From Covarrubias to Burgos

[peregrina2000]

Note to all — Thanks to a heads up from @C clearly, I realized that for many years I have been writing MeRcerreyes, when the proper spelling is Mecerreyes. I have gone back through all forum posts and edited every occurrence of “Mercerreyes” since it really did mess up with the search function. I will note that most of the misspellings were mine, so it was an appropriate penance.

Here’s the question:

I know that the last “official” stages of the Lana are Santo Domingo de Silos to Mecerreyes (24), where there is an albergue, and then 35 or so into Burgos.

Between Santo Domingo and Burgos, there are two sites that I very much want to visit, one for the second time, one for the first time, and so here is my idea. It will add a day, making Santo Domingo to Burgos a 3-day rather than a 2-day walk.

Day 1. Santo Domingo to Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza to Covarrubias (26) (totally off camino but there are GPS tracks),

Day 2, option 1. Covarrubias - Quintanilla de las Viñas (9 km, visigothic 5 star church) - Mecerreyes (24) (i.e., back on the Lana)
Day 3, option 1. Mecerreyes - Burgos (35).

Day 2, option 2. Covarrubias - Quintanilla de las Viñas - Modúbar de San Cibrian (35) (on the San Olav).
Day 3, option 2. Modúbar to Burgos (19)

Pros and cons, anyone? What is Mecerreyes to Burgos like?

 

[alansykes]

All options from wonderful Santo Domingo de Silos are good. I really think Covarrubias is worth a pause, especially as its Colegiata has a van Eyck (probably a "van Eyck" if you ask somebody from the Musées royaux d'Art in Brussels) as well as several amazing sculptures and other goodies. And, of course, the sarcophagus of the unfortunate Norwegian princess who married an infante de Castilla, and various recycled Roman coffins.

Twice I've stupidly arrived in Covarrubias during holiday periods and found it impossible to get a bed (it is one of the "pueblos más bonitos de España") so had to slog the extra ~7km out to Mecerreyes, mostly on or beside the main road. The only time I managed to stay was in the Doña Sancha, which is a bit of a schlep away from the centre, but fine. All 3 times I've managed to eat in the outstanding De Galo restaurant, which has a Michelin "bib gourmand" - good food at a reasonable price. And very friendly too - Lorca, visiting as a teenager, complained of "el amargo sello del aburrimiento trágico de la población", which I certainly never encountered.

Leaving Santo Domingo, you can detour to visit the "Sad Hill Cemetery", setting for the finale of the film "El Bueno, el feo y el malo". I've never seen the film, but the valley it's set in is absolutely gorgeous.




Going via Sad Hill means you walk up the lovely melodious Arlanza



Sadly, I've never visited San Pedro de Arlanza. Most of its best frescoes are in Barcelona. The visigothic church at Quintanilla de las Viñas is very easily reached from the excellent albergue of Mecerreyes. There's a decent restaurant nearby which lets you leave your rucksack while you enjoy the church's carvings.



If you go straight from Mecerreyes to Burgos, it's a fairly straightforward day, most flat and mostly on a via verde, so the distance is less of a problem.

 

[peregrina2000]

And for those of you who notice bad spelling (btw, I’ve yet to find a town or other place name misspelled by @alansykes ), I will add that I’ve also just corrected “Modúbar de San Ciprián” to its correct spelling, Modúbar de San CiBrián. Another careless mistake, also with consequences for searching. This town is on the San Olav, reachable on the day from Covarrubias via Quintanilla (and I started changing all my incorrect “QuintanillaS” to “Quintanilla” but realized it doesn’t mess with the search function, so I will leave it as is).

Leaving Santo Domingo, you can detour to visit the "Sad Hill Cemetery", setting for the finale of the film "El Bueno, el feo y el malo". I've never seen the film, but the valley it's set in is absolutely gorgeous.

I have mentioned this on another recent thread, but the route from Santo Domingo to San Pedro de Arlanza conveniently goes through Sad Hill! So I am planning to walk Santo Dolmingo to San Pedro to Covarrubias, though probably not arriving in time to eat lunch in the restaurant de Galo that you recommend.

If you go straight from Mecerreyes to Burgos, it's a fairly straightforward day, most flat and mostly on a via verde, so the distance is less of a problem.

The San Olav route from Modúbar to Burgos also has many kms on a via verde. Comparing the wikiloc tracks, it looks to me like the two join up in Modúbar de la Emparedada, so the last 11 kms or so are the same whether I walk the Lana or San Olav.