Casar de Cáceres
Via de la Plata
Casar de Caceres is a proper town with plenty of food choices along the camino and opportunities for shopping. The local swimming pool is a welcome way to cool down in summer. But the real reason Casar is on the map -- and on every menu in Extremadura -- is the Torta del Casar.
This is one of Spain's great cheeses. Made exclusively from the milk of Merino and Entrefina sheep and curdled with wild cardoon thistle rather than animal rennet, the Torta del Casar has a creamy, almost liquid interior with a distinctive slightly bitter edge. It takes the milk of 20 sheep to make a single kilogram. The cheese holds Protected Designation of Origin status, and today only eight families still produce it. The traditional method is to cut the top off like a lid and scoop out the interior with bread. The Museo del Queso is small and has a bit of charm, though it leaves a bit to be desired after the jamon museum in Monesterio.
PACK WATER. The camino ahead is through remote pastures with little opportunity to refill. There are no services between Casar and the Rio Almonte crossing, roughly 18 km. Plan accordingly.
Market day: check locally for the weekly schedule.
The cheese tradition here goes back centuries. Local shepherds discovered that the cardo -- a purple-flowered thistle that lines the paths of these old Roman roads -- could coagulate their sheep's milk. Production was originally limited to late winter and early spring, when milking was at its peak and temperatures were right. The Protected Designation of Origin was granted in 1999, formalizing what had been a village craft for generations.
The camino leaves Casar de Caceres along the road to the north. It almost immediately turns to dirt and continues through the countryside. Along the way, you will pass beside and through walled pastures. It is a quiet stretch of road which, when dry, is rather enjoyable. It is remote, and the only signs of civilization along the way are a few farms and the ongoing construction of the AVE rail line.
You are approaching a large embalse (reservoir) and there are two large bridges which take you over two of the rivers that feed into it. The first is the Rio Almonte (17.8 km) and the second is the Rio Tajo (3.5 km). After this second crossing, the camino turns sharply uphill and to the right to leave the road. Opposite the road from this turn is the detour described below.
Accommodation in Casar de Cáceres.
| Albergue Municipal de Casar de Cáceres 5€ 22 |
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| Albergue Turistico Ruta de la Plata Casar 24€ 20 Booking.com |
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