Monday, January 13, 2014

Camino Mozarabe de Santiago Malaga to Cordoba


A path less travelled

At 73 and 67, we are generally in good health. In the last few years we have walked the Camino Frances (San Jean Pied de Port to Santiago), Camino Norte and the camino Arles to Jaca. Very few pilgrims seem to have walked the Camino Mozarabe. Entries in the visitors’ book in the albergue in Encinas Reales show less than a handful had passed through in the previous few months. For photos of our experience of the camino Mozarabe click the link.

This camino does not have the sense of ‘treading in the footsteps of pilgrims who have gone before’ that other caminos have. Doubtless mozarabe pilgrims followed the same general direction but there are few shrines or churches that mark the path as a camino de Santiago. Nevertheless walking this path provides unique perspectives on Spain that you never get from car, road or rail travel.

In places the way marking is good. In others, signs marking the ‘old’ path still exist. Missing the new signs meant that in some cases we followed an old sign and found that signs became few and far between or were very indistinct. Generally too the ‘old’ path was longer and more difficult than the ‘new’ path. Comments made by previous pilgrims in the visitors’ books indicate that we are not the only ones who have followed the old rather than the new signs.

The first two days climbing through the Montes de Malaga are quite tough. The third stage over Torcal, which we did not walk, would also involve a lot of climbing. From Antequera on the walking is easier, except when it has been raining when there is a lot of mud. Much of the way takes you through a vast area of olive monoculture.

If a hostal or hotel is to be found at the end of a stage we prefer to stay in these. Anticipating a lack of accommodation in some places though, we carried sleeping bags, enabling us to stay in the albergues when there was nowhere else. Hostals and small hotels in Spain can be closed over Christmas and New Year. A shame as winter in Andalucia is very similar weather-wise to summer in England and so is a good time for walking. The municipalities along the camino have made an effort to provide albergues if the camino passes through their domain. The albergues in Almogia and Villanueva de Albaidas that we stayed in were both new, and provided abundant hot water for showers as well as some form of heating. One was attached to a sports centre, the other in a building on the main street. Like most houses and apartments in Spain, the buildings have no central heating. Heaters provided some warmth but we were quite cold. The albergue in Almogia was well supplied with blankets to augment our basic’ sleeping bags, but the albergue in Villanueva de Albaidas was not. One of us bought thermal underwear from the Chinese bazaar across the road to sleep in.

Malaga 26 December 2013

On Boxing day we had a lift from out home in Salobrena to the Paseo in Malaga, a short walk from the Hotel Juan V (€45). After a Christmas concert in the Iglesia Santiago, where a nun put the first stamp on our credentials, we went for tapas and then to bed.

Malaga - Junta de los Caminos 10.8 km 27 December

From the Cathedral and we followed Santa María to Constitution Plaza, Compañía to Puerta Nueva, and crossed Aurora Bridge. Then a long hike through Malaga along Mármoles, Martínez Maldonado, Carlos Haya, Lope de Vega and Lopez de Rueda for about 7 km. Near the top of the hill leaving Puerto de la Torre, a small plaque on the left indicated the urbanization Puertosol, where we saw the first yellow arrow on a wall (Colegio Europa although we couldn’t see the colegio). Following the arrows through the residential streets led us through scrubby land and under the motorway. From there, we continued through a dumping area, then followed a high bank to the left leading to a big hole in the ground. Climbing around this to the right we reached the C-331 road to Junta de los Caminos.

Junta de los Caminos - Almogía (?) 12.4 km 27 December

From Junta de los Caminos we followed the yellow arrows down the road to the bridge crossing Río Campanillas. After the bridge there was a board showing the next stage of the camino. The path then started to climb steeply through the Montes de Malaga. Where the directions we were following indicated that the path started a decline along the Camino de Corbite after a farmhouse with a pool (water tank). We followed a very clear yellow arrow pointing up a track. After that there were some infrequent faint arrows which reassured us that we were on the path although we subsequently learned that we were on the much longer old path rather than the new path. We were lucky to eventually rejoin the new path just before Almogía. After a bocadito and beer at the bar in the centre of Almogia a helpful citizen phoned the policia to open the albergue for us. Hostal Posada de Almogia was closed. The Albergue Noria (closed July and August) is at the top of the town on the road to Villanueva in part of the sports centre next to the sports field.

Almogía - Villanueva de la Concepción 18.3 km 28 December

Capes and gaiters were the order of the day as it was raining as we left Almogia after breakfast the next day. Turning left from the Albergue crossing the road near the hostel Posada de Almogía we followed arrows taking us to a path that dropped sharply. After a house at the end of a track we crossed a ditch, and followed the signs again to the Campanillas river. After crossing the river which had very little water but was very muddy we carried on to cross the C-3310 road, and then turned left between two farmhouses along a track then into a field alongside an overgrown dry gully, climbing to a wide path and turning left. The path here was not very clear because the field had been ploughed and the arroyo overgrown. Arrows on flat stones lying on the ground would be hard to see in spring and summer when there is a lot of vegetation. The very muddy track (lots of scrapping mud off boots) took us to the road, and turning right, after 1.5 km along the road we crossed the Horcajo bridge. Going uphill we left the road to take the Camino Real on the right, which took us below and to the far side of Villanueva de la Concepción before zigzagging back up to the town (taking the road would have been much shorter). Beer and food at the Zebar was welcome after several kilometres walking into a bitter head wind.

Villanueva de la Concepción - Antequera 28-29 December

At the Zebar in Villanueva we decided to take a taxi (€30) to Antequera because one of us had trouble with a knee tendon and the albergue was the only accommodation option. The Hotel Plaza San Sebastian (€35 a night double) in the centre of Antequera provided a comfortable stop for two days est and recovery. In Antequera nearly all the churches had set up Belen (nativity scenes) and families were touring these in the evenings. We enjoyed a very Christmassy, excellent Bach and Handel concert in one church and an excellent lunch in a restaurant up by the alcazar.

Antequera - Cartaojal 11.4 km 30 December

From Santiago Church in Antequera we left along Calle de Belén to Puerta de Granada, Calle Granada and then along a road between the cemetery and the Dólmen. The arrows directed us across a bridge over the railway, and into the Antequeran vega. The fields were white with a hard frost. Although on the coast and climbing through the Montes de Malaga it was quite warm, once up on the inland plateau mornings until the sun comes up and nights can be bitterly cold in winter. The path crossed the MA-232, and then went under the motorway next to the river Guadalhorce, then across the A-92 motorway to join the GR. Here the track was extremely muddy after the rain making walking extremely difficult for the 4.5 km through olive groves to Cartaojal.

Cartaojal - Villanueva de Algaidas 12.5 km 30 December

After coffee and buying lunch in the village shop we followed the Camino de Cueva Bajas to leave the town. The road climbed through olive groves for 6 km then dropped steeply for 3 km and climbed gently again before dropping into Villanueva de Algaidas. The soil erosion in the olive groves is alarming – deep gullying and soil washed onto tracks everywhere. The olive harvest was in full swing and a constant stream of trucks delivered loads of olives to the olive oil factory on the outskirts of Villanueva de Algaidas. Hostal Algaidas where we hoped to stay closes on Monday, the day we happened to be there. The Bar Pedro though had very good tapas and the keys to the albergue. The Bar Pedro kitchen was closed in the evening but we found food at the Bar El Chivo. The albergue, right on the main street, is spacious and has been open only for a year or so. It has around 24 beds, hot showers and heating, but no blankets and the building was chilly.

Villanueva de Algaidas-Cuevas Bajas 9.9 km 31 December

Because of the lack of accommodation on the next stage we took a taxi from Villanueva de Algaidas to Encinas Reales. As we waited for the taxi at first light, trucks and tractors were already heading out to harvest olives.

Cuevas Bajas-Encinas Reales 5.7 km 31 December

The taxi (€30) dropped us in Encinas Reales. After breakfast in a bar, where oddly a group of knitters was exchanging Christmas gifts, we found arrows directing us up out of Encinas Reales. After a short climb, the path dropped to go under the motorway and along the Anzur River, a very muddy section due to the recent rain. Fortunately the river was not too high and after crossing it by a ford we followed the valley to a large finca. From there the path wound up through olive groves for about 8 km then crossed under the motorway into an industrial estate on the outskirts of Lucena. From here it was a long walk into the town centre and Hotel Yussafana. Being New Year’s Eve, bars were busy in the evening but restaurants were closed. No supper that evening.

Lucena-Cabra 13.0 km 1 January 2014

On New Year’s Day 2014 bars did not open at their usual early hour. Breakfast was churros but no chocolate to wash them down. The taxi ranks where we’d hoped to get a taxi were also deserted. Fortunately, at Lucena bus station where we’d gone to look for a bus, we found the phone number for a taxi service. The taxi took us to the old station in Cabra (€15) on the Via Verde. New Year revellers were still breakfasting in station, now a bar and restaurant, so we enjoyed another more substantial breakfast ourselves. From Lucena to Cabra and Doña Mencía, the camino follows the track of the Via Verde railway built in the 19th century to carry olives – an easy walk.

Cabra–Doña Mencía 13.0 km 1 January 2014

The path along the railway climbed slightly and gave open views across yet hills of olive groves stretching way into the distance. At the old Doña Mencía station, we crossed the road to the Hotel Dona Mencia for a good lunch and comfortable night (€60).

Doña Mencía-Baena 8.7 km 2 January 2014

The next stage also needed us to take a taxi from the hotel to Plaza Espana in Baena (€20). After breakfast in a bar in Baena people pointed us down through the town. We were confused as there was a camino sign that pointed in a slightly different direction but we were assured that the two ways joined up. Unfortunately it turned out that they didn’t and that we had been directed along the ‘old’ way. This old path was clearly signposted as far as the carreterra but after carrying on for 5 km and without finding any more signs we decided we were lost and phoned the tourist office. We learned we would need to return to Baena to get back on the new path. On returning to Baena we found the pilgrim information centre in the Olive Museum that had been closed when we passed earlier was now open. As it was nearly midday by this time and as we had already walked 10 km that day, we decided that the best strategy would be to take the bus direct to Cordoba and enjoy a couple of days there. Otherwise the next possible accommodation was at Castro del Rio, another 20 km further on.

Baena- Castro del Río 19.9 km Castro del Río-Espejo 9.6 km Espejo-Santa Cruz 13.1 km Santa Cruz-Córdoba 24.31 km 2 January 2014

The bus from Baena to Cordoba (€8 each) took us through more hills of olive groves, and then rolling open country of ploughed fields where shoots of wheat (?) were just emerging. Castro del Río does indeed have a castle, and impressive walls overlooking the river.

Córdoba 24.31 km 2-3 January 2014

Bus no 4 from the bus station in Cordoba took us near to the Mezquita and the officina de tourismo. From a long list of hostals and hotels we chose one in the centre, Hotel Maestre (€40 a night). Though wet and cold, Cordoba was abuzz with visitors. Food at the Restaurante Don Juan and Mercado Victoria was excellent. It’s a great place to spend some time visiting the Mezquita-cathedral, leather museum, archaeological museum, old synagogue and just strolling the streets.

Córdoba – Malaga 4 January 2014

The train from Cordoba to Malaga takes just over an hour, and follows a more southerly route to Antequera than the camino. From Antequera the train passes through several long tunnels to drop down to the coast. In Cordoba it was raining but the weather changed dramatically to warm and sunny in Malaga.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Salobreña December 2013



A merry Christmas and happy New Year.

For us 2013 will be remembered as the year of the house, In early January we completed the purchase of a property in Urbanización Alfamar, the same development as Sandra’s sister Cheryl and her husband, Tony. We have always wanted to build an energy efficient home with a garden and this property ticked all the boxes. The existing house is 47 years old and it sits on a lot with a 180 degree view of the Mediterranean. The plan was to renovate or replace the existing house with a modern design which capitalised on the fine weather which this part of Spain enjoys. We engaged the services of an architect in Granada and set about planning the design. What we had not bargained for was the instability of some of the coastal lands. While the existing house on the lot showed very little movement some of the surrounding properties had suffered from landslips following the period of wet weather of two years back.



The long and the short of it is that following seismic and other surveys the proposal put forward by the architect was unrealistically expensive for the particular property. We were very disappointed as we had invested our efforts in developing what would have been an attractive low energy home. In the following weeks Sandra trolled the internet for solutions to the problem. Eventually she hit upon an eco village development in central Ireland – Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary (www.thevillage.ie). From what we read it looked like an extremely interesting initiative and we decided to do further follow-up by paying it a visit. So in August we headed off to Ireland for a week. The closest accommodation we could find was at Portumna, which is near the north end of Lough Derg. From there we visited the development just about every day and spent many hours chatting with the residents. The people we met were incredibly friendly and helpful. We also got to know a local builder and local architect. On the flight home and during the next weeks we realised that the eco village would provide a community where we could settle down. Building in Spain would have been fine, but integration into the local community was not going to happen (at least not quickly). Dividing our time between Ireland and Spain seems like an ideal solution.

We went back to Cloughjordan in October, staying this time at the eco hostel in the village. This way we could check out in greater detail the pros and cons of living there. We are now completing the negotiations to purchase two adjacent lots on which we will build an energy efficient home. Since planning restrictions require a two storey home Liam, the local architect (http://liamryancancerappeal.weebly.com/the-full-story.html), has designed a Y-shaped building where the stem of the Y is two storeys and the arms are single storey. This second visit enabled us to spend time with him tweaking details of his design. The design was submitted to the Planning Commission at the beginning of December and we should be able to start construction in April. With Ireland beginning to come out of recession our builder has already purchased those materials for the construction of the house which as showing signs of rapidly increasing in price.

Work at the cortijo has continued at a somewhat slower pace this year. Sandra’s gardening suffered a severe setback when 70 m of the azequia which provides us with water were carried away in a landslip. A replacement line has now been constructed, but during the crucial early part of the growing season the plants were without water. Consequently the harvest has been not as good as earlier years. Throughout the summer we were on short rations for water as well. Indeed we had our first ration in about four months in mid-November at 8:00 in the evening. There we were in the dark stumbling around filling water deposits and irrigating trees and deep beds. In October we took advantage of the fine weather to sweep the chimney of the stove. Despite this the stove did not work well. The fire was hard to light and the glass in the fire door was constantly being blacked out with carbon. We subsequently found out that it was possible (and necessary) to clean out the space around the oven. This space was seriously blocked. Since we cleaned out the deposits and soot the stove has been working like new.




Sandra has also been working hard to repair the damage caused to the internal paintwork by the extensive rains of two or three years ago. We have had a number of goes at removing flaking paint and touching up the stained patches, but all without success. This time Sandra has applied a sealer product and then painted over that. The end result is really impressive and it looks as though we may have solved the problem. However, we will have to wait and see about that. I haven’t progressed very much further with the construction of steps linking the terraces or in adding to our deep beds. This latter is fairly urgent as the wild pigs are ploughing up the soil around the raspberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries and the wild goats are find our almond trees tot heir taste. The problem is in getting large pieces of timber up to the cortijo. While companies say they will deliver, delivering into the countryside is not included. I hope to work out something with the building supplies company in Lanjaron which does send its trucks into the hinterlands.

Life in Venus continues as usual. The place next door has been sold and been renovated. The new neighbours live in Grenada and use the apartment for the occasional weekend and during fiestas, so we don’t see them very often. The English couple in number 13 have followed their practice of coming out for the Spring and Fall periods, the rest of the year being spent in the UK. Since they drive down each time they have very kindly brought items out for us which otherwise would have cost us an arm and a leg to have sent through the post or by courier.

During July we were delighted to be able to have Stephanie and Lawrence with us for a month. Stephanie took the opportunity to partially recover from the stresses and strains of overwork by trying out the various treatments available at the spa in Lanjaron. Lawrence enjoyed his weekday mornings in a summer school programme of sports and crafts at a local sports club in Motril and his weekends at the cortijo. We celebrated Cheryl and Tony’s 40th wedding anniversary. This was followed in September by a visit from Michele, a long term Australian friend of Sandra’s who stopped off for a week on her way home from a trip to the Arctic and Iceland.




We plan to see the year out and 2014 in on a walking holiday. We hope to walk the Camino Mozarabe – from Malaga to Cordoba – starting on Boxing Day. This 200 km long section of the 1228.5 km camino from Malaga to Santiago was re-established last year so is well sign posted. It will be our first attempt to walk in winter and should be prove interesting.

Meantime Cheryl and Tony’s Spanish neighbour who has put in a lovely new kitchen for them is starting on retrofitting the house on Alfamar. Renovations are starting on the garage. The next phase will be micropiles to stabilise the house. Then on to terracing and planting  the garden and reformas’ to the house. 2014 is going to be quite a year!