I was in Alcuéscar yesterday and have a couple of observations for people coming behind me. First, on the way in, when you get to a fork in the road that points left to the Vdlp and right to the albergue, take the albergue route unless you are staying in one of the hostals on the N-630 at Cruce Las Herrerías. But I wouldn´t really recommend that because that puts you about 3 km from the town, its shops and restaurants, etc.
The albergue is right at the foot of the town, very well located for setting out the next day. There were 23 of us there last night, it has gone up to 35 in the last week or so, but this is a big place. There are about 25 places on the second floor and a big room for 60 on the third floor. I was lucky and got one of the "suites" -- a single room all to myself! There are also about 4 or 5 rooms for couples. Dinner was communal in the dining room, we ate the same food that the residents at the house ate (this albergue is both an albergue and a home for boys/men without families, many of whom have disabilities). The albergue is closed from 2:30 - 4:30 pm.
Since I planned my stages to have a short day into Alcuéscar, I was able to take the time to walk to Santa Lucía del Trampal, a 7th century visigothic church. It's an extremely pleasant walk, on a totally untraveled country road, through cork trees, grazing fields, nary a soul. The road leaves from the Ayuntamiento in the center of town, the street is named Fuente del Castaño. If you are facing the ayuntamiento, it´s the street off to the right, and you just stay on it for three or four kms. There are occasional signs for Santa Lulcía, but you don't need them. I arrived at the church at about 3:15, ate my lunch and took a rest, and promptly at 4, the woman in charge arrived and opened everything. The church is most interesting from the outside, it has an unusual three apse structure. There is also a Centro de Interpretación, with a very interesting ten minute video and some good explanations of how the church/monastery were built, their development over the centuries, etc. The setting is bucolic, in the middle of a huge field with tons of wild flowers, cork trees. I would highly recommend this, if you add the 7 or 8 km onto the 20 kms from Aljucén, it´s very do-able. Especially if you consider that you won´t have your packs on for those last kms.
If you don't have time/inclination to walk, there is a taxi service in town.
Great meals at Casa Alejandro (I think that's right), next to the Día (grocery store).
Leaving Alcuéscar from the albergue: The bar across the street opens at 6. Leaving town, after about 1 or 2 km, you'll come to a fork, where the yellow arrows go right, and the metal camino sign points to the left. Follow the arrows, it's very well marked, and you will arrive in the first town after Alcuéscar totally on dirt roads, no pavement. The metal sign, I was told, takes you to pavement.
From Alcuéscar to Cáceres, your choices are Aldea del Cano (only 16 km away so kind of hard to justify that stop), Valdesalor (a charm-less town (made in the 1960s when they were encouraging people to leave rural lands and resettle) with an albergue with only mats, not sure about showers (26 km) or Cáceres, a beautiful town that´s 12 km beyond Valdesalor. I made it here by 4 pm, having left Alcuéscar at 7:15. It's a very long slog, but no ups and downs, and not being in Valdesalor is its own reward.
I am enjoying a room in a very nice, newly-opened-in-an-old-building, two star hotel on the edge of the Casco Histórico. It's in a great location. The hotel's name is Don Carlos, single room 43 € a night.
Buen camino to everyone! Laurie
The albergue is right at the foot of the town, very well located for setting out the next day. There were 23 of us there last night, it has gone up to 35 in the last week or so, but this is a big place. There are about 25 places on the second floor and a big room for 60 on the third floor. I was lucky and got one of the "suites" -- a single room all to myself! There are also about 4 or 5 rooms for couples. Dinner was communal in the dining room, we ate the same food that the residents at the house ate (this albergue is both an albergue and a home for boys/men without families, many of whom have disabilities). The albergue is closed from 2:30 - 4:30 pm.
Since I planned my stages to have a short day into Alcuéscar, I was able to take the time to walk to Santa Lucía del Trampal, a 7th century visigothic church. It's an extremely pleasant walk, on a totally untraveled country road, through cork trees, grazing fields, nary a soul. The road leaves from the Ayuntamiento in the center of town, the street is named Fuente del Castaño. If you are facing the ayuntamiento, it´s the street off to the right, and you just stay on it for three or four kms. There are occasional signs for Santa Lulcía, but you don't need them. I arrived at the church at about 3:15, ate my lunch and took a rest, and promptly at 4, the woman in charge arrived and opened everything. The church is most interesting from the outside, it has an unusual three apse structure. There is also a Centro de Interpretación, with a very interesting ten minute video and some good explanations of how the church/monastery were built, their development over the centuries, etc. The setting is bucolic, in the middle of a huge field with tons of wild flowers, cork trees. I would highly recommend this, if you add the 7 or 8 km onto the 20 kms from Aljucén, it´s very do-able. Especially if you consider that you won´t have your packs on for those last kms.
If you don't have time/inclination to walk, there is a taxi service in town.
Great meals at Casa Alejandro (I think that's right), next to the Día (grocery store).
Leaving Alcuéscar from the albergue: The bar across the street opens at 6. Leaving town, after about 1 or 2 km, you'll come to a fork, where the yellow arrows go right, and the metal camino sign points to the left. Follow the arrows, it's very well marked, and you will arrive in the first town after Alcuéscar totally on dirt roads, no pavement. The metal sign, I was told, takes you to pavement.
From Alcuéscar to Cáceres, your choices are Aldea del Cano (only 16 km away so kind of hard to justify that stop), Valdesalor (a charm-less town (made in the 1960s when they were encouraging people to leave rural lands and resettle) with an albergue with only mats, not sure about showers (26 km) or Cáceres, a beautiful town that´s 12 km beyond Valdesalor. I made it here by 4 pm, having left Alcuéscar at 7:15. It's a very long slog, but no ups and downs, and not being in Valdesalor is its own reward.
I am enjoying a room in a very nice, newly-opened-in-an-old-building, two star hotel on the edge of the Casco Histórico. It's in a great location. The hotel's name is Don Carlos, single room 43 € a night.
Buen camino to everyone! Laurie
