Hikes in Arraya de Oca

From picturesque Belorado, the route continues for quite a while through the same monotonous landscape as in the previous stage. Starting at Villafranca Montes de Oca, however, a mountain crossing through oak forests and heathland offers the long-awaited change of scenery—and, above all, peace and quiet once again! There is no supermarket at the destination.> From the center and the tourist information office on Belorado’s central square 01, we take the small street to the left of the supermarket. At the next intersection, we turn left and find ourselves back on the Camino and, at the same time, on the “Walk of Fame.” Continuing straight ahead, we cross a few streets and, glancing back, catch sight of two beautiful, large murals. After 20 meters, we continue on the middle of the three streets ahead of us. This takes us to the town’s outskirts, where we cross the N-120. There’s a nice rest area by the Río Tirón, but we cross the bridge and walk alongside the road for a few meters before soon following the gravel path into the countryside. Surrounded by fields, we soon reach Tosantos 02. Over the centuries, people have carved caves and churches into the easily workable mountain walls, as can already be seen from a distance on the other side of the road. After a short uphill stretch (we turn left onto more dirt roads), we can already see Villambistia ahead of us and, a little further on, Espinosa del Camino. On the horizon, we spot wind turbines; that’s where we’ll have to cross the mountain to reach San Juan de Ortega. But for now, we’ll stay on the path ahead of us. Villambistia 03 offers a must-visit bar as well as a hostel. From here, the route continues further into the countryside, but we’ll head toward the road to cross it just before Espinosa del Camino 04. Beyond the two hostels, the vastness of the farmland opens up before us. The path goes slightly uphill, though the incline isn’t particularly steep. When we reach the three cell towers, we can already see Villafranca to our left. We head downhill, pass a ruin (Ermita de San Felice), catch a glimpse of the mountains on the right on the horizon, and reach the plain. The wide gravel path leads to the noisy and heavily trafficked national highway. Our path now runs between farmland and the asphalt; when wet, it’s very prone to becoming muddy, uneven, and narrow. It’s more like a back road, but it’s not far to Villafranca Montes de Oca 05. Be careful, as the arrows pointing to the church lead us directly along the main road without passing through the pedestrian areas, some of which are quite wide. Between the hotel and the church is the last reliable water source before San Juan de Ortega, so fill up your water bottles one last time and set off up the steep hill. Finally, forests again; finally, nature again; finally, peace and quiet again! After about 1 km, we come to an excellent covered rest area 06. Although we haven’t reached the highest point yet, the climbs become significantly easier from here on. The trails through the oak and, later, pine forests vary greatly in condition. Sometimes we walk on very good sections, other times on eroded paths.When we reach a memorial (Monumento La Pedraja) 07 (commemorating the victims of the Spanish Civil War of 1936), we’ve also reached the highest point of the trail. For a while, the trail descends steeply alongside the road, crosses a bridge, and then climbs steeply again. After the final ascent, the trail remains at the same elevation, but the terrain varies greatly; especially when it rains, large puddles and extensive muddy sections can form on the very wide forest trails. About 5 km before our destination, we pass a rest area created by pilgrims. The trail is very monotonous, and it takes quite a while before we reach the hostel. After leaving the forest, we finally reach a landscape of pastures and fields, and soon after that, the small town of San Juan de Ortega 08.

Chemin de StJean Pied de Port à santiago de Compostella

Camino frances.  St Jean to Roncesvalles via Orisson with less steep descent alternative via chapel.  Camino Duro from Villafranca (well worth the extra effort!).  Don't just think about it; DO IT !! A fantastic break from pointless life in the UK and wasting your life staring at computers all day.  Ideally continue to Finisterre and/or Muxia.

Jakobsweg St. Jean Pied de Port - Kap FinisterreAus dem Projekt"2420km für rodania, 104 Tage für Schwerbehinderte"Weitere Infos zum Projekt unter:http://meinwegrodania.jimdo.com/

Spain: Camino de Santiago: Camino Frances: Stage 11: Belorado-San Juan de Ortega[ cami caminho cammino chemin compostela de itineraire jacob jacobsweg jacques james james’ jaume sant Santiago st ste saint san saint-jacques st-jacques path pilgrim’s pilgrims route ruta via voie way of weg ]

The Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostella

Compostela

Tappa 10

Notre sixième étape