 | 19.4.12 Thursday.
We start out from Barbate at about 8.20 after a coffee in a bar near the port, all these here seem to open around 8am or mostly just after. Out of town past the deserted nightclub (sensibly placed a few hundred metres from nearest dwelling and on to the beach for a short hop. Very soon we climb the cliffs we mistook for Cape Trafalgar yesterday and wander through pine wood full of green and goldfinches. The pines were planted late 18th and early 19th century to stabilise the dunes along the length of these small cliffs. As before flowers including orchids are numerous, rain threatens but never really happens to us though patches of sand appear to have recently received it.
We descend from the clifftop forest to Los Ganos de Meca and find another cafe just opening, the couple running it walked to Santiago two years ago and spot the badge on Tony's rucksac, we get cake as well as coffee!
We now approach the Faro (lighthouse) at Trafalgar, although a headland, Cape Trafalgar is only about 15m above sealevel and is reached by a spit of mixed rock and sand. This is the tombolo, an isthmus thrown up by the action of two opposing sea currents on a promontory similar in the UK to Chesil Beach and Poftland Bill, although here the mix of sediment from the sea's action is sand and large flatish rocks instead of the regular large pepples we remember from crossing the channel from Weymouth on our first Camino. Some have been piled into cairns across the route.
We continue across the beach/dunes with a little difficulty finding a decent route as building has occured across the Vereda (small drove route) marked on our map, and sand of less than optimal consistency is frequently encountered. We finally meet up with a metalled road again approaching the Torre Nueva (the "not very" new tower) and stop at a beachside bar for beer and tapas about 13.30. The menu is
quite extensive and we go for three tapas, pollo (chicken), carne (meat), both which come with a few fritas however Tim opts for the unknown Ajielas de Huevos, (when it arrives we are no wiser). Tony translates from the internet ajielas as dressing but Betsy swears huevos is eggs and it looks and tastes nothing like egg. Eventually we realise from the faint fishy taste and gritty texture we are eating roe and Betsy's hard work with the Spanish cds and books is vindicated.
We are now only about 4-5km from Conil our destination but along the beach (the direct route) lies a significant river, the Rio Salado. Google maps suggest this is crossable at low tide on the beach but we have doubts, happily the locals have built a footbridge and we enter Conil de la Frontera in fine style direct from the beach and find lodgings eazily along the front.
24km over 7hours.
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