El Real de la Jara

April 13, 2022

It was a chilly start to the day again and we stayed wrapped up for most of it because of riding into a chilly north wind all day. Even the hills - it was a real roller coaster day - didn't really warm us up. Despite the clear skies it never really got hot at all and even after arriving at our destination in warmest time of the day we still needed to wrap up warmly after showering and doing our laundry.

The ride itself was mostly very enjoyable. Attractive countryside, a good road surface and very little traffic. There were quite a few road cyclists out, clearly enjoying the empty roads and the challenge of the short but steep climbs.

The farming landscape has also changed as we move northwards. Much of the route skirted protected areas the agricultural activity seems to lean more towards livestock than cultivation. Sheep, goats, cattle and quite a few horses, plus the occasional mule. We saw pigs for the first time today. Given that there is so much fantastic Iberian Ham in the shops I would have expected to have seen a lot more already. What was nice to see was that the pigs are free-roaming.

The three albergues we have stayed in so far all have had an outdoor laundry area and I get the feeling it is traditional for peregrinos to wash their smelly socks, and worse things, by hand.

Last night we had the same mix of peregrinos as the night before and we expected to meet a new group today having skipped Almadén de la Plata, the next town on the Ruta de la Plata. To make up for not staying in Almadén we had lunch at its little memorial to Las Mujeres de Almadén, a four-sided column with naked women depicting the four seasons.

From there to the next stop on the Ruta de la Plata was more roller-coaster stuff but we had a nice downhill into the village. Amazingly, we are the only pilgrims at the albergue tonight. The village has an impressive looking castle keeping watch over it, one of the Banda Gallega, a chain built to defend Andalucia against possible Portuguese military advances, and to protect the population and trading routes from bandits.

A long-distance shot of one of a few European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) we saw today. I was surprised that they had already arrived back from South Africa which is where they spend the austral summer. The Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) and White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) are also back from Africa in large numbers although the White Storks in Spain over-winter just south of the Sahara (the White Storks that over-winter in South Africa migrate from eastern Europe and the Middle East).

The castle overlooking El Real de la Jara.

Today's ride: 45 km (28 miles)
Total: 585 km (363 miles)

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