Santo Domingo to Belorado

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Embarking on a journey across historic Spanish landscapes, we traverse a renovated C11th bridge, reflecting on the walk’s symbolism and past conflicts, including a uniquely settled land dispute near the Cruz de los Valientes. Experiencing local customs and heritage, we reach Belorado, connecting our path to the region’s storied Camino de Santiago and ancient Roman infrastructure, which continues to underpin modern life and community. Our day concludes with rest and a contemplation of the long-lasting importance of roads and networks.

Nájera to Santo Domingo de la Calzada

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To get to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, we have 21 kms ahead of us so it’s time for an early start. Out the door at 06.30 AM and straight into a climb as we wound past the cave monastery and onward through a rock cutting.  A bright yellow arrow …

Navarrete to Nájera

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We started out from Navarrete with its ancient pilgrim hospital, past Roland’s Hut, the site of a David and Goliath battle between Christians and Moslems, and on to Nájera where a bird and a vision decided the fate of a battle, and a French abbot gave us the first Western translation of the Koran to build better understanding between two great faiths.

Navarrete from Logroño

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The council has upgraded the path to Navarrete out of Logroño. I really liked the anamorphic shadows of pilgrims and cyclists painted on the walls of the underpass beneath the road. We passed through the university grounds as we headed out from the city. A shrine stood at the entrance …

Logroño — Time for a Rest Day

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Self-care on the Camino is important, and we were both definitely feeling the physical strain. Besides, we needed to stock up on a couple of items and Logroño is a decent-sized town. We went in search of a bag in order to lighten our load. The Pyrenees crossing, and the …

Sansol and Torres del Rio to Logroño

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Our journey has taken us today from Sansol, with its Templar-inspired church, past an ancient farmer’s humble storm shelter. Then to the tomb of the illegitimate son of a Pope. Cesare Borgia rose to become a military General who won back Viana for the Navarrese. We marveled at the technical skills and artistry in the churches. And how those artworks, thinly gilded, have inspired people through the ages to reach for something greater than themselves.

Villamayor de Monjardin to Sansol

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Bound for Sansol, we left Villamayor de Monjardin before sunrise, taking a farewell photo of the church as we headed down the hill and out into the valley. The kites soared over the hills as we headed out of the town. Looking back into the ripening dawn we could see …

Estella to Villamayor de Montjardin

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We set off towards Villmayor de Montjardin to a forecast of 16°C on a generally good track with some fairly steep hills (some refer to these as ‘undulations’, I prefer the term ‘hill’).  There were some great views across the valley, and soon we were approaching the 100km mark – …

Cirauqui to Estella

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The day dawned bright for our journey onward to Estella “Next there is Estella, which is fertile in good bread, excellent wine, meat, and fish, and full of all sorts of felicity” ~ Codex Calixtinus We departed our hostel before sunrise and headed down the hill as the first rays of …