Choosing the road less travelled – quite literally – makes for a wonderful story to tell
When Martin first told me that he and Kate would be travelling overland rather than flying, I knew straight away I wanted him to share their journey. Here was someone choosing the road less travelled – quite literally – and I knew there would be a wonderful story to tell. Travel that feels slower, kinder to the planet and a little more adventurous—and their trip is exactly that.
By complete coincidence, on the very day they were arriving I happened to be running some errands in Aracena. We bumped into each other in a café on the main square and I offered them a lift up to Alájar to save the wait for the 13:30 bus. True to the spirit of their trip, they politely declined—happy instead for me to take their rucksacks while they carried on at their own pace.
Their journey from a small Gloucestershire village to our peaceful posada in the heart of the Sierra de Aracena is a testament to the magic of slow travel. It's proof that getting here can be just as memorable as the destination itself. Through Martin's wonderfully detailed account, you'll discover that choosing trains and buses over planes doesn't just reduce your carbon footprint – it opens up a world of unexpected encounters, charming overnight stops, and the kind of authentic travel experiences that simply can't be replicated at 30,000 feet.
For those considering making the journey to Posada San Marcos without flying, Martin's adventure shows it's not only entirely possible but thoroughly rewarding. From Oxford narrowboats to Nîmes' festival atmosphere, Madrid's galleries to Sevilla's timeless charm, every step of their journey was part of the holiday itself.
So pour yourself a glass of something nice, settle in, and let Martin take you on their delightfully unhurried journey to our corner of Andalusia....
Martin’s Story: Voyage to Alájar
Kate and Martin, both retired and living in a small Gloucestershire village decided to go to the Posada San Marcos for our third visit (first time with a tour company but organised on the ground by Lucy & Angel), second time in 2016. To avoid the horror of air travel we decided to go by train and bus, taking just a backpack each for a month (Kate also had several handbags and looked like a bag lady. Surprised that no-one has given her small change).
Day 1
We left home at 1315 and caught the bus from outside our house (on time) to Stroud station. Train was more or less on time, changed at Didcot and arrived in Oxford. A lovely sunny day, G&T on the poop deck of our boat, a pint in one of our favourite pubs and back to the boat to eat leftovers from the fridge at home.
Day 2
Woke at 0615 as the rain started. Tidied the boat and ambled off to the railway station. Got on our train then got kicked off due to ‘technical problems ‘. The next train departed late and arrived at Marylebone 34 minutes late, qualifying for compensation. Tube from baker Street to St Pancras, general chaos at Eurostar terminal as it’s too small and there had been cancellations. Boarded train to Paris which departed and arrived on time. A quick dash across Paris to gare de Lyon and caught the train heading south which was 20 minutes late.
Arrived at Nîmes. What a lovely station, all stone. Stepped outside, crossed the quiet road and one immediately enters a wide, pedestrian boulevard leading to the centre. Checked in to our hotel just after 20:00 and found a bistro on the other side of the square. Nice food but terrible service.
Day 3
By chance we arrived as the city’s festival week was starting. Food stalls and bars were being set up everywhere. Spurned a visit to the Roman amphitheatre (we’ve seen a few) and wandered around the attractive streets. Visited les Halles, very impressed with the range of food so beautifully displayed. Tried one of the local specialities, paté nîmois à la brandade – a pastry case looking like a Melton Mowbray pork pie filled with brandade de morue. Nice, but maybe as a one-time experience. Also tried a fougasse filled with grattons de canard : greasy , looked good but not great eating. Dined on street food and wine.
Day 4
Up early to walk to the station to catch the train to Madrid. Took several coffees and a croissant at the station Paul. Comfy seats on the train. Good journey, 17 minutes late which should have been good for compensation but had email from Renfe apologising for an incident which is probably a fair excuse. Hell getting away from Atocha due to building works. Stopped outside Reina Sofia for a beer, much needed. Kate got her rucksack strap stuck in a grating outside the bar but was rescued by friendly barman. Checked into Ibis budget hotel, then out for a few tintos and some tapas.
Next day we did the cultural thing and went to the Thyssen Bornesmisza gallery. Top floor mostly religious stuff. Lots of flying babies. They must have made seagulls seem innocuous, baby poo landing from great heights. It’s lucky they are extinct. First floor more recent stuff and interesting. Next stop was the botanic gardens, lovely especially with 75% discount for being old. Desperate for a drink so found a kiosk in the botanic gardens next to the big lake for jarras de cerveza. Kate was shat on from a great height, probably a parakeet rather than a flying baby. Stopped on the way back to the hotel for a jarra de sangria. Had a siesta in the hotel before going out for a few tintos and gildas. Slept well.
Day 5
Up, out for a café solo, picked up bags and ambled off to Atocha. Stopped for desayuno (tostada con tomate, pincho de tortilla) on the way, found the easy way into the station avoiding roadworks and traffic. Left Madrid without having gone into the centre at all, caught the AVE to Sevilla.
Walked from Santa Justa to our hotel in Triana. Luckily most of the journey could be done on the shady side of the road as it was about 35º C. Stopped for a beer en route, then a vermut.
Our first experience of the hotel was not auspicious. Kate ran some water into the washbasin which immediately reappeared from the floor inspection cover. She then got into the shower; the doors came off and the shower head dropped on her toes. However, her prodding in the floor seemed to have fixed the drainage problem. After that all was good so we went out for a couple of glasses of wine and reminded ourselves of old favourite places. Ended with a ración of excellent jamon de bellota in bar Flores which we’ve been to every time in Sevilla.
Day 6
Up late for a coffee, an amble, another coffee and a tostada. Kate went to mass in the cathedral while I sat outside watching people. Ambled a bit more, found a quiet restaurant with shady tables outside and had an excellent light lunch. More ambling, a few glasses of wine and finished the evening with an ice-cream.
Day 7
Up fairly late, went to the Triana market for coffee, then back to the place next to the hotel for more coffee and a tostada. Wandered around some more, had a couple of rosados, collected bags from the hotel and off to Plaza de Armas to get the 16h bus to Aracena. The laser display boards in the bus station weren’t working but found the bus eventually and all went to time. Very helpful ladies in Aracena insisted on pointing us to our hotel, confirming that Google knew the way. So far, other than a fan for Kate, we have purchased nothing that cannot be excreted so our bags are no heavier.
Nice hotel. Miguel the owner suggested a few places for the evening. After a much-needed shower, we headed for town. Lots of bars. Had a wine in one, walked around, another wine in the square and back to the first bar on the square for chocos fritos and langostinos al ajillo. Yum!
Day 8
Up late, a coffee in the hotel, tostadas in the town with more coffee, picked up our bags from the hotel and we were on coffee #3 when Lucy came over offering a lift to the hotel in Alájar. We’d already got bus tickets and she had jobs to do in town so we loaded our backpacks into her car and ambled off to the bus station for a caña while waiting for the 13h bus (one stork spotted and heard on the way). Two other people on the bus, got off at the edge of town and walked down to the posada, reminding ourselves of bars and restaurants (now mostly closed outside weekends).
Checked in to our room Los Madroñeros. As always, very clean and tidy. Had a shower and a rest, then walked up to Peña Arias Montano. Had a peep in the church (a bit flash to my taste) and continued up the hill. You can’t quite get to the top without a lot of struggling through vegetation so turned round and back to the posada by 1800.
Lovely dinner on the terrace: paté and carrots, followed by cod with cheesey topping and potato scallops. Birthday cake (chocolate with almond and loquat) for pud on behalf of one of the other guests. Yum!
Day 9
Up fairly late for the posada breakfast, then a circular walk taking in Castaño del Robledo (caña stop), Galaroza (another caña stop), Fuenteheridos (everywhere closed) and back. Out for about 7 hours, 23 km and 660 m climb. Fairly knackered, my longest walk since polymyalgia halted all physical activity nine months ago.
Another lovely dinner from Lucy: salmorejo, pork cooked in chocolate sauce with broccoli and mixed rice, and a lemon dessert. Huge portions. Went to bed stuffed. Woken in the small hours by owls and a donkey going berserk.
Day 10
My birthday (#71). The usual delicious breakfast, then planned a shorter walk as knackered from the previous day. Set off to Los Madroñeros, onwards to Linares de la Sierra (a tough leg underfoot), a caña to rehydrate and back via the direct route (mostly wide forestry tracks). About 4 hours total. Had a siesta.
Dinner was a nice salad with goat cheese; tuna pan fried with onions and birthday cake made for me (an excellent victoria sponge). Kate was shat on again from a great height: probably a house martin this time. Slept well.
Day 11
Breakfast, decided on another easy walk to celebrate our wedding anniversary (#38 I’m told although it feels like more). Set off using Lucy’s route to Santa Ana, tough underfoot in parts. It felt hot today, desperate for a sit down and a caña when we arrived there. Took the shorter GR46 route back and took a welcome vino blanco in El Corcho.
Had a dip in the pool, nice and warm. Had a fight with the Renfe website booking a train to Jerez for Tuesday. Lucy had booked us a table at casa Virtuta, excellent jamon, croquetas, and bacalao dorado (last tried by us in Extremadura, must make it at home).
Walked up to the main road in the hope of seeing the night sky, but street lights have been installed since our last visit so went down to the end of the garden and took a few photos of the gloriously clear sky. Then bed.
Day 12
Definitely needed a shorter walk today. Along the river to Mirador Rivera Alájar, with a few stops for water along the way and lovely views. A bit over 6 km and not much climb. Had a relax by and in the pool, dinner on the terrace at El Padrino. Slightly disappointing meal, the revuelto de setas was very underwhelming but the fish was good and the pimientos padrón were nice (10% are supposed to be hot but out of the hundreds we have had in recent years not one has been spicy).
Day 13
Had a longer walk today, a circular to Fuenteheridos. The walk out was fine, but on the way back some of the paths were blocked and the route was really quite rough. It was a very hot day, probably well over 40º C. The last part took us along a bare ridge with fantastic views and no shade. Ran out of water and feeling the effects of the heat by the time we got to the village, to the extent that we staggered around two laps of it before finding the bars in the centre. Nice pizza outside La Plazita for dinner.
Day 14
Another hot day, we made up a route taking us the easy way to Los Madroñeros and back up the river. Lots of stops to view views, pigs, goats etc. Nice dinner back at the posada.
Day 15
Up early. Angel gave us a lift to Aracena to save our needing to take the bus from Alajar at 0615, thence bus to Sevilla and train to Jerez. Breakfast in the bus station at Aracena, second breakfast in Sevilla. A rather dreary walk to our hotel from the station at Jerez. Went out to find beer, wine and tapas for dinner.
Day 16
Spent the day doing the sights of Jerez. The Alcazar was worth the visit, dashing from shade to shade on another very hot day. Tapas and vino for dinner. Lots of stalls selling snails: not like in France where a large fee will secure you half a dozen in garlic butter: these were tiny ones served by the pint like winkles.
Day 17
Had a tour of Bodegas Fundador (where Harvey’s Bristol Cream is made as well as the excellent brandy). The “mezquita” housing thousand of casks of sherry was a fine sight. One area had casks signed by famous visitors: film stars, heads of state etc. No trace of one signed by Il Caudillo, thought it better not to ask. Usual dinner.
Days 18, 19 and 20.
Up fairly early to catch the train to Toledo changing at Madrid. Train arrived about 90 minutes late, and got later and later as we proceeded to Madrid. Arrived 140 minutes late and two hours after our connection. Charming lady in the customer help office rebooked us on the leg to Toledo. We arrived in blistering afternoon heat and walked up the hill towards our hotel. Tried to get a cold, cold beer in several places which were shutting until eventually we found somewhere that would serve us.
Toledo centre is full of tacky tourist shops selling imitation weapons. The cathedral was quite interesting if rather full of flying babies and catholic bling. Some nice bars and restaurants away from the centre. Very basic hotel but clean. We had a nice walk along the rather lovely river Tagus which ends up in Lisbon.
Days 21 - 23
Up early for the train to Segovia via Madrid. Excellent breakfast at Toldeo station. All worked well, we had to take the metro across Madrid from Atocha to Chamartin, both of which were being rebuilt. Arrived at Segovia in the station Guiomar which is a long way from town and needs the bus. Found our hotel on Plaza Major. It was the fiesta of San Juan y San Pedro while we were these so lots of noisy activity. Lots of music and ceremonial burning of effigies, plus giants walking around the town. The cathedral was full of catholic bling: flying babies everywhere. It is also very large. The Alcazar was well worth the visit. The roman aqueduct is truly spectacular. There are storks nesting everywhere and the sky was filled with swifts. Plenty of nice places to eat, we could have enjoyed a longer stay.
Day 24
Caught the bus back to the railway station and took the train to Palencia. This was a slightly random stop on the way back to the north but worth the visit. Well off the main tourist trail, it has lovely parks and a lot of interesting churches. Storks everywhere. Good walks along the canal de Castilla under the shade of trees.
Day 25 to 28
Caught the train to Santander. The railway journey was spectacularly beautiful and must rank amongst the best in the world. We had a nice couple of days revisiting bars that we’d found on a trip in May. Joined the Marcha del Orgullo (Pride march). Great fun! Took the ferry back to Plymouth. Kate had promised Martin a meal in the rather nice on-board restaurant but spent the trip feeling sick, so Martin has a lonely meal in the self-service. Train back to home where a neighbour collected us from the station.
Notes:
We used the Wikiloc app for most of our walks, which is well worth the small subscription fee and Lucy and Angel’s walks are available on it.
Thanks to Lucy and Angel for a lovely stay. We’ll be back soon!
Thanks Martin for such a great read about your journey! All text and photos have been very kindly submitted by Martin
It’s clear that travelling overland isn’t just about reaching your destination—it becomes part of the holiday itself. From unexpected encounters to lingering over a glass of wine in a new city, the trip takes on its own rhythm and charm. With easy connections from London on the Eurostar to Paris, fast trains south through France and Spain, and a final hop by bus from Seville to the Sierra de Aracena, the journey is far more straightforward than many imagine.
If you’re tempted to swap the stress of airports for a more relaxed, sustainable way of travelling, perhaps Martin’s account will inspire you to plan your own overland adventure to Alájar. We’ll be ready to welcome you at Posada San Marcos whenever you arrive.