La Solana de Jaca

The starting point is at the end of Paseo de la Constitución, a long avenue leading from the centre with a tree-lined and flower-filled central reservation.

(S/E) Turn left onto Calle del Monte Pano, following the GR®65 (Way of St James, known here as the "Camino Aragonés"). Follow this path straight ahead for about 1.5 km.

(1) At a fountain (drinking water), a path branches off to the right: do not take it, as this is the return route! Continue straight ahead for about 2.5 km.

(2) Just after passing under the road bridge, look out for the fork in the path. The left-hand path is the GR®65, which you should leave at this point. The right-hand path is marked "Sendero de los ríos" and is the one you should now follow. Start by descending to the Río Aragón (passing under the viaduct again) and you will come to a footbridge suspended over the river. At the end of the footbridge, the path turns left for 100 m before turning right and following a small river (clayey passage).

(3) At the end of this tricky section, you will come to a wide dirt track ("camino de la Botiguera"). Follow this track to the right for about 1 km.

(4) When a similar path branches off to the left, uphill and following a row of trees, take it. From this point on, do not follow the "Sendero de los ríos" trail markers. A gradual climb leads to a plateau and then to the Banaguás hill.

(5) Halfway up, don't miss a fork to the right, where you can follow a dirt road leading directly to Banaguás. As you enter the village, take a street on the left to admire the houses and their ornate facades, then the church.

(6) Leaving the church, take the small road leading to a crossroads.

(7) This crossroads is located just before a bridge over a small river. Cross the bridge and the road to find a path running alongside the river on the right-hand side (as you climb). This path, which runs through the woods, is not marked on maps but is easy to follow and leads directly to the next village: Guasillo.

(8) At the exit, be careful not to take the wrong path: take the path that descends to the right, not the one that ascends (towards Grosín). A pleasant stretch through wheat fields leads to the third village: Asieso.

(9) At the village exit (just after the church), signs indicate the way to Jaca via the small road, but there is a better alternative: take the path on the right, which descends gently down the hill to a road (the one you crossed when leaving Banaguás) and follow it to the left for 100 metres.

(10) A path branches off to the right, which you should follow for about 30 metres before turning left at a tree and a small staircase, from where the Romanesque bridge of Saint Michael (San Miguel) is immediately within reach. On the other side of the bridge, a small uphill road leads to the starting point of the hike.

(11) A path branching off to the right leads gently and attractively uphill to the first fork with the fountain.

(1) Then simply retrace your steps to reach the "Rompeolas" (S/E).

All seasons except perhaps during the summer heat waves; fortunately, the altitude (800 m) cools the temperatures a little.

Water sources: in town along the Way of St James (Compostela), particularly at point (1). Fountain in the centre of Banaguás.

The cathedral and citadel of Jaca are well worth a visit.