Today we left Belorado hand headed towards San Juan de Ortega
Today promised to be a much better day, with limited walking alongside roads. There would be a mountain to navigate mid-walk that looked like quite a slog uphill. The streets of Belorado old town are narrow with typical passageways that hint to the large population that once lived within its walls. In the 10th century, it was notable as the Cid’s stronghold and later in the same century the first independent Castilian count, in gratitude for Belorado freeing him from the irons with which the King of Navarre held him prisoner (as the poem by Fernán González says), granted the town the privilege of holding a market on Mondays, a custom that still enlivens Plaza Mayor to this day.
On the way out of Belorado, we crossed the Puente Romano “El Canto” which it is believed was rebuilt by Santo Domingo, helped by San Juan de Ortega in the time of Alfonso VI. Across the valley we could also see the Ermita De La Virgen De La Peña, a cave (hermitage) built into the hill, that was the local parish church until the village church was built. There is a festival, every September, dedicated to the Virgin.
As we walked, the road was gently climbing, but not in a serious way, and we passed through a couple of small villages – Villambistia, Espinosa del Camino – before getting to Villafranca Montes de Oca, where we would be spending the night. However our day was not done as we had only walked halfway – due to the Camino’s popularity this year everywhere is fully booked – so we would get to our destination and then take a taxi back to the hotel. Then the fun began as we had about 3km of constant climb up to the top of Valbuena (1168m). At the top, we passed the monument placed to commemorate the c300 people who were shot by those who supported the coup d’etat of General Francisco Franco against the Second Republic, which gave rise to the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. They were assassinated in the first months of the Civil War for their political ideals and for defending freedom.
We then had a pleasant few kilometers walking downhill through the forest, on a wide (dusty) track before emerging into more wheat fields and the (very) small town of San Juan de Ortega. This is where the bar was that we would wait for our taxi back to our Hotel Restaurante San Antón Abad.
While we waited for our taxi, we took a look in the Monasterio de San Juan de Ortega. During his life he devoted himself to the task of helping pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago with the construction of roads and bridges, but his great work was set in the Montes de Oca (where the town of San Juan de Ortega is). He built a chapel and a small monastery and a hostel for the pilgrims who passed through there.
Tomorrow we head to Burgos and our first rest day.