Pre-camino camino – walking from home to Málaga
Stage 1 – Canillas de Albaida to Algarrobo Costa
Stage 2 – Algarrobo Costa to Rincon de la Victoria
Stage 3 – Rincon de la Victoria to Málaga
1,200 km camino starts here…..
Day 1 – Málaga to Almogía- 21.7 km or 26 km, take your pick
Day 2 – Almogia to Villanueva de la Concepción 20.6 km
Day 3 – Villanueva de la Concepción to Antequera 18.8 km
Day 4 – Antequera to Cuevas Bajas, 36.2 km
Day 5 – Cuevas Bajas to Lucena 30 km
Day 6 – Lucena to Doña Mencía 27 km
Day 7 – Doña Mencía to Castro del Rio 31 km
Day 8 – Castro del Rio to Santa Cruz 24.4 km
Day 9 – Santa Cruz to Córdoba 25.6 km
Day 10 – Córdoba to Cerro Muriano 19 km
Questions and answers, tips and tricks Edition 1
Day 11 – Cerro Muriano to Villaharta 22.8 km
Day 12 – Villaharta to Alcaracejos 38 km
Day 13 – Alcaracejos to Hinojosa del Duque 23.2 km
Day 14 – Hinojosa del Duque to Monterrubio de la Serena 33.7 km
Day 15 – Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera 20.5 km
Day 16 – Castuera to Campanario 21 km
Day 17 – Campanario to Medellín 39.5 km
Day 18 – Medellín to Mérida 45 km
Day 19 – Mérida to Aljucén 17 km
Day 20 – Aljucén to Alcuéscar 20.2 km
Day 21/em> – Alcuéscar to Valdesalor 25.9 km
Day 22 – Valdesalor to Casar de Cáceres 25.9 km
Day 23 – Casar de Cáceres to Cañaveral 38.5 km
Day 24 – Cañaveral to Galisteo 33.7 km
Day 25 – Galisteo to Carcaboso 12.9 km
Questions and answers, tips and tricks 2
Day 26 – Carcaboso to Aldeanueva del Camino 40 km
Day 27 – Aldeanueva del Camino to Calzada de Béjar 22.7 km
Day 28 – Calzada de Béjar to Fuenterroble 22.1 km
Day 29 – Fuenterroble to San Pedro de Rozados 29 km
Day 30 – San Pedro de Rozados to Salamanca 24.5 km
Day 31 – Salamanca to Cubo del Vino 38.8 km
Day 32 – day 32 – Cubo del Vino to Zamora 33 km
Day 33 – Zamora to Montamarta 21 km
Day 34 – Montamarta to Granja de Moreruela 24.6 km
Day 35 – Granja de Moreruela to Tábara 28 km
Day 36 – Tábara to Santa Croya de Tera 22.4 km
Day 37 – Santa Croya de Tera to Rionegro 29.6 km
Day 38 – Rionegro to Asturianos 27.7 km
Day 39 – Asturianos to Puebla de Sanabria 15.9 km
Day 40 – Puebla de Sanabria to Lubián 29.5 km
Day 41 – Lubián to La Gudiña 25.5 km
Day 42 – La Gudiña to Laza 36 km
Day 43 – Laxa to Xunqueira de Ambia 35 km
Day 44</em> – Xunqueira de Ambia to Ourense 23.5 km
Day 45 – Ourense to Cea 22.5 km
Day 46 – Cea to Castro Dozón 16 km
Day 47 – Castro Dozón to Silleda 29 km
Day 48 – Silleda to Outeiro 25.7 km
Day 49 Outeiro to Santiago de Compostela 17.7 km
Day 50 – Santiago de Compostela to Negreira 21.6 km
Day 50</em> – Negreira to Olveiroa 35.5 km
Day 52 a Olveiroa – Finisterre 35 km
Trepidatious traveller - camino blog 
I just want to ask about your experiences last year with the iPhone and the MapmyWalk app. Did you find that it ran the battery down using it for 4 or 5 hours a day with the GPS? I want to use mine on the Camino Frances this year and have just ordered a solar charger to keep it going en route. Is this overkill, do you think?
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Hello Margaret. The ‘mapmywalk’ app doesn’t seem to drain the battery too much. But I do have an external battery pack so I can recharge during the day if necessary. I have heard that some solar chargers are not very efficient, whereas my electronic one holds a lot of power and I can use it to recharge phone, iPad and camera if needed. It is quite heavy but I am sure you can find a lightweight version. I carried it together with charging leads in my bum bag (fanny pack), so it was always easily available.
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You carry a lot of gear! I’m hoping to let my iPhone do everything! I want to try and blog using the microphone input. BTW, I loved your camino cake pics! Good luck for your Camino. When will you arrive in SDC ? I will be there hopefully on 6/7 and 23/24 May.
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I do Margaret – not at all a ‘purist’. I’ve just recently discovered the dictation facility, and found it very accurate. I shall probably use it some of the time, but would have to be alone to do this – I don’t want people thinking I am the crazy woman in the corner talking to herself!
Not sure when I shall be in Santiago. If I make it all in one go I expect to take 6-7 weeks, so by the end of May. Will you be dropping in at the forum meeting place?
Buen camino to you
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Not sure where the mtg place is. Do you mean the one just announced, organised by the nuns?
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Meeting place as announced on Ivar’s forum – see this link
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/forum-meetup-in-santiago-de-compostela.32183/
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Best wishes with your walk and journey. I look forward to reading your progress. I’ll be starting my third Camino also on May 30 from Soulac sur Met in France. Buen Camino.
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Hi Maggie, From all at Cudeca Hospice, thank you for your efforts carrying out this huge walk and donating all the sponsorship to our patients here at Cudeca Hospice as well as the home visits team. All the best, Carlos White Cudeca Fundraiser
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If you are willing I would love to see your packing list. You seem well organized and highly intelligent, I would enjoy learning from what you chose to pack.
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Of course I am happy for anyone to look at my packing list. Take a look at the ‘camino resources’ page by clicking the tab at the top and you will see a link at the bottom of the page.
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Thank you 🙂
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Hello Maggie
I hate saying goodbye so I rushed out the door this morning. Desided to be a tough walker today, so my first stop was at the bar in Dozon.
Then I continued to Laxa, where the bar was closed for the day. Luckely a Taberna a few km further ahead was open. I lost the adress of the hostal in Sidetal, but I am staying at the alberge Turistico, ok for 8 e. I am not quite sure that it was the one we got informations about. Tomorow it is 23 km to Outerio. Best wishes to all of you,Wilfried, Paul, and you Maggie, so pleased to have med
you.
Aase
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You were a tough walker – that stage must have been well over 40 km. It is the same accommodation that we were given info on. I am there now. Of course we missed you yesterday, but perhaps we will coincide in Finisterre or Santiago. I hope so – I really appreciated your company for a few days – so few single females walking this route.
But we also missed Wilfried – he wasn’t in Castro Dozón yesterday and we haven’t seen him today. We assumed he has walked on with you.
Very best wishes and buen camino to you x
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Hi Maggie,
Just wanted to leave a note of thanks here for your Portuguese blog. My friend and I are walking now, and reading your section comments has helped us look ahead to each day’s challenges.
Best wishes, Casey
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Hello Maggie
Sorry to say but I am just leaving Santiago tomorow. I leaft Outerio monday morning and desided to walk out of Santiago the same day, so it became quite a long day – 39 km to Negreria. I
to felt very uncomfortable with all these people around. In Olveiroa I met Scotich/Australien Pete who had been walking from Granada just a couple of days ahead of you. He has been reading your blog. I was in Finistere wedensday, and got up early thursday, to reach
Muxia in time to catch the bus to Santiago in the afternoon. I met Rastislav in the bus going back to Santiago. I had a wonderfull camino, and I am sure that there will bee another one next year. I loved reading your blog, the humor, the many small things you notice – the camino life.
Have a nice camino for the last couple of days, and god luck whith your life.
Aase
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Hi Maggie my email is down can we communicate via here – would love to chat about my proposed walk from Malaga – many thanks
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Hello Marilyn, so sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, if you don’t have email, please communicate via the blog. I will respond sooner next time!
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Thanks Maggie – I do hope I can get back on email this week 😁😢but have decided I need to make a start in bookings etc – I have made a provisional (must confirm by Friday 7) to leave the 10 April so will begin to walk on the 13 – do you think it would be okay for an old bird (64) to walk on her own. I cannot get on to ivar’s forum because of the email – it would be great to know if some others were walking at the same time I love your blog and have gone through it all again for the third time now looking forward to hearing from you take and in friendship – Marilyn 😘
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Hello again Marilyn. I do think it will be a very lonely Camino if you are walking solo. When I walked with super George we saw only one pilgrim on our first night, who was travelling in the opposite direction, and not another until we reached Baena on day 9 I think, and we only saw them twice. I don’t know if there will be more walking this year from Malaga – although I have heard on the forum people talking about walking from Almeria.
I can only talk for myself and say I would not want to spend that amount of time totally alone. I would not find a problem with the walking, although it is comforting to be able to discuss options when the signage isn’t clear. But I would find it most difficult in the evenings, eating alone and staying in empty albergues.
You may be lucky, as I was, and find a walking partner before you set off. I guess you could always book your flight to Malaga, and if you don’t manage to find someone to walk with, then you could get the train to Seville for the VdlP, or even walk from Cadiz.
It will be a difficult decision for you. Do you want me to make enquiries on the forum on your behalf?
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Hi Maggie – thanks for getting back to me so quickly – my sentiments are exactly those of yours – 18 days solo could be really daunting – I would appreciate it if you could put out enquiry for me.
Getting lost on your own is a tad scary- are there places where the way is not clearly marked. This time I am going to be well prepared for cold – last time on the vdlp I thought I would die from hyperthermia 😳😁but of course there are always options – escape routes – which I do not want to take this time round. I have the app on my phone for the route from Merida and really from there on there are always people on the way – it’s kind of a comfort knowing that someone else is behind or in front. On the vdlp there were many days that I saw no one on route until at an albergue but I did not feel isolated somehow. I will check out the option from Cadiz – many thanks Maggie and you have an awesome day – from a little cooler day in Cape Town I bid you “hamba kahle ” – khosa for go safely😘😍😃
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I have posted on the forum – you can see it here
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-partner-sought-for-mozarabe-from-málaga-to-mérida.38186/
Let’s hope for some positive response.
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Thanks Maggie – let’s see what happens 😀🌻🌹🌺
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Hello Maggie,
My only guide for Caminho Portugues in Sept 2015 , were some pages from your blog, I did get a bit lost in a eucalyptus grove one lovely day.
I enjoy your fotos and written word.
Please tell me what your departure date was for VdlP.
I absolutely love seeing flowers and your gorgeous pictures have me excited to see them up close and personal.
Thanks for all your input, much appreciated.
Cheers,
Eliza
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Hi Eliza. I set off from Malaga on the Camino Mozárabe on 8 April and reached Mérida on the VdlP on about 26 April. I think setting off mid April is a perfect time if you love to see the wild flowers at their best and enjoy the farmland lush and green.
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Maggie, been following your blogs for last year or so and inspired particularly by your Camino Mozarabe. Have done lots of trekking in Italy, tour du Mont Blanc and Austria but this will be our first Camino. I’ve got the trip notes in English from Malaga Camino Association and on quick glance they are same as yours. Wanted to thank you for the awesome YouTube of your 52 days. It’s such a good intro to what we might expect. Also all your additional resources and packing list. We depart Australia 8th April, fly into Madrid & will get down to Malaga straight away to commence. I think this is about the same time as you walked.
Questions
1. Do you think a lack of Spanish is going to be a problem for us? I will learn basic phrases bw now and then
2. We have no guide book with maps only your blog ones and our iPads onto which we’ll download the sections each day. Is the walk sufficiently marked for us to follow?
Thanks
Carlene & Jeff Matthews
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Hi Carlene and Jeff. It is useful to have some spanish as there are many times you will need to phone ahead to albergues to let them know you are coming. It is easy to learn a few appropriate phrases, but not so easy to understand the responses, particularly with the very strong Andalusian accent. I’m sure you will find a way to communicate your requirements.
The way marking was, for the most part, very good. I would suggest you download any maps you need whilst you are at home. You may find it difficult sometimes to find reliable wifi before you reach Merida. I use wikiloc but there are many apps you can use.
I will be happy to try to answer any other questions you may have.
Buen camino!
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Hi Maggie I have enjoyed reading about all your adventures. I have walked the Camino Francis, and Portuguese. My wife and I were thinking of walking your route to Santiago on the Camino Mozárabe this year starting in mid March – do you think that would be too early for accommodation to be open and to see some vegetation coming to life in the fields? We are not too worried about a bit of rain but I assume it would be a bit colder than when you went? Any thoughts would be appreciated. We walked a few years ago from Le Puy to the Pyrenees on the Camino Francis – really loved that if you have not done that.
Thanks
Stuart
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Hola Stuart. Many thanks for your comment. The issues that might prevent me walking in mid-March are that the municipal accommodations are likely to be unheated and the evenings will be quite cool (although of course this is relative to what you are used to). You will need warm sleeping bags. There is also the issue of short days until the clocks change at the end of March. I have also heard that flooding can be an issue if there is a lot of rain, which would really be the same at any time of year. As far as spring flowers are concerned, the hillsides in my area are already full of flowering lavender, rosemary, broom and bermuda buttercups. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed in the countryside as you walk through. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.
Happy planning and Buen Camino!
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We are starting our Camino Mozarabe around easter. Arrive Madrid on April 9th for a day or so then 5 hr train to Malaga to be there Tues 11th April to attend the amigos meeting at 7 that night to confirm our route out of Malaga and get first stamp. Intend visiting a Spanish friend in Nerja 70 kms up the coast for a couple of days then bus back to Malaga ready to start walking Fri 14 or Sat 15th. Now this is Easter and things will most likely be closed so it may be we start after Easter on Tuesd 18th depending on local advice.
If you decide to amend your starting date from March to April, we might be able to align our dates and start together
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Hi again Carlene. I shall be walking a different camino this year, from Madrid, so won’t be able to join you on the Mozárabe.
Buen camino!
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Thanks Maggie,
I’ve installed wikiloc and we will start downloading maps. So I presume we just follow your place to place Camino route fir each day??
But how will know if it’s the Camino trail not just the direct route from point to point along a highway?
We will need to collect our Camino passports from Malaga and I recall you mentioning they weren’t open when you arrived there with George. Only on Tuesdays at 19.00??
Finally, is there an association Ior person I can contact to try & find a Spanish /English speaking person who might like to be paid to walk from Malaga to Córdoba with us.
Have you heard of anyone starting around the same time?
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Hi again Carlene. I didn’t actually follow the wikiloc tracks as I walked the Mozarabe. I started on day one, but soon got very fed up with my phone beeping at me to advise that I was a few metres off the path. Once you reach the outskirts of Málaga the route was sufficiently well signed. The tracks that I downloaded were by a guy who goes under the Wikiloc name of “silmanu” – one track from Málaga to Cordoba, and one from Cordoba to Merida. If you click the ‘navigate’ tab at the front of the Wikiloc App, at the bottom of the page is an area to enter your search criteria ‘search text or wikiloc ID’ – in this section type the reference “2591418” and then ‘apply filter’ for the first section of the track, then save the result. The second section (Cordoba to Merida) is reference “4173187”. Hope this makes sense.
The Málaga amigos office is only open Tuesday evenings from 7pm. But I know they are very helpful so you might want to contact them. Here is a link to their website.
I would advise obtaining your credenciales (pilgrim’s passport) in advance from the Amigos in Málaga, or one of the Confraternities or from Ivar’s camino forum website, as the Church of Santiago in Málaga is currently closed for renovations and I have no idea when it will reopen. You will be able to get your first stamp in Málaga Cathedral, or the Tourist Information or even the Town Hall.
I expect you already found this guide – but just in case you haven’t, here is a link…http://www.caminomozarabedesantiago.es/documentos/guia-eng.pdf
There is someone on Ivar’s forum talking about starting over easter weekend and you may be able to find others if you start a thread on the subject. That is how I was lucky enough to find George and also a friend of mine found a companion to walk the route last year. If it was a different time of year, I would be tempted to walk with you, but I shall be off on my own adventure at the end of April.
Don’t hesitate if you have any more questions.
Happy planning and Buen Camino!
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Yes Maggie we have that guide. Sleeping bags?? I was imagining that albergues come with linen & blankets but maybe I’m mistaken. Do pilgrims take their own sleeping bags?
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Hi Carlene, a few albergues will provide blankets (and I do take advantage of them, but I definitely wouldn’t want to have direct skin contact – I doubt they get washed with any frequency) but not bed linen. When you arrive in Galicia the junta albergues provide paper base sheet and pillow case but very rarely blankets. It is necessary to take your own stuff unless you are planning to stay exclusively in hostales or hotels. I take an undersheet, a silk liner and a lightweight down blanket/bag and I use a silk scarf to cover the pillow – all sprayed with permethrin to guard against bed bugs. If you take a look at my review of gear you will see links to the products that I take.
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Hi Maggie, I used your excellent blog to help plan my walk from Almeria to Finisterre which I completed last year in 49 days. Are you aware of the latest guide produced by the Amigos at Almeria and which covers the route from Almeria to Mérida? I attach a link to the Jan 2018 version which may be useful. Thank you for all your information.
http://www.almeriajacobea.es/2018/01/guia-almeria-merida-enero-2018.html?m=1
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Hi Boo, thank you for the link. I am currently planning my likely stages from Almería. I will be adding a couple of diversions to the route – from Castuera through Trujillo to Aldeanueva del Camino, and from Salamanca onto the Camino Torres. I expect to take ten days longer than you to reach Santiago which will be by far my longest camino. I hope you enjoyed the route.
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I love following your Caminos and look forward to your emails. My husband and I are wondering if there is a camino that we could do in January or February (2019) and my research has led me to think that the Camino Mozarabe might work for us. We’d like to see Granada but would likely start in Malaga and go as far as Merida.
Do you have information on temperature and precipitation and whether this would be a reasonable walk in January or February? Also, considering tired knees, is the terrain manageable?
Thanks for all of your information on Camino travels!
Kathy
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Hi Kathy. Sorry for the long delay in responding. I have been taking a holiday from the blog. If you start in Málaga, you won’t pass through Granada, but could take a side-trip for a couple of days. You would pass through Córdoba which is also a beautiful city and of course Mérida deserves a few days of anyone’s time.
During the first 5 or 6 days from Málaga there is quite a bit of elevation to deal with. The weather could do anything at that time of year. It could be beautifully warm during the day, or wet, or extremely windy and cold. But I can guarantee that the nights will be cold. You will need a good sleeping bag if you plan to stay in albergues. Even in April we found some stages extremely muddy. If you do go at this time of year I would download some gps tracks so that if it becomes foggy or you are walking in cloud, you can check that you are heading in the right direction.
I am a dedicated Spring walker, although I sometimes think the autumn would also be lovely (and probably drier). But I love the spring flowers and green countryside which is at its most beautiful in April/May.
I would love to know what you decide. Buen camino to you both!
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Hi,
I will be following in your footsteps, April 2019.
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Kindest Regards
Martin.
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Hi Martin. Glad my blog has been useful and thanks for the feedback. Buen Camino for April
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Oops
Málaga to Santiago
😬
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Even the long list of each days journey has been a help to me. I am just starting to plan my Camino from Malaga to Santiago and I have my plane ticket ready.
I did last year the Portuguese Camino from Lisbon and the Norte from Irun. I am hoping to stay in as many Albergues as possible. My small amount of Spanish should be better by May 2020.
Are there any general suggestions from your Camino that I might find useful?
Regards
David
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Hi David. Thanks for getting in touch. It’s several years now since I walked from Málaga and I expect there may be many more albergues available now. I know I came across a couple of new ones when I walked from Almería a couple of years ago. There is an Amigos society in Málaga and a guide to the camino (in Spanish but lots of useful information that is easy to understand). Also check out forum activity on this camino and the Gronze website for any updates. It is a beautiful route, probably my favourite. Be aware that when passing through small villages, the bar where you were expecting to find refreshment may be closed for the day. Always make sure you have sufficient supplies to see you through the day. It is wise to phone ahead to advise the albergue authorities that you are arriving later in the day, so your spanish language will be very useful.
Enjoy, and buen camino
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Walked Malaga to Baena. Should have gone on. El Torcal was a horror but managed it. That pass is dangerous!
I got lost coming out of antequera missed the arrows under the motorway and ran out of water. Was rescued by two very kind guys.
Also stayed on via Verde too long but it was a lovely walk.
Gave up at Baena might go back this year Cordoba to Granada maybe or better still start at Baena
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Or you could take the other Mozárabe route from Almería which passes through Granada.
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