Much of today was spent by the motorway, the canal or the railway line. The route was fairly direct, mostly flat and very long. There were irrigated fields of sunflowers, wheat, vegetables and olives. We found ourselves looking for the little things... ants carrying seeds, cactus flowers, a butterfly.
About halfway we went slightly off track to see a Roman bridge and small castle. Big trucks were thundering over the bridge so the Romans or later bridge repairers certainly did a good job. The picnic table we were hoping for didn't appear, so we perched roadside on some blocks to eat our tuna and nuts.
Along the canal we heard plenty of birds but they were well hidden in the bushes. For some extra amusement, we practised our puddle shots. In the last 5 km, we resorted to our walking playlist and licorice for inspiration.
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| Leaving Las Cabezas de San Juan. There were massed displays of roses throughout the town. |
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| A bit more canal walking today - back on the Canal del Bajo Guadalquivir |
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| Irrigation structure in the fields |
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| Ants with seeds - must have been a slow day |
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| One of many tractors we saw today on our way through this agricultural area of the country |
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| Today's path took us for a time alongside a busy highway, and for a long time beside a railway line |
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| A long road ahead |
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| Rows of corn - we also passed crops of cabbage, wheat and sunflowers, and lots of olive groves |
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| Practising our puddle photography |
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| Roman bridge of Las Alcantarillas, and ruins of the Castle of Diego Corrientes |
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Lunch spot by the Roman bridge of Las Alcantarillas. The roadside bollards were the closest thing to a bench for 30 kilometres
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| A long road ahead |
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| No benches to sit on, but the Camino signs gave us a chance to rest our feet |
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| A lost sole on the Camino |
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| Approaching Utrera after a long day's walk |
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| Footpath plaque in Utrera |
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| Utrera in the late afternoon - kids playing football, adults sitting in the bars, Australian long-distance walker walking |
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| Some of today's birds - including an exciting new one for the aficionados |
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| Day 14 - Map |
Day: 14
Distance: 32.84 km
Walking time: 6 hrs 37 mins
Elevation gain: 271 metres
Cumulative distance: 260.38 km
That's an impressive distance covered yesterday. I expect you're looking forward to a rest day or two Seville in a day or two. The bird IDs are getting harder! My guesses today are: Collared Pratincole, really not sure maybe a Black-winged Stilt, maybe a Lesser Black-backed Gull, maybe Spotted Flycatcher (or perhaps Rock Sparrow), possibly Montague's Harrier (based on long thin tail and broad not pointed wings), Glossy Ibis ? btw Spain is an area where you might see several species of vultures and Golden and Imperial Eagles so keep your eyes open.
ReplyDeleteYes, very much looking forward to our rest days in Seville. So impressed you could make informed guesses from these photos. The Collared Pratincole had interesting camouflage behaviour, flattening itself on the ground. We've seen plenty of raptors, too far away to photograph.
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