Torres del Río – Logroño

(S) From your campsite, head towards the village along Calle Ote. Pass to the left of Casa Mariella (where you can stock up on supplies), past the Church of Santo Sepulcro, then turn left into Calle Mayor. Follow the clearly visible signposting on the building façades and leave the village of Torres del Río via a concrete road leading to the cemetery.

(1) Once past the cemetery, continue uphill along a narrow path through the countryside until you reach some olive groves. You’ll come to a crossroads.

(2) First turn right then left and continue along the path which approaches the NA-1110. Follow it more or less closely until you come close to it at a bend.

(3) Carry on south-west along this road until you have to cross it carefully.

(4) Carry on to the left, keeping the NA-1110 on your left-hand side. Pass a crossroads before arriving behind the Ermitage del Poyo.

(5) Carry on until you rejoin the NA-1110. Continue along this road until you come out of the hairpin bend.

(6) Turn right onto the track, following the signs for Viana/Logroño. You may have noticed that the landscape is gradually changing: cereal fields give way to vineyards, and uncultivated land becomes more common. Continue along this track until you reach the NA-7206 at the highest point of the stage.

(7) Turn left, then right after the bench to descend along a small tarmac road – closed to 20-tonne vehicles – which winds through the heath. Ignoring the side paths, carry on until you reach the crossroads after a wide left-hand bend.

(8) Turn left (south) and carry on until you reach a Fork in the road amidst the vineyards.

(9) Carry on straight ahead (south-west) to approach the NA-1110. Follow it at varying distances. Cross the more or less dry Barranco de Matamala stream before reaching a crossroads.

(10) Turn left and carry on, ignoring the paths coming from the right or left, until you reach the NA-1110.

(11) Cross this road carefully and take the path opposite, which serves as a shortcut, before rejoining the NA-1110.

(12) First turn right then left and walk alongside the road, sometimes on the road itself, sometimes following a path further away from it. Join the road again and follow it to the entrance to the village of Viana.

(13) Cross the NA-1110 with care, then continue to the left before turning right onto a small road that climbs gently towards the Albergue Izar. Three-quarters of the way up the hill, you’ll come to a picnic area. Turn left onto Calle el Cristo. Pass a small playground on your left, and carry on straight ahead until you reach the second ‘Stop’ sign.

(14) First turn right then left to continue up Calle la Pila against the flow of traffic, until you reach the Arina shop. Cross Calle Serapio Urra carefully to pass under an old archway, then follow the signposting, which first takes you to a pretty square and then along a narrow street in front of the Church of Santa Maria; refreshments are available on the street.

(15) After visiting this superb monument, carry on straight ahead until you reach the ruins of the Church of San Pedro, which you’ll pass on your left. Turn right, then left into the next street, before reaching the San Felices gate.

(16) Go through the gate and turn right. Take the pedestrian crossing and continue left into Calle el Rancho. Following the markings on the building façades, turn right into the second street leading downhill, Calle Fuente Vieja, then left at the end of this street to reach the NA-7230.

(17) Cross the road (at the pedestrian crossing) then head right into Calle el Puentecillo, which slopes gently downwards. Keep to the left to pass a school; after winding your way between vegetable gardens and an orchard, you’ll join the NA-7220.

(18) Cross the road carefully and continue straight ahead until you come close to the NA-1110. Carry on along the path, which runs more or less parallel to the NA-1110, until you reach the tunnel.

(19) Turn left to pass under the road, then follow it for about 100 metres before turning away from it through the vineyards. Continue to the Hermitage of the Virgen de Cuevas: there are picnic tables and a water tap in the shade.

(20) Carry on straight ahead for about 300 m, then at the fork in the road, take the middle path and turn right at the next crossroads to continue along a dirt track through farmland. Keep heading west-south-west, ignoring any paths running perpendicular to it, and carry on until you reach a fork in the road.

(21) Turn slightly to the right and carry on to cross the footbridge over the NA-111.

(22) Turn left, cross the pine forest along the path running parallel to the N-111 to leave Navarre and enter the region of La Rioja at a large Saica Pack building. Stay on the path running alongside this site to reach the tunnel that passes under the N-111.

(23) Take the successive underpasses to pass under the N-111a and other roads at the large junction, then continue along a small, slightly uphill tarmac path. Keeping in the same direction, pass through numerous vineyard plots before reaching a ‘Sellado de Peregrinos’ information sign situated in front of a house.

(24) Carry on straight ahead along the Camino Viejo de Viana, passing some allotments before reaching the Logroño Municipal Cemetery.

(25) Cross the Avenida de Mendavía with care, then turn right into a lovely wooded park. Walk past the hydroelectric power station and continue to the Puente de Piedra.

(26) Here you leave the^GR®®65briefly to reach the campsite. Cross the road and carry on straight ahead, walking alongside the River Ebro on your left. Go under the next bridge and continue along the river until you reach a footbridge crossing it. Do not cross it, but turn right to join Avenida de la Playa.

(27) Turn left, walking alongside the wooded park, and carry on until you reach the Adarraga café.

(28) Turn left to reach the entrance to the campsite by the river (E).

Provisions available in Viana (15) and Logroño (25).
Campsite: La Playa Campsite. Tel: +34941252253 Info

(15) Viana: in addition to the narrow streets of its medieval layout, the town preserves some remains of its fortified walls: a few towers, sections of wall and barbicans, as well as several gates leading into the town. These face each of the cardinal points: San Felices to the west, San Juan to the north, Estella to the east and La Solana to the south. The latter two bear the royal coat of arms.

(26) Logroño: there are numerous religious buildings in Logroño;
- The Church of Santa María de Palacio, whose Gothic spire dominates the city,
- The Mudejar tower (dating from the 16th century) of the Church of San Bartolomé. Built in the 13th century, the building retains a beautiful carved portal,
- Santa María la Redonda Cathedral, whose imposing Baroque towers rise above the Plaza del Mercado, houses numerous sculptures, notably those by Gregorio Fernández, as well as a depiction of the Stations of the Cross, a work by Michelangelo.