DAY 2 - TARIFA (Rest Day) - Wednesday 24 April 2024

-

After our short stage yesterday,  and before the walking starts in earnest tomorrow, we took a rest day today!

We did go for a walk before breakfast to stretch our legs and catch the morning light. We mostly had it to ourselves,  apart from some workers shovelling sand off the path - it's windy here - and some street cleaners. 

We returned in time for a three course buffet breakfast overlooking the Moorish inspired courtyard. We are carrying a packet of cereal for days when there are no facilities open, so intend on making the most of it when they are!

Our sightseeing today involved a visit to the castle where we learnt about Sancho the Brave and Guzman the Good, had fun with some of the interactive exhibits and enjoyed magnificent views from the ramparts.

We also obtained the first stamp in our pilgrim credencials, recording our journey on the pilgrim caminos to Santiago. 

The Atlantic coastline Northwest from Tarifa  - we'll be heading that way tomorrow
Setting up a selfie (see next photo)
Selfie 
Workmen clearing sand from a road near the beach
Little frogs in the Plaza de Santa Maria
Wandering in the Castillo de Guzman el Bueno
View of the port and Island of Tarifa from the battlements, Castillo de Guzman el Bueno
Street scene, Tarifa
The first Spanish stamp in our pilgrim passports

Day:                                 2
Distance:                       0.0 km
Walking time:               0 hrs  0 mins
Elevation gain:             0 metres
Cumulative distance:  1.42 km

Comments

  1. Clare S25 April 2024 at 04:07

    Your first stamp for the trip- how exciting! Meanwhile I’m working my way through the books and planning my future walking adventures. Can’t wait to follow along with yours.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aussie Slow Travellers25 April 2024 at 06:58

    Thanks Clare, we're excited to begin!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAY 77 (FINAL) - O PORTO DE ESPASANTE to CABO DE ESTACA DE BARES - Monday 08 July 2024

-
Image
We travelled light today, leaving our big backpacks in our hotel room where we were spending a second night. Nevertheless, we were overtaken towards the top of the initial steep ascent by a young man with long legs and big strides.  After the climb, we walked mostly along a ridge, firstly through a hamlet and then through forest and some pasture. We shared the path with the Camino Natural for part of the way. We took a short detour off the path to Pena Furada, where we had magnificent views up and down the coast.  We continued on to 'the most beautiful bench in the world', according to a Google Maps pin which warned we might have to take turns to sit on it. It certainly had stunning views and some people took a very long turn but ended up being happy to share. There were quite a lot of people here because there was a car park and even an open chiringuito. At the chiringuito we did see someone with a big backpack and a scallop shell but we didn't stop to chat - we were ...
Read more

DAY 76 - SAN ROMÁN DE MONTOXO to O PORTO DE ESPASANTE - Sunday 07 July 2024

-
Image
Today's walk started off with a gentle climb out of the village of San Roman de Montoxo to rejoin the main road. The morning light highlighted the old buildings and other wonders along the way.  Our climb yesterday paid off with a long descent today. Because it was a Sunday, we weren't held up by the roadworks but took lots of photos of diggers and rollers and other big machinery for our grandkids.  We escaped into a quiet country road after this, that took us under a railway viaduct and over an old bridge. Here we had a short break, including a paddle in the creek for those that were interested.  A short time later we found a few yellow arrows. The Ruta do Mar Camino weaves around this area and we shared paths for a short while.  We enjoyed rural scenery with views down to the estuary before we had to join the main road again. Luckily there was a track by the railway line which gave us a short respite before the last few kilometres into Ortigueira. In Ortigueira...
Read more

DAY 6 - CONIL DE LA FRONTERA to SAN FERNANDO - Sunday 28 April 2024

-
Image
A later start today as we walked out in bright sunshine through quiet streets.  After a little while,  we found our old friend the bikepath Eurovelo 8. This time it was a dirt track, then a paved path through a nature park.  There were lots of fellow walkers and cyclists out enjoying the sunshine.  The bikepath took us briefly past some large resorts then moved into agriculture,  with vineyards,  olives,  wheat and horses noted.  There was an abundance of wildflowers again,  and the GR 145 made a brief appearance.  We stopped in a little bar for lunch at the pretty town of Chiclana de la Frontera. We were the only tourists and it was fun trying out our Spanish again.  We enjoyed wandering the streets for a while before taking a dirt track through the marshes, finding lots of birds. The whitewashed walls of San Fernando were evident from a long way out.  Just before we crossed the bridge to enter the city,  we came across a...
Read more