Alcalá la Real

We knew today's stage was longer than what we would like. We had a plan B: to call a taxi after about 15.5km, where the Camino crosses a main road before arriving at Alcalá la Real.

Well, we didn't need the plan B 😊 When we were approaching the decision point, I asked Rachel how she was feeling, and she said she wanted to walk all the way. She even quipped that she wanted to earn her rest day tomorrow! Looks like her Camino legs are getting stronger!

We left Moclín, leaving behind us a beautiful sunrise. Most of the walk except for a little bit, was on a gravel track, with a good descent down from Moclín, and then up and up and up through an olive orchard. We would stop, look back, and be in awe of the views.

Most of the views were of olive groves, although we noticed there were more ploughed fields now. Looking at old gnarly olive trees, we wondered how old they were...

The sky was overcast as we set of this morning, and the weather forecast was for rain at the end of the morning. As we walked the village of Cequia, a few elderly residents urged us not to get wet.

We did feel a few drops as we came to Ermita Nueva. It was time for us to have lunch, and we found a bus shelter to stay dry.

A bit further down, there is a cheese shop and factory, where we bought some cheese, empanadillas de cabello de ángel, and tortas de almendras.

Having bought the cheese, we reflected that we hadn't seen goat herds around. And there just a few bends in the road, we saw goats. We also saw sheep, grazing under photovoltaic panels.

The Fortaleza de la Mota appeared after a few other bends in the road. Different from the ruins we saw yesterday at Moclín. And as we're staying at the Mirador Tierra de la Frontera, we have a great view of the Fortaleza, at sunset, and all lit up after dark.

Tomorrow is a rest day, and we'll stay fit by climbing to the Fortaleza.Read more