It's a wonderful camino. I know I will walk it a 2nd time, perhaps next summer. You may have read that I had problems with my feet - I should have stopped in time, like you did... But it is such a beautiful walk. I had the impression that the scenery kept changing from one stage to another, the whole way through. Or perhaps it is just my memory playing tricks on me...! :O)

/BP
 
I didn't go to the Ermita, it was 5pm, the wind was a bit crazy and even this early in the Camino my feet were killing me, I remembered BP's comment that the path down from the Ermita was quite tricky so decided to give it a miss, instead when e I hit the road that leads up to the Ermita, I went down instead, I took a guess that it would lead to Orito.

Oh, I can't make out the rest of the story: does that road go to Orito (probably), but how far was it? I have been at that place where the road splits in two 2 times now but I have always opted to walk up to the Ermita. You are right: with tired feet, I wouldn't wish for anyone to climb down from the Ermita..........

/BP
 
Oh, dang that second language deficit!!

Wow,

The guide looks great. That one didn't exist a year ago. I want to return to the Lana even more now!! I hope they checked the albergues & the phone numbers since last year, as I wrote above, cause there were a lot of errors before.

/BP
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
The guide and maps are basically the same as the Dropbox, but I did come across some differences when looking at them, I feel the guide is more up to date.
 
The guide and maps are basically the same as the Dropbox, but I did come across some differences when looking at them, I feel the guide is more up to date.

Okay!

I hope you will be able to get back to the Lana very soon when your feet/shoes are sorted out! Casas Ibáñez is a good place to stop though! And I liked Alcalá del Júcar very much... Although I had to spend some hours finding a place to stay: the tourists had occupied the entire town...! That place is tricky in summer/during holidays.....................

/BP
 
Hi BP I'm not sure what I am doing this year. I have done 3 winter camino now, and I quite like walking on the CF at that time of year so if I get time in January , which seems most likely I could be doing two weeks some place, I think the Lana is best done in the drier months, so I'm not sure when that will happen.
 
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€46,-
I hope to be there in October ...

Bjorts, you always give such good info walking these remote caminos. I hope you will check in with the forum as you walk the Lana in October — my selfish reason for saying this is that I hope Alicante to Santiago will be my 2020 camino. That will be my 20th year on the camino and my 70th year on this planet! Buen camino, Laurie
 
We will not walk the Lana from Alicante this time. The reason is this: In spring 2013, we started walking Camino Levante from Valencia. It became our most unsuccessful camino in many ways. We had to go home to Norway after a few days. That same autumn we tried once more, starting from Alicante. We followed Sureste and the Lana to Almansa and passed over to Camino Levante. (You can find the address to my YouTube channel with videos from the two caminos at the bottom here.)

Since that time, we have wanted to make a new start from Valencia and maybe get a better walk. So now we will do this: We start at Camino Levante in Valencia, meet Lana in Almansa and follow Lana as far as the vacation goes, probably to Cuenca.

I'll probably report, but not until I get back home again. That's how I usually do it. :)
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
We will not walk the Lana from Alicante this time. The reason is this: In spring 2013, we started walking Camino Levante from Valencia. It became our most unsuccessful camino in many ways. We had to go home to Norway after a few days. That same autumn we tried once more, starting from Alicante. We followed Sureste and the Lana to Almansa and passed over to Camino Levante. (You can find the address to my YouTube channel with videos from the two caminos at the bottom here.)

Since that time, we have wanted to make a new start from Valencia and maybe get a better walk. So now we will do this: We start at Camino Levante in Valencia, meet Lana in Almansa and follow Lana as far as the vacation goes, probably to Cuenca.

I'll probably report, but not until I get back home again. That's how I usually do it. :)
I look forward to your reports @bjorgts as a few of the Mozárabe Mob are thinking about this route in spring 2019. Can’t you bring your plans forward a year @peregrina2000?
 
I look forward to your reports @bjorgts as a few of the Mozárabe Mob are thinking about this route in spring 2019. Can’t you bring your plans forward a year @peregrina2000?

Oh, I wish, but I think I need more than the one month limit that my family has imposed. I of course stretch it into one month plus a few days, but I would need more for the Lana. You go first, Maggie, and then I can just follow in your footsteps! @alansykes will be back to finish it up in a very short time, so we can follow along from afar. I am hoping there will be takers in 2019, too.
 
Guide downloaded and the first 300 km printed - now I just have to inform my job that I'll not be in the office... (Still, I'll only be missing a few days in early January.)
 
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I look forward to your reports @bjorgts as a few of the Mozárabe Mob are thinking about this route in spring 2019. Can’t you bring your plans forward a year @peregrina2000?
Hei Bjørg. Er nettopp hjem fra La Lana. Skriver en guide nå på engelsk. Best. Kevin
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Here is a link to download a guide to the Camino de Lana, I was convinced other posters had put it elsewhere but when searching through relevant threads for info I realised it might have been missed, apologies to other posters if it has already been posted http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/otros-caminos/camino-de-la-lana it is an excellent guide, giving detailed maps with the variants, profiles of all the stages and extensive listings of accommodation and other services, and if you like hard copies like me then it is perfect.
Can anybody tell me what street in Alicante does the camino de la lana start
 
Here is a link to download a guide to the Camino de Lana, I was convinced other posters had put it elsewhere but when searching through relevant threads for info I realised it might have been missed, apologies to other posters if it has already been posted http://www.encaminodesdealicante.org/otros-caminos/camino-de-la-lana it is an excellent guide,

I just bought the hard copy, 10€- very good quality, and spiral-bound, BUT the maps aren't a patch on the online version, which were ordinance survey quality with numbered waypoints that related to the text. I was hoping to cannibalize it and just take the maps, but it looks like I'll be relying largely on the maps in the downloadable version that's on my phone.

I had read Kevin O'Brien's 2018 guide and I think that was what he had done; and was of the view that the way marking, the maps and a compass did the job.

Very helpful people at the Amigos office, and a lot of people attending for advice.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Bjorts, you always give such good info walking these remote caminos. I hope you will check in with the forum as you walk the Lana in October — my selfish reason for saying this is that I hope Alicante to Santiago will be my 2020 camino. That will be my 20th year on the camino and my 70th year on this planet! Buen camino, Laurie
What time of year are you looking at this Camino? I am only on my 10th year on Camino but quickly moving onto year 71...
 
I checked this out, it looks very, very good especially if you are not 100% confident in Spanish - it gives a lot of info on how to find accommodation and food as well as the actual route. Our plan was to walk the Lana last year. Unfortunately, Covid 19 intervened but we are optimistic for 2022. Does anyone have any information on whether (or which) albergues, bars etc are reopening on the Lana? Or any other changes since 2019?
 
I checked this out, it looks very, very good especially if you are not 100% confident in Spanish - it gives a lot of info on how to find accommodation and food as well as the actual route. Our plan was to walk the Lana last year. Unfortunately, Covid 19 intervened but we are optimistic for 2022. Does anyone have any information on whether (or which) albergues, bars etc are reopening on the Lana? Or any other changes since 2019?
We have two very detailed planning threads for the Lana, with many links to additional information. Part 1 covered Alicante to Cuenca, and Part 2 (Cuenca to Burgos) is still active here, if you'd like to join the virtual walk. Once we "arrive" in Burgos, the two threads will be merged and some clean-up done, so there will be a single thread.
 
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We have two very detailed planning threads for the Lana, with many links to additional information. Part 1 covered Alicante to Cuenca, and Part 2 (Cuenca to Burgos) is still active here, if you'd like to join the virtual walk. Once we "arrive" in Burgos, the two threads will be merged and some clean-up done, so there will be a single thread.
Thanks for this, especially as you got back so fast. As I said, we planned for 2020 and found a wealth of excellent resources. My main concern was about changes post-Covid and whether the information we found was still current. If all goes to plan (rarely does of course but you never know) we'll walk the Lana in 2022 and find out, so we'll be able to update/confirm any info. Meantime, if anyone has any new info re the Lana, please post. Cheers.
 
I'm thinking of walking the Lana in November/December. Does anyone have current information about whether municipal albergues/polideportivos are open? Or advice on how to get that information? I'm thinking from reading past blogs that albergues on this less traveled route usually remain available in the winter, but with covid, I anticipate lots of changes.
 
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Thanks so much. Don't know how I missed seeing the thread you referenced.
No worries. I had to go back through my emails from Ivar to find it myself. If you could post any new info on that post, a lot of us would really appreciate that as we are planning to walk the Lana next year and we are very unsure of the situation post-pandemic. Good luck.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
https://vilamuseu.es/en/ruta/camino-de-santiago-vilero/3

http://caminobenidorm.blogspot.com/2018/04/santiagos-way-benidormvillajososa-to.html

https://www.caminosantiago.org/cppe....asp?kCamino=ES39a01b&EtapaId=612&CaminoId=87

Someone is paying attention. Bad pilgrim? Is that you? Anyway, just to be on the safe side, here is the third posting of the same info: 3 websites about the alternative start to the Lana from Villajoyosa. For me, it looks infinitely preferable to the start from Alicante - no slogging through urban sprawl with uncertain accommodation options but a walk through real landscape. Well Alan Sykes liked it so it must be good. With a lot of luck, we'll do it ourselves come May or September, who knows. Wish us luck. Buen camino to you all.
 
Walking from Alicante was perfectly fine, actually...

Uhm yes, it is my favourite start of any Camino, no matter the suburbs and how dry the first stages are... I walked that stretch 3 times already. The outskirts of Alicante may look insignificant to the untrained eye, but I love the Ermita de San Pascual and Orito. I wouldn't trade it for anything...!
 
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Uhm yes, it is my favourite start of any Camino, no matter the suburbs and how dry the first stages are... I walked that stretch 3 times already. The outskirts of Alicante may look insignificant to the untrained eye, but I love the Ermita de San Pascual and Orito. I wouldn't trade it for anything...!
I'll have to row back a bit on my comments about the outskirts of Alicante, partly because I have never been there but also because they violate one of my own principles about walking the camino - you don't cherry-pick the nice bits: the camino goes where the camino goes if that happens to be slap bang through an industrial estate, that's where you go too. And anyway, you never know what you are going to find.

In my defence, I attach the following annotated (by me) poem:-

Genoa and the Mediterranean

O epic-famed, god-haunted Central Sea,
Heave careless of the deep wrong done to thee
When from Torino's track I saw thy face first flash on me.

And multimarbled Genova the Proud,
Gleam all unconscious how, wide-lipped, up-browed,
I first beheld thee clad--not as the Beauty but the Dowd.

Out from a deep-delved way my vision lit
On housebacks pink, green, ochreous--where a slit
Shoreward 'twixt row and row revealed the classic blue through it.

And thereacross waved fishwives' high-hung smocks,
Chrome kerchiefs, scarlet hose, darned underfrocks;
Since when too oft my dreams of thee, O Queen, that frippery mocks:

Whereat I grieve, Superba! . . . Afterhours
Within Palazzo Doria's orange bowers
Went far to mend these marrings of thy soul-subliming powers.

But, Queen, such squalid undress none should see,
Those dream-endangering eyewounds no more be
Where lovers first behold thy form in pilgrimage to thee.

Thomas Hardy
This is one of Hardy’s ‘Pilgrimage Poems’, the pilgrimage being to Italy with its sites of antiquity and the graves and places associated with Keats and Shelley, Hardy’s poetic models. His aim was to somehow manage the transition from prose writer to poet, so not necessarily one of his best works. The poem is about the disillusion experienced by the traveller when they go off the conventional tourist track and discover that life in its ordinariness and banality continues everywhere. Spain has breathtakingly beautiful architecture and haunting landscapes, it also has industrial estates and residential suburbs which the camino often passes through because that is where the camino goes. We can’t complain if the Spanish paint their houses or have jobs or hang their washing out to dry.

The picture is of Gijón, early morning.
P1000479 (2).JPG
 

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