Baena to Castro del Río (22.8km)

After a day walking around Baena, it's interesting how we seemed to know the town well, as we were leaving this morning, recognising streets and buildings of the old town.

It wasn't long before we found our first arrow and mojón. We were out of the peri-urban area reasonably quickly, and we were back into olive groves country.

It's just amazing how this monoculture extends as far as the eye can see, up steep slopes. In Baena, the owner of one of the groceries shop said that the best olive oil was found here. I told him that Jaén claimed to be the world capital of olive oil. He acknowledged, saying that Jaén had more olive trees, but that it was only in Baena that one found the best olive oil.

It was a nice walk to start with, with a few hills. However, it wasn't long before we came to a road. The A-3125, which was a little bit busy, took us to the bridge over the river Guadajoz. Then, the CP-325 led us all the way to Castro del Río. Had we not had to walk on a road, it could have been quite bucolic. We would get close to the river every now and then, and there was agricultural activity, such as a goat farm, tree nurseries, tractors on the road.

Castro del Río also boasts a castle, which we will have to visit another time. We crossed the town to get to our accommodation at the Hostal A Ka La Sole.

This was our last day walking the Camino Mozárabe. We have enjoyed the walk. Over the days, we have increased our endurance, which had made it easier for the most recent stages.

Tomorrow, we're taking a bus to Córdoba, and catching a train to Málaga. We'll then fly to Switzerland, to give support to Rachel's sister.

We'll be back in Málaga in November, as planned, to see our son, his wife and our gorgeous grandsons. As they will be living there for the foreseeable future, we know we'll be able to return to the Camino Mozárabe.Read more