Variante MONTEJURRA -Pte la Reina to Estella

[Colette Z]

Can anyone advise me on the Montejurra Variante between Puente la Reina / Estella / Los Arcos ? It starts 1/2 way to Estella and continues 1/2 way to Los Arcos. Can’t figure out distance from Pte La Reina to Luquin on the Variante Montejurra. Is it interesting? Is it worth it? Im not worried about infrastructure just more the route itself. Thanks (in Pte La Reina now) Colette

 

[trecile]

According to the stage planner on the Buen Camino app it's 30.33 km.

 

[Colette Z]

According to the stage planner on the Buen Camino app it's 30.33 km.

View attachment 159026

Ok thanks as I calculated about 32 km. I phoned Tiago in Luquin who has the Albergue there and he says it’s marked and used but quiet. Otherwise taking it only from Irache the next day from Estella is too short.

 

[Peregrinopaul]

It's lovely, and worth it for the opportunity to stay with Tiago in his quirky and comfortable albergue/house. He is an exceptionally kind hospitalero. I was unwell on arrival, and he went out of his way to help me during several days of incapacity.

 

[Colette Z]

It's lovely, and worth it for the opportunity to stay with Tiago in his quirky and comfortable albergue/house. He is an exceptionally kind hospitalero. I was unwell on arrival, and he went out of his way to help me during several days of incapacity.

Thanks @Peregrinopaul. Did you enter the variant before Estella or at Irache? I was thinking to enter before Estella thus bypassing Estella (been there in 2017 and lots of pilgrims walking right now) and continue to Tiago’s Albergue but it’s a 30km+ day and I don’t know the elevation changes or terrain or if well waymarked.

 

[trecile]

I don’t know the elevation changes

You can see the elevation change in the screen shot I posted.

 

[peregrina2000]

You can see the elevation change in the screen shot I posted.

814 m ascent seems very high to me for that stage. That’s close to Hospitales levels on the Primitivo. We know GPS ascent and descent computations are notoriously unreliable, and Wikiloc puts the total elevation gain at 452 meters, so it’s probably somewhere between the two.

 

[Colette Z]

814 m ascent seems very high to me for that stage. That’s close to Hospitales levels on the Primitivo. We know GPS ascent and descent computations are notoriously unreliable, and Wikiloc puts the total elevation gain at 452 meters, so it’s probably somewhere between the two.

Perhaps that includes the first big ascents to Mañeru out of La Reina

 

[Colette Z]

It was incredible, 13 km from Villatuerta (31km total Pte la Reina to Luquin Tiago’s Albergue). Easy to find the start in Villatuerta and path well marked as it was the original Camino route before moving it through Estella. It’s a lot of climbing but I loved it. Highly recommend if you’re looking for solitude. I didn’t meet a soul!