Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada

(S) From your campsite, head north to reach the San Juan de Ortega bridge.

(1) Turn left to cross it, then head right onto Calle Ribera del Najerilla. Continue to the pedestrian crossing.

(2) Turn left onto Calle Estella. Cross the junction carefully and continue straight ahead to pass under the archway on the left-hand side of the square, then turn right onto Calle Villegas. Continue to the end of the street, at the junction with Calle San Miguel.

(3) Turn left and continue straight on to reach Plaza Santa María, where the Monastery of Santa María la Real is located.

(4) Go round the left-hand side of the building and walk along its right-hand side to go round it and rejoin Costanilla Street. You’ll arrive in front of the last white house, at a fork in the road.

(5) Continue straight on (south-west) along this path which climbs towards a small coniferous forest, ignoring the path that branches off to the left. You will be moving away from Nájera as you walk along the foot of an imposing ochre-coloured cliff. Stay on this road until you reach the Ruta Del Clarele vineyard, marked by an information sign and situated just before a junction.

(6) Continue straight on past the shed, cross a small stream and follow the gently ascending road to the fork.

(7) Turn right (north-west), pass between two vineyard plots and continue along this path in a long, straight stretch of open ground until you reach a crossroads.

(8) Continue straight on between the vineyards and the few scattered fields of cereals, occasionally crossing small streams whose water is used extensively for crop irrigation via an extensive network of pipes. Continue to the Stop sign.

(9) Turn left and continue along this long tarmac stretch to the village of Azofra.

(10) Continue straight ahead (north-west) to pass through the village ( where you can stock up on supplies). Following the signs on the building facades, you will reach a stop sign.

(11) Turn right onto the LR-206. Cross the Rio Tuerto and continue to a bridge with a raised pedestrian crossing.

(12) Turn left after the bridge onto the small tarmac road which, after the lorry weighbridge, turns into a dirt track. Continue through the fields and vineyards until you reach the fork.

(13) Continue straight on (north-west) to the Rollo de Azofra. Built in the 16th century, this sword-shaped judicial roll is an exceptional symbol of justice.

(14) Carry on your way, crossing a small irrigation canal before arriving at a vineyard. Continue north-west to the T-junction.

(15) Turn right, then left, to follow a power line as you approach the A12. Continue to the junction with the LR-207.

(16) Cross carefully and continue straight ahead. At the fork, take the left-hand path and continue to a patch of vines to the left of a T-junction.

(17) Turn left onto the stony path through the grain fields and continue to a crossroads.

(18) Continue south-west across open ground to the next crossroads.

(19) Continue westwards until you reach a rest and picnic area.

(20) Continue until you are walking alongside the golf course, surrounded by lush greenery and lined with numerous trees, including centuries-old oaks. Walk to the edge of the fence to enter the town of Cirueña.

(21) Turn left. A sculpture of a pilgrim shows you the way. Walk past the golf club restaurant and continue straight on along Calle La Rioja. At the Y-junction, turn right onto Calle San Miguel, walk past the municipal swimming pool and continue to the stop sign.

(22) Turn left. At the next stop sign, continue straight ahead, then turn right at the next junction to cross vast, uncultivated pastures. Keep going in this direction along this narrow road until you reach the junction with the LR-204.

(23) Cross carefully and continue to the right to leave Cirueña and reach a roundabout. Turn left, following the signs for Santo Domingo de la Calzada along the footpath. Continue until you reach a hop field on the right.

(24) Continue left onto a wide, slightly undulating stony track running through the middle of the fields. At the fork, keep heading north-west and continue on an endless, monotonous walk across open ground. Carry on in the same direction, ignoring the paths running perpendicular to it. Continue until you reach the rest area situated on a promontory, featuring a sculpture entitled: Bridge Builder.

(25) Continue along the path to the next junction.

(26) Choice to make:
- if you have chosen the campsite, see the route in the Practical Information section.
- if you have chosen the Albergue as shown on the route, continue straight ahead. Keep going in the same direction, passing under a high-voltage power line before reaching an industrial estate.

(27) Continue on your way until you arrive opposite the municipal stadium on the LR-204.

(28) Turn left and continue to the roundabout. Carry on straight ahead to the pedestrian crossing. Cross carefully and continue left along the pavement on the opposite side until you reach the junction.

(29) Continue straight on towards the Tourist Office and carry on until you reach the Stop sign.

(30) Cross the road carefully and continue straight ahead to enter the old town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. Walk past the Tourist Office and continue to the Plaza de la Alameda (E) where you can find accommodation for the night.

You can stock up on supplies in Azofra (10).

For accommodation:
Camping Bañares. Tel +34941340131 Info
(26) If you have chosen to spend the night at the campsite, turn right. Please note: here, you leave the route to reach the campsite; there are no signs. Cross the LR-204 carefully and continue straight ahead across the fields. At the end of the path, turn left onto a track running parallel to the A12 and continue to the junction with the N-120. Turn right and walk carefully alongside the N-120 until you reach the roundabout. Take the^second exit towards Nájera. Cross the bridge over the A12 motorway, then take the^second exit towards Nájera to reach the Bañares campsite 50 metres further on.

There are plenty of lodges in Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
Note: for this stage, I chose to spend the night in a lodge. As the campsite is quite a distance from the town, I preferred to spend my afternoon exploring this pretty town and its many monuments.

(10) Azofra: the present-day church, whose square tower stands sentinel-like, has on its high altar an image of Saint James the Pilgrim and also a statue of Saint Martin of Tours. At the edge of the village stands the Fuente de los Moros, the ‘Fountain of the Moors’.

(14) The "Rollo de Azofra" (roll) is situated on our route to the right, one kilometre after leaving Azofra. It is an ancient 16th-century milestone which, of course, served as a signpost but could also symbolise justice by recalling the existence of pillories.

(4) Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The cathedral houses the tomb of Santo Domingo. A highly eclectic structure, it retains its Romanesque apse with its historiated capitals, opening onto the ambulatory; the building is Gothic in style with a Renaissance high altar. It is in this cathedral that you can see the live hen (which often sings), behind an ornate grille, recalling the miracle of the ‘hanged man’, a legend so often depicted on numerous altarpieces both in France and abroad...