Tunnels, vultures and sleeping in the station

Tunnels, vultures and sleeping in the station

In the TV series Victoria the Queen's steward, Penge, invests his life savings in shares in a new railway line. It went bust. This was at the time when there was a massive expansion of railways in many countries. Spain was no exception and just as in other countries many infant railway companies became bankrupt. So throughout Spain there are tracks abandoned and railway buildings in ruins. In recent times some of these have been reclaimed for modern purposes.  On arrival in Olvera we checked into rooms in the Olvera Station Hotel. A modest and comfortable hostel it has been built around the shell of what would have been the station. It also has apartments attached formed in former railway carriages.

The welcome could not have been warmer. They showed us to our rooms and explained that being still in the winter season the restaurant didn't open in the evening. We were starving. "Can we eat now?" and although the cook was soon to close up we were invited to dine in what would have been the station waiting room. This was a station which had never seen a train stop because the tracks had never been laid.

The menu? Oddly we were served a delicious beef stew with potatoes to start. It was a huge portion. They understand the hunger of walkers at the end of the day. Then came fish and a freshly made salad, then a dessert of deep fried sweet French toast dusted with icing sugar and topped with pistachio ice-cream. With a drink, bread and water the total calories in the meal was 275 calories and the bill was 9.50 euros per person. Only one of these statements is true! It was fine cooking at the cheapest price ever. A room with three hot radiators (clothes washed) and a full size bath (Ahhhh) was 30 euros.

Next morning after breakfast we set out to walk the 20 kms to the next little station hotel situated 2 kms before the village of Coripe. I was delighted we were staying there because of the reported sharp elevation in the last few kilometers. Looking forward to a day without hills we then discovered it would be a day of railway tunnels. 20 of them to be exact. The stations had been built and the tunnels driven through the mountains but alas they had never seen a train. The longer tunnels had been fitted with lighting and instead of railway tracks a gravel path stretched out before us. Had the line survived this would have been a scenic journey because as we walked out of each tunnel we were treated to surprise after surprise as different aspects of the vast landscape were revealed.

Soon we reached the Peñon de Zeframagón Nature Reserve where over 200 pairs of vultures live in a colony on the craggy rocks of the gorge. And there they were! 40, 50, 60 soaring high and circling overhead. A wonderful sight.

We tramped on this almost level path greeting the occasional cyclist but never meeting any other walkers. At the end of the day we arrived at the Station Hostel. More modest but just as welcoming. Here the rooms were 20 euros each. Eugenio and his wife Maria could not have been more helpful. They also don't open in the evening but they were happy to serve an early dinner which was perfect. We were the only ones there whereas in summer they serve 80 lunches a day.

10 hours of sleep later we reassembled for breakfast and then set off up the hill to Coripe. It is uphill but what would have been a real pain at the end of a 20 kms day was a breeze with fresh legs. 30 mins later we passed two families having breakfast on the pavement in the sunshine outside a village bar. Errrr, breakfast outside at 10am on 23 February!

Then followed 20 kms of sublime walking under clear blue cloudless skies. By 3.30pm we were walking into Montellano our next stop. A horse and rider were clip clopping up the main street and when we got slightly lost we asked directions at a bar where there was a special outside section for the horses and riders who were being served their drinks whilst still mounted.

Soon we were in the Bar/Hostel Boby. It was as if half the local community was having lunch. Every table in the huge dining room was full. The air was filled with laughter and shouting. Children played games in around and under the tables. The owner and his son are about the most friendly people we've encountered in a Camino full of friendly receptions. From the name and the raucousness of the huge bar we didn't know what to expect of the rooms in the Bar Boby. We needn't have worried, around the corner there is the hostel with pristine rooms, comfortable beds and each room with a shower and a full bath! After a quick change we were back downstairs to eat. Thankfully things were quietening down. "What's on the Menu?" The owner started reciting a long list. "Please just feed us" we pleaded. Off he went. The usual bread, water and drinks appeared. Then two salads topped with fresh trout appeared. "Compliments of the house". He disappeared again while we munched only to reappear with two steaming bowls of potage, a delicious thick soup of garbanzos and meat.    Then roast chicken and chips appeared with a tray of various home made sauces. By this time I was filling up quickly. Unabashed he was back again.. "Postre, postre, you must have postre, we have ..." and off he went again with an indecipherable list. The Big Man elected for ice cream cake and I asked for a coffee. "Coffee? No postre? Have fruit.. Orange, apple, pineapple, banana?" "OK, thanks give me a banana please." Of course two fat bananas soon appeared with a mountainous portion of cake and ice cream for the Big Man. "Coffee, coffee! Get the señores coffee" he shouted, "and bring these liqueurs over here". Soon the bottles were lined up at the end of the table. Vodka with Carmelo, Hierbas from Galicia, a chupito of whisky? Why does this happen in Lent? I swear he was crestfallen when we refused. We asked for the bill and he rubbed his chin deep in thought. "60 euros please". It must have been my raised eyebrows because he immediately explained, "that's 20 euros each for the rooms and 10 euros each for food and drinks... And breakfast tomorrow is included, of course." Of Course! Get me a horse. I'm moving here.

Simply the best - whew!

The last few days have passed quickly as the rhythm of the Camino has become established: get up, breakfast, walk all day, shower, wash clothes, eat, sleep and repeat. In saying that there has been nothing routine about this route which has some of the best views and finest walking of my many caminos. However there are some caveats. So far there have been two or three stages which are not for the faint hearted, unprepared or inexperienced pilgrim. I also think that the way this route has been designed using local hiking trails in the National Parks which may be suitable for day walkers isn't always safe or comfortable for full rucksack carrying pilgrims.

The best, or should I say, most testing example of this is the 12 kms stage from Colmenar to Cortes de la Frontera. "Only 12 kms?" I hear you saying. That's what we thought until discovering the stage entails walking up the side of a steep gorge which is 100 metres deep. The route goes up one side then plummets down to the bottom so that you can then walk up the other side which is even higher although perhaps easier to walk. Using wire ropes as hand holds to pull yourself up this stage takes several hours longer than the 12 kms distance suggests at first sight. This national monument is affectionately called the Cañón de las Buitreras ("Vulture's Nest Canyon"). For some the most exciting part is going through a tunnel and crossing the Puente de los Alemanes, the German Bridge across the gorge. Don't look over if you are afraid of heights. In fact in one You Tube video I watched a man was crossing on hands and knees! But the vistas are of course gorgeous.

The first part of the next day to Benaojan was shrouded in early morning mist and when the sun broke through a vast green valley opened before us bounded by mountains on either side. The train track ran parallel to the walking path and soon we were in the picturesque village of Jimena de Líbar. We ate our sandwiches on a bench and just as we were set to leave the local bar opened. We stopped for coffee and chatted to the owners a husband and wife from England and Denmark who have made their life in Andalucía. The area is very popular with day walkers and the husband showed us the Wikiloc tracks he'd recorded. "Do you know the Cañon de los Buitreras?" We asked. "Oh yes, " he replied, "I was so scared I had to cross the German Bridge on hands and knees and some blighter put a video of me on You Tube!" Yes, we know.

The path continued and we followed the yellow arrows. Then came a sign in Spanish and English. The English read, "Use extreme caution there is danger of falling." I thought this was a bad translation meaning "there is a danger of landslides or falling rocks". I was soon to discover the danger was of me falling off the narrow ledges often with the aid of hand ropes. We walked high above the valley and the river below until we reached Benaojan. Next day was straightforward to Ronda although at one point it looked tantalisingly close when the path descended rapidly and we had a long slog back up again. As you can see in the photo Ronda is very beautiful. The following morning the skies were clear and blue and we enjoyed the vast panoramic views as we descended from the cliff top town.

I've concluded that the folk who designed this route must have been youthful Olympic athletes because the distances recommended are prodigious and frankly too much for me. So rather than the long stage to Olvera we decided to stop after 20 kms in Setenil de las Bodegas. This was the best decision so far because we discovered it is a quite beautiful and magical pueblo blanco built in terraces with many houses built right into the rockface. It is surrounded by dozens of homemade wine cellars, the bodegas, which sprout from the rock.

By splitting this route into bite size portions we've been able to recover from the exertions of some stages which felt like getting on a step machine for several hours. We've also been able to explore ways of walking round one or two portions which may make the route inaccesible to many pilgrims. These will be described in the walking notes which will follow.

Leaving Setenil this morning I felt that we had discovered a very special place which otherwise we might have missed.

Then it was on to Olvera. "Only 14 kms" but with several elevations enough for a good cardiovascular workout. We saw the town nestled on the hilltop and just below it the pueblo of Torre Alháquime. They sat there perfectly like siblings of different sizes. Of course the way to Olvera was to climb, climb, climb up through the steep streets of Torre Alháquime then up again to the hermitage of San Isidro. Thankfully the way flattens out from here. I hope.

High hills and castles in the air

La Línea de la Concepción to San Martín de Tesarrilo (28kms) to Los Ángeles /Jimena de la Frontera (20 kms) to El Colmenar

The route from La Línea to Seville is 234 kms long. We've planned two weeks walking with the intention of making a full set of walking notes available at the end. Therefore these blog posts are just my thoughts as we go along - the details will come later. I promise!

For the last few years I've been exploring walking routes in the South of Spain. In Andalucía in particular. Málaga and Córdoba to Merida, Valencia north on the Camino Levante, walking along the coast line of the Costa del Sol. I find the people extremely friendly, the weather fabulous if at times too hot and the scenery stunning. In particular I love the Pueblos Blancos, the villages which seem to grow out of the hillside where every house is painted white. Some even have elevators to help the locals come and go.

As well as maintaining the guidebooks which the CSJ publish to raise funds I've been thinking about how to make some of the lesser known routes more accessible to more pilgrims. When my friend Alan told me about the Via Serrana from La Línea to Seville I was hooked.

Leaving wet and cold Galicia everything seems to change arriving in the South. However despite the better weather I find La Línea de la Concepción a depressing place. It is like a run down commuter town, which I suppose it is since a large percentage of the population work in neighbouring Gibraltar.

The route to San Martín de Tesarrilo is some 28 kms with about a third on the road. Also for a first day is has a couple of nippy little elevations. The 28 kms is easily cut down to size if you wish by walking the first 8kms to the village of San Roque and bussing or taxi back to La Línea to resume next day.

Overall for these first stages the waymarking has been good and we've only had to search for the next arrow once or twice. The local Amigos have done a great job. The first tile is on the wall of the modern church of Santiago in La Línea and soon the arrows point the way out of town to the first little white hillside town of San Roque. The patrón Saint of pilgrimage!

Soon the countryside opens up to orange groves and lush fields. Whilst Andalucia can be a dry arid place in the height of summer at this time it is abundantly green as far as the eye can see. Looking back above San Roque the Rock of Gibraltar still punctuates the horizon and in fact even today in the hills high above Colmenar it could be clearly seen.

Accommodation in the village of Secadero next to San Martín de Tesarrilo was just excellent. Spotlessly clean rooms in a modest hostel with private bath for 15 euros. Dinner in the local bar was potato salad, green salad, pork chops, chocolate cake, wine, water and bread for 10 euros.

Moving on early next morning the air was cool and crisp and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Soon I became aware of the sounds of this Camino, the chorus of bells from the herds of deep brown dairy cows grazing in the fields, the neighing of the many beautiful horses we passed as this is equestrian country where polo is the local sport. As we rose higher I was struck by the sheer luscious greenness of the hills and deep valleys. This could be Scotland - albeit with different vegetation. As the day passed we saw Jimena de la Frontera on the hillside. A perfect Pueblo Blanco topped by a moorish style castle. At night it is lit and shines across the campo.

We are basing ourselves here for three nights to walk the next stages and return by train. These etapas are tough and staying in one place means we can carry less making taking notes, and walking up stiff elevations easier.

One point to make is that there are few points to stop for coffee or top up with water. Pilgrims on this route need to plan ahead.

Today walking from Jimena de la Frontera to El Colmenar was tough however the rewards came early with beautiful views of the white town sitting in the sunshine in all its splendour. Soon we were into proper mountain walking as we rose up and up. There were fantastic panoramic views which were the reward for two stretches of 200 m ascents in 2kms. There was some shade afforded by trees which also housed hundreds of chirping birds. After the first ascent as I stopped to draw breath high on the mountain a tale wagging dog approached accompanied by a deeply bronzed leather skinned shepherd.  I don't know who was more surprised but I got the distinct impression he thought we were crazy as he pointed the way... Arriba, arriba, arriba...up, up, up!

More later!

From the shadow of the Rock

Carnaval was splendid in Málaga. It was as if the whole town dressed up. There was a magnificent fashion parade and then the extravagant procession for the symbolic burial of the sardine which marks the end of the festivities before the austere season of Lent begins. Many Spanish communities have this or a similar ceremony. It is a kind of "out with the old and in with the new" event symbolising the end of the old year and the time of feasting before the penitential season of Lent which ends with Easter the most important celebration of new life in the Christian calander.

I didn't bury any sardines but I did meet up with the Big Man and two other Scottish friends for our own Fat Tuesday lunch. Wine food and conversation flowed although I suspect with our Glasgow accents the waiters thought we were from another planet.

But all good things must come to an end and on Ash Wednesday we donned our pilgrim gear, pulled on our boots and rucksacks to begin walking from La Línea de la Concepción to Sevilla via the magnificent Andalucian town of Ronda.

We boarded a packed bus and just short of three hours later the Rock of Gibraltar loomed large as we entered La Línea, the Spanish town on the frontier with the controversially British Gibraltar. La Línea is almost literally in the shadow of the Rock and a great percentage of the residents work in Gibraltar.

We checked into our hostal and made our way to Mass at the Church of Santiago where the route called the Via Serrana begins. Defined and well marked by the local amigos the route takes two weeks to walk and joins the Via de la Plata in Sevilla. My friend Alan Sykes told me about it last year. He said that one or two of the stages have the finest scenery of all of his caminos. Irresistible!

The church of Santiago in La Línea is disappointing in its modern architecture. However what it lacked in design it made up for in enthusiasm. The place was packed. Standing room only. At the end when everyone had been given their ashes a band appeared and the medal wearing brotherhood assembled to process through the streets with a statue of a very solemn looking figure of Jesus. Not being into all of this falderal we beat a hasty retreat to supper and an early night.

The walking today has been hard work but with great rewards in terms of the peaceful paths and great scenery. This is a route full of promise. I'll tell you more as the days pass.

For now we have rooms with private bath and heating for 15 euros each! Supper awaits downstairs.

A lasting memory of the day was the security guard at the tourist office in the little town of San Roque some 8kms from La Línea. Still in sight of Gibraltar he asked "English?" When we replied "no Scottish" his smile said it all.

Setting out again

Tomorrow I leave Santiago to go to Malaga and from there to La Linea de La Concepcion to start walking. No matter how many thousands of miles I've tramped on pilgrimage routes I still get excited and nervous.  My gear is laid out on the bed. New boots have been purchased and tried out. My rucksack sits there expectantly, ready to be packed. I'm reading again and again the websites and the accounts which my amigo Alan Sykes published. I know this route has some stiff elevations but Alan says some of the vistas are the best in all of his walking. And he is a prodigious walker.

Meeting up with the Big Man, we'll lunch in Malaga on Shrove Tuesday with two friends from  Scotland and then on the morning of Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, we'll set off to La Linea and the Camino. That's the plan.

My plan is also to start writing on this blog again. I'm grateful to those who have written to say that they miss my scribbles.  It is now 10 years since that first Camino which changed my life and as well as walking a lot...and writing a dozen or so books I also came to live in Santiago and these last years here have been a Camino of a type in themselves.  In the coming months I'm going to start to write about them.

But first a period of reflection and a Camino during which I'll try to get back to what I started off doing, simply telling stories of my journey for my fellow pilgrims.

Buen Camino

John      

http://www.johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot.com

https://www.amazon.com/Johnnie-Walker/e/B06XT5CRHV

Amazon.com: Johnnie Walker: Books, Biography, Blog ... www.amazon.com Visit Amazon.com's Johnnie Walker Page and shop for all Johnnie Walker books. Check out pictures, bibliography, and biography of Johnnie Walker