Short report after walking Mozarabe, Malaga - Cordoba

[bjorgts]

Just a note. We had to do our yearly walk in spring very early this year, and we were therefore looking for a route as south as possible. I have walked Via Augusta Cadiz – Sevilla, and Mozarabe Cordoba – Merida. The Camino from Huelva was not so easy to reach quickly.

So therefore: Malaga- Cordoba. Started 28. of February.

The main message of this note: Recommended!

We arrived by plane to Malaga, and started walking from the city center (easy access). The first four-five days is much up and down, and therefore a bit strenuous, but worth it in nice weather! We had “spring” these first days, and coming from rain and snow in Norway, I felt like being in heaven.

Albergues? - All the way. Different standards, but the one in Cuevas Bajas someone had called an “Albergue Parador".

Maps? Good maps on internet from the association.

Guides? On the same internet-pages. Not much, but we found the maps sufficient. The problem is finding your way out of towns, but I was prepared with Google-maps for this purpose.

Other walkers? No. We met two, walking the opposite way, and heard of two ahead.

What was the weather like? We had hot summer-days, wonderful flowering days of spring, some really bad autumn-like days of pouring rain and roads of mud … and very near to winter and snow.

Any problems? Muddy roads by rain!

My husband and I have walked much on Caminos in Spain. This time, we kept saying to each other: Why are there so few walkers on this wonderful route?

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, bjorts, I always enjoy your posts, since we both gravitate to those untraveled caminos. I have planned to start from Almeria in 2018, but you are tempting me with your Malaga report!

 

[Staggerlee]

Hi
Would you mind posting your stages?
I'm also looking for a southern route before it gets too hot down there. This one looks very tempting.
The stages in the guide seem rather short. Is this because of difficult terrain?

Cheers

Andy

 

[bjorgts]

Since I now put some of my videos on YouTube, in a moderated edition, may be there will be one from this walk too before next spring peregrina2000. I can not compare with the route from Almeira, since I have only walked from Granada, but it seems to be more people starting there. May be the infastructure on the route from Malaga is quite new? I think they got their three first albergues in 2012? The easy access were importent for us. You land at the airport, sleep, and start walking from the city-center next morning. But now we have a lot more good reasons.

Our stages Staggerlee. If you have looked at the "Tramos" at the Asociación Jacobea de Málaga, I think they are not stages for a day, but parts between places/villages. We walked short stages this time, because we had an amount of days to do this walk, and our stages were:
Malaga - Almogia - half way in the town and then out in nature
Almogía – Villanueva de la Conceptión - short day, but if you do not stay there, you have to walk all the way to Anteguera. And ... this is two very nice stages, worth splitting up. This day: Up and down the whole day, and therefor surprisingly tiring.
Villanueva de la Conceptión – Antequera - short day with the "El Torcal". If you do not get fog, this is just wonderful. Antequera is a nice place.
Antequera – Villanueva de Algaidas
Villanueva de Algaidas - Cuevas Bajas - extremely short stage because of pouring rain, a kilo of mud under each shoe and no possibility of accommodation in Encinas Reales. And the "Albergue Parador" in Cuevas Bajas!
Cuevas Bajas - Lucena - a river can be a challenge. If there has been some rain, be prepared for wading this river. We did. Water in the middle and up to 20 cm deep and some meters wide mud on each side. It is concrete underneath all the way across, so if such a situation does not scare you, it was not difficult to cross - with shoos in each hand.
Lucena – Doña Mencía - the way coincides with the Green Route running through the former railway line of the Del Aceite Train. Nice! Some find it boring.
Doña Mencía – Baena - very short stage because we had time and wanted to stay in Baena.
Baena – Castro del Rio
Castro del Rio – Santa Cruz - we took the alternative over Espejo and Santa Cruz. Nearly 40 km to Cordoba are not for 65+ (at least not these 65+).
Santa Cruz – Cordoba

 

[LTfit]

Thanks @bjorgts! Like you, I have done Granada - Mérida and just love the southern routes. Although I wouldn't like crowds, it would be nice to see a few more pilgrims along the route. When I walked in September 2014 I didn't see anyone until Mérida.

I certainly hope to start in Málaga one day or in Almería - who knows, maybe next year with Laurie @peregrina2000

 

[Staggerlee]

Tusen takk bjorgts.
Looking forward to your movie.
Think I'll give this route a go soon if I can get time off!
I can recommend the Camino del Sur from Huelva. Easily reached via a tourist flight to Faro, just across the border. No albergues though.

 

[bjorgts]

Camino Sur from Huelva is on our list for possible future Caminos. Nice to hear that you recommend it.

Most of the year, we would have to go elsewhere in Europe to get a flight to Faro. Then it is just as easy to take the AVE from Madrid. Malaga therefore is one of the few places in Spain that we can fly directly to from Norway. You are lucky to have more choices. But we have walked with Australians from time to time, and they think all Europeans are lucky, because we can take a couple of weeks walking part of a Camino and go home again. And then I really feel lucky! I love walking Caminos!

 

[Staggerlee]

Amen to that!

 

[Paul J W]

Excited to read of Malaga - Córdoba in March. Hopefully I will be taking that pilgrimage route in March 2018. Research I have embarked upon but find little info on availability of food sources! i.e. I don't have a clear picture of where it will prove essential to carry food to a refuge or where restaurants and bars are likely to be open. Will keep researching but, in the meanwhile, any guidance would be very much appreciated. Thanks! Paul

 

[futurefjp]

I'm doing it currently. The variety of Albergues is interesting. My worst experience so far was in Villanueva de la Concepción. A busy small town, no curtains, blinds, etc, I hardly slept with the noise of bikes and loud music pumping out of cars. To say Torcal was to follow I was relieved the etape was shorter. The Albergue in Antequera was similarly sparse and noisy.

 

[futurefjp]

Just a note. We had to do our yearly walk in spring very early this year, and we were therefore looking for a route as south as possible. I have walked Via Augusta Cadiz – Sevilla, and Mozarabe Cordoba – Merida. The Camino from Huelva was not so easy to reach quickly.

So therefore: Malaga- Cordoba. Started 28. of February.

The main message of this note: Recommended!

We arrived by plane to Malaga, and started walking from the city center (easy access). The first four-five days is much up and down, and therefore a bit strenuous, but worth it in nice weather! We had “spring” these first days, and coming from rain and snow in Norway, I felt like being in heaven.

Albergues? - All the way. Different standards, but the one in Cuevas Bajas someone had called an “Albergue Parador".

Maps? Good maps on internet from the association.

Guides? On the same internet-pages. Not much, but we found the maps sufficient. The problem is finding your way out of towns, but I was prepared with Google-maps for this purpose.

Other walkers? No. We met two, walking the opposite way, and heard of two ahead.

What was the weather like? We had hot summer-days, wonderful flowering days of spring, some really bad autumn-like days of pouring rain and roads of mud … and very near to winter and snow.

Any problems? Muddy roads by rain!

My husband and I have walked much on Caminos in Spain. This time, we kept saying to each other: Why are there so few walkers on this wonderful route?

Oh after the rain ... Such mud!

 

[Oppis]

Thank's for these notes for Mozarabe. Currently finnishing Norte/Primitivo in Santiago and looking forward to next camino to start in mid February in Malaga.

 

[futurefjp]

Castro del Río is a nice Albergue.

 

[futurefjp]

Thank's for these notes for Mozarabe. Currently finnishing Norte/Primitivo in Santiago and looking forward to next camino to start in mid February in Malaga.

Finnishing has only one 'n' unless you're pretending to be Finnish ...

 

[NPD]

Since I now put some of my videos on YouTube, in a moderated edition, may be there will be one from this walk too before next spring peregrina2000. I can not compare with the route from Almeira, since I have only walked from Granada, but it seems to be more people starting there. May be the infastructure on the route from Malaga is quite new? I think they got their three first albergues in 2012? The easy access were importent for us. You land at the airport, sleep, and start walking from the city-center next morning. But now we have a lot more good reasons.

Our stages Staggerlee. If you have looked at the "Tramos" at the Asociación Jacobea de Málaga, I think they are not stages for a day, but parts between places/villages. We walked short stages this time, because we had an amount of days to do this walk, and our stages were:
Malaga - Almogia - half way in the town and then out in nature
Almogía – Villanueva de la Conceptión - short day, but if you do not stay there, you have to walk all the way to Anteguera. And ... this is two very nice stages, worth splitting up. This day: Up and down the whole day, and therefor surprisingly tiring.
Villanueva de la Conceptión – Antequera - short day with the "El Torcal". If you do not get fog, this is just wonderful. Antequera is a nice place.
Antequera – Villanueva de Algaidas
Villanueva de Algaidas - Cuevas Bajas - extremely short stage because of pouring rain, a kilo of mud under each shoe and no possibility of accommodation in Encinas Reales. And the "Albergue Parador" in Cuevas Bajas!
Cuevas Bajas - Lucena - a river can be a challenge. If there has been some rain, be prepared for wading this river. We did. Water in the middle and up to 20 cm deep and some meters wide mud on each side. It is concrete underneath all the way across, so if such a situation does not scare you, it was not difficult to cross - with shoos in each hand.
Lucena – Doña Mencía - the way coincides with the Green Route running through the former railway line of the Del Aceite Train. Nice! Some find it boring.
Doña Mencía – Baena - very short stage because we had time and wanted to stay in Baena.
Baena – Castro del Rio
Castro del Rio – Santa Cruz - we took the alternative over Espejo and Santa Cruz. Nearly 40 km to Cordoba are not for 65+ (at least not these 65+).
Santa Cruz – Cordoba

Hello Bjorgts - I am considering walking the Malaga-Cordoba route in late March 2020 (in about 6 weeks). I will have very limited time - only 6 days - to finish to trek to Cordoba. In case I need to rest on some days, I want to be sure I can find accommodation without too much difficulty. I found some resources for albergues online, but I wanted to ask was it easy for you to find albergues, or other accommodations? Or did you have to ask around quite a lot? Thank you for your advice!