You’ll find lots of discussion on Villaharta to Alcaracejos. I know that many forum members walk it, but cabs for some of it are an option. If you do that, my recommendation would be to find a way to walk the first half and cab the second, because the first half is nicer, IMHO. I posted my stages
here.
There’s lots of discussion on the forum about the dangerous section into Torrefresneda. It is really really dangerous, at least if you are walking on a weekday. The river crossing after Yelbes would be a much safer way to go, but you will have to check with the tourist office/police in Medellín to see the status of the water level when you walk. October seems likely to be before the rains so maybe you can hope for a low level. If not, taking a cab from Medellín to Torrefresnada could both save kms and dangers.
The day into Mérida also has a lot of walking along the superhighway on a protected frontage, so that’s another place to cut.
Hope you can find a good solution! Buen camino, Laurie
And a p.s. If you have to cut, you have to cut, but the walk out of Córdoba starts with a really nice ascent to get your cardio going. I thnk this is the stage with the long walk alongside a military base, which is interesting but not beautiful.