Camino de Santiago - La Lana - Etapa 4 - Buñol ~ Siete Aguas

This is considered by most to be the third stage (etapa) of the Camino de Santiago de Lana, For me, though, it was the 4th day walk I’ve done on the route - spread out over a few months, whenever I have a free day and the spirit moves me. I’ve so far managed to get to the starting point by use of the C3 Cercanais line out of Valencia Nord. Today was no different, although I did drive up to park my car at the unmanned Siete Aguas station and take the 9:30 am back to Buñol for the start of the walk.

This was the first stage of yhe Camino Lana with any significant elevation change. My walk started from the train station and meandered through the lovely town, including alongside the Barranco de La Venta ravine that passes below the Buñol Castle which apparently dates back to the 1400s. I followed (very roughly) a published Wikiloc path, but I’m not certain that in the town of Buñol itself that it corresponded accurately with any official Camino routing. I at least began my walk under a It wasn’t until I got to the edge of town that I started to see and follow the yellow Camino arrows. After crossing a bridge leaving the town, you go uphill on a series of switchbacks on a paved car road until you will notice (if you pay close attention!) an arrow pointing up a very steep incline of a footpath leading into the forest. After at least 20 minutes of climbing, you get to a clearing where you follow the arrow pointing to the right along an asphalted road, not too wide, where cars passed by every 10 minutes or so. Much of the next hour to two hours is a straight shot, easy to follow, on roads - mostly paved, some gravel, rock and dirt - with barely room for two cars to pass. About 5 kilometers short of Siete Aguas, there’s a steep descent on a wide but very rocky road that I suspect only 4WD vehicles can navigate. Pay close attention to the yellow areas as you get closer to A-3 motorway. You’ll go through a series of underpass tunnels (a bit dark, so watch your step!) that take you beneath a local road first and then the motorway, the C-3 Renfe train line, and then the high-speed train tracks. After the last underpass, you’ll go up a hill on a footpath, walk alongside the AVE/iryo/Ouigo high-speed tracks for a couple hundred meters until you get to an overpass bridge. Take a right here and follow your nose and this Wikiloc path for 2.5 kilometers into Siete Aguas. Enjoy drinking the fresh water from the Fuente de los Siete Caños in the center of town just past the church plaza.

Here is the link to a Relive app video of today’s Camino day stage:

https://www.relive.cc/view/vPv4Vjek136