Via de La Plata-big challenge!

The day dawned beautiful. Bright blue skies, perfect walking weather.

There are two options for day one, walk along the river to Santiponce or go by road via Camas. We decided to stick with the roads rather than risk getting caught by flooding along the river. As it turned out a wise move. Road walking is hard going but we made good time and dry shoes!

Santiponce has a wealth of Roman antiquities and we visited the Monastery

The Monastery of San Isidoro del Campo, founded in 1301 by Alonso Pérez de Guzmán and María Alonso Coronel on a site near the ruins of Itálica where, according to tradition, Saint Isidore of Seville was buried.

In 1432, the Hieronymite Order replaced the Cistercians, carrying out a profound reform of the Monastery, which was reflected in the concept of monastic life and substantially in its decoration. In the mid-16th century, a reformist religious movement emerged in Seville, in which the friars of this Monastery participated. This led to the imprisonment of several monks and the flight of others from Spain, among them Casiodoro de Reina, author of the first translation of the Bible into Castilian, known as the Bear Bible.

In this unique fortress monastery, with a double church, the Gothic style juxtaposes clear influences from Languedoc and Mudejar, in which the Almohad tradition is evident. In contrast to the Cistercian austerity, the Hieronymite monastery is decorated with mural paintings that possibly form one of the most remarkable collections in all of Spain. The monastery was expanded and enriched over the centuries, eventually boasting a tower, a bell gable, five cloisters, and, alongside the monastic quarters, the procurator's office, the inn, and the agricultural facilities typical of these institutions that sought to be self-sufficient. The medieval core's buildings are arranged around the Cloister of the Dead: churches, refectory, sacristy, chapter house, etc

Archaeological Site of Italica

The Roman city of Italica , located in present-day Santiponce , was founded by Publius Cornelius Scipio "The African" in 206 BC, in the context of the Second Punic War , he defeated the Carthaginians at the Battle of Ilipa and established a detachment of legionaries on the Cerro de San Antonio.

It was the birthplace of the emperors Trajan, the first Roman emperor born in a province, and Hadrian , and during his reign (117-138 AD) it acquired the status of a colony, thus becoming administratively equivalent to a metropolis.

Also the amphitheater which we couldn’t actually get into but could look over.

After Santiponce you then go off road which felt so good until we hit the flooded spots. Mud and water. We managed to navigate round most of it by going up along the field edges, a bit soft in places but better than getting really wet feet. We encountered one walker who thought he’d be ok, all I can say is he was a muddy mess!!

Lots of wild flowers and a field of cattle and a few donkeys, and two huge dogs which were fortunately behind a tall fence

We are now in the town of Guillena having walked around 25 kms, the route was 21 but obviously the wandering around adds to the total.Läs mer