VDLP Etapas for Short Legged Pilgrims

[Anemone del Camino]

I am 5'4" and have been told I walk like a Geisha: tiny foot steps. The proof was in the sand, on the Noja beach on the Norte, when I walked parallel to a 6'4" or so man and his dog. For every foot step he took I was taking two. This means it takes me many more steps, and time. It means I'm a 20km a day girl.

For VDLP to be possible for me to do, these are the etapas I have come up with. Perhaps others will also benefit from this planning. From Sevilla, these are my proposed stops, and daily distances.

Guillena: 22.8km
Castilblance: 18.2
Almaden de la Plata: 29.3. To shorten, take taxi in am to Las minas Sierra Norte
Real de la Jara: 14.2
Monesterio: 20.0
Fuente de Cantos: 21.2
Zafra: 24.6
Villafranca de los Barros: 19.2
Torremejia: 27. To shorten, take taxi into town from Almendralejo, 2km off route after 17km.
Merida:16
Aljucen: 16.8
Alcuesar: 19.6
Aldeo del Cano: 15.5
Caceres: 23
Casar de Caceres: 11
Embalse de Alcantara: 21.8
Grimaldo: 20.9
Galisteo: 20
Finca Venta Quemada: 22.7 Call pension for pick up, or add 6km
Aldenueva del Camino: 20.6
Calzada Bejar: 22.2
Fuenterroble de Salvatierra: 20.2
San Pedro de Rozados: 28.8. Take taxi out for a few km to make C. shorter
Salamanca: 23km

Voila. Etapas for the short legged pilgrim!

 

[ritaj]

I am 5'4" and have been told I walk like a Geisha: tiny foot steps. The proof was in the sand, on the Noja beach on the Norte, when I walked parallel to a 6'4" or so man and his dog. For every foot step he took I was taking two. This means it takes me many more steps, and time. It means I'm a 20km a day girl.

For VDLP to be possible for me to do, these are the etapas I have come up with. Perhaps others will also benefit from this planning. From Sevilla, these are my proposed stops, and daily distances.

Guillena: 22.8km
Castilblance: 18.2
Almaden de la Plata: 29.3. To shorten, take taxi in am to Las minas Sierra Norte
Real de la Jara: 14.2
Monesterio: 20.0
Fuente de Cantos: 21.2
Zafra: 24.6
Villafranca de los Barros: 19.2
Torremejia: 27. To shorten, take taxi into town from Almendralejo, 2km off route after 17km.
Merida:16
Aljucen: 16.8
Alcuesar: 19.6
Aldeo del Cano: 15.5
Caceres: 23
Casar de Caceres: 11
Embalse de Alcantara: 21.8
Grimaldo: 20.9
Galisteo: 20
Finca Venta Quemada: 22.7 Call pension for pick up, or add 6km
Aldenueva del Camino: 20.6
Calzada Bejar: 22.2
Fuenterroble de Salvatierra: 20.2
San Pedro de Rozados: 28.8. Take taxi out for a few km to make C. shorter
Salamanca: 23km

Voila. Etapas for the short legged pilgrim!

 

[ritaj]

Wow! Thanks for this. I am putting it in my folder for the Via in two years. It's just what I will need.
Rita

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Wow! Thanks for this. I am putting it in my folder for the Via in two years. It's just what I will need.
Rita

Glad you find it helpful. And who knows, by the time you head out to walk VDLP there may be new additional options.

 

[bsewall]

Couple of comments:

1). Overall it looks really good. You did your homework.
2). The Embalse de Alcantara: 21.8 stage may be a problem. The albergue was closed when I was there in the spring of 2016 and I haven't seen anyone on the forum say they have reopened. The nearest town is Canaveral, which can be a 35 km day. Note, the walk out of Casar de Caceres is one of the most beautiful on the VdlP, so if you take a cab to shorten the trip, you'll be missing a great walk. No easy solutions that I know of,
3). "San Pedro de Rozados: 28.8. Take taxi out for a few km to make C. shorter" Like Casar de Caceres the best part of the walk out of Fuenterroble de Salvatierra is during the first part. Also, you have to walk about 15 or 18 km on farm roads and trails, before you get to a paved road, so taking a cab part of the way can be complicated. Actually, there is a new albergue in Morille which will cut down your walk a bit, so I would consider walking there, instead of San Pedro.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Couple of comments:

2). The Embalse de Alcantara: 21.8 stage may be a problem. The albergue was closed.

3). Like Casar de Caceres the best part of the walk out of Fuenterroble de Salvatierra is during the first part. Also, you have to walk about 15 or 18 km on farm roads and trails, before you get to a paved road, so taking a cab part of the way can be complicated. Actually, there is a new albergue in Morille which will cut down your walk a bit, so I would consider walking there, instead of San Pedro.

Thank you for your input, and in particular pointing out which are the bits not to be missed.

I did note that the albergue at the embalse is closed, but what about the Hostal Alcantara Pesca Evasion? Would that not work?

The day from Fuenterroble, Gronze shows an alternativa which is 18km with a stop in Pedrosillo de los Aires where there's an albergue. From there it's some 11km to Morille. From the albergue one could take a taxi to Morille and walk to Salamanca from there, or walk until the burbs of Salamanca, around Aldemueda. Would that make sense?

 

[bsewall]

The Hostal Alcantara Pesca Evasion focuses on fishermen and doesn't seem to care much about providing shelter for pilgrims. When I walked by there the hostal didn't even appear to be open. It is possible that they can provide a bed, but I've not heard of any pilgrim who stayed there.

Sorry, but I'm not familiar with the Pedrosillo de los Aires option.

 

[C clearly]

I did note that the albergue at the embalse is closed, but what about the Hostal Alcantara Pesca Evasion? Would that not work?

Just confirming what @bsewall said. I have been watching the forum for over 2 years, keeping an eye on that stage. In that period, no one has been able to get accommodation at that Hostal, and there is nothing else. Your best bet is a taxi from Cacar de Caceres, so you'll just have to look at the scenery longingly through the taxi window!

 

[islandwalker]

Another option that has worked well for us on stages that are too long is to take a taxi to a midpoint on the route and then walk back to the place where we had stayed the night before; then the next day take the taxi back to the same midpoint and walk forward. That way you don't miss any of the walking.

 

[HeidiL]

Re Hostal Alcantara Pesca Evasion: I phoned them two days before we were planning to be there last year, and they said they'd be open, but nobody opened the door when I got there at the appointed time. Bring the phone number of the taxi company from the last town, just in case - one of us needed to be picked up when we found out. It was something like €40.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Another option that has worked well for us on stages that are too long is to take a taxi to a midpoint on the route and then walk back to the place where we had stayed the night before; then the next day take the taxi back to the same midpoint and walk forward. That way you don't miss any of the walking.

True, and I did just that last spring. But when I plot on Excel I like to write down what exists, in a linear way, and then have another column with options to get around long distances.

 

[LesBrass]

@Anemone del Camino we found the same at Alcantara in Autumn 2016.

My husband phoned to reserve buy they told him they were booked for the foreseeable future and could not help us? As he didn't gave them a date he really felt as though they were saying "sorry we dont take pilgrims". We would have happily booked a private room at hotel rates, as this stage was impossible without accommodation.

In the end we opted for an extra day in Caceres and took the bus and skipped that day because my walking buddy simply could not do over 20km... our friends told us that the hostel looked closed up when they passed.

I am so envious... I wish I could go again!

 

[Rosa TT]

I am 5'4" and have been told I walk like a Geisha: tiny foot steps. The proof was in the sand, on the Noja beach on the Norte, when I walked parallel to a 6'4" or so man and his dog. For every foot step he took I was taking two. This means it takes me many more steps, and time. It means I'm a 20km a day girl.

For VDLP to be possible for me to do, these are the etapas I have come up with. Perhaps others will also benefit from this planning. From Sevilla, these are my proposed stops, and daily distances.

Guillena: 22.8km
Castilblance: 18.2
Almaden de la Plata: 29.3. To shorten, take taxi in am to Las minas Sierra Norte
Real de la Jara: 14.2
Monesterio: 20.0
Fuente de Cantos: 21.2
Zafra: 24.6
Villafranca de los Barros: 19.2
Torremejia: 27. To shorten, take taxi into town from Almendralejo, 2km off route after 17km.
Merida:16
Aljucen: 16.8
Alcuesar: 19.6
Aldeo del Cano: 15.5
Caceres: 23
Casar de Caceres: 11
Embalse de Alcantara: 21.8
Grimaldo: 20.9
Galisteo: 20
Finca Venta Quemada: 22.7 Call pension for pick up, or add 6km
Aldenueva del Camino: 20.6
Calzada Bejar: 22.2
Fuenterroble de Salvatierra: 20.2
San Pedro de Rozados: 28.8. Take taxi out for a few km to make C. shorter
Salamanca: 23km

Voila. Etapas for the short legged pilgrim!

Great suggestions. ...I'm also a short and slow legged pilgrim. I don't mind the 30km days if it's clear and flat...but it would take me forever if it was muddy and rainy hills.
I plan to have taxi phone #'s handy for when I need to be bailed out if it's getting dark and I'm exhausted. When are you walking VDLP? I'll be in Seville starting on March 3.

 

[Kiwi-family]

If you are going to have to skip the embalse you might consider (instead of taking a taxi from Casar de Caceres) simply taking a bus from Caceres. The walk to Casar d C is mostly right on a main highway with trucks rushing past. The disadvantages of not getting to CdC would be - missing the architecturally interesting bus station, missing the simple cheese factory, missing the famous cheese and missing the best churreria we have come across in Spain! (We walked there and then took a bus back to Caceres and bussed all the way to Banos de Montemeyer because Grandpa could not manage the long distances or hills. By the way, he was planning on picking up a taxi on the outskirts of Salamanca for the last few km, but there is not much suburbia to walk through so he struggled through what was a long day for him, especially after the previous day's climb)

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I am so happy to read so many comments from those who've walked thos route to put some meet on the skeleton I was able to put together. Keep them comming!

Thank you so much!

Btw, saw a copy of the Lepère VDLP guide in a shop today. Edited when?, you ask? 2007!

 

[Walli Walker]

A little off topic but does anyone know when Alison Raju's new guide for the Plata & Mozarabe will be available? We start from Granada in April & I would love a copy.

 

[HeidiL]

We saved several kilometres (and a lot of climbing) on the Embalse route by simply staying on the road instead of walking the path, which went up and down quite a lot of hills alongside the road.

It was a pleasant walk, on the whole, punctuated by a picnic and a nap under a tree.

 

[chrisje]

We walked sept/oct 2016. Hostal Alcantara was closed ! It was a beautiful walk over the hills but much longer than alongside the road.