The Camino Francés

Here you leave La Rioja behind and enter into Castilla y León, the largest of Spain’s autonomous communities. It is comprised of nine provinces, of which you have just entered Burgos. Along the Camino Francés, you will also pass through Palencia and León before leaving Castilla y León. The other 6 provinces (Salamanca, Zamora, Valladolid, Avila, Segovia, and Soria) are all part of one camino or another as they cross central Spain.

Just like La Rioja, you will continue to pass through villages with less than a two hundred (often less than one hundred) residents.

Burgos also marks the start of the Meseta, Spain’s central plateau and the breadbasket of the peninsula. The average elevation here is close to 800m and the weather can vary drastically from hot days to bone-chilling nights.

While the next 300km have a reputation for being flat and boring they are anything but.

It is here, at elevation and with wide open skies that the camino begins to work on your mind.

Redecilla is the first town in Castilla y León along the Camino Francés and was an important stop along the way during the 12th century, when two pilgrim hospices cared for pilgrims.  One of them, San Lázaro, lends its name to the municipal albergue.

The gem of Redecilla is the Romanesque baptismal font in the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Calle.

There is a tourist information office here, remarkable given the size of the town but easily explained by its location.

Small town with little more than a church, an ermita, and a truck stop restaurant with a reputation for serving up some decent hot chocolate. The only albergue in town is also the first house you come to, and the hospitaleros are wonderful.

This sleepy agricultural town is best known for being the cuña (birthplace) of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. History did not see fit to preserve his house but the font in which he was baptized remains in the church.

Sandwiches and beverages are available at the Parada Viloria albergue.

Do not let the grandiose name of the village fool you, neither the town nor the river is remarkable.

Belorado manages to maintain some of its advantages, but hard times have certainly taken their toll. A walk around the perimeter streets will reveal a quickly crumbling infrastructure. On the hillside sit the remains of a castle.

Several churches remain and the hospices have been replaced by many modern albergues. The main square is a nice place to hide from the sun if you fancy a rest.

There are many restaurants in the main square, and another (one of the better options for dinner)  at the Cuatro Cantones albergue.

The Iglesia de Santa María has an altarpiece which depicts Santiago both as a Pilgrim and as a Moorslayer.

In recent years, the diminutive Tosantos has grown up a bit and now has a bar. The albergue parroquial is somewhat unique and maintains a tradition of communal meals and singalongs.

The nearby Ermita de la Peña, built into the cliffs, is a must see. A statue of Jesus as a child was hidden there for protection during the 9th century. It now spends half the year in the ermita and the other half in the Iglesia de San Esteban. Ask there for the key. If you stay in the albergue here, the hospitalero will likely offer a guided visit.

Espinosa has seen better days. Even with centuries of passing pilgrims it struggles to stay on the map. In recent years, a few buildings have been rehabilitated into an albergue and a bar.

To the right of the main road when entering are a pair of bars that serve food to a mix of pilgrims and long road truck drivers, the Meson Alba being the most authentic dive of the two. The bustle of the road can make Villafranca feel a bit cramped, to escape that head to the Albergue San Anton Abad where the large garden and bar/restauran will quickly take your mind to a better place.

Picnic tables for a rest.

The monastery has been partially rehabilitated into an albergue for pilgrims, and it is here that pilgrims were served garlic soup by the monks; a tradition that continued up to recent times. If you have never spent the night in a room full of pilgrims that have eaten garlic soup for dinner, you have not lived.

The church has been restored and is a popular place for weddings. Twice a year (the 20th of March and the 23^rd of September, both equinoxes) at around 5pm, light shines through one of the windows to illuminate one of the capitals, moving from the Anunciation to the birth of Christ.

This is one of the notable cases where the first bar is the better of the two; it is newer and appears to have won the hearts of most pilgrims.

A pleasant but small town with a quirky mix of albergues. There are a number of restaurants in town that offer meals throughout the day.

For the better part of the last 3 decades excavations have been underway to learn more about our prehistory. In the caves outside of town, the remains of early humans have been discovered; some as old as 800,000 years. Most of the discoveries have been transferred to the Museum of Human Evolution in Burgos.

Neither of the two towns along the río Pico is remarkable for much. Pay attention when leaving the latter; shortly outside of town you will be faced with the first decision regarding how to enter Burgos.

Less than 1km after leaving Orbaneja Ríopico the camino splits, offering two different ways to get to Burgos.  Of the two, the River Route is the strong favorite but the yellow arrows come and go as local business vandalize the official markers in an attempt to divert traffic.

‌River Route, via Castañares - 11.3 km

Although the trail through Castañares is considered by some to be an alternative route, it offers a much more pleasent and fully signed way to the center of Burgos. There are a few tricks, since from Castañares there are also two trails, one along the road and one along the river. To begin your way to Castañares, follow these directions:

When leaving Orbaneja you will cross a bridge over the AP-1 (see map on previous page). A short distance afterward, at the junction leading to a housing development on your left hand side, turn left and follow the trail to Castañares. From Castañares you will have another choice between the road and a trail (see map below).

Read paragraph below, or inquire in the bar Peregrina T. Owners Cesar and Paloma will point you in the right direction. They speak English and are quite helpful.

‌Via Vilafría - 11.8 km

When leaving Orbaneja you will cross a bridge over the AP-1. A short distance afterward, at the junction leading to a housing development on your left hand side, continue straight for the road via Vilafría.  This route will take you around the airport and is city walking along the sidewalk to the center of Burgos.

Finding the river route can be tricky!

From Castañares there are again two routes into Burgos, the Road Route and the River Route. The latter can be difficult to find because businesses repaint the yellow arrows on an almost daily basis. The most important part to remember is that the River Route does not leave Castañares along the busy road, see map.

To find it, cross the main road in Castañares near the bar Peregrina T. A short ways on you will find a small plaza and children’s play area with a fountain. Stay on that road, the Lugar de Barrio Castañares, towards a cement factory at its end.

From there turn right to pick up the trail again. It crosses a small bridge, parallels the A1 for a short distance (well separated from the road) before passing underneath it. At this point you can follow the trail, keeping the river on your right-hand side all the way into the center of Burgos. You will pass the circular Plaza de Toros and several bridges across the river. If you cross the river at the Puente de San Pablo you will be near the center of town and not far from the Municipal albergue.

Finding the river route can be tricky!

From Castañares there are again two routes into Burgos, the Road Route and the River Route. The latter can be difficult to find because businesses repaint the yellow arrows on an almost daily basis. The most important part to remember is that the River Route does not leave Castañares along the busy road, see map.

To find it, cross the main road in Castañares near the bar Peregrina T. A short ways on you will find a small plaza and children’s play area with a fountain. Stay on that road, the Lugar de Barrio Castañares, towards a cement factory at its end.

From there turn right to pick up the trail again. It crosses a small bridge, parallels the A1 for a short distance (well separated from the road) before passing underneath it. At this point you can follow the trail, keeping the river on your right-hand side all the way into the center of Burgos. You will pass the circular Plaza de Toros and several bridges across the river. If you cross the river at the Puente de San Pablo you will be near the center of town and not far from the Municipal albergue.

Burgos is a city that brings history to life. For many pilgrims it is the first place on the Camino Francés that beckons a two-night stay; and rightly so, Burgos has a tremendous amount of museums, churches, one cathedral, a few monasteries, and a healthy (or not) number of bars and restaurants to keep you busy.  The Calle San Lorenzo, off the Plaza Mayor, has several good options for tapas, and the Plaza Huerto del Rey has a few restaurants that lean towards a carnivorous diet.

On the not to miss list are the Catedral y Museo de Burgos in the very center of the city, and the Castillo de Burgos perched on the hillside overlooking the town.

The Museum of Human Evolution houses the artifacts from Atapuerca, and the Arco de Santa María (free visit) houses an exhibition hall.

The markings on southern entrance to the Plaza Mayor, with associated dates, indicated flood water levels.

There are a few bar/bakeries and a pharmacy on your right as you enter the town, the former serve up Torta de Aceite, a type of flatbread that is both delicious and unique to the area.

The camino has now entered the central Meseta, and the landscape here has had a lasting effect on the character of the people, but its lack of naturally durable building materials has meant the opposite for the architecture. Many of the treasures that once stood here are all but lost, the oldest remaining building is the 17th century palace house and village church.

The broad expanses here have a certain effect on the pilgrim psyche and to skip over it is to miss out on an important stage of the journey. Do not expect to see many of the places along the way until the last moment, they are often built into the shallow valleys where shade and water collects.

There is a pilgrim mass and benediction every day at 18:00. Hornillos is one of the best examples of a “Royal” camino road: in this case one long street (the aptly named calle real) stretched out along the camino. This layout allowed every building to face the camino, a trait which reminds us that the current heavy development along the camino is anything but a new phenomenon. The town once belonged to the monastery of St. Denis and was home to a Benedictine community.

Folklore places Charlemagne here too, baking bread for his troops along the river.

Ruins and medieval bridges are the only visible remains.

The spring that gives this arroyo (creek) its name, also cures your feet. The operations of the albergue here were passed to a nearby municipality, who electrified and modernized this former hippy hideaway. 

The small deviation from the camino that takes you there is worth the shade and rejuvenating spring it provides.

The town of Hontanas derives its name from the numerous natural springs, fontanas, that are to be found here.

These days the fountains still pour day and night, but it is the local pool which does most of the refreshing.

The ruins of the monastery and pilgrim hospital of San Antón is a delightful space that seems to embrace the camino, its archway spanning the road itself. Once a sprawling complex there is little that remains.

The albergue here has never seen better days, and the efforts of a dedicated team of volunteer hospitaleros keep the place as traditional as can be expected.

The niches in the archway, previously used by monks to deliver food to late arriving pilgrims, are now a popular spot to leave written messages.

The camino follows the calle Oriente through Castrojeriz, a deceptively long journey. All three of its churches are worth a visit, and a hike to the ruins of the castle provide a view of the surrounding land that is paralleled only by the climb out of town.

Most pilgrim related services can be found along the calle Oriente, but the pharmacy and the larger groceries are closer to the main road. 

Also along the Oriente is the Hospital del Alma; part art gallery and part meditation space and exactly where you want to go if you seek a bit a peace and quite.

In the main square is a small pilgrim shop, one of the last of its kind. The owner is quite a character and has managed to keep up with the times, trading the usual small village wares for the type of high-tech gear that modern pilgrims are looking for.

On the way out of town is the Bar Lagar, named for the well-preserved grape press sitting in the center. Check it out for a glimpse of how things were once done.

The Alto de Mostelares is the highest of the peaks you will encounter along the meseta, but it is not as difficult as it appears from Castrojeriz. From the top the view is more remarkable looking back towards where you came from. There is a shelter from the weather, but no water, at the top.

The Ermita of San Nicolás, like the ruins of San Anton before Castrojeriz, has a long history of taking care of pilgrims. Both stand on their own far from towns and as a result, they don’t necessarily get the amount of traffic they deserve. Perhaps that is for the best as pilgrims often claim them to be the most memorable albergues along the way.