Week 4 + Camino Aragones

Week 4 Jaca to Arres 25 kms
I found a bar open and managed to start with a coffee today. The route back to Sta Cilia was easier than I found it yesterday.


These funny men were all along the edge of the wood!

An alternative route to San Juan de la Pena

This part had been beautifully paved but they forgot about water spilling over the stones!



I don't know it these were for heating or cooking but every old house has one

The bridge at Puente de la Reina de Jaca

Looking the other way

Some more funny little men!

The final 3 kms were first uphill and then along a narrow path, it was very pretty but seemed to go on for ages and there was no sign of a village, suddenly I rounded a bend and a tiny village appeared, up on the hillside. 

Some more pretty flowers

The Albergue is lovely and there are volunteer hospitaleros who cook dinner and provide breakfast.

Day 26 Arres to Ruesta 30 kms

We agreed to get up at 7 and have breakfast at 7.30. It was actually one of those mornings when I could have slept for longer. It was another lovely morning, the walk was mostly flat with an occasional slight rise.

Now on the other side I would have had to wade through this.

I hope she had another pair of boots!

There was only one village between Arres and Ruesta and as that was 0.7 kms off the track I decided to pass it by. I had enough food with me to manage a small picnic. I wanted to stop overlooking the reservoir but there was a picnic area just outside Artieda so I decided to stop there, I couldn't be sure of finding such a suitable place further on.

My first view of the reservoir.

The countryside is littered with these eroded hills, they look like someone has just dumped a load of cement, though some are positively lunar.

When I got near the reservoir I found they are building a road along the edge so I was a bit perplexed by these signs protesting at the enlargement of the reservoir but, apparently the new road is just a service road, to transport materials down for the enlarging. The Camino de Santiago will be very different in a year or so.

The albergue here in Ruesta is in a completely ruined village. It is a real shame, the village had a castle and a Gothic church but the people were impoverished and left without a means of livelihood when the valley was flooded.

Day 27 Ruesta to Sanguesa 22 kms

Having been 6 at Arres we turned out to be only 2 in Ruesta, but we agreed in requesting breakfast at 07.30 and then set off. In fact I had a walking companion for most of the day, very strange for me, I don't usually walk with anyone. The walk started by descending steeply, then it went up again more gradually.

Last view of Ruesta

Then down again, fortunately not so steeply this time. Then to Undues, at 11 kms, by this time I was gagging for a coffee and a rest. It is a strange little town, very well preserved and cared for but lacking in life and atmosphere.

This poor pilgrim turned to stone!

From Undues it was flattish into Sanguesa, we passed into Navarra.

Sanguesa seems to be a town that has seen better times, it has some impressive historical architecture but many places are run down and businesses are closed or closing.

The albergue here is run by an Association for the mentally incapacitated. I didn't realise at first, I couldn't understand the attitude of the hospitalera  and I missed the little notice outside. I felt very guilty about judging the lass when Andreas pointed it out.

Day 28 Sanguesa to Izco 18kms

We had breakfast in the Cafeteria/Panaderia near to the albergue, where my croissant was stale! You would imagine that in a bakers you could get fresh bread.

The walk out of town was fine but from then it was 6.6 kms steadily uphill. It was really hard going, then there was a little bit downhill and then even more uphill. The path was horrible, dried mud, but not at all smooth, it had been ruined by something in recent rain, plus there was mud and water in every dip. I got gradually more and more fed up and walked slower and slower. In the end I decided that this is the end, I'll pass on Burgos and Sto Domingo de Silos. I decided that if I were to stop at Izco I would arrive in Puente de la Reina on Sunday and would be able to get home on Monday or Tuesday.

Actually the walk was through lovely countryside but I was so busy looking at where I was putting my feet that I missed most of it.



 Day 29 Izco to Tiebas 23 kms

Izco has a strange albergue and I didn't like it. It is part of the Social Club but not separated. it is as if someone had a bright idea that if they put some bunk beds in the spare room they could call it an albergue and make money, without limiting their own uses of the premises. They also had a monopoly on food and drink as they run a kind of shop and the only bar is the one in the social club, and the prices are raised for pilgrims. What really turned me off the place was when I found men just wondering through the albergue and using it as a through way, it might not have been so bad if I hadn't been on my own. It happened in the evening, if it had happened earlier in the day I may possibly have left and walked on.

The first 9 kms from Izco were on a concrete path, someone had stamped on these shells. I started walking without my fleece as it seemed warm but there were storm clouds brewing and a cold wind so I had to stop to put it on. Fortunately the storm never materialised and I soon had to take my fleece off again. I stopped for a coffee in Monreal, there is a small shop in the bar so I looked to see if there was anything I should buy, but I wasn't sure what I would find in Tiebas and I understood that there is a shop there so I didn't buy.
After Monreal was on a path, there were several small villages and a path through a wood with lots of pretty flowers.

Vista of Pamplona

I think this is Alto de Perdon, but I may be wrong.

The castle of Tiebas

There are large quarries, the stone is beautiful.

When I got to Tiebas the albergue was shut and my phone wouldn't work, probably because I had dropped it at one point. I went to the bar and, fortunately, found the hospitalero there. There is no shop but the albergue has a small store of provisions, fortunately I had mostly what I needed. It's a very well equipped albergue, with washing machine and dryer, but nowhere to hang small washing and I had done a big wash in Ruesta. There is also a TV and as I was on my own I watched films in English, I actually got to see the end of 'Crocodile Dundee' I don't think I'd ever watched it through before:)

Day 30 Tiebas to Puente de la Reina 18 kms

I got up to find threatening clouds again but they cleared quickly. It was a lovely day and a lovely walk. I was happy and walking well. My theme for the day was; 'I was born under a wandering star', I haven't felt like singing for the last few days so I must be feeling better.

The village of Eneriz was supposed to have a bar but if it had it was well hidden, I wanted a coffee but I had to do without.



 I was in a hurry to reach Puente de la Reina as the battery of my mobile was almost flat and the last time I was there there only seemed to be one plug, at least I remember seeing lots of mobiles dangling off a plug in the bathroom, I needn't have worried there are more now!

Eunate was closed so I only saw the outside.

The last time I was there it was also a miserably cold day so I didn't look around too much, this time I had a good look, and took photos. There are lots and lots of pilgrims.

Day 31 The end!

When I arrived in Puente de la Reina I felt a bit ambivalent about stopping but being woken at 6 by people banging around quite convinced me that it is time to stop. It may have been quiet, and sometimes lonely on the Catalan, and even the Aragones, but that was preferable to hundreds of people rushing around. If I ever do the Frances again it will be early Spring or late Autumn.

So, it was a bus to Pamplona where I managed to get the last ticket for the train home. I hadn't thought about Holy Week being a problem for travelling and, being British, the idea of numbers of travellers being limited just never occurred to me. In Britain you get a ticket alright, you just have to stand:)

I won't be doing my 4th Monastery this time, Sto Domingo de Silos will have to wait but the other 3 were wonderful. I have really enjoyed this camino, despite my moans, and I have been exceedingly fortunate with the weather because some days could have been very different. If you are thinking about doing it go for it. Ultreia!

Walked 663 kms



Week 4 caminos Catalan and Aragones

Week 4 Day 22 Sarsamacuello to Ena 25.8kms

The morning was cool but sunny, though there were threatening rain clouds over the mountains to my right. The wind was easier but still quite blowy.

The view back over Sarsamacuello

The sign for a Via Pecuario or drovers way

The profile I had seen said mostly downhill but this was far from true. There is a castle of Marcuello, very much in ruins, about 4.5 kms from Sarsamacuello but also about 300 metres higher, so my day started with a steep climb into the mountains. The info displayed near the castle said that we were above 1000 metres. This was really re-assuring as the climb had not caused me any major problems and San Juan de la Peña is only 1125 metres.

 

 

The route today was beautiful there was a down which was steep and nasty but fortunately the paths are mostly dry. 

 

  

This just looks like a path but you should have seen the drop on either side!

The view coming out on the other side.

I think this is a bee orchid!

The station at Sta Maria de la Peña

It was in the mountains until Sta Maria de la Peña, after that it was mostly flat for a while and a route along the roadway. Then I had one of those 'You can't be serious' moments. I looked at the path, what path? and said; 'No way' but I had to.

 

 

After a couple of hundred metres it suddenly broke into beautiful countryside, a really narrow path, through countryside, with a stream on one side and lots of pretty flowers, and I heard my first cuckoo. There were patches of mud, the area was enclosed to protect cattle but there was none to be seen, but lots of evidence of horses. It seems the animals here are all phantom. The walk took a long time and there was nowhere to sit and rest.

 

 I had read that it could be necessary to paddle as the rate of flow of the streams is regulated by a reservoir higher up. I did. 3 times I had to take off my boots and paddle through freezing cold, fast flowing water.

 



Trying to put socks on wet feet whilst standing up is an interesting experience! There were also moments when my brain said; 'You can't get across that' and my feet agreed but I had to persuade them there was no alternative and go for it. 

All in all today's walk was brilliant. The scenery is wonderful, one of the best days so far.

Ena is a lovely little town with fancy chimneys, designed so that the snow doesn't enter.

The albergue is really well equipped and new, much better than I expected.

 

Day 23 Ena to Sta Cilia de Jaca 22.2

The day started sunny and soon got warm. The first stage was Ena to Botayo, I thought this would be relatively easy. At about 3 kms I had to paddle again, this was fairly deep and at 8.30 in the morning, very cold.

 

 I looked at my info, it said that at 4 kms 'after various crossings of the stream' I would arrive at something. I wish they had quantified various! I reckoned that if I had to paddle various times over about 1 km I would keep my crocs on it was to much like hard work changing my footwear all the time. I had to paddle and wade 5 times, my feet were very, very cold by the time I had finished. When I was sure that I was moving away from the sound of running water I found a rock, sat down, put my boots on and had a rest. the rest of the walk to Botayo was not too bad, then there was the serious climb to the monastery. It was only 2.5 kms but very steep.

 

There were lots of pretty spring flowers including the anemones I like so much.

 

The top was the New Monastery, then there was a steep down to the Old Monastery. A lot of it was earth path which would have been very unpleasant if it had been wet.

These were caterpillars making the journey across the road!

I felt euphoric when I got to the old monastery, I'd done it. I completely forgot that there has to be a coming down as well! The path down was also very steep but there were some breath-taking views of the Pyrenees, good reasons for stopping to take in the view!!

 

  It was getting well into the afternoon and it was very hot.

At Sta Cruz de la Seros I was going to have a cup of coffee but it was so late I stopped and ate half the 'bocadillo' (large sandwich) I was carrying. I was also in trouble I had forgotten to get money in Huesca and there had been no opportunity since so I was almost broke. I decided to continue to Sta Cilia and then have a beer. It was a very long walk even though it was only 22kms.

The sign were the caminos joined.

 I was exhausted when I arrived and I found the bar closed.. There is no kitchen at Sta Cilia so I had the rest of my bocadillo, some chocolate and tap water! I was on my own!

I have finished the Catalan Camino and really enjoyed it. I feel I have achieved something big for me. I would heartily recommend it to anyone. From Montserrat it is well signed and there is a good infrastructure, up to Montserrat it is less well signed and no albergues as such but the first part was super.

It needs to be done when the paths are dry, some of the ups and downs would be lethal when wet. And remember to bring rubber shoes!!

Day 24 Sta Cilia to Jaca 15 kms

I have walked the camino backwards today. I met 4 pilgrims going the other way. I found it hard work walking today, maybe after the exertions of the last couple of days, but possibly because I needed some food and a coffee. The weather is also very hot, T-shirts by 10a.m. and warm until sun down. The hospitalera told me the bar opened early, but it wasn't open at 7.30.

I've now got some money, I've had access to computers.

 

 I've visited the Cathedral, which was closed for renovation last time I was here, and there are 5 pilgrims here. There is an Italian couple who have invited us to a communal meal tonight, so things are looking up :)