Trepidatious traveller – camino blog

Today’s distance 19 km
Elevation gain 123 m
Elevation loss 166 m
Total distance from Almería 544 km

To have a private room with all the facilities of a well planned albergue is indeed a privilege. Normally in private accommodation there are no facilities – nowhere to wash or hang your clothes, nowhere to prepare or cook food.

If you are walking this route you will find that there is not much signage once you leave the town. The main road out has been recently resurfaced with shiny new asphalt and maybe some marks have been lost. But be aware. you need to take the right fork shortly after leaving town onto a minor road. There is a granite marker at the entrance to this side road but at the time of speaking no arrows to indicate the way.

The majority of today’s walk was on this very quiet road with no shoulder at all but also with very little traffic on a Saturday morning, other than an occasional tractor (no more tractor jokes!). We are back walking between olive groves for a few km and then progressing to crop fields studded with oaks.

For the last few stages there have been seven of us walking the same distances. Two French guys, Margaret from Australia and we four. Today I am pleased to be walking on the road. My left foot has been giving me a little discomfort for a couple of days – I think I must have twisted it whilst walking on stony ground and I probably have a bit of a strain. Marilyn immediately delved into her ‘Mary Poppins bag of everything you could ever need’ and generously gave me a medicated pad which certainly helped get me walking straight, with further assistance from a painkiller.

Nina and I took a rest at 12 km by a pond and again we spied some turtles sunning themselves on the bank.

The colours and profusion of the flowers in the fields are spectacular, the red of the poppies, white daisies, the sunniest yellow sea asters, and purple of the hemp broomrape – I have so many photos, but still feel the urge to take more. We have also passed many new plantings of olive groves, so there must be good money to be made from them.

At around 14 km the road turns into a wide sandy track so we had a little relief from walking on the road although to be honest I’m not sorry it has been a day of flat even walking because it made for an easier passage for my poorly foot.

At 17.5 km we join with the road that leads into Castuera and this lively town has thrown a party for us. El Dia del Queso. There are street bars, a stage with huge speakers, ladies dressed up in their best parading outfits and children in dance costumes. Lots of tents surround the church square all offering tastings of the local cheese.

We are informed that the Policia Local, with whom we have to register and pick up the key to the albergue, are busy on fiesta duty and cannot attend to us until whenever they feel like it. It is no great hardship to take a seat at a bar and drink a couple of beers whilst we wait.

The albergue here is superb. The pinnacle of albergue design. Two large rooms each with two sets of bunks, a substantial kitchen and dining area, and two state of the art bathrooms, add to the mix two separate terrace areas and we are in pilgrim heaven.

As we are five peregrinas and only two hombres, we ladies opt to take one room and remove the top bunk mattresses to the floor – none of us needs to climb up to a top bunk if it isn’t necessary. We bring a fifth mattress from the other room and so we are three on the floor and two on bottom bunks – lucky it’s a big room! Contact Policia Local 0034 924 772 350, 8 euros including sheets and quilt. Thank you Castuera.

I have taken advantage of the facilities and cooked up a pot of chickpea/spinach goodness (much nicer than it sounds) and the others are working on a pasta dish. I’m not sure how I will cope with food in the coming days so wanted to make sure I fuelled up tonight.

Tomorrow we depart from the camino Mozárabe as it is best known, and are taking the variant through Trujillo – a very little walked route, and it will be good to cover some new ground after retracing my steps for a week or so.

A new adventure awaits…

Today’s distance 32 km
Elevation gain 260 m
Elevation loss 258 m
Total distance from Almería 525 km

Of course I was carrying extra weight by way of my food stash. I reluctantly left behind half a pack of quinoa and a fair portion of hummus. It was definitely a case of eyes being bigger than my backpack and now I was paying the price. But I had a cunning plan…to move the weight from my back to my stomach as I walked – and I didn’t have too much trouble achieving my target.

First to change places as I walked along was a hummus and marmite roll (in my humble, but educated, opinion hummus and marmite is right up there with peanut butter and marmite. Next came a sit down, boots off break during which period I transferred an avocado and mango salad. And finally the second H&M roll magicked its way outside-in during a break before we hit the homeward slog on asphalt.

So that was my day in terms of food.  And here comes a description of the track…

We exited from Hinojosa del Duque and were immediately directed onto a grassy track. Even though there wasn’t much dew it was sufficient to quickly get my boots wet, and so I opted to walk on the road alongside the track. Not for long though as very soon a wide dirt track showed us the way.

There was similar scenery to yesterday’s splendour and most of the first 19 km were on comfortable track, with some narrow grassy paths through cereal crops and a few minor waterways to negotiate.

A tractor chugged by at one point and I took a photo of it. I questioned myself…why on earth did you take a photo of a passing tractor? And then I realised it was a great opportunity to share with you one of the two jokes that I always remember. Here goes…What do you call someone who used to like tractors? An extractor fan, of course! Boom, boom!

At 17 km we come across a ruined train station, situated in the very middle of nowhere. I can’t imagine who would have got off the train here. The track looks well maintained, but the station building is definitely past it’s sell-by date.

At 19 km we come to a junction with a road. Normally (as I did a few years ago) I would cross the road and continue on the track until reaching a river crossing. Last time it flowed just below my knees and was rather wide and a bit of an adventure. However at the albergue last night we had a visit from a woman from the Camino Association from Córdoba who came specially to advise us that the river was swollen from recent rainfall and was currently upper thigh depth. Of course that would depend on your height!

Said woman advised us not to cross the river but to take the road from the 19 km point. There was in any case a long haul on the road even if we had tackled the river, but we had it for about 13 km instead of 10 km. The scenery from the road was much the same as it had been from the track, but somehow it’s not quite so appealing when walking along asphalt.

It is a quiet road with no shoulder to walk on. Probably no more than thirty cars passed on our side during at 13 km and without fail they all gave me plenty of room. But it was hot, not a cloud in the sky, not even one spec of shade. and just an occasional breeze to help us along.

There is a new albergue in town. I was the first to reach it and called the hospitalera 0034 684 457 681. It’s a fab albergue, and as the first arrival I was allocated a small room with just one bunk bed, all to myself. Upstairs there is a large room with six bunks. On the ground floor there is a lovely bathroom (just the one) a full kitchen with washing machine complete with powder and conditioner, there are sheets and duvets on the beds and I was handed a towel. Calle Nueva 34, 8 euros. The only problem with this place is that it was very cold even on a very hot day and there is almost no natural light. But top marks nevertheless.

We were all rather alarmed to find no means of buying a drink when I sallied forth from the albergue at around 16:00. Absolutely nowhere was open, no bar, no shop – and this is a Friday afternoon. We had to asuage our thirst until 18:00, but made up for it at opening time!

Today’s distance 23 km Elevation gain 93 m Elevation loss 143 m Total distance from Almería 493 km I apologise for not saying this earlier – thank you for all the comments I have received, the one-offs and particularly the serial commenters. I really appreciate each and every one, but as you can imagine, don’t often have time to respond.  Please keep them coming. This morning, after an extremely good night’s sleep, we walked out of town straight onto a wide compacted sand track, through true farmland with herds of dairy cattle munching their breakfast, and I had to squeeze past a milk tanker that was almost as wide as the track. After 3 km we reach the village of  Villanueva del Duque and stop for a morning drink and pop into the ayuntamiento for a stamp for my credencial as I forgot to get one yesterday. The very nice woman behind the counter gave us each a mini bottle of olive oil, for which I would be very grateful later on. We walk past herds of sheep quietly grazing, and goats doing what goats do when a couple of billies have a point to prove. Past lush green pastures of giant holm oak trees. These magnificent specimens must be ancient. They are dotted amongst fields of cereal crops and I think they must be protected by the government, because they will be a real nuisance for the farmers to tend their fields, and I’m sure they would be felled if they could be. I can’t resist taking photo after photo of the stunning poppies and other beautiful wild flowers. Everything looks so marvellous against the bright blue sky. At 10 km we pass through the second village on this stage, Fuente la Lancha and outside the church a woman is struggling to clothe a stone cross in a crocheted cloak. It is an exact fit and takes quite a lot of persuasion to sit in the right place, but the effect is fabulous. What a work of passion it must have been for the local women to put that together. We left as it was being sewn into place. We weren’t sure if it was for Mother’s Day which will be on this coming Sunday or for another festival which was advertised throughout May. Whatever the reason, hats off to those ladies! It is difficult to convey in photographs how huge these old Oak trees are, so powerful against the green of the crops and the blue of the sky We stopped for a break at 17 km and sat on the grass for a boots off and snack break. I ate some white asparagus that I had purchased yesterday and decanted into a pot, and an orange. The last few kms into Hinojosa del Duque are rather less pleasant than the rest of the walk, through an industrial area and a trek along the very long street that leads to the main plaza where the albergue is situated. It is necessary to call into the Policia Local office alongside the ayuntamiento to register and receive a key. The albergue has four bunks, sleeping eight, a decent bathroom, no kitchen but a room with a microwave and a large table. It also now has wifi. There is no charge, not even a donation is required. Thank you Hinojosa del Duque! Oh my goodness, I found a Mercadona in Hinojosa del Duque and bought everything that took my fancy. I shall have to stuff myself to the gunnels this evening and carry the rest of my precious cargo tomorrow. It will be another long day with no facilities. I bought quinoa (again – it’s packed with protein), fresh asparagus, mixed mushrooms, all of which I have cooked up in the microwave for dinner tonight and lunch on the road tomorrow. Plus cherry tomatoes, a mango, blueberries, hummus and two of my favourite seeded rolls. I got a bit carried away in a supermarket that I am very familiar with. Thank you Mercadona! And just to finish off, here is what will probably be the first of very many stork photos.

Today’s distance 37 km
Elevation gain 613 m
Elevation loss 574 m
Total distance from Almería 470.5 km

Last night I had to make do with a supper of lettuce, tomatoes and chips – it seems there were no fresh vegetables to be seen in the village on the Mayday holiday!

Marilyn’s Apple Watch told her it was 4° when I left this morning so I quickly put on my raincoat for the first time. The problem with wrapping up warm is that my back gets really hot which makes me glow (ladies glow, men perspire, horses sweat) so I often find myself needing to strip off layers quite soon.

I was the only pilgrim in the village walking the full route today. A few took a ride half way and walked slightly less than half the distance. Others took the bus to the end stage. So it was a solitary walk for me. Not that there is a problem for me with that. I very much appreciate the company of my camigas, but walking alone makes for more of an adventure. As you probably know, I have walked this stage before and I remembered how beautiful a walk it is, but it was somehow more special wandering along entirely at my own pace, stopping regularly to play with my camera and admire the scenery, whilst involuntarily ooh-ing and aah-ing every few metres.

There were lots of photo opportunities this morning with thick fog down in the valleys – it looked very ephemeral

A 2.6 km uphill slog on the road started the way, but fortunately there was almost no passing traffic. After that it was track all the way. Beginning with a very narrow path through long very wet grass and even a bit of frost. It seemed prudent to put on my gaiters in an attempt to keep my feet as dry as possible. Very soon the track widened, but as I appreciated the extra warmth the gaiters provided, I kept them on for a while.

There was a huge variety of surfaces to walk on during this very long stage, wide and sandy (fab), stony (not so), slate (so-so), steep up and down and extremely wet!

There was much birdsong and distant chiming of cowbells.

8.7 km I encountered a river that needed to be crossed. Maybe 20 metres wide and upper-calf level in depth. I knew it was coming and was prepared to swap boots for crocs securely fastened with elastic straps. I popped my iPad and phone into ziplock bags, just in case of mishap, and tip-toed through the freezing water. Safely on the other side I dried my feet and clumsily attempted to put on my toe socks whilst standing on one leg…quite a feat (yay, a pun!).  In fact it can be quite an effort to get each toe into its corresponding pocket even when sitting down in the comfort of one’s own home.

I had planned to take three or four breaks over the 38 km, the first scheduled for around 10 km. But it was difficult to find somewhere dry to sit because of all the dew and/or rain on the grass. I eventually found a well-placed rock and sat down to a portion of the quinoa I had cooked last evening. What a beautiful place to eat breakfast – quinoa never tasted so good as I looked out on hillsides covered in oak trees as far as the eye could see.

Somewhere around 17 km is a small holding in the absolute middle of nowhere. When I walked past three years ago the owner engaged me in conversation, let a couple of his pigs out of the field to introduce them to me and seemed reluctant to let me leave, but I was walking with George and didn’t feel any concern for his behaviour. I have heard from others that he was equally friendly with them. I guess he takes his opportunities for conversation when they arise. But I have since heard from a solo woman walker that he tried to be amorous and frightened her.

As I walked, past his dogs alerted him to my presence and he hurried across his yard towards me. He tried to engage me, asking if I wanted water and then saying something about the river being high. I called back that I needed to keep walking but thanked him for his help. I felt a bit mean, but better safe than sorry.

My second stop was as 22.5 km for food and rest – more quinoa, an orange and a couple of biscuits, and I finished the quinoa and my final two biscuits at my final stop at 32 km at the granite picnic benches by the ermita. Then it was just about 4 or 5 km on asphalt and gravel road into Alcaracejos.

It was a stunning walk in perfect weather conditions, but I was very pleased to arrive at around 16:30

The four of us stayed in Hostal Las Tres Jotas. We had a huge room with six beds and paid 15 euros each, wonderful hot shower, but no cooking facilities, so for supper I ate a bowl of salmorejo in the bar across the road and bought supplies from the shop for the next day.

Apparently there is now a municipal albergue in Alcaracejos and I wished I had taken a look. It only opened recently so hopefully it will have good facilities.

My feet are still behaving well, the toe socks are doing their business and I am no longer using any of the gel toe caps. I am coping with the weight of my extra heavy backpack (due to my diet) although when I am carrying extra food and water for a long day without facilities my shoulders ache a bit. But all things considered, all is well with my camino.

Today’s distance 19 km
Elevation gain 468 m
Elevation loss 59 m
Total distance from Almería 412 km

I had covered about 1.5 km before I realised I hadn’t started to record my walk which explains the difference between the profile above and the stated distance.

The signage out of Córdoba is by means of high level fairly discrete plaques, but they were frequent and adequate. We walk around 4 km before leaving the city limits, and it is much more pleasant leaving that it was arriving. We are almost immediately in beautiful countryside and the wild flowers are spotted with bubbles of morning dew – the first I have seen on this camino and a perfect opportunity for playing with my camera.

In contrast to yesterday’s terrific wind, it is very still today and although it starts quite cold, as soon as we are out of the shadows of the tall city buildings the sun soon warms us.

I made this walk three years ago and it is just as beautiful as I remembered it, but I didn’t remember that there was so much elevation.

At about 7.5 km we pass through the very odd suburb of Torreblanca an area of hundreds or probably thousands of affluent properties but with no sign of life. No one walking around and no obvious facilities. But soon after we are in beautiful woodland with abundant wild flowers, lavender, rock roses, gorse, margaritas – a riot of colour amongst the rocky trail. All three of the common oaks, gnarly old holm, holly and cork and some towering pine trees

Soon enough our short stage is coming to an end and we pop into the large restaurant at the entrance to Cerro Muriano. I order a plate of grilled asparagus and share a dish of fried potatoes – all very tasty.

Four of us are staying at the guest house Santa Maria del Trabajo. It is a massive property that is used to raise funds for the unemployed. Although the property is very grand the decor is rather dated. There is a large garden that would be lovely in warmer weather and a swimming pool that is available in the warmer months. I thought it was rather expensive – we are sharing a room with bathroom, one bunk and two singles, 22.75 euros each. All other accommodation in the town is full.

While we wait for our room to be readied we go to investigate the old copper mines that this town is known for.

Everything is working well, no foot problems (oh how I hate to say that – tempting fate). After a while of indecision I am liking my toe socks, even though one developed a hole already. Luckily it’s on top of my big toe nail so I have stitched it up and it shouldn’t cause any discomfort there. I am thoroughly used to my pack and it’s heavy weight. I used my umbrella again today when it rained just before the end of the stage, but I’m still not sure it’s worth the extra weight.

Vegan diet isn’t causing too many issues except that I am finding it more expensive to eat this way in restaurants. There is nothing except salad on the menu and although people are very kind and find me something I can eat, it does tend to come at a premium. If I can cook for myself and if there are appropriate supplies in the shops I can eat for a pittance, but sadly I haven’t been able to do that for quite a while.

Two of us are still quite poorly but both managed to walk today.

Well, this is weird. My first day off in all my six caminos. Reasons are many and varied.

Whilst we were eating last evening we were visited by Antonio, a volunteer with the Asociación de Amigos del Camino de Santiago de Córdoba. He has come for the opening of Michel’s exhibition and was somehow alerted to the difficulties we were experiencing with accommodation over the next stages. He tried valiantly to organise something for us, pulling all the strings he knew and making countless phone calls, but all to no avail.

Antonio trying to help with accommodation and below, relaxing at the Hospederia

I want to highly recommend the bar/restaurant on the main road through town ‘Gran Peña del Cordoba’ even though the TV is likely to be showing football. The owner is the most charming and caring man and the food is good and reasonably priced.

The rest of my group are staying at the beautiful Hospederia del Carmen, a converted convent with cloistered courtyard and long wide corridors with comfy chairs and good wifi, while I slept at the not so beautiful albergue. I popped back to the exhibition with Clare and a few others before heading off to sleep. Then this morning I brought my stuff to the convent and met the others for breakfast.

Today will see a parting of the ways. Gwen and Lori are bussing into Córdoba and will walk on from there. The rest of us are staying in Castro del Rio for another night and will bus to Córdoba tomorrow and walk on on Monday morning. I am fairly relaxed about this as I have already walked the two stages we will be skipping so I will not be missing anything I haven’t already experienced. And hopefully we may break out of our growing pilgrim bubble.  But I am particularly sad to lose the company of Gwen who is the life and soul of the party. Maybe our paths will cross along the way

So I have been sitting in the beautiful environment of the Hospederia del Carmen, They have put an extra bed in the room so three of us are sharing for a cost of 70 euros and the remaining member of our group has accommodation elsewhere. Although last night’s albergue was a very far cry from the relative luxury of my current surroundings, I did actually have the best night’s sleep of this camino, not a peep from my room mates and no ridiculously early risers.

What I’m not liking is the cost of this camino compared to others. Tomorrow we stay in a hostel in Córdoba which is 25 euros and the following night, in Cerro Muriano, there is no longer an albergue and we have to pay 27:50 euros. Ouch!

I’ve spent a couple of hours this morning catching up on the last two episodes of ‘Homeland’ and I’m beginning to feel a bit twitchy – perhaps I should have walked today and bussed back here. I’m now thinking I will catch the bus to Córdoba in the morning and jump off at Santa Cruz and walk the 25-ish km into the city. When I last walked this stage there had been a terrific rain storm during the night and we were advised not to take the camino path as it would be extremely muddy, so we walked all the way on a major road. Not great fun. So at least I will be walking a different route this time. If there is an early bus I will do this.

Some of the many charms of this pretty town

I haven’t enjoyed my first ever non-walking day on the camino, and am anxious to get going again tomorrow.

Today’s distance 21 km
Elevation gain 122 m
Elevation loss 335 m
Total distance from Almería 341.5 km

There was another misty start to the day and the air felt damp. We stop at a cafe for breakfast but they haven’t yet received their bread delivery so tostada con tomate is off the menu.

We leave town on a busy road with no shoulder and after about 1.5 km we turn onto a dirt track through more olive groves. It’s a rough stone track and not very comfortable to walk on and at 7 km we return to a very quiet asphalt road, and there we stayed until reaching our destination, so 14 km straight road walking.

I am now covering ground that I have already walked in 2015. Baena is where the Mozárabe routes from Almeria and Málaga meet. A few landmarks seem familiar, but I don’t recall such a long walk on the road.

This Camino is becoming very different from how I expected. When I walked from Málaga in 2015 we saw only three other pilgrims one day in all eighteen days we were walking between Málaga and Merida. Whereas now we are in a bubble of more than 15 on each stage. Some are staying in private accommodation which lightens the load on the albergues, but at tomorrow’s stage end there are no beds available in the two hostels in town and there isn’t an albergue. I’m not quite sure how to handle that problem, but I have a plan that I may put into action. And then at the end of the following stage to Córdoba we run into mayday weekend and there are virtually no beds available in the city, although I luckily managed to reserve three spaces in a hostel.

It’s a little disappointing that there are more people than beds and it’s frustrating to have to worry about where we might sleep

After Córdoba there are six further stages until I take a right turn and leave the Mozárabe, and I am sure I won’t see many other pilgrims on that route.

While Nina and I are taking a five minute break under the shade of a tree I look up and see a huge group of pilgrims walking towards us. Oh no! Not more to share the albergues with. They tripped spritely past us and I saw that they were all just carrying dolly day bags, and I assumed they were just day walkers. But no, when I caught up with a couple and engaged in conversation I learned that they were a group of nine ‘posh pilgrims’ probably rather like those taking part in the recent TV series, being ferried in a shiny mini-bus and then walking into the next town, picked up and taken somewhere luxurious to spend the night. They were nine women of various ages from California and were accompanied by THREE guides. The two who I spoke to were very pleasant and it’s good that the local economy can benefit from the camino phenomenon – they must be contributing a lot more per head than I do!

I did mention to the ladies (as all of their three guides should have done) that rather than spreading themselves right across the road and dividing to left and right when vehicles came into sight, they should actually all be walking on the left, towards oncoming traffic. If there are people on both sides of the road it’s a nightmare for drivers to have to weave around them. They took my words in good stead and immediately told the rest of their party to follow the rules.

We actually had a brief break from the olive trees today when we passed some lush green crop fields, but they were back soon enough. I can’t normally imagine being bored with olive trees, but after a week or so it’s good to get a different view.

The albergue tonight is rather basic, with twelve places over six bunks. I think there are eight of us here. There are no kitchen facilities whatsoever although there is a nice room where you can eat any food that you have found elsewhere. The bathroom leaves something to be desired! It is necessary to register with the Policia local situated in the Ayuntamiento. I have a note that the cost is 5 euros, but wasn’t asked for any money and there is no donation box at the albergue.

I have been invited to attend the opening of an exhibition taking place in the town, organised by Michel Cerdan who is very involved with the Camino Mozárabe. I took a peak earlier. It is a collection of stones picked up by pilgrims along the camino and they are hung from threads at the corresponding distance and height that they were found. I contributed a tiny shiny stone that took my fancy yesterday, but it looks rather underwhelming amongst the much bigger rocks already hanging. But every little helps, so they say!

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Today’s distance 25 km
Elevation gain 499 m
Elevation loss 563 m
Total distance from Almería 269.5 km

I have been asked several times what app I am using to provide the above information, and I apologise for not responding sooner. I use Wikiloc. I find it the most accurate of the various apps I have tried when directly compared to a dedicated GPS unit. It gives the information as shown below, but not the total distance walked from the starting point – I work that out for myself.

Today’s stage began with a very steep loose gravel track down out of the village, with olive trees on either side and into the distance as far as the eye could see. Then came some rolling fields of rich green cereal crops.

High up on towering outcrops of rock we could see a series of lookout towers. Add to the mix sunshine, blue sky and birdsong and the day was off to a great start.

We were on a fairly quiet road for a while maybe 2 km then back on track through olive groves. There was quite a bit of climbing after the road and my legs were telling me they’d already had a mega workout yesterday.

At 9 km there is another stretch on the road. This time much busier and faster but with a wide shoulder, but still rather unpleasant to have huge lorries and coaches hurtling towards you at 100+ km per hour.

But 1.5 km later we were back on track until we reached the small town of Ermita Nueva at 13 km. Nina and I had walked ahead whilst the others stopped off for breakfast in the village where we started. We were expecting the bar to be open for a snack and a drink at this half-way village, but were told it didn’t open until mid day. Meanwhile the bread van stopped and beeped its horn to alert any customers, so I went across and bought a delicious sweet roll stuffed with walnuts and sultanas. Luckily there was a small supermarket in the town and I bought some supplies to see us on our way. I put my rather handsome tomato on a bench whilst I organised my pack and must have knocked it off, and watched in amusement as it rolled down the hill, gathering speed as it went. I finally caught up with it and was pleased to see that it survived unscathed, if a bit dusty. But a hardy pilgrim can’t worry about a bit of dust.

The fields surrounding the track on on the next section look very drab. From a distance all that can be seen is beige coloured soil. But we can see teams of workers bending low to harvest asparagus – it must be back-breaking work. They grow at different stages so whilst some shoots are plump and tall, others are still just peeping through the ground. The pickers have a U-shaped basket, one end open the other end closed. The spear end of the asparagus is placed into the basket towards the closed end, then when it is full the picker cuts all the stalks to the same length, binds then with an elastic band and leaves them standing upright in the field. Then someone collects all the bundles together in piles and then presumably they are taken to the distributor. All this effort makes one of my favourite foods seem very good value for money.

The rest of the stage was mostly on tracks with a couple of streams to cross and our final approach to our destination at Alcalá la Real was on an old asphalt road and then a cycle track.

Where we entered the town it seemed rather drab and modern but as we walked towards our accommodation for the night it became much more charming and characterful with older properties.

Once again there is no albergue available and we are staying in a guest house. Marilyn, Nina and I are sharing a triple room for 55 euros. The owners also run a micro brewery from the property which is a stroke of luck, and even better we are in an elevated position directly opposite the castle that sits on the hilltop at the other side of the town. Mirador Tierra de Frontera reserved via booking.com

So it was boots off, a glass of specialist beer, and a view to die for.

We also have use of a washing machine and as we are the only guests at the property we have free range of the kitchen, lounge and two bathrooms. Result once again

We didn’t manage to find the heart of this town. There were no inviting bars or restaurants that we came across, so Nina and I enjoyed a home cooked veg-fest and a bottle of wine.

And here’s one I made later!

Apologies for no elevation information today – I accidentally deleted it – very annoying!

Today’s distance 18.5 km
Total distance from Almería 208 km

This morning dawned quite mild, no harsh breeze. After a quick stop at Bar Los Angeles we set off along an extremely pleasant track alongside a fast running river, winding past beautifully maintained allotments, young trees with fresh bright new foliage, and mini orchards with beautiful white blossom

This is the sort of walk I really love. The wide open views are very very spectacular and obviously I love those too but these little tracks that wind through every day life with so much detail and so many things to look at give me great joy.

After passing through the village of Dudar our ascent for the day commences on a concrete track. Up and up and then up again until we reach the top of the ridge that separates two green and fertile valleys. There seems to be no shortage of water in this area. En route we pass by a ruined aqueduct.

It being Sunday there are lots of cyclists and trail runners on the track whizzing by at various speeds and proximities.

Best use of prickly pear I have ever seen

Whilst walking the top of the ridge I receive a FaceTime call from my grandson and I am delighted that he is so interested in what I am doing, asking lots of questions about my gear that I am able to answer by showing him all my equipment. And then I turn the camera around and show him the stunning scenery and snow topped mountains, and the yellow arrows that mark our way.

Then the steep descent begins, and down we go through ever greener scenery until we are alongside a river again, and pass another once impressive building, now a ruin and find a small herd of horses asleep in the shade of some olive trees.

Then we are entering the suburbs of Granada and pass through Sacromonte and catch my first glimpse of the Alhambra. I am lucky enough to have visited Granada on many occasions, but have never seen the Alhambra from this angle before. We stop at a bar for a drink before entering the bustling Sunday lunchtime city. What a joy it is to be here.  Granada is a beautiful, vibrant city.  And an added bonus of staying in a large city is a choice of vegan restaurants.  My camiga chums were all happy to join me at ‘Wild Food’ and none were disappointed.

We are staying in Hostal Al Andaluz in a six bed dorm (three sturdy bunks) although there are only five of us we paid for the sixth bed so that we didn’t have to share with a stranger. Total cost 66 euros including sheets, but no blankets, and with a very nice modern bathroom. Booked via Hostelworld.

Today’s distance 28 km
Elevation gain 747m
Elevation loss 861 m
Total distance from Almería 189.5 km

We leave earlier than usual at about 7:20 because of today’s long hike. Some grey cloud is hanging in the sky and the view is a little hazy.

There is an initial very steep climb out of town and we take the high road that leads us to the top of the ridge of rock that separates two very deep and fertile valleys. We are all carrying extra weight today because of the food and water that is necessary on this long stage without any facilities and the continuous climb is taking its toll!

As usual first thing it’s quite cold, today with a chilly wind. I have been wearing my shorts every day because my legs don’t really feel the cold, but my upper body does, so I have been wearing a sleeveless merino T-shirt, arm warmers, a lightweight fleece and a scarf, and sometimes, first thing, a buff around my head to keep my ears warm. This combination allows me to adjust the arm warmers, fleece sleeves and scarf as necessary to keep warm or cool down. There has been no need for a rain jacket so far this camino – and long may that last!

It’s late morning before the sun puts in an appearance, and then there is a battle between the cool wind and the warm sun and my sleeves are up and down with great regularity.

The views from the ridge into the valleys are beautiful, the huge rock formations in this area are incredible, but it doesn’t make for easy walking.

The first 8 km out of La Peza are along wide driveable gravel tracks that pass through woodland and we climb and drop as often as my sleeves are adjusted – but the first three-quarters of this stage are definitely mostly about the climb. We are then directed onto another river bed, deep sand, which runs alongside the road. A couple of us kept to the river bed for over 3 km, but the road would have been much easier and there probably isn’t much traffic.

Then we cross the road to another wide track meandering around the contours of the mountains. One of us thought that whoever dug the track should have made it more horizontal to save us having to climb so hard – but where’s the challenge in that?

Nina and I stop for breakfast at 13 km when we find a spot sheltered from the wind and then take another break a few kilometres further on where we are joined by Gwen and Marilyn.

At 22 km we pass through a towering white quarry where the sun reflects brightly off the rock face. And shortly after this there is a diversion which shaves around 3 km off the stage, for which we are very grateful. And from this point on the tracks were more rugged and on varying terrain. And very steeply downhill for quite a few km.

In Quentar we are staying in a small townhouse (Casa Rio Quentar, booked via booking.com) and have a roaring fire going. The kitchen is well equipped, there is plenty of hot water for showers and we have use of the washing machine. It costs 17 euros per person for five people. Number six opted to stay in a small hotel in the village. For those of you concerned about my diet – thanks for your concern, but there is no need. I have cooked a healthy meal and have all the protein I need to keep me going.

There was also a question about how my feet were bearing up – I hate to tempt fate, but so far, so good. I take preventative action by using silicon toe caps where I know I am prone to tender spots and am alternating between toe socks and my old merino wool liner socks.

Tomorrow, Granada!