The GR1: Spain’s Sendero Histórico - still with a bed every night

Time flies.  It’s  10 years since I first walked the GR1, the Sendero Histórico, a 53-day walk across northern Spain.  Given everything that has happened since 2013, particularly in the last 3 years, some of the research I did for my first Cicerone guide, might need revisiting.  

The guide: The GR1: Spain’s Sendero Histórico, reflects my preferred style of walking and involves going from place to place and sleeping in a bed at the end of each day. This approach works particularly well in Spain because accommodation is cheap and relatively plentiful. It’s also great fun and although hit and miss, never less than interesting. Whether it’s a bar with rooms above or a luxury hotel in a converted castle, the memories associated with the places you stay can be as sustaining as the scenery you walk through.



If you prefer to sleep in a bed and enjoy someone else’s cooking, finding somewhere to stay can determine the length of each walking day.  Because the GR1 travels through remote countryside, often previously populated but now empty,  finding somewhere to stop for the night can be a challenge and occasionally involves some long days.  When I originally did the research I constructed a 53-day itinerary that allows a walker (defined as someone with a lot of spare time) to walk from one side of Spain to the other, stay in a bed each night, and only have to leave the trail three times.  Not having to mess about with taxis and buses; making a leisurely start and straight onto the trail; finishing the day by walking to your destination, and immediately drinking a well-deserved beer, are one of the many things that makes the GR1 special.


Over the last 8 years, since publication, lots of people (100s not 1000s), have used my guide to help them on their journey across northern Spain and a number have provided feedback.  When opening a GR1 email, I’m always nervous about updates on accommodation because, in certain places, a closure makes things difficult and a lot of closures would threaten the viability of the route for my style of walking.  The key thing to check, therefore, is whether the accommodation listed in the guide is still in business.


Recently, on a wet weekend in March, I worked through the guide to check what’s still there and establish whether you really need to take a tent with you to complete the GR1.  Good News! The GR1 still works for non-campers and despite Covid shutdown and some closures, you can still walk it and stay in a bed each night.  There are changes and, section by section, these are described below.


Some general things first.  There is an important distinction between a casa rural, usually private accommodation in a holiday home and an auberge, hostel or hotel. In Spain, particularly in a non-school holiday period, casa rural owners are often happy to rent a room just for a night, sometimes in an otherwise empty house.  Casa rurals are used in the guide when there isn’t an alternative, as managing access with a private owner is more painful.  Secondly some of the accommodation is seasonal and if you start your hike before April might be closed in places where there isn’t a choice.  Thirdly accommodation sometimes shuts on a Monday - as in many parts of Europe if people work on a Sunday they expect to have the next day off.  These places will sometimes provide a bed but no restaurant.


Section 1 - 6 days from Puerto to Tarna to Reinosa

 

Section 1, crossing the southern flank of the Cantabrian mountains and skirting the Picos de Europa, is one of the most dramatic parts of the whole walk. It’s an all-year-round destination for hikers (expect snow until March) and its attractions have kept all the accommodations open.  This includes the hotel in the tiny village of Salomon which provides the only accommodation at the end of the first day.  In addition, a new hotel has opened at Prioro, the Albergue de Prioro, so walkers no longer have to find a room in a casa rural.  



Section 2 - 7 days from Corconte to Berantevilla


Section 2 introduces the dramatic limestone escarpments and meseta which feature on much of the walk.  While there is more history, evidenced by castle ruins and lovely Romanesque churches, finding somewhere to stay is more challenging than in Section 1.  The main changes are two new hotels at the day 1 destination Pedrosa de Valdeporres,(the Hotel El Rincon and the Hotel Rural la Engaña, (which means not having to stay in the language school) -   and the closure of the Los Perrichicos and the opening of the Hotel El Amparo de Narcisa at Oteo.  Accommodation wise the final two days of the walk are just as difficult as in 2013 with off-route accommodation needed in Mirando de Ebro.


Section 3 - 6 days from Berantevilla to Olite


If I’m honest, this is my least favourite section.  The first 4 days to Los Arcos are excellent, more dramatic limestone ridges, but the last 2 days from Los Arcos to Olite which, despite interesting little towns, cross a boring agricultural landscape. Accommodation is also a little difficult.  The watermill, the only place at Peñacerrada, is still providing accommodation, but the Golf Hotel at Bernedo has closed, so the casa rural listed in the guide are the only places on the route.  If this doesn’t work there is plenty of accommodation a Laguardia about 7kms to the south.  At Santa Cruz de Campezo there is new hostel-style accommodation at the Aterpe Kanpex Hostel and all the other accommodation is as described in the guide.


Section 4 - 5 days Olite to Murillo de Gállego.


Long-distance walking inevitably involves swings and roundabouts.  If Section 3 had its shortcomings these are more than compensated for in Section 4 which somehow combines stunning landscapes with beautiful towns.  Accommodation in a casa rural still has to be found at the hilltop town of Ujué but a new hotel, the Beragu Hotel,  has opened at Gallipienzo Antiguo, another lovely town, almost abandoned but now coming back to life.  This means you can split the 35km walk otherwise needed to get from Ujué to Sos del Rey Catolico creating a 6 rather than a 5-day schedule.  The accommodation options have also improved at Biel, reached on day 4 (or 5 if you have split Day 2) with the new Casa Rural Las Lezas.  There is plenty of accommodation at Murillo de Gállego but it is seasonal and a lot of hikers suggest going a little further and staying at the atmospheric Refugio de Riglos named after the famous red limestone cliffs.


Section 5 - 9 days Murillo de Gállego to Graus


If Section 3 was my least favourite, then Section 5 definitely comes out on top.  Another remote section with fabulous scenery it adds the additional feature of a series of abandoned villages whose population seems to have cleared out overnight sometime in the 1960s. In planning a trip, the key thing to remember is that at least some of the accommodation is seasonal and somewhere to stay all the way through before April could be difficult.  Specific changes are: the closure of the Albergue A Gargale in Bolea in Bolea, the day 2 destination, so you have to stay at the restaurant, the Casa Rufino (or the pilgrim hostel);  the closure of the Hostal Migalon at Arguis on Day 3, so you now need to stay at the seasonal Hotel El Capricho, just down the road and off the route; and the closure of the UGT centre at Ligüerre de Cinca to overnight visitors with Casa A Chaminera (just down the road) the best alternative.

For an excellent and recent trip report on this section of the GR1 please follow the link to Joost's website

Section 6 - 9 days Graus to Gironella


Section 6 again combines remoteness with towering limestone cliffs, dry limestone plateaus and narrow limestone gorges.  Apart from one hotel at Sant Lorenc de Morunys (a town that has three other hotels) all the accommodation identified in the guide is still open for business.  This includes the lonely Masia Messanes reached on day 5 - it's lovely but I can’t understand how it survives, so please check.   Also the Masia el Pujol reached on Day 9 is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.


Section 7 - 10 days Gironella to the Coast


Section 7 includes three different landscapes: the first is the tailend of limestone landscape of the previous three stages; the second, after Ripoli,  a landscape dominated by the pinnacles of long-extinct volcanoes; and, the third, after Banyoles, involving just two days of walking, the coastal plain.  The stage includes some really interesting historic towns with Besalu competing with Sos del Rey Catolico for the prize of the most stunning town on the route.  In terms of accommodation the Fonda Alpens reached on Day 2 has closed and if you can't get into a casa rurals in the village try the Casa de Portavela further along (although the website says a minimum of 2 nights) or organise a taxi for some of the trip to Ripoli.  At Sant Joan de les Abadesses a new hotel has opened, the Hotelet de St. Joan, providing a welcome alternative to the youth hostel.  At Orriels the very swanky hotel has closed so consider heading south for 3km to Hostal Can Maret (access could involve bushwalking!) or sticking to the trail for another 7km to Camallera and staying at the Pensio L’Avi Pep.


Many thanks to Daniel Harris who walked part of the GR1 in 2022 - the photographs in the blog are his


For a recent GR1 trip report please go to Joost's website





5 comments:

  1. I much prefer this way of walking!
    Sure, you have some longer days, because you still need to reach the next village or accommodation, but on the other hand, you have to carry so much less gear, which makes hiking much more enjoyable. And you know that you'll have a proper bed and water, usually even a shower.
    And as to food, in case there are no restaurants, well, you have to carry some supplies with either mode of hiking.

    And staying at people's homes, houses or taverns, you often get a nice conversation and some interesting information on top, which you wouldn't if you are alone with yourself in the tent every night.

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  2. Thank you for this guide and blog which was very helpful in planning the part my group of five did 28/9 - 10/10/23. I thought I would provide some information on accommodation along our route from Samitier to Olite this year. Reroutes seem discussed elsewhere on the blog so I won't repeat that here.
    I organised accommodation via email from Australia but only 60% of places responded to that (I had used Google translate in the emails), the others had to be rung. Our beginners Spanish helped with that.
    We had spent a week on the GR11 that finished in Torla. We got the bus to Ainsa where we got supplies. The next day we got the bus to Samitier, the bus stop on the main road being just 20m from the trail.
    We walked to Paules de Sarsa and stayed at the lovely Casa El Condor which we had booked by phone, my email had gone to spam. Lovely food.
    Then we walked to Rodellar and stayed at Refugio Kalandraka booked by email. A wide range of accom options and nice food in the bar.
    Walked to Nocito the next day and stayed at the very good Casa Lardies booked by email.
    Then we walked to Arguis and stayed at Casa Bergua which we found on booking.com. Didn't find any other accom in this village. We arrived Sunday afternoon and there were no cafes or restaurants open for dinner. Locals said the nearest was over 20km away. The one local cafe was not going to open until Wednesday they told us, it had been open for Sunday lunch. It had a little snack dispensing machine.
    In Bolea we found Albergue de Peregrinos de Bolea by googling. Other places had not responded to emails or phone calls. Casa Rufino was open for meals but not accommodation at this time.
    In Loarre we stayed at Casa Pepico which we had found by googling and phoned. We didn't see any other options.
    I had booked with Hostal Los Mallos at Murillo de Gallego via email which they had confirmed. They were closed when we arrived, didn't respond to phone calls or emails. We found Abadia del Salvador by bumping into the owner in the street. Lovely place, family run, great food.
    In Biel I had booked Casa Rural Las Lezas via their website.
    In Petilla de Aragon we had booked Casa Ramon y Cajal via email.
    There's plenty of options in Sos del Rey Catolico and we had booked Hostal Los Coronas by booking.com. Great location and bar.
    In Gallipienzo Antiguo we found Hotel Beragu on google maps.
    We got an Air B'n'B in Ujue.
    There's plenty of options in Olite and we stayed at Hotel Ducay on the main square via booking.com.
    Prior to the pandemic I had done walks on the GR 10 and 11. Also the Sentier Cathare. I found the GR1 the hardest to get in contact with accommodation so that's why I have shared this.
    Once again thank you for this very helpful blog and guide. It's a lovely walk through historic villages, farmland and forests.

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    1. Hi Lee, thanks so much for your kind comment about the guide and the detailed information on accommodation. So much has happened since I put the guide together and it's great to hear that for hikers who want to sleep in a bed each night the route still works.

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  3. Dear John, I have written to you before some years ago- I wanted to thank you for all the wonderful walking we've had with the help of your GR1 book and also your blog about the Castellon walk- we did that last year. This year we went back to the GR1 for the fourth time and filled in a gap we'd left, from Pedrosa de Valdeporres to Los Arcos. We left out a couple of days where accommodation was difficult (for example there is now no accommodation at all in Peñacerrada) and took some detours. The most worthwhile was missing out Bóveda and going up over a high col into the Valderejo Natural Park where we stayed a couple of nights at Valderejo Etxea in Lalastra, giving us a chance to explore this beautiful place. There's a very helpful park office with leaflets on the various walks. Thoroughly recommended. Later for R+R we detoured to Haro and Laguardia in the Rioja region, rejoining the GR1 after a steep but beautiful walk from Laguardia on the GR38, which you mention on p109. The new hostel in Santa Cruz de Campezo was pretty good and we managed to stay at the Sanctuary next day- booked by WhatsApp on +34 677 50 17 53. They have slightly idiosyncratic opening hours but it worked out for us as they wanted to give us an early dinner so they could leave, and they left a small breakfast for us so we were able to make an early start for once. We really had such a fantastic time, with some excellent and varied walking. It's a shame more people don't do it as it is getting harder and harder to find accommodation. John thanks again, you've given us so much joy!

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    1. What a lovely comment and really helpful. It seems like a long time since I walked that stretch of the GR1 and, to be honest, the accommodation was a bit thin on the ground when I did it. Given what's happened over the last few years I'm amazed that through walkers are still making it work. Many thanks John

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