Stage

Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado

Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada Belorado - San Juan de Ortega

22’5 km

This is the transition between La Rioja and Castilla and León. The landscape is mild, but one should pay attention to some sections that overlap with regular roads. Already upon leaving Santo Domingo de la Calzada there is a section running parallel to a national road towards Grañón, the last village in La Rioja on this Route, located almost 7 kilometres away from the departure point.

Cereal fields become more prominent in the transition to the typical Castilian landscape. The sign welcoming pilgrims to this new region—and the province of Burgos in particular-- is 9 kilometres away from the day’s starting point. The first village there is Redecilla del Camino, with its parish church of Virgen de la Calle and its Romanesque baptismal font.

Crossing the Reláchigo River, the next villages are Castildelgado and Viloria de Rioja, the birthplace of Santo Domingo de la Calzada, located 14 kilometres away from the day’s starting point. The Camino continues along a path close to the road, crossing Villamayor del Río and reaching Belorado, a town famous for its fur trade, with interesting hotels and services for pilgrims around its main square (Plaza Mayor), which features porticoes in a traditional Castilian style. This is the capital of the subcounty of La Riojilla Burgalesa. Ithas a river park on the riverbanks of the Tirón (a tributary to the Ebro), as well as several churches and convents such as the Iglesia de Santa María, San Pedro and the Chapel of Nuestra Señora de Belén, which used to be a hospital for pilgrims.

Tips from our postmen and women

What to see and do in Belorado?

Dolores Santamaría Correos Belorado

“Once you reach Belorado and settle there, the Museum of Radio Communication makes for a nice afternoon or evening visit to seevery old radio devices and military objects from the First and Second World Wars on display. A guided tour can be booked at the tourist office located at the Plaza Mayor. This is also the place to have some coffee or a drink in the local bars surrounding the Plaza Mayor in the shade of the arcade after a walk along the riverbank of the Tirón. In the summer, one can take a dip, though the waters are chilly. The monastery of Santa Clara is home to nuns who prepare delicious biscuits and chocolate truffles, also for sale on site”.