Overview: Cami de Sant Jaume (Huesca)



A modern route enabling pilgrims from Barcelona and central Spain to journey to the Camino Aragonés and then the Camino Francés under their own steam. Montserrat, the shrine of the Moreneta (the Black Madonna), is the traditional starting point.

The route. There are two routes: the more frequently travelled follows the Ebro up through Saragossa and joins the Camino Francés at Logroño. The other, which I took, splits out of Tárrega and goes up through Balaguer and Huesca, and then joins on to the Camino Aragonés.


Length. The route to Jaca from Montserrat is over 300km long and takes between two and three weeks to walk (excluding rest days).


Waymarking. Formerly, the route was very unevenly waymarked.   Since 2007, volunteers have ensured that the familiar yellow arrows cover the route almost completely, and the Catalan and Aragonese authorities have placed signposts at major path intersections, giving directions, route names and numbers, and distances to the nearest centre.  Signals out of Montserrat continue to be misleading—use the clear directions from the Amics in Barcelona instead.   The last kilometre into Cervera is not marked—follow the hydro-electric pylons, and the way from Loarre to Sarsamarcuello is under highway construction (September, 2009).


Terrain. The route is divided between footpaths and farm roads and, to a lesser extent, paved provincial highways. On stretches, it passes over Cañadas (historic drove roads).
The trail through Catalonia and into Aragon passes through significant stretches of agricultural land and orchards with, sadly, trees too small to provide one with shade and limited sources of water. Crossing the Sierra de Loarre entails a stiff climb to the majestic Mirador de Buitre overlooking the Mallos, and then passing through the Foz de Escalete to the Embalse de la Peña below. From the station at Santa María de la Peña, one can take the local train to Jaca, or traverse the Sierra de la Peña to the monastery of San Juan de la Peña.

 


Weather. Typical Spanish continental weather for the most part. There will be mountain weather from Montserrat to Igualada and out of Loarre to Jaca. Consult with locals if you have any doubt at all, especially between Loarre and Jaca, where there is almost no shelter or refuge; and pay close attention to their advice. Elsewhere, weather similar to that between Burgos and Astorga on the Camino francés - extremely hot in the three summer months.


When to go. This is Spain – this route can be walked all year long, but July to early September is extremely hot and long stretches of the route have absolutely no shade. I would think that spring and autumn are best. In early September, I was twice picked up by the police who were concerned about walking distances in the heat of the day. Be very careful about the Sierra de Loarre in snow or bad weather: there are only a very few mountaineers’ shelters. You may want to take the train from Riglos to Jaca instead. Note that, in September and October, hostales and casas rurales often close to enable their staff to take their holidays.


What to see. Barcelona: an extraordinarily vibrant cosmopolitan city with historical associations, remarkable history, and amazing galleries. Montserrat: a breathtaking mountain monastery with memorable views, and a world-renowned choir school. Igualada and Tárrega: charming Catalan towns with cheerful squares. Huesca: historical centre. Loarre: pleasant mountain village with the monumental Castillo de Loarre looming over it. Jaca: an historical market and university town, with restaurants and bars. San Juan de la Peña: an utterly majestic mountainside monastery, justly a World Heritage Site.


Where to stay. Accommodation is adequate, but can be pricey at times, especially in touristy areas such as Loarre. Hotel/hostal accommodation at intervals of 20-30 km and a number of casas rurales have been set up in recent years.   No network of free or cheap pilgrim refugios - with exceptions in Tamareite de Liteira, Cervera, Monzón, Berbegal, Huesca, and Bolea.  I am not aware of any accommodation in the 50km between Berbegal and Huesca.  Often bars or restaurants will have inexpensive rooms on their upper floors, or the owners will helpfully call around to find you a bed.  Ayuntamiento staff and local police can be delightfully warm and ready to be of assistance.


Distinctive features of the route. Very quiet and peaceful with very few pilgrims. Would appeal to those seeking solitude and undiscovered Spain. I only saw two other pilgrims (Austrians on bicycles) in six weeks of walking over two years; however, locals knew about the Camino and were uniformly hospitable and helpful. Their dogs are NOT accustomed to pilgrims, and walkers must be sensible and careful.
Aside from the Sierra de Loarre, walking is fairly easy if at times boring. The worry of getting lost has greatly diminished with the work recently put into waymarking. 
Cyclable almost all the way. No major industrial towns to negotiate - delightful mediaeval market towns in Catalonia and picturesque if poor and dusty towns and villages in Aragón.
Barcelona to Jaca can be walked in just over 18 days, an ideal pilgrimage for the lover of solitude.


Guide books. The Barcelona-based Association have produced a very useful guide, which takes you as far as Tarrega.  Their website (www.camisantjaume.com/) also has a pdf of an account by a young pilgrim who did the route last year– the only one with an account of the traverse of the Sierra de la Peña, and which provides excellent details.


Useful websites
www.balmat.es/rutasall.asp?id=35 provides a very useful guide (in Spanish) to the Catalan stretch– the first eight days, as far as Alfarrás.
Another interesting (Spanish) website is: http://www.terra.es/personal/jucasel/Camino/etapas98.html
The Huesca association provides a very useful document (http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/jmata/asociacion/caminocatalan.htm) as well as difficult-to-read but fairly accurate maps found at: http://personal.telefonica.terra.es/web/jmata/asociacion/mapasweb/pages/01.htm
The Barcelona Amics are at http://www.amicsdelspelegrins.org/ where there's a summary of the route and list of facilities.
There's also a guide at Mundicamino http://www.mundicamino.com/rutas.cfm?id=49
There's (2009) a guide edited by Gronze.com, now in its second edition: http://www.gronze.com/catala.htm for the Catalan edition, http://www.gronze.com for information about the Castillian edition.

Language.
While it is not impossible to take this route without much Spanish I would suggest that prospective pilgrims learn as much as possible before they set out. French is a useful backup language, but English is extremely rare.

Thanks to Austin Cooke, President, Canadian Company of Pilgrims, October 2009 (whose fuller account of his own experience of walking this route is in the CSJ Library). Also to Peter Robins for additional information.