Getting Back to the Camino

If you stay at El Yelmo, you do not have to go all the way back to town to get on the Camino. Here is a rough map with some photos and instructions to help shave about 2 to 3 kilometers off your walk  

I'll post the map then the instructions. 

1.  Walk back down the hill toward town. If you stayed at the Casa Rural you will walk UP the hill a few meters. 

2.  Turn into El Tranco's driveway. Coming from El Yelmo you will turn right. Coming from Casa Rural you will turn left

3. Walk straight back to the trailhead that goes to the hermitage. (Ermita)

4. Cross the little bridge over the river. The trail then bears to the left. 

5.  Continue on that same path. You will pass some white houses. 

6.  Keep straight. You will pass this cool gate on your right and soon you will come to a curve to the right. There are two trash bins here. 

7.  Keep to the path. It winds a bit. You will pass an old Mill on your left and if you look up and back, you will see the Hermitage. 

8.  Soon you are again in a residential area. There are another row of trash cans. There you will see a sign for Calle Guadalquivir. Turn right on this street. 

9.  Walk all the way to the end of this street. It dead ends at a busier road. Cross over carefully and walk up to the dirt track. Turn RIGHT!

People told us to turn left.

That is wrong.

I followed my gut and turned RIGHT and that was correct. 

10. Walk until you get to the "y" at the natural park area.  NOW you can take the LEFT fork and you are on the Camino!!!

Dinner At El Yelmo

And we finished off with arroz con leche 

but it was so good, 

we ate it before I could take a photo!

We splurged.

Dinner was around 33 Euros for the two of us.

That included a bottle of wine and the food above.

But it was worth every penny!

We can budget further up the trail.

To Manzanares

Today was another beautiful, but long, walk. We walked a couple of extra kilometers finding our way out of town. Let me give you good directions.

From Hostal Chiscon, turn left.

Go to the second street and go left again. 

This is a busy street. You will see the Mirador. 

Keep going past the Mirador, past the auditorium and past some white apartments.

Watch for yellow flechas!!

Turn right at white apartments on Calle Pilar de Zaragoza and follow the arrows.

See the street sign on the building?

Calle Pilar de Zaragoza

Soon you reach the end of the neighborhoods and a dirt track...


This sign makes it pretty difficult to miss the track:

The track is flat and in a year or two may be shaded!

It is just beautiful walking!

The walking was fairly flat with some occasional rock scrambling 

until a couple of kilometers before Manzanares.   

I carried my umbrella for shade.

There were many wildflowers and beautiful vistas.

Another bit of a rough patch.

We kept seeing these cow signs...
then realized they were a type of waymarking for the Via Pecuaria,
the cow trail to market...

Soon it was time to stop for lunch.

We found a nice old stone wall.

It made a great table and a shady place to sit.

Pork liver pate and wonderful Spanish cheese

Joe makes his bocadillo and one for me too! 

A good foot soaking place

This route had beautiful vistas and nice flat walking with lots of cows grazing under beautiful blue skies

Soon, we made a sharp right turn, well marked,  

and there was the town and Embalse. 

Beautiful, but unfortunately not many choices for lodging. 

The Hotel is CLOSED. 

Hostal Tranco is CLOSED. 

The owner died unexpectedly last year and they couldn't keep it running. 

There is a Casa Rural. Doubles there are 72 euros. 

The only place open was Hostal Yelmo. 

It is lovely but required a 3 kilometer uphill walk which I wasn't ready for. 

And there are no taxis in this town!

I suggest reservations for Yelmo. Cost is 58 Euros for a double. Dinner is 15 eu.

There is supposedly a shorter way to Cercedilla without going back to town. Will know more tomorrow.