Via de la Plata - Walking the Way of St James

A walker's guidebook to the Way of St James’ southern pilgrim route through Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Nearly 1000km long, the Via de la Plata starts in Seville or Granada and leads north and then north-west through the historic towns and varied scenery of Extremadura, Castille and Galicia.

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Mérida to Zamora

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8km Mérida 218m, pop. 51,600 (220.5/779.5)
All facilities, RENFE, buses to Madrid, Seville, Cáceres, Salamanca. Capital of the autonomous region of Extremadura. No pilgrim-only accommodation but several hotels and hostales, including Hostales Senero (Calle Holguín 12, tel: 924.31.72.07), Nueva España (Avenida de Extremadura 6, 924.31.33.56), El Alfarero (Calle Sagasta 40, 924.30.31.830, El Torero (Avenida de Alange 1, 924.37.17.89), Anas (Avenida Reina Sofía 9, 924.31.11.13) and Pensión Alameda (Calle Magadalena 1, 924.30.04.74). Hostal Los Pinos, Avenida Vía de la Plata s/n (924.31.15.50) on way out of town, reported to have one room as pilgrim dormitory). Tourist offices: one in Calle Saenz de Burnaga s/n (near Roman theatre), another at the top of Calle Santa Elena (off the Plaza de España, i.e. the main square).

Mérida was founded in 23 BC as a settlement for veterans of the Iberian wars (hence its name: Augusta Emerita). It contains more important remains of Roman antiquity than any other town in Spain and it is worth spending a whole day here. Roman amphitheatre, theatre (still used), bridge over the River Guadiana (one of the longest of its kind), National Museum of Roman Art (free at certain times), Visigothic Museum (free), Trajan’s Arch, Alcazaba, church of Santa Eulalia (the city’s patron), church of Santa María. Note, however, that to visit the major Roman and Christian monuments you have to buy a combined ticket for all of them; individual tickets are not available. (Ask for reduced rate if you are over 60.) A good place for a rest day before continuing on the main Vía de la Plata. At the time the present edition of this guide was prepared the route through Mérida, formerly waymarked, no longer had any yellow arrows visible. The original route is described here, however, with the names of all the relevant streets, and is easy to follow.

After crossing a Roman bridge over the Río Guadiana continue ahead past Puerta del Puente and a small public garden (R) and then fork L up Calle del Puente to Plaza de España (Cathedral of Santa María to L, ayuntamiento opposite). Then (with your back to the cathedral) leave by the top LH corner along Calle Santa Julia, veering R and then turn L into Calle Trajana, passing under Trajan’s Arch (Arco de Trajano). Turn R and then immediately L into Plaza de la Constitución, in front of the post office, and continue ahead into Travesia de Almendralejo. Turn L into Calle Almendralejo in front of the police station and then turn R into Calle Calvario. Continue to very end (bar on L opens early), turn R and go under the railway line via an underpass. Turn L and immediately R to cross the Río Albarregas via Mérida’s other bridge of Roman origin. The Acueducto de los Milagros is now on your R. It was built by the Romans to bring water into the city via an underground channel coming from the reservoir (Proserpina) 5km away. The aqueduct was originally 838m long and 25m tall at its highest point. The area around it has now been landscaped as a public park.

Continue on Avenida Vía de la Plata for 100m on the other side then fork (not turn) L, leading to a roundabout. KSO ahead there up Âvenida del Lago past the Pan Emerita bread factory.

The waymarking here has ‘EP’ – Embalse de Proserpina – in yellow, one of the two reservoirs of Roman origin (the other, Cornado, is to the northeast of the town) as there are, in fact, two pilgrim routes out of Mérida. The one described here is the EP route; the other, marked ‘CR’ and following a section of the calzada romana, has to return to the N630 a lot of the time, due to new road construction, including coming back to El Carrascelejo via the road. The route via the Embalse de Proserpina is much quieter and, after the reservoir itself, goes through beautiful countryside with encina and cork plantations. Here, as earlier on, you will find the black, brown and grey cerdos ibéricos grazing on the fallen acorns below.

KSO at the roundabout (the Mérida–Badajoz road crosses R to L). KSO. Cross the motorway and continue ahead on a minor road leading downhill, marked ‘Embalse de Proserpine’. After 1km pass a metal wayside cross on top of a stone rollo at top of hill. KSO, KSO at a small roundabout, passing campsite on L. KSO at a small roundabout

(RH turn leads to an urbanización) and continue by the side of the Roman embankment of the

7km Embalse de Proserpina (227.5/772.5)
Now a tourist attraction with water sports, several cafés, chiringuitos (open-air snack bars), rte and campsite (open April 1st to September 15th). The reservoir supplied Mérida with drinking and other water in Roman times.

At the end of the wall leave the road and continue along the shore (N.B: bars not open early) and then return to the road to cross the bridge. Pass a Red Cross post (R) and KSO on the road (very quiet, very little traffic), undulating between fields with encinas, becoming increasingly rocky. 4km after the reservoir and 300m after an isolated white house on L, turn L off the road onto a camino de tierra, undulating through trees.

KSO(R) at the first fork, KSO(L) at the second and then continue between fences. 1km later cross a cattle grid and KSO alongside the wall, then cross another one 2.5km later and KSO. Go through a gate and veer R up into the village. Turn R along the main street to the church in

7.5km El Carrascalejo 308m (235/765)
Fountain, church of Nuestra Señora de la Consolación but no other facilities.

Turn L downhill after the church, veering L behind it down to cross a bridge over a small river. Pass wayside cross (L) with red cross on top, cross another track at right angles and KSO(R) ahead on the other side, through undulating vines. When you go down into a dip and meet a new road coming from R cross over (staggered) and KSO uphill, passing wayside cross, then go down into

2.5km Aljucén 270m (237.5/762.5)
Two bars, shop, farmácia, fountain, Casa Rural ‘La Boveda’ (Avenida de Extremadura 25, 924.31.28.23) on LH side of main street (ask there for key to the municipal refugio, the Albergue Analena, in Calle Andres 23).

Church of San Andrés has Santiago crosses on all its pedestals (inside the building)...