From Mérida to Alcuéscar - Vía de la Plata

Information

Today we will leave from Mérida to have a more interesting stage that will take us to the town of Alcuéscar. In terms of difficulty, it is a more attractive challenge than the previous stages, with an almost constant ascent from the town of Aljucén (where some pilgrims decide to shorten the stage). We will pass near the Proserpina reservoir, and walk through Mediterranean forests and scrubland.

We leave the town of Mérida behind us from the co-cathedral of Mérida. Santa María la Mayor we leave Merida and head towards Calle del Ferrocarril, where we cross the tracks of the train, which is no longer in operation, but which will connect us today with the surroundings of Alcuéscar. A little further on we cross a stream and take a detour to the Roman aqueduct of Los Milagros. We continue straight on ignoring the numerous roundabouts to reach the road to the Proserpina Reservoir. We will continue along this road and cross the A-5 by a bridge, to continue along this road towards the reservoir.

We skirt the dam and leave the Proserpina housing estate behind us, to head towards a dirt track that will put us on the road to Carrascalejo. Be careful, as this exit is difficult to see if you are not attentive. We leave behind the village of Carrascalejo to follow a path on the right that leads us to cross the A-66 to reach Aljucén.

We leave Aljucén by the N-630 road, which leads us to cross the river Aljucén and we will begin to ascend little by little. Just before reaching an abandoned service area, we will take a detour along a path through pastures to pass through the Cornalvo Natural Park. We enter the province of Cáceres when we leave the natural park, and we will continue to the Arco de la Cáparra. In this area we must pay attention to the yellow arrows, as it is easy to get lost. We continue to the Cruz de San Juan, which takes us to a hill, where we turn right to finally head for the last 5 kilometres that separate us from the entrance to Alcuéscar, where this stage ends.

To consider

This stage, in addition to being long, is somewhat more complicated than the previous ones, but it will be much more entertaining than the paths through fields that we are used to in the province of Badajoz, so it will be much more enjoyable. Since the stage is a bit long from Mérida, some pilgrims shorten the stage in Aljucén, although we recommend, if possible, to get to Alcuéscar.