Today we left Nájera and headed towards Santo Domingo de la Cazada

It would be fair to say that, after the lovely towns we have stayed in so far, Nájera was a bit of a disappointment. We stayed at the Hotel Duques de Nájera which was perfectly fine – finding a place for dinner was a challenge with limited options and, of those, most seemed to be booked out. Anyway we found somewhere eventually where the food tasted better than the surrounding area looked!

On the way out of town, we passed the monastery of Santa Maria la Real. The first building on the site dates back to the 11th century – the monastery and the attached royal pantheon were founded by King Garcia Sánchez III of Navarre in 1052. It was later elevated to an episcopal see (area of a bishops ecclesiastical jurisdiction) and placed under Papal authority. As for Nájera itself, the Romans built the town of Tritium on land which now falls within the boundaries of Nájera and the neighbouring municipality of Tricio. Subsequently, the area was under Muslim rule and the name Nájera (Naxara, meaning “town between the rocks”) is of Arabic origin.

A short hill up out of the town and we were back into the countryside with vineyards and some distant mountain views. As the morning progressed the vineyards were slowly replaced by the (previously) usual fields of rapeseed, peas and wheat.

On the way to the village of Azofra was an extensive gravity fed irrigation system – the concepts & techniques of which were bought to the Iberian Peninsula by the Arabs & Berbers. After the short walk through the village we passed by the Rollo de Azofra which represents the administrative category of the village as it was fully self governing since 1116. It was also notable as a place of executions. King Carlos V granted this (execution) privilege in the 16th century – inhabitants of Azofra had to be tried in Azofra.

We then started up a long hill (Strava tells me it was 3.3km long with a climb of 148m – a 4.5% gradient). It certainly got the heart and legs pumping! At the top of this hill was a town called Ciriñuela which was remarkable for its unremarkableness!. We could see Santo Domingo de la Cazarda in the distance for most of the walk down the hill – at this stage there were no more vineyards to be seen.

Tomorrow we head to Belorado.

Today we left Logroño and headed to Nájera.

As we left our Hotel Bracos a little earlier than usual (it was forecast to get hotter than yesterday in the afternoon) there was little to see other than the usual sights in a busy town.

Logroño has its origins in the Roman town of Vareia which was founded sometime around the 1st century BC. It is currently the capital of the Rioja autonomous community. Juan II of Castile granted it the title of “City” in 1431. He also added the titles of Very Noble and Very Loyal to the city, which still appear on the town’s coat of arms. This was because of the loyalty of the local people against King Juan II of Aragon as despite “war, injuries and deaths, and robberies, and burnings, and damages and oppressions”, the city remained in the service of the King of Castile.

As mentioned, not a lot to see on our initial walk out of the city, but we did spot a few ducklings in a man made pond and an interesting take on an El Camino direction sign, before getting back to see the all familiar green and hilly views.

We spent some time walking along the edge of La Grajera Reservoir, which was built in 1883, on what was possibly a small  endorheic lagoon (or drainage basin!), to store water from the Iregua River with which to irrigate the orchards that were to the south of the city. There were a lot of fishermen but the canny Carp were hiding in a small shallow area well away from them – there was also a goose on its nest.

We were now on a gradual uphill climb as we headed towards the town of Navarrete – as usual it was the church commanding a view from the top of the town that we could see first. The land was becoming noticeably more covered in vines as we progressed along. Just before the town were the ruins of the San Juan de Acre, Hospital de peregrinos, founded by Doña Maria Ramirez in the Middle Ages to assist pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

We briefly stopped in Navarrete for a cold drink and a photo of the impressive main church before heading back down out of town and on the road to Nájera. We passed the Cementerio Municipal de Navarrete, where the facade was moved from its original location, the old hospital of San Juan de Acre, in 1887 by a mason named Azpiri. The gate on the door was made by a blacksmith named Menaut, all following the instructions of the project drawn up by the prestigious Riojan architect Luis Barrón.

We were pretty much on a straight run now towards Nájera. The road became pretty dusty and was quite straight and climbing for long periods. Either side were vineyards – some old, some new, some completely overgrown, but all showing the rich brown soil of La Rioja region. After a small lung burner of a hill, we topped out with views down to Nájera below, and carried on down through an industrial area (still a dusty path) before arriving at the edge of town. This is not as pretty as previous towns on initial views, but once over the river the old town felt much more familiar.

Tomorrow we head to Santa Domingo de la Calzada

Today we left Los Arcos and headed towards Logroño

The Hostal Suetxe, while very comfortable was interesting – although advertising a restaurant and bar, dinner was in a house around the corner and breakfast in a nearby cafe. Amusing but it all worked very well.

Los Arcos has a long history, but in the 11th century the town known today as Los Arcos was formed. Sancho Garcés IV of Navarra from Peñalén repopulated it after the battle of Valdegón. In this 1067 battle, the War of the Three Sanchos (from Castile, Navarre and Aragon), Navarre and Aragonese were on one side, the Castilians on the other and defeated. The grateful king then gave orders to repopulate the town.

The walk started off pretty cold but soon warmed up as we meandered across paths and roads, viewing alternating fields of vines and wheat and some large mountains in the distance. We could see the town of Sansol in the distance for some time on its hill in the middle of flats fields.

Of course, to get through Sansol there was a climb up through the town and then down the other side, where we headed further down to Torres Del Rio – which had a lung busting climb up into the town – where there was a quirky little church (and the obligatory pilgrim passport stamp).

Then, unannounced in the route description, as we walked towards Bargota, there was a long steep incline that caused a few palpitations and must have been hellish for a lot of the older walkers. There were still plenty of vines to see as well as a tiled mural on what seemed like a small private chapel and a majestic vulture keeping a watchful eye on us.

Downhill all the way (well mostly!) into Viana where we looked for ice cream but had to settle for a muffin instead. We had a look inside the church of Santa María de la Asunción which was built between 1250 and 1312. The scale and spectacle of all the churches is absolutely stunning and this is no exception. César Borgia died during a treacherous ambush, in Viana, on March 12, 1507. Three men of Luis de Beaumont, Count of Lerín, prepared an ambush and killed him. The Count of Lerín, like a good gentleman, mourned him and allowed the corpse to be buried in the Church of Santa María.

The heat was now approaching late 20’s and we were glad of an early start we we made the final few kilometres into Rioja country and finally into Logroño. There were noticeably less fields of wheat and significantly more vines!

Tomorrow promises to be even hotter.

Today we left Estella and headed to Los Arcos.

Estella (Spanish) or Lizarra (‘ash tree’ in Basque) was founded around the year 1090 by Sancho Garcés I, monarch of Pamplona and Aragón. At an altitude of 421 meters and surrounded by mountains such as Montejurra, Peñaguda, Cruz de los Castillo and Belástegui, the city is so hidden that there is a saying that Estella cannot be seen until actually getting there. These surrounding mountains also soften its climate, sheltering it from the wind. 

Today was a steady uphill walk for the first half and as we climbed up out of Estella, through Ayegui, we passed the Irache winery, the Benedictine Irache Monastery (8th century) and the Museum of Wine (much more modern!).

Onwards and upwards – more fabulous scenery, vines, fields of wheat and so many wild poppies and distant views of mountains. The sun was shining and life was good!

A little more climbing and then we were as high as we were going to get today at Villamayor de Monjardin, where we could see San Esteban de Deyo, also called the Castillo de Monjardín. This is a ruined castle (where only the walls remain) on a hill overlooking the town which lies at an elevation of 890 metres. The castle has a Roman foundation, but was repeatedly rebuilt over the centuries. It was one of the last fortresses of the Bani Qasi, the local Muslim dynasty, before it was taken by King Sancho I of Navarre in 914.

Downhill all the rest of the way, including many flat sections, to Los Arcos. Still more vineyards and wheat fields with new mountains appearing on the horizon. In the distance we could see the Basilica of San Gregorio Ostiense on the Alto de Piñalba. The Basilica is an outstanding Baroque-style construction and is dedicated to Saint Gregory Ostiense, who was bishop of Ostia in Italy and who died in the nearby city of Logroño in 1044. 

A few more kilometres of walking through the farmlands, and passing the multitudes of Camino walkers, we came to the town of Los Arcos. It was a scene we had become familiar with – narrow streets with pretty houses, a town square and a huge church.

Rather than go straight to our hotel, we had a look inside this magnificent church – Iglesia de Santa Maria de Los Arcos. The church originally dates from the 12th century, as a Romanesque church that in 1175 was one of the largest on the Camino de Santiago, and has undergone successive transformations up until the middle of the Baroque period. The organ was built in 1760-61 (as recorded in the parish archive) by Lucas de Tarazona, an organ maker from LerÃn for 5,600 reales.

Tomorrow we head to Logrońo (and Rioja wine country).

Today we left Puente la Reina and headed to Estella. Dal, Helena and Julie were with us for their second, and last, day.

Puente la Reina (Gares in Basque) is notable as the meeting point on El Camino de Santiago of the two routes from France.

Tradition says that the name of Puente la Reina comes from the Romanesque bridge over the river Arga, which was ordered to be built in the  11th century by an unknown queen of Navarre. A popular opinion is that this queen was Muniadona of Castile.

The Iglesia de Santiago is the main Catholic church in Puente la Reina and is a late Gothic building from the 16th century which retains elements of the Romanesque temple from the12th century while the bell tower and altarpieces inside are Baroque and from the 18th century.

On the way toward Cirauqui (pictured on the hill in the distance) we walked past endless fields of Rape Seed and Wheat while olive groves and rows of vines started to become more common.

The way through Cirauqui is to walk up the hill to the top of the town, via the church (which was ringing its bells for Sunday mass – its worth waiting for the video to load) and then down the hill again on the other side.

Keeping our steady pace going we arrived in the village of Lorca, with its inevitable beautiful old church, and an ice-cream opportunity. At this stage the weather was holding fair and alternating sun and cloud cover – but never too hot.

We had good views of Montejurra (1042m) on the way into Villatuerta, where there was a huge church, up another hill, at the top of town. Montejurra is the first mountain in the pre-Pyrenees and its surroundings were host to to battles in the 19th century Carlist wars.

We arrived in Estella and checked in to our hotel – Hospederia Chapitel – before heading for some lunch and a stroll around town and a look at the Iglesia de San Pedro de la Rúa.

Tomorrow sees Paul and myself, back on our own again as we head to Los Arcos.

Today we left the city of Pamplona and headed though largely agricultural lands on the way to Puente la Reina. We were joined today by Dal, Julie and Helena (in a “Paul” t-shirt).

In the winter of 75–74 BC, the area that is now Pamplona, served as a camp for the Roman general Pompey in the war against Sertorius. He is considered to be the founder of Pompaelo, “as in Pompeiopolis” which became Pamplona in modern Spanish. The Vascones were a pre-Roman tribe who inhabited a territory that covers today’s Basque Country and had it as their chief town – they called it Iruña, translating to ‘the city’.  Pamplona is still known locally by it’s Basque name of Iruña.

The scenery starting out today was different as we walked through a mainly agricultural landscape of Wheat, Mustard, Pea and Bean fields. Watching the wind ripple through the wheat fields was quite mesmeric.

It seemed that every hill in the area had a small village, and accompanying church, and in the village of Zariquiegui was this church – Iglesia de San Andrés – built in the second half of the 12th century. It also had a lovely stamp for the pilgrim passport.

We then encountered the only hill of the day (the elevation profile at the end of todfay’s entry makes it look worse than it was). The top was pretty windy, which would explain the long line of wind turbines on the ridge (they are really noisy when up close) and we were afforded a view of a splendid vista, albeit approached by a steep rocky path.

As we continued our, for now anyway, gradual descent we passed through several towns – all with their own wonderful churches, and saw more evidence of the religious nature of the trek.

We finished up the walk for the day, arriving into Puente la Reina, and making our way down the Calle Mayor to the Hotel Bidean.

Today we had a short journey to Pamplona.

There is not a lot to say about Akerreta except that in the 2019 census it had a population of 11 – so when the hotel is full (20 guests) then the population triples. The Hotel Akerreta was originally a private dwelling, built 250 years ago, and very nicely converted / restored by the owners themselves over the last 20 years.

It was a beautiful morning as we set off, sun wasn’t yet beating on us but was pleasantly warm. We spent most of the morning walking alongside the River Arga, a tributary of the Aragón River, itself a tributary of the River Ebro, and was known as the river Runa in antiquity. The river stretches some 145 kilometres (90 mi) and is dammed in the Eugui reservoir to serve the needs of Pamplona’s metropolitan area.

As we neared the various towns that make up the outer metro areas of Pamplona we crossed the river twice more on huge bridges and even stopped at a lovely church to put another stamp in our pilgrim’s passports.

As this was a short walk (only 15km) we had an afternoon of sightseeing ahead of us. After navigating a few of the narrow streets and checking in to our Hotel Maisonnave we met Helena for a beer/coffee at the Plaza de Castillo and then set off into the old city.

The first picture is the Cathedral Metropolitana de Santa María which is the most complete cathedral complex preserved in Spain, built in the 14th century. We then took a look at the town hall and walked the streets where the famous Bull Run takes place every July. Of course we had an ice cream stop – the ice cream was crafted to look like flower petals!

Next up was a tour of the Pamplona Bull Ring. A very impressive arena – 4th biggest in the world and holds 19,000 people. Unfortunately Bull Fighting still takes place in this arena.

Today was an easy day and tomorrow, joined by Dal & Julie (as well as Helena) we will head to Puente la Reina

Today we would be descending almost all of yesterday’s climbed metres as we head to Akerreta.

The sun was shining as we departed the Hotel Roncesvalles this morning. A really nice meal last night, comfortable rooms and a good breakfast helped overcome the trials of yesterday and set us up for our walk.

The church above is the Collegiate Church of Santa María de Orreaga/Roncesvalles. It’s origin dates back to the beginning of the 12th century, when Alfonso I “El Batallador” and the Bishop of Pamplona ordered the construction of a hospital-monastery in Alto de Ibañeta to care for pilgrims. The Kings of Navarre García V Ramírez, Sancho VI “el Sabio” and Sancho VII “el Fuerte” —whose reigns followed one another from 1134 to 1234— gave the decisive push for the building. Sancho VII el Fuerte was the architect of the construction of the collegiate church, and his remains lie here.

We walked through the pretty Burguete-Auritz, enjoying the peacefulness and the views. At this stage, as we had left “relatively” late at 8:45am we were still behind the majority of El Camino walkers so had the road pretty much to ourselves.

The route alternated between paths in shaded woodland and small towns. The town of Espinal was typical of the area – well maintained and pretty houses and a long narrow Main Street.

The views continued to impress, whether looking across fields to the hills in the distance or walking through the many forests – we passed through Bizkarreta-Gerendiain towards Zubiri. We probably passed 100+ walkers (although it’s not a race!) today. It’s great to see the diversity of walkers, we said hello / Buen Camino to French, Spanish, Germans, Italians, Americans, Canadians, Koreans (and probably other nationalities too) as we passed them by.

A long, rocky descent down to Zubiri, where most walkers were finishing their day, and a first ice-cream stop of the walk. From there it was a walk around the edges of the Magnesitas Navarras site – a huge corporation in the business of extraction, manufacture and commercialization of magnesite and its derivatives. It really looked out of place in such a beautiful environment.

We arrived nice and early to our 300 year hotel and are currently enjoying a beer ont he patio as we rest up before our short walk into Pamplona tomorrow.

Today we began El Camino in earnest as we left the Hotel Ramuntcho and started towards Roncesvalles.

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port lies on the river Nive 8 km (5.0 mi) from the Spanish border, and is the head town of the region of Basse-Navarre (Lower Navarre in English) and was classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France in 2016. The original town at nearby Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was razed to the ground in 1177 by the troops of Richard the Lionheart after a siege. The Kings of Navarre refounded the town on its present site shortly afterwards. The town has traditionally been an important point on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, as it stands at the base of the Roncevaux Pass across the Pyrenees. Pied-de-Port means ‘foot of the pass’ in Pyrenean French.

It was a pleasant walk through the town until we hit the Camino Trail proper and started what would be a relentless climb up to Lepoeder Pass (1432m).

The views were nothing short of spectacular – the camera really doesn’t do them justice. At about 8km in we passed the Hotel Orisson, which was the only food/drink stop on the route today. As it was so early in the walk we just kept walking (rather than sitting down and having to get going again).

We passed by the the statue of the Virgin/Vierge d’Orisson at about 10km and continued the long slog uphill.

Finally we reached Lepoeder Pass and started the descent down into Roncesvalles. The Lepoeder Pass was (possibly) the site of the Battle of Roncesvalles (in 778) when a large army of Basques ambushed a part of Charlemagne’s army , after his invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

We only had to descend 500 of today’s c1400 meters so it was a reasonably swift process and we made it to our hotel in Roncesvalles. A well deserved beer and wine before heading in for a shower and a bit of relaxation.

Tomorrow we head to Akerreta

After a long 18 months, and with both of now retired and being “gentlemen of leisure” we finally headed for Gatwick Airport and our Easyjet flight to Biarritz.

The flight, as it should be was uneventful – left a few minutes late but arrived early. Biarritz is not a very big or busy airport so we were outside, with bags, collected within 20 minutes of landing. Our pre-booked taxi was a brand new Tesla Model Y – very comfortable and had us to our Hotel Ramuntcho, in Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port in under an hour.

The hotel is very comfortable with a lovely view from my room:

Apparently most restaurants close here Monday & Tuesday but thankfully a nice local.rustic restaurant was open about 1 minute down the hill. A very tasty dinner for two with beers and wine was a grand total of EUR43.

A leisurely start tomorrow as we face up to a 1300m climb over the Pyrenees!