Stage 08c Way of the Monasteries

Description of stage 8c Way of the Monasteries of the French Way

From San Millán de la Cogolla to Berceo 1,9 Km

We begin the tour in the Monastery of Yuso, in San Millán de la Cogolla (0h 00min), crossing the street that brought us here and bordering the walls of the monastery leaving it to our back.

We follow the long main street that crosses the whole town, leaving behind us all the streets that come out in our way.

Just at the exit of the town and in the middle of the crossroads with the road that arrives from Berceo entering in San Millán by the Mayor street, with the one that arrives from Estollo, we will see in front of us a way that to the other side of this one continues in direction to Berceo parallel to the road.

The route continues, along this asphalted road, between orchards and estates following the course of the nearby river hidden behind the grove of its banks.

The path soon reaches the vicinity of the next village, coinciding with this section of the Route of Gonzalo de Berceo, which is part of The Steps of the Saint, a set of routes that connect the monasteries with nearby towns.

After a while, the track turns to the left, leaving to our right another one that goes towards the river, where the Way arrives from Nájera and Badarán. Beginning a gentle ascent that takes us to another crossroads where we return to follow the street on the left that enters between the buildings to exit the town hall square of Berceo (0h 25min), but not before forcing us to turn a couple of times to reach it.

From Berceo to the Bifurcation 4,3 Km

The road that arrives from San Millán is in charge of leading us through Berceo, making us leave its church on our left.

From now on, the road will be the one that sets the course for us without giving us even a small respite during the whole stage. The route takes us to the outskirts of the town, where we will find the first of the many crosses that we will have to pass.

As in the vast majority of them we will not have to divert as the journey continues straight without major complications. There is a section waiting for us that, in addition to the practically absence of hard shoulders, we have to add the drawings that the road traces in order to cross the hills that stand in our route and that force us to keep going up and down.

The road that we don't have to abandon at any moment advances until the roundabout where we will have to decide which Way we choose.

When you reach its height, the route meets its bifurcation (1h 40min), where there are two options, the first is to continue straight ahead directing our steps towards Cañas and its monastery, the second diverts us to the left towards the nearby Villar de Torre.

From the bifurcation to Azofra 7,9 Km

If we have decided to continue towards Cañas, the time has come for us to undertake a gentle descent that accompanies us until the end of the route. Long straight lines await us, and the road will mark the straight line to follow at all the crossroads we pass through.

With hardly any time to assimilate the change of landscape that without realizing it is taking place around us, the route introduces us to Cañas (2h 20min).​

The locality extends around the road that does not separate from us making us pass through the locality taking us to the doors of the Monastery of Light, or Monastery of Santa Maria del Salvador.

The itinerary leaves behind him Cañas and his monastery to continue with the progressive and straight descent that allows us to contemplate in the horizon the silhouette of the Toloño that delimits for that side the valley of the Ebro. There are several localities that, near the road, invite us to visit them by taking one of the crossroads that we pass on the roads that lead to them.

Canillas de Río Tuerto presents itself to us shortly after leaving Cañas, but the route goes by dodging it maintaining the rigorous course marked by the main road. The next one is Torrecilla Sobre Alesanco, a little more separated from the road but through whose municipal district we will have to pass through the course of our way.

Little by little, the straight line of the road brings us closer to the next town that we now have to cross. Alesanco (3h 00min), takes us out of the monotonous route making us cross part of its streets following our road that now makes the main street.

The church and the town hall, mark our arrival at the town square, where as could not be otherwise we must follow the course that our companion tells us to find the continuation of the route.

Without having taken any detour, the itinerary leads us to the outside of Alesanco from where we can already sense the near end of the stage. The locality is now behind us while Azofra is gradually approaching us.

Again without paying any attention to how many crossings we find, the Way takes us to the outskirts of the locality in search of the crossroads where we will meet again with the French Way.

To our right, in the same crossing where both itineraries are unified, there is the street that would introduce us to Azofra (3h 30min) if we followed it. While the Way continues straight on following the route that will take us towards Cirueña and Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

From the bifurcation to Cirueña 6,5 Km

If our choice is to go directly to Cirueña without visiting the monastery of Cañas, the road on the left leads us to the nearby Villar de Torre (1h 55min).​

This new road makes us cross the town not allowing us to deviate at any time. Villar de Torre remains behind us while we head towards a long stretch that maintains the irregular unevenness that accompanied us here, combining long straight lines until the end with undulating stretches that make us recover and lose height again.

Once again we advance ignoring all the crosses that come our way, the relative closeness of the rounded mountains that escort us amuse our walk on the grey asphalt. Without too many complications that those that the own road raises us we are approaching until Cirueña.

The road to our arrival at the town again serves as a reference to continue making us cross Cirueña (3h 20min) without major problems.

Already in the outskirts of the locality when it seems that we should say goodbye to it, on our right we are joined by the layout of the French Way, and together we continue descending towards a roundabout where we will take the track that will take us to Santo Domingo de la Calzada.​

Technical details of stage 8c Way of the Monasteries

Distance. 14.1Km o 12.7Km

Please note that the distance to the point where you decide to end your journey must be added to these figures.

Time. 3:30h o 3:20h

Without a great difference of distance between bot:possibilities it is the difference of the profile that we must assume the one that practically equals the time that we have to spend in crossing them. If it is convenient to count wit:the continuity that already in the route of the Frenc:Way we are going to give to our stage, not to find us wit:surprises.

Time of year

When traveling by road we avoid the inconveniences that dirt roads can have. The landscape is one more incentive in this stage since its great variety offers us during the whole year a nourished presence of diverse colors that paint the valley and the mountains wit:the special characteristics of eac:epoch.

Required equipment

The asphalt that dominates the whole route and the absence of great difficulties allows us to face the two slopes wit:trekking shoes. It is not superfluous to wear some reflective garment or bracelet that facilitates being seen by the drivers. Canes, water and food are good travel companions that we cannot leave behind. For the rest, to condition our equipment to the climatic conditions and to take, of course, the protection against the sun is in principle all that the stage asks us. Consult our list of material and equipment to make the Way. Read more

Difficulty. Medium

Physical

Neither of the two possibilities alone have a great physical demand, rather they are relatively simple routes for someone accustomed to the style imposed by the Way. It is when we add them to the rest of the route that we must travel to get to where we have set out, when there can be great differences. While the variant that goes throug:Cirueña normally extends to Santo Domingo without increasing the effort too muc:for it, if we go throug:Azofra and we also want to finis:in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, we will have to make an important effort not only to travel more kilometers but also to have to recover part of the lost height following a profile wit:some ramp of entity.

Caution

The route, almost entirely by road, constantly exposes us to traffic, as there is hardly any hard shoulder that separates us in part from it. The large straight lines partly improve our safety as they can be seen more easily, but there are several winding sections or those wit:changes in gradient where visibility is almost non-existent. Even so, it is more or less common to see the locals walking along the road, taking advantage of the relatively little traffic on certain dates.

Orientation

As soon as we set foot on the asphalt we will find a route that is practically unmarked, due in part to the fact that it coincides wit:the road, the signposting of whic:leaves no doubt as to the right pat:to follow. It is in our passage throug:Berceo where the most turns will make us follow the twisted streets that lead to the town hall square, nothing that should cause us greater problems to follow the correct route that leads to the road.

Coordinates UTM Datum WGS84

Stage Profile

Cartography, maps and tracks

This sketc:of the route is not made to scale nor does it contain all the information relating to the area, it is merely indicative.

This schematic wit:the pat:is approximate and has been created from the derived cartographic base © Instituto Geográfico Nacional "Cuadrante 203, 202, 241 y 240 1:50.000".

Senditur has manipulated the tracks to correct the aberrant points that may exist, caused by problems wit:the reception of the GPS signal. In any case the tracks are always approximate. SENDITUR encourages you to use the new technologies within your reach, using them as support and consultation in your activity, not basing the realization and orientation of the same only and exclusively on them, since they may see their functioning altered by very diverse causes, not functioning correctly and their indications may not be precise.