Via Serrana, a road that will make you fall in love

Of all the roads of Santiago of the south of the peninsula, perhaps the least known of them is the one called Vía Serrana. And perhaps because of this lack of knowledge the Vía Serrana still retains that plus of adventure and search that have no other more crowded roads.

That was precisely what prompted me to walk him last January and I have to say that he did not disappoint me at all. I found myself a pure, lonely, hard road (mea guilt, for the need I had to finish it in eight days and the adverse weather), and friendly in sight, tremendously beautiful.

It is certainly a different path. Not only because it is exotic to start on British territory (Gibraltar), but also because there is no stage or ugly or transition. Since the departure of the line of conception the road passes through dehesas, cattle farms, natural parks such as the extraordinary Sierra de Grazalema, where the pluviousness index is the highest of the southern half of Spain, villages such as Jimena de la frontera with its wonderful castle and its beautiful streets or the millennium Ronda can enjoy an afternoon of stroll through its history, serranías where It is also worth taking a detour, signalized, and entering one of the most beautiful villages in Spain such as Setenil de las Bodegas and taking a walk through its famous streets.

All of these are reasons enough to put the backpack on the shoulder and get yellow arrows on this wonderful road. Speaking of yellow arrows, there would be hailas, like the meigas, but not all as you would have liked, nothing serious that would prevent you from walking, but it would be good to recommend to that pilgrim that he is valuing the possibility of making this way to carry GPS or an application that guides his steps in places of doubt.

It is also not a path that has a network of hostels of Peregrinos as we know them in other paths much more traveled, but as with the arrows it is not a reason not to do so because in all the end of the stage there is the possibility of staying in pensions and hostels at a modest price, with how positive this option has, since it will relieve you of the weight of the sleeping bag in the backpack, which is not a little.

Also very important as in almost all the roads of the south is to choose the time of the year to walk it. In winter it will very likely rain and almost certainly there will be mud on the roads that will make it difficult to complete the stages and thereby reduce personal enjoyment. And in summer, the tremendous heat will do the same, but vice versa. So the recommended times will be first spring or otherwise fall.

Personally, I was lucky enough to meet one of the biggest drivers of this road, Jose Coronil, who helped and advised me in the planning of the stages as well as in the search for places to stay. In addition, he was with Antonio Miranda (alma mater de este Camino), who poured the yellow arrows of this route. Jose lives on his way and helps to the extent of his possibilities to all the pilgrims who dare to walk him.

Jose, what would you say to that pilgrim that he is appreciating making this
journey? My advice to a pilgrim who wants to do this Road is to go and enjoy it without rush. Live its outline, its nature, without thinking of anything else. It is a beautiful road with few difficulties, although today it lacks pilgrim infrastructures.

Camino de Santiago there are many, more and more, but as pure, as virgin and as beautiful as the Vía Serrana there are few, less and less. If you dare with him, congratulations, because he will not let you down.