Stage 3 - Puente la Reina - Logroño

ByTravesía Pirenaica
French Way / Photo: Jynus_ (CC BY-SA 2.5)
French Way / Photo: Jynus_ (CC BY-SA 2.5)
  • Duration stage: 73 Km
  • Maximum height: 665.96 m
  • Minimum height: 336.99 m
  • Positive difference in altitude: 1197.07 m
  • Negative difference in altitude: 1141.16 m

The Way of St. James Stage Three

In this stage we will notice the change of orography, as well as the change of scenery. Despite the higher mileage than the two previous stages, this stage will be more comfortable to ride, as there are no major mountain passes along the way and your legs will start to warm up; however, more than one of you will have a scare as the terrain sometimes turns into a leg-breaker.

We are welcomed to this stage by a valley that we follow along the course of the river Arga, which we cross over the famous Romanesque bridge that gives its name to the town where we have spent the night; After 2 km it ends in a steep slope that leads us to the village of Mañeru (km 5). As soon as we leave Mañeru we enter another valley named after this village (surrounded by vineyards) and we can see on the top of a hill the next town on the route, the medieval town of Cirauqui (km 7.5).

We descend until we come across an old Roman road and a bridge from the same period that helps us to cross the river; after crossing the motorway over another bridge we take a track that leads us without any major problem to the river Salado, from here to Lorca we pass through vineyards and just one kilometre before the town a steep slope welcomes us to the town (km 13.5). We are now faced with a 5 km stretch that the road works have spoilt and is of no great interest. 

We reach Villatuerta (km 18.5). As soon as we leave the village we climb up to some water tanks, from where we start the descent through fields of orchards to the valley of the river Ega and the town of Estella (km 22) (known as the Toledo of the North, where the three cultures coexisted).

Just after leaving Estella we come across Ayegui (a town practically inside Estella but with its own town council), and we head towards the Monastery of Irache and its famous wine fountain (equipped with a webcam), we continue along a rocky road to the town of Azqueta (km 27.5). two kilometres further on and after passing the well-known Moorish fountain, we arrive at Villamayor de Monjarín (km 29).

We continue descending along long, monotonous, wide and well-surfaced tracks until we reach the village of Los Arcos (km 41). From here we face the last stretch of the stage, we take an agricultural road that leads us to Sansol (km 48), from this point on the other side of the cut we can see the town of Torres del rio (km 49) (our next destination), once we leave here the road becomes a winding up and down of 11 and a half kilometres until we reach Viana (beautiful medieval town that will be wonderful for your senses), the princes of Asturias, also receive the title of princes of Viana (km 60.5).

Now we only have to walk along comfortable paths until we leave the community of Navarra and enter La Rioja, from here we descend to the valley of the river Ebro and cross a bridge over it to enter the city of Logroño (Km 73).

Stages: