Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado

(S) From Plaza de la Alameda, head west along the narrow street. Pass the Cathedral of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and continue straight on until you reach the stop sign. Turn left and continue to the roundabout in front of the Convent of San Francisco.

(1) Turn right onto Avenida de La Rioja, heading towards Burgos. Continue to the Santo Domingo de la Calzada Bridge.

(2) Just after this bridge, turn right and then left onto a dirt track through the fields, leading to the junction with the LR-201.

(3) Turn right, then left (north-west), towards the vehicle inspection centre. Continue to the end of this small road, then turn left to reach the road to Burgos.

(4) Cross the road carefully and follow a stony path on the right, running parallel to this road. Follow this path until you reach the crossroads.

(5) Turn right, then immediately left, and continue along the main road until you reach a wooden cross. This is the Cross of the Brave, commemorating an old dispute between Grañon and Santo Domingo over the ownership of a dehesa.

(6) Continue along the N-120. Walk on until you reach the junction with a path coming from the left

(7) Please note: a new path has been created here for pilgrims; this does not correspond to the IGN map. Continue straight ahead along a wide, newly concrete-paved path, though it is rather monotonous. Carry on until you reach the high-voltage power line at the crossroads.

(8) First turn left then right and continue along the tarmac road to reach the entrance to the village of Grañón. Continue to the Stop sign.

(9) Cross the road carefully and take the steps opposite. Here, you can see a beautiful mural explaining the village’s name, with distance markers in kilometres; there is also a food truck where you can stop for breakfast. Continue left, then right, along Rue de Santiago. Walk past the church and carry on to the end of the street to reach a rest area with a lovely view of the surrounding countryside.

(10) Head down to the left, then right, along a small road with a hairpin bend. At the crossroads, turn right and carry on to the next crossroads.

(11) Turn left (north-west). Continue along the stony path through the fields; a little further on, cross a stream and carry on up this path, going straight ahead at the first crossroads. Stop climbing before reaching the top of the hill.

(12) Turn left and continue until you reach the information signs indicating that you are entering Castile and León, in the province of Burgos.

(13) Continue south-west along the gently sloping path, gradually approaching the N-120. At the end of the path, turn right and join this road, directly opposite the Tourist Office.

(14) Cross the road carefully and head left past the Tourist Office to enter the village of Redecilla del Camino via Calle Mayor. Walk through the village, past the church and then the drinking fountain, until you reach the junction with the N-120 at the village exit.

(15) Cross the road carefully, continue to the right along the N-120, then take a small path below which follows the road more or less closely, veering away from it to the right and then left, before arriving at the village of Castildelgado.

(16) Keeping the church bell tower in sight, walk through the village. At the fountain, continue straight on down a stony path which leads to the edge of the N-120.

(17) Continue south-west, cross a stream and stay on this path until you reach the junction with a tarmac road, in front of a sign indicating that you are entering the province of Burgos. Please note that the route has changed here and no longer corresponds to the IGN map.

(18) Turn left towards the south-west and continue on to reach the village of Viloria de Rioja.

(19) Continue straight on, passing the church and the birthplace of Santo Domingo de la Calzada; then, following a slight bend to the right, you’ll reach a crossroads where a sign points left towards San Pedro.

(20) Ignore this sign and continue (north-west) to leave the village. After a long descent through fields, you will reach the N-120.

(21) Turn left onto the path running alongside this road and continue westwards to reach the entrance to the village of Villamayor del Río, opposite the Club Sirocco.

(22) Turn left, cross the village taking the road to the right of the church, then rejoin the stony track running alongside the N-120.

(23) Continue to the left (south-west) and proceed to the junction with the BU-V-8106.

(24) Follow the path straight ahead; it’s not very pleasant, with lorries and cars passing just a few metres away. Continue to the crossroads, under a power line.

(25) Carry on until you reach the entrance to the town of Belorado.

(26) Cross the N-120 carefully, then head left. Walk along the foot of a hill, passing a hotel before entering the town of Belorado. Walk to the church and turn left in front of it, then right. Continue to Calle Raimundo de Miguel.

(27) Turn left and continue straight on until you reach the entrance to the leather factory.

(28) Turn right towards the Monastery of Santa Clara and look for a place to camp on the monastery side (E).

Provisions available at: Santo Domingo de la Calzada (Dia supermarket), Grañón (9), Belorado (26) (Proxi supermarket).
No campsites; look around the monastery or check at the monastery itself.
Accommodation:
Albergue Belorado El Corro Tel: +34636634459
Hotel Rural Verdeancho Tel: +34659484584
Hotel-restaurant "La Huella del Camino" Tel: +34947564748
Hostelpuntob Tel: +34947581620
Hotel Belorado Tel: +34947580684

On arriving in Granon (9), you will discover, in the midst of an oak grove, the 17th-century Baroque chapel of Nuestra Señora de Carrasquedo, which houses a beautiful collection of painted ex-votos that perfectly captures the spirit of La Rioja. The town’s Calle Mayor retains some ancient remains. The 14th-century Church of St John the Baptist is adorned with a Renaissance altarpiece featuring exquisite sculptures, restored in 1993.

In Redecilla del Camino (14), visitors can explore an old corbelled hospital, houses bearing coats of arms, a 14th-century church with a Virgin Mary gazing out from its portal as pilgrims pass by, and a 12th-century holy water font featuring a carved image of the Heavenly Jerusalem.

The village of Viloria preserves the Romanesque baptismal font where Saint Dominic is said to have been baptised. Its houses are typical, with timber framing combined with cob.

As you enter Belorado (26), you will have plenty of time to discover, in turn, a medieval fountain, then the Ermita Santa Maria de Béléen (Bethlehem) with its three-spired bell tower on the site of an old hospital mentioned in 1175. In the heart of the village, you will find yourself in a square with arcades next to the large church of San Pedro. Behind it lies the old church of Santa Maria, in the shadow of the mountain crowned by its castle and dotted with hermits’ caves.