Stage 2 - Zubiri - Puente la Reina

ByTravesía Pirenaica
Alto del perdon / Photo: Vicky petereit (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
Alto del perdon / Photo: Vicky petereit (CC-BY-SA-3.0)
  • Total Stage: 48 km
  • Maximum height: 747.82 m
  • Minimum height: 341.06 m
  • Positive difference in altitude: 722.75 m
  • Negative difference in altitude: 910.13 m

Way of Saint James second stage

During most of this stage the river Arga becomes a faithful companion of the pilgrim. We begin the stage by returning over the bridge of La Rabia, which we cross to exit the Zubiri At the beginning, the road forces us to pass through a small industrial area (magnesite factory), but soon we take a cobbled road that leads us to the small villages of Ilarratz (km 3) and Ezkirotz (km4), we could almost call them villages. 2 km further on we come to the village of Larraosaña (km 6), a village very much marked by the Pilgrims' Route to Santiago de Compostela. However, we can say that the path itself does not actually enter the village, as it is on the other bank of the River Arga, which we do not have to cross at this point to continue on our way. We could say that from the moment we leave Zubiri there are no major complications and the route runs through small villages, pleasant paths that border orchards and with pretty little wooden bridges, until we reach Villava almost the entire route runs in the same way.

We find ourselves with a 1km ascent that leads us to the village of AkerretaFrom there, the path enters a leafy forest and along a small path that runs alongside the Arga river, you will reach Zuriain (km 9), cross a bridge and follow the route along a stretch of road until you get to Irotz (km 11). We leave Irotz passing next to the church of San Pedro, cross the bridge of Iturgaiz, take the track on the left of the Arga river walk until we reach the town of Zabaldika (km 13). As soon as we leave this village we come to a fork, both of which are marked with yellow arrows that guide us along the way. We recommend that you turn left, cross the river and take the river walk until you come to a fork in the road. HuarteThe other route is uninteresting and unattractive. We continue following the course of the river until we reach the village of Villava (km 16), a town very close to Pamplona, where our most famous cyclist Miguel Indurain was born.

We will stroll through the town, rounding numerous roundabouts until we reach the town of Burlada (km 17), we are practically at Pamplona (km 20), the first large city on the Camino, which we access via the Magdalena bridge over the river Arga, which leads us to the ancient walls of the city, we cross the Portal de Francia and enter the old part of the city, enjoying the always bustling streets of the city and following the yellow lines we reach the Cathedral, the Town Hall square and the famous street of the San Fermín Bull Runs. We leave the capital of Navarre, crossing its university campus, and once we have crossed the river Sadar, we start a slight ascent that will take us to the town of Cizur Menor (km 27.5), from where you can start to see the mountain pass of perdón, the most important difficulty of this stage (and one of the most important on our way to Santiago).

We begin a constant slight ascent (which will sap our strength), becoming very steep to reach the town of Zariquiegui (km 31.5); from this village the landscape changes completely, the path becomes very heavy, dry and with a thorny landscape, ascending without rest until the pilgrim's monument on the forgiveness halt. This place is a special place on the road, behind us we leave the leafy landscape of the Pyrenees and the valley of the river Sadar where Pamplona is located and in front of us we can already glimpse a new and different landscape in the valley where Puente de la Reina is located.

It is well worth a stop, although the wind that always blows at the top is often annoying. After the effort of the climb, we think it is pleasant to start the descent, but beware that it is a steep descent over very rocky terrain. We quickly reach the village of Uterga (km 37) and a little further on to the village of Muruzabal (km 39.5). At this point it is worth turning off the road for 2 km and visiting the chapel of Saint Mary of Eunate(Romanesque church where the Aragonese and French routes meet). From this point we can immediately take the pilgrim's path back to the village of Orbanos (km 44). Only 4 km further on is the town of Queen's Bridge (km 48) where our well-deserved rest awaits us after this short but intense stage.

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