The moment has finally arrived: I’m off to Almería. Everything went smoothly yesterday as I traveled by train and bus to the airport hotel in Rotterdam. I slept well at the Ibis hotel in Rotterdam and made the three-minute trip to the departure hall the next morning. The flight went smoothly, too, and before I knew it, I was standing at the bus stop in Almería, waiting for the bus into the city center. The temperature here is pleasant; the app says 20 degrees, but it feels more like 22 or 23. After getting my backpack sorted at the hotel, I headed out to explore the city. There’s a large cathedral here with towering palm trees out front—a beautiful sight!

Further up the rise lies the Alcazaba, a walled Moorish fortress from times past. It is a beautiful sight, featuring many ancient excavations; it is a vast complex perched atop a hill, overlooking the city and the sea. This evening, I am meeting someone from the local Camino association. They will explain the access procedures for the various albergues (hostels) in the province—the doors often require entry codes. They will also point out locations where rivers may have flooded due to the heavy rainfall over the past week. And then, tomorrow, the first day of walking.

I’m meeting someone from the local Camino association this evening. They’re going to explain the access procedures for the various albergues (hostels) here in the province; the doors often have keypad codes. They’ll also point out locations where rivers may have flooded due to the heavy rainfall over the past week. And then, tomorrow, the first day of walking.

Date: 04-04-2024
Distance: 24 km

Finally on the road. I had breakfast at the hotel this morning and took things easy. There wasn't a huge distance planned, so I didn't need to get up extra early. I left the hotel at 8:30 and headed north. Almería is a fairly large city—and an elongated one, too—so it took a while to get out of town. After that, the route led me for a few kilometers along a dry riverbed. It was tricky going; due to the heavy rainfall over the past few days, it wasn't completely dry, and there was a lot of mud in many places, making the walk difficult.

Eventually, I left the riverbed and walked along the road for a stretch. There were many orange trees along the roadside, still laden with fruit. Plenty of citrus (lemon) trees here, too. It was quite a contrast seeing these trees with snow-capped mountains in the background.
I finally arrived in Santa Fe. It’s a lovely albergue with three beds per room. I ended up sharing a room with two South Africans; a Spaniard was in another room, and two more hikers were in a third. I made a quick trip to the local shop—they had just three bottles of drinking water left—and then had a beer and some tapas at the bar. A nice, short route ahead for tomorrow!

Date: 05-04-2024
Distance: 16 km

What a great albergue in Santa Fe. Everything is practically new—good beds, clean, and even towels for everyone; it’s almost like a hotel! I had breakfast at the local café this morning. Fortunately, it wasn't as noisy as yesterday afternoon; man, those Spaniards really shout. I decided to set off early anyway, despite the short distance today. It was forecast to reach 26 degrees, and there were a couple of decent climbs involved. The trail started going uphill right after leaving the albergue—nothing too bad, but enough to get a sweaty back 😀. After that, there was another stretch through that dry riverbed that keeps reappearing—though not for very long this time, thankfully. After the first hill, the path dropped sharply; it was incredibly steep.

Glad it’s dry; otherwise, it would be unmanageable. Beautiful surroundings, by the way—mountains dotted with white villages and snow-capped peaks in the background. Before the second hill, there was a small village with a bar that had a terrace. Time for a sandwich and a cup of coffee! Tomorrow’s route is quite a bit longer and involves more elevation gain. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get too hot!

Date: 06-04-2024
Distance: 32 km

A terrible day today; for starters, I slept really badly. I was in bed before 10 p.m. but heard the clock strike 1 a.m., and the first people were already getting up at 5 a.m. I managed to hold out until 6 a.m. before finally getting up myself. I went to the toilet three times 😀 and wolfed down some toast. Then I set off. There was beautiful lighting on the first mountain I passed. Straight into that dreadful dry riverbed again. Walking there is absolutely miserable—it turned out I walked 20 km through it! After a while, I felt like I was missing something. It turned out I’d been walking without my poles for 2.5 km. Damn—I quickly headed back to where I’d slept. On the way, I ran into the last people who had left the albergue. When I arrived, the hospitalera was fortunately still there. She probably felt so sorry for me that she offered to drive me 3 km along the trail. Naturally, I didn't say no to that. So, fortunately, it all worked out in the end!

In the first village I passed through, I grabbed a tasty baguette with cheese—after all, a guy’s got to eat. Since it was Saturday, half the village was in the pub; the noise they were making was incredible! After that, I walked a long stretch along a beautiful path lined with orange trees. They were in bloom, yet still bore fruit from the previous year. The blossoming trees smelled absolutely amazing—a scent unlike anything I’d ever smelled before! Just before Abla, the Sierra Nevada park begins, featuring high mountains still capped with snow. It was a shame I couldn't get a good photo of them. Once I reached Abla, getting to the *albergue* turned out to be a bit of a challenge; it was located at the far end of the sprawling village, involving a 100-meter climb. Oops—I was absolutely wiped out!

Date: 07-04-2024
Distance: 21 km

Last night, I had tapas at the local bar because the restaurant didn't open until 8:30. Not a bad choice! I had a beer there with the two brothers (one South African, one Australian) and then we picked out some tapas. The whole table was covered in small dishes, accompanied by a nice bottle of wine. It was a fun evening.

This morning, I laced up my shoes with renewed energy and set off. It was cloudy, and the temperature was pleasant. After walking a few kilometers along a paved road, I had to get back into that wretched river. What a nightmare. Before long, the clouds cleared and it got a lot hotter—just what I needed. The river kept getting narrower and harder to walk in, but well, there was no other option!

Arrived in Hueneja around 1 o'clock; first I took a shower, did some laundry, got my gear ready, and went looking for a place to have dinner tonight (but first, a beer 😀).

It’ll all work out.

Date: 08-04-2024
Distance: 19 km

This morning, I had breakfast first and then headed back to the albergue for a quick bathroom break. I set off after 8:00 a.m., when it had already been light for half an hour. It was a beautiful route today—stunning vistas, mountains, snow-capped peaks, and—fortunately—not an dried up river.

I also passed the first castle today. It was beautifully situated atop a hill—too high to just pop up for a look! Castillo de la Calahorra. Just before that, there is an area where Clint Eastwood movies were filmed. Cowboy movies—I can certainly picture that here. The temperature was still pleasantly warm today. Not quite as hot as the day before yesterday, but still very manageable. From tomorrow, I’ll be walking up to an altitude of 1,400 meters; the temperature will drop significantly, but the sun will keep shining, and there’s no rain in the forecast yet. Tomorrow I’m heading to Guadix, which is at a higher elevation!

Date: 09-04-2024
Distance: 22 km

It was only going to be about 5 degrees when I set off this morning, so I dressed warmly. A trek of just over 20 km today—including a decent climb—should be manageable. Despite the chilly start, my back was soon quite sweaty during the first 150 meters of a steep ascent 😀. This region has a long history of iron ore mining; I came across a massive open-pit mine yesterday, and today I saw some ancient mines in the mountains. The scenery was beautiful again today, and there were a few narrow streams I had to cross. It rained quite a bit here last week, so there is a lot of water flowing down the mountain; sometimes I had to take off my shoes just to get across.

There is a striking number of almond trees here—something I had never seen before—along with the olive trees that are so common in this area. You don't see grapevines here, nor do you see the orange trees found further south.

I saw a beautiful castle yesterday, but here in Guadix—a place known for its many cave dwellings—there is also a castle right in the town. It was too far to walk to. This is also the first place where I’ve seen a lot of tourists: Germans, French, and Dutch. Tomorrow I’m heading to La Peza; it’s the same distance as today’s leg, and I’m hoping for the same kind of weather, too.

Date: 10-04-2024 
Distance: 35 km

The plan for today was to walk to La Peza—a 22 km trek with quite a bit of elevation change. It was pleasantly cool when I set off, but the exertion soon warmed me up nicely. There are very few level streets in Guadix. After a quick breakfast, I headed back out into the wild; the terrain between the villages is quite rugged. Many of the local villages are charming white settlements featuring cave dwellings—they look great and stay nice and cool in the summer.

I was walking with the two brothers; we get along well. Upon arriving in La Peza, we managed to get a hot meal at the bar just in time; there hadn't been any opportunity to eat in the preceding villages. We finished our meal at 2:15 PM and wondered if we shouldn't just walk a bit further. The next day involved a 28 km trek with significant elevation gain. So, we decided to push on for another 13 km to the next village. While covering 13 km in two and a half hours was certainly doable, we hadn't factored in the elevation changes—and that turned out to be quite a challenge.

Over the course of the day, we hiked 1,240 meters up and 830 meters down. We arrived in Tocon at 5:30, utterly exhausted.

Fortunately, tomorrow is only about 15 kilometers.

Date: 11-04-2024
Distance: 15 km

I slept well last night at the albergue in Tocón de Quéntar. When I got up and pulled back the curtains to look out over the valley, it felt like being in another world. I got dressed and headed to a small restaurant for the inevitable tostada con mantequilla y mermelada. It was pleasantly cool again, and by 8 o'clock, the sun was already rising warmly over the mountains.

Date: 12-04-2024
Distance: 12 km

I decided to walk along the road to Granada today because a 350-meter climb awaited me right after setting off. The road route was nice and flat, so that was the preferred option today 😀

As a result, I didn't take many photos. However, once I arrived in Granada, it was definitely worth snapping a picture. There were tourists everywhere—and Spaniards, of course—all around. It was a strange sensation to suddenly have so many people around me; I wasn't used to it anymore.

Date: 13-04-2024
Distance: 35 km

Had a lovely breakfast with the sisters this morning. Also sharing the breakfast room was a whole group of Germans with pious expressions and sensible sandals—clearly a church-sponsored excursion visiting all the churches and the cathedral in Granada. As I left, the nuns thanked me warmly and insisted I come back again. I have to say, the place was spotlessly clean and the rooms were well-maintained; it wouldn't be a bad place to stay for a few days. A pity they didn't have a little bar, though 😀

I walked through the center of Granada. It was shocking to see so many homeless people wandering around and sleeping in doorways; seeing dozens on a single street wasn't unusual.

We soon left the suburbs and industrial areas behind to head back into nature. It was lovely to still see the snow-capped mountains in the distance. Today, the route followed the railway tracks for about 6 kilometers, exposed to the blazing sun with no shade. It is getting hotter here; the temperature was set to reach around 26 degrees today. It ended up being far too hot, especially because the road climbed steeply just before Moclín—a town perched on a mountain at an altitude of 1,060 meters. It was a climb from 520 meters up over a distance of 3 kilometers. I felt like I was dying three times on that stretch. It was brutal—almost impossible.

Date: 14-04-2024 
Distance: 22 km

I slept well at the *casa rural* on the Plaza Mayor. There was a bar next door that stayed lively past midnight, but earplugs saved the day. I had breakfast before setting off. There was no butter for the toasted baguette—no margarine either. Here, they put olive oil or puréed tomatoes on the bread, often topped with a few slices of cured ham. It’s all tasty enough, but I don’t care for tomato purée on bread, and olive oil straight on bread doesn't agree with me. I’ll spare you the details.

It was already hot early on; noticeably, it’s getting hotter by the day. That’s particularly tough when you have to tackle a lot of ups and downs. It wasn't too bad today, though I wouldn't have minded it being a bit cooler. The scenery was beautiful, with olive trees dominating the landscape.

You also see almond trees quite often. I arrived in Alcalá la Real around a quarter past three. It is a fairly large town, yet everything was closed by five o'clock in the afternoon. Fortunately, I was still able to enjoy a good meal with a French couple at a bar—bacalau, which was actually quite tasty (if you don't like Fish).

By the way, here too there’s a castle perched on a mountain! I thought it was a bit too far to walk there.

Date: 15-04-2024
Distance: 25 km

The local football club must have won yesterday, because there was a huge celebration in the square in front of the hostel. There was a lot of singing and partying—though it wasn't clear exactly what the occasion was. Things quieted down around midnight, and I fell asleep. This morning, I had breakfast at the bar downstairs and immediately ran into two other hikers. They were all people who had taken two days for a certain stretch—unlike Marcus and me (and the Swiss-German hiker), who did it in one. A group of about ten people is already starting to form.

Today’s route involved fewer hills—though they were still present, they weren't particularly high—and the weather was warmer than yesterday. It was forecast to reach 28 degrees, and it was already heating up. The hills were manageable, and there was supposed to be a bar or a shop in the first (and only) village along the way. Upon arrival, however, I discovered the bar was gone and there was no shop either. It was right in the middle of the route, and I had been looking forward to a cup of coffee. Oh well—time to press on. Half an hour later, I simply sat by the path snacking on some nuts—making do with what I had.

It turned out there was a castle in Alcaudete, too—that seems to be the trend around here; every decent-sized village has something of the sort. After settling into the guesthouse, I headed out to the castle. It was an uphill trek to the top, of course, but the view was lovely and there was a nice breeze. There wasn't a soul around—after all, what kind of madman would hike up there in the heat of the day? 😀

There is a lot of decay here in the villages, including houses that still retain beautiful original features. In a few years, those will be gone too.

Right, time to head back down to my room and turn on the AC. 😀

Date: 16-04-2024
Distance: 25 km

I had a bit of a rough start this morning. I woke up at 1:30 a.m. with pain in my left foot. After some snipping and cutting to treat two blisters, I managed to get back to sleep, but it’s still not comfortable. I taped everything up again this morning and hit the road after breakfast—taking it one step at a time. After taking 1,000 mg of paracetamol and 400 mg of ibuprofen, the pain subsided and I was able to walk normally again. I hope I have enough supplies with me to treat it; otherwise, it could become a bit of a problem.

I didn't take many photos today, because—aside from my feet hurting—it was also really hot. What did catch my eye, though, were the beautiful wildflowers. Heaps of poppies, but other flowers too.

Upon arriving in Baeña, I checked into the albergue I had booked. Naturally, it turned out to be located at the highest point of the village, right next to the church. A beautiful room with a lovely view!

Date: 17-04-2024
Distance: 22 km

Today’s route is shorter, and it’s supposed to be flat, too. That works out well, because it’s scorching hot here and my blisters are really bothering me. That "flat" part is relative, though—they always manage to throw a hill in there somewhere.

It was the same story today: mostly flat, with a few tough hills. I didn't take many photos, as it’s been much of the same lately. I did have a delicious salad today, though! 😀😀

My blisters are really starting to give me trouble now. I have two blisters on each foot the size of an inch. I haven't had blisters in years, and I don't understand how I’ve suddenly got them now. They’re in the same spot on both feet. Same shoes as always, same socks—I don't get it, but I can't go on like this. I’m starting to rely too much on paracetamol and ibuprofen; that’s fine for a little while, but not really good for more than a week. I’ll give it some serious thought in bed tonight.

Date: 18-04-2024

I’ve given it some more thought and decided to stop. As I wrote yesterday, I’m suffering badly from blisters with no sign of improvement. I’ve acted on that decision immediately; I’ll soon be taking the bus to Córdoba and then the train to Málaga. I’ve changed my flight, and tomorrow morning I’m flying straight back to Rotterdam. It’s a real shame, as it’s a beautiful Camino, but it has to remain enjoyable.

I’ll pick up where I left off in Córdoba next April! See you then.