Day 20: Almogia to Villanueva de la Conc

Day 20, from Almogia to Villanueva de la Concepción, 20.5km.
With the rain of the last few days, the official who opened the albergue in Almogia last night, told us that we might have to take the road to Villanueva de la Concepción, rather than the Camino.
This morning everything looked dry, it hadn't rained overnight. We looked at the map and thought we would try to follow the Camino. There were several exits in the first half of the stage to get to the road if things went wrong, so there was not much risk of getting stuck.
The exit from the pueblo is down a steep incline, and shortly afterwards we followed a path through the olive trees. An ascent and we were on an unsealed road. At first it was fine, but a little further on, the surface became clayey. It didn't stick to the shoes, but we had to be careful on the downhill, to avoid slipping.
Just before km 5, we came at a crossroads. We had to decide whether we walked on the road, or whether we continued on the Camino. We looked at the satellite images of the path, and my darling said, "I'm game! Let's go!"
We moved away from the safety of the sealed road, and continued our Camino. It is a beautiful path, with magnificent views, and we arrived safely at the mirador of Puerto Pacheco. A view of the whole valley ahead, and we could see Villanueva de la Concepción and El Torcal behind. Fabulous.
But then, what looked like a nice country road on a satellite image turned out not to be the case. Indeed, 500 meters after the mirador, the clay on the road fell in love with our shoes and stuck to our soles. Unfortunately, there was no way out. We had to continue, cleaning our shoes regularly on rocks at the edge of the path that runs alongside barley fields.
Fortunately, it didn't last too long, and we ended up at the carretera A-7075. Traffic can be quite heavy here, and the Camino route has been changed to avoid it, following country lanes and paths, which in dry weather would have covered our shoes with dust. But not today. The clay got heavier. In a few steps, our shoes weighed 10kg more, the thickness of the clay under our soles made us rise 10cm. We didn't move forward anymore, we dragged ourselves.
When we finally reach the carretera again, we gladly got rid of our clay clogs.
After passing the Puente Horcajo, built in 1787 during the reign of Carlos III, we finally arrived in Villanueva de la Concepción from the west.
Enjoying a tasty almuerzo at the Mesón Bar Jiménez, we looked back on the day. If we had to do it again, we would do it again. It's still better than doing 19km entirely on a tarmac road!
The albergue here is a little better than the one in Almogia. There are separate showers and toilets for men and women, and there is a kitchen, even with a washing machine. But not a cutlery or kitchen utensil in sight.
No matter: a roof is all that is needed when rain is forecast.
We're actually staying in a studio at the Apartamentos Villa Torcal, where a number of members of Ivar's Forum have stayed. Much more comfortable.Read more