Estella Lizarra - Torres del Rio

(S) Set off from the campsite, heading right towards the north-west, until you reach the fork in the road in front of the entrance to a large wine cooperative.

(1) Turn left (north-west) and continue along Calle Curtidores until you reach the entrance to the town of Estella.

(2) Continue straight on, passing the Church of Santo Sepulcro and then under the bridge carrying the NA-1110, until you reach the Prison Bridge.

(3) Continue straight on along Calle Curtidores. Pass the Church of San Pedro de la Rúa and continue along Calle San Nicolás until you exit via the medieval Puerta de Castilla. Continue in this direction until you reach the junction with the NA-1110.

(4) Cross this road carefully and turn right to go round the roundabout on the right-hand side and continue along Calle Carlos VII. Carry on to the next roundabout.

(5) Cross carefully just before the roundabout so that you can go round it on the left-hand side. Take the first exit and then turn right into a park. Continue to the end of the path, until you reach Calle San Juan de Pie de Puerto opposite the back of the El Campo supermarket.

(6) Continue straight on, following a green hillside on your right, until you enter the town of Ayegui.

(7) Continue straight ahead along Calle de Estella. After a slight incline, you will reach a junction with a red safety barrier.

(8) Turn right (south-west) and follow the garages until you reach the marker. Continue to number 9 on the street to arrive at a large crossroads. Head straight ahead, slightly to the left, passing a small garage on your right (advertising sign on the gable). Continue along Calle Nueva, passing a hotel-restaurant, then the church of Ayegui, before reaching a Stop sign at the junction with the NA-1110.

(9) Turn right towards the Iratxe campsite. Signs indicate that you are on the right track. Continue to the raised pedestrian crossing where a sign indicates a pilgrims’ crossing.

(10) Cross carefully, then first turn right then left in front of a fountain. Continue south-west along a gravel path running alongside the vineyards on your left. Carry on until you reach the Irache Fountain. The Fuente del Vino at the "Bodegas Irache" dispenses water as well as wine. This good-quality wine should be enjoyed in moderation.

(11) Once you have topped up your water supply, continue along the path, pass the monastery and carry on alongside the property’s boundary wall until you reach the crossroads.

(12) Turn right and head west towards the NA-1110.

(13) Cross very carefully as there is no pedestrian crossing, then turn left onto Avenida Prado de Irache, which runs parallel to the NA-1110. Pass the Iratxe campsite and continue along a stony path in the same direction until you reach the tunnel under the NA-132B.

(14) Continue straight ahead across fields and then through an oak forest on a well-marked, gently ascending path. You will reach a crossroads in a clearing.

(15) Carry on straight ahead towards the west. Walk through the forest until you pass a red barrier a few metres before the junction with the NA-7553.

(16) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead, veering slightly to the right, along a path that heads south at first and then turns right (west) running parallel to the NA-1110. At the end of the gently sloping path, you’ll come to a wide white track.

(17) Head right. In the distance, you can see the Sierra de Lokiz, a limestone ridge stretching 22 km from east to west. Continue to the T-junction (watering trough in the meadow).

(18) Turn left and continue along a dirt track, skirting the edge of a field, to the village of Ázqueta.

(19) Turn right towards a pub to cross the village via the main street. Continue to the Stop sign at the village exit.

(20) Just past the Stop sign, follow the concrete path to the right leading towards a farm. Continue to the signpost at a hairpin bend.

(21) Turn left towards Villamayor de Monjardín, onto a wide, stony, uphill track between the cereal fields. As you climb, with the summit in sight, the track turns into a stony path before reaching a fork.

(22) Turn right (west) onto the wider path and continue to the medieval fountain of Les Maures. This beautiful structure, with its two large arches, dates from 1200. A fairly steep flight of steps leads down to the basin, where the water is always cool.

(23) After the fountain, continue slightly downhill to the village of Villamayor de Monjardín at a bend in the road.

(24) Carry on straight ahead, slightly to the right, along the gently ascending bend. You can stock up on supplies at a small shop for walkers. Walk past the Church of San Andrés Apóstol, the highest point of the stage, and turn left. Walk a few metres to reach a house with a carved coat of arms on the façade.

(25) Go downhill twice to the left and then twice to the right, gradually heading towards the valley to the south along wide, mainly stony paths through the countryside. You will arrive at the foot of a shelter topped by a small statue.

(26) Continue south-west until you reach a Stop sign at the junction with the NA-7400.

(27) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead along the track running more or less parallel to the A12, following the signs for Los Arcos. Continue to the Stop sign at the junction with the NA-6340.

(28) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead. After a wide bend to the west, you will reach a fork.

(29) Ignore the path leading off to the right towards a shed and continue straight on along the path through the fields. Cross several streams, which are likely to be dry, and carry on until you reach a fork. Here, there may be a food truck right in the middle of the fields where you can grab a bite to eat.

(30) Turn right to reach a vineyard. Head right and continue to the next junction at the top of a hill.

(31) Head south. After a 90° right-hand bend, keep to the left of a wooded area separated by a field, ignoring the paths branching off to the right. Continue until you reach a fork.

(32) . Turn left towards the woodland to reach a picnic area. Follow the edge of the woodland on your left, and continue to the junction with the Chemin de la Tejera.

(33) Turn left (south) onto a wider path and continue to the crossroads.

(34) Turn right (south-west) and continue until you reach the entrance to the village of Los Arcos, in front of a pilgrims’ hostel.

(35) Continue straight ahead. Pass a drinking fountain before turning onto the left-hand lane. Stay on Calle Mayor to reach Plaza de la Fruta.

(36) Turn right, pass the Church of Santa María in the square of the same name, and leave the square via the Portal de Castilla, before reaching the junction with the NA-129.

(37) Cross this road carefully and continue straight ahead onto the Ruta Jacobea. Carry on until you reach the Ermita de San Blas, a small historic building that appears to be abandoned.

(38) Leave the village via a straight, flat, gravel path running parallel to the NA-8401, passing through fields of grain. Continue until you reach a vineyard next to a small old stone building.

(39) Keep to the right, pass an olive grove and continue by crossing the Rio de San Pedro before reaching the junction with the NA-7205.

(40) Turn left (south-west) and walk carefully along the road for about a kilometre until you reach the village of Sansol.

(41) Continue straight ahead, crossing the village towards the south to emerge onto the NA-1110 at a Stop sign.

(42) Cross carefully and continue to the right. Carry on until you reach the bend to the right as you leave the village.

(43) Turn left and then immediately right onto a concrete path leading downhill. Pass under the NA-6310 before arriving at the bridge over the Linares, a beautiful little medieval bridge.

(44) Look around the bridge for a place to camp for the night or head towards the village of Torres del Rio along the paved path at the edge of the fields to find accommodation there (E).

Provisions: At the start and in a shop for walkers in Villamayor de Monjardín (24)
Bivouac: to be found on site. Possible before the village around the bridge.
Accommodation on site:
Hostal Rural San Andrés. Tel: +34692179692 Info
Hostal Rural La Pata de Oca. Tel: +34948378457 Info
Albergue Casa Mariela. Tel: +34603359218 Info
Casa Egipcia. Tel: +34699872106

In Irache (11), of course, the fountain where wine flows is a curiosity where sponsorship and tradition come together. But for a pilgrim, the priority may well be to discover the monastery of Santa María la Real at the foot of Mount Montejurra. Its hospital, founded in 1050, was the earliest in Navarre, predating even that of Roncesvalles. From 1569, the Cistercian monastery housed a university which, in 1824, as it was in decline, was transferred to Sahagún. Of particular interest are the church (in a late 12th-century transitional style) and the richly decorated 16th-century cloister.

Monjardin Castle (24) overlooks Villamayor, but just before reaching the village, be sure to admire ‘La Fuente de los Moros’ (the Moors’ Fountain), a small Gothic gem.

The church of Villamayor (24) is a 12th-century Romanesque building with a single nave and a semi-circular apse, featuring a 17th-century Baroque tower. The capitals of the Romanesque portal depict, on one side, the Virgin and Child, and on the other, a battle between knights.

Los Arcos (35), known in the Middle Ages as "the town of the Jews", is well worth a visit to explore its open arcaded square, accessed through a 17th-century gateway. The Church of the Assumption is of Romanesque origin (it houses a 14th-century French Virgin, a 15th-century Gothic altarpiece and polychrome stalls, as well as a magnificent 18th-century organ). A graceful 15th-century Flamboyant Gothic cloister rounds off a pleasant visit to Los Arcos.