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Are you doing this on foot, Alan? Did you sleep in Mecerreyes and then veer off the Lana to see the church?
Is it possible to get there (or part way there) by public transport from Burgos?
I'm telling you, Reb,I love this place, and I can get there easily from here in the car. I also know of a really cool Visigothic burial complex in Gumiel, somewhat nearby, and a set of hermit caves... a full day's worth of Visigoth. And while you're in the neighborhood, there's the Arroyo de Lobos... Let's go!
I've just visited Santa María de Lara, a rare visigothic church of c650AD in the sierra de la Demanda, south of Burgos. It's an amazing building, just outside the village of Quintanilla de las Viñas. The walls are covered with intricate stylised carvings showing plants, birds, vines and dogs. Inside is what is believed to be the earliest representation of Christ in Spain, and a sun and moon which later would probably raise questions of paganism from any sharp-eyed Inquisitor. After the reconquista, in about 880AD, it was restored, possibly with funding from Doña Mumadona, mother of Fernán González, the count of Castille.
Well worth a detour
Thank you for the tip. Next time I'm in Burgos this will be on my list of things to see.I've just visited Santa María de Lara, a rare visigothic church of c650AD in the sierra de la Demanda, south of Burgos. It's an amazing building, just outside the village of Quintanilla de las Viñas. The walls are covered with intricate stylised carvings showing plants, birds, vines and dogs. Inside is what is believed to be the earliest representation of Christ in Spain, and a sun and moon which later would probably raise questions of paganism from any sharp-eyed Inquisitor. After the reconquista, in about 880AD, it was restored, possibly with funding from Doña Mumadona, mother of Fernán González, the count of Castille.
Well worth a detour
Hi there:
Here are some details on the dinosaur footprints, which are only a km or so from the visigothic church:
http://www.tierradelara.es/Pueblos/Quintanilla de las vinas/quintanilla_de_las_vinas_cultural.html
And the dolmen is in open countryside near the village of Cubillejo de Lara, not far from Lara de los Infantes, perhaps 2 hours from Santa María de Lara: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=40337
Santa María de Lara is closed Monday and Tuesday and "the last weekend of each month" - as November 1 fell on a Sunday this year, I wasn't sure whether that meant the last full weekend of October or the weekend of October 31-November 1, so made sure to get there by Friday October 30, just in case. Opening hours vary between summer and winter: http://www.mambrillasdelara.es/turismo-y-ocio/monumentos/ermita-visigótica-de-nuestra-señora-de-las-viñas
if I am walking from Mecerreyes, will I pass both the dolmen and the footprints?
I've just visited Santa María de Lara, a rare visigothic church of c650AD in the sierra de la Demanda, south of Burgos. It's an amazing building, just outside the village of Quintanilla de las Viñas. The walls are covered with intricate stylised carvings showing plants, birds, vines and dogs. Inside is what is believed to be the earliest representation of Christ in Spain, and a sun and moon which later would probably raise questions of paganism from any sharp-eyed Inquisitor. After the reconquista, in about 880AD, it was restored, possibly with funding from Doña Mumadona, mother of Fernán González, the count of Castille.
Well worth a detour
Alan, I have a question about your walking route from Mondúbar to Burgos. I am hoping to make it into town for an 11 am bus (long story), and see that your wikiloc route was 18.8 km. Googlemaps shows three alternatives that are different from your route, and they are all in the 15 km range. Those few kms might be a nice cushion to have, so I'm wondering if you have any insight into how these routes are different from what you did, and also why you chose the route you did.
I think I followed the camino de San Olaf from Modúbar de San Cibrián to Burgos, which may explain why it was slightly longer than your routes, which look very pleasant as well as significantly shorter. "My" route was mostly on a vía verde, right into the centre of town, and joined the Ruta de la Lana a few km outside of Burgos. The San Olav route is marked from Covarrubias, where it leaves the Lana, to the new chapel of St Olav and the visigothic Santa María de Lara, skipping Mecerreyes, and saving a few km.
I liked the Cerca de Doña Jimena in Modúbar de San Cibrián: very comfortable (almost luxurious, and I think not expensive), with a decent bar/restaurant. The social centre bar, a couple of 100 yards away, was also lively and fun - full of people of all ages covered in Hallowe'en blood and costumes when I was there.
If I am going to walk Santo Domingo to Mondubar in two days, would it then make more sense to spend the first night in Covarrubias instead of Mecerreyes? If I'm looking at the maps right, it seems like all that going to Mecerreyes does for me is add more kms to the next day into Mondubar.
And when you mention the via verde, are you talking about the river walk into Burgos or does this via verde extend out into the country?
If I am going to walk Santo Domingo to Mondubar in two days, would it then make more sense to spend the first night in Covarrubias instead of Mecerreyes? If I'm looking at the maps right, it seems like all that going to Mecerreyes does for me is add more kms to the next day into Mondubar.
If you walk the nice Camino de San Olav from Burgos to Covarrubias you walk through this area
Yes, I walked there with friends in June 2014. A very nice little caminoHi, Tulle, have you walked this camino from Burgos to Covarrubias?
Yes, I walked there with friends in June 2014. A very nice little caminoNo albergues though, so we stayed in pensiones which we booked beforehand. We did not see any other pilgrims, but there had been other Norwegians before us. It was very nice to be Norwegian in Covarrubias!
No pestering at all, we are here to share, aren' t we) I have tried to send some information in a private conversation, I hope I have done it correctly. If nothing reaches you, you' d better tell me!
I have sent you a pm ( I hope...)Tulle, could I have the information as well?
Boy, Laurie, if I were doing my Camino in June, I would be right there with you!!I've been contemplating doing just about what you've suggested (though your facility with maps, "wikilocs" etc. leaves me in the dirt (note to self: how am I going to learn all this stuff before March 20?!)). I would be doing this all alone; for the very first time in my preparation (after 20 years of dreaming/planning) I'm feeling a bit "unsure" (meaning SCARED!).You guys are all so knowledgeable about the different caminos and how to navigate them. I've spent the last month in the library reading about Spanish history and Romanesque Architecture. Probably would have been better learning navigation and Spanish. Any suggestions on tutorial on GPS navigation and translating it to Google maps, with the milage/time for walking? That is a new one to me.
But I am so excited!
Ha ha ha. Cathryn, you are probably the only person on this forum who would think I have any facility with maps or wikiloc. It's obvious that you haven't been on the forum long, or you would have seen some of my idiotic questions.I am a pretty clueless technologically challenged pilgrim.
On the Frances, you do not need to know anything about wikiloc, GPS tracks, or anything beyond being able to look at the arrows and follow them. I know you have been researching all the Romanesque and Visigothic churches near the camino, but maybe that's just contributing to the anxiety. You're not going to see all that Spain has to offer on your first (or on your twentieth) Camino. So, if it were me, I would maybe get a kindle version of the Davidson/Gitlitz book (I carried it on my first Camino and that was silly -- it is ridiculously heavy, but I have heard there is now a kindle/mobile version). And then just focus on seeing all the little jewels you will pass (or will be within a stone's throw of) on the Camino Frances. There's enough of the Romanesque on the camino to fill you with awe. And many people just walk right by, because they aren't interested or because they don't know about it. The Davidson book will keep you informed every step of the way.
One thing to consider as you plan all these detours is that as you are walking, you are likely to develop strong ties with a group, your "Camino Family." Are you going to want to pop off for a bunch of side trips and then start over to rebuild social ties with new people? You may want to on some occasions, it may be a good way to disconnect from a bunch of rotten apples (that does happen every now and then), but it's probably more likely that you will have strong bonds with a group that you don't want to lose. But never fear, there are plenty of places on the Camino, so you can have your cake and eat it too. And if you can find a pal or two who wants to detour to Santo Domingo de Silos or San Miguel de la Escalada (easy to do by taxi during a rest day in Leon, for example), those may be nice ways to break up the walking and give your body a rest.
So, just know that being scared is part of the routine, even people who have done this many times are anxious and a bit apprehensive before starting out, but once you take the first steps, that all melts away and you just focus on the present and doing what you went to Spain to do. March 20 is coming up, and I can't wait to hear how it goes for you!
Ha ha ha. Cathryn, you are probably the only person on this forum who would think I have any facility with maps or wikiloc. It's obvious that you haven't been on the forum long, or you would have seen some of my idiotic questions.I am a pretty clueless technologically challenged pilgrim.
On the Frances, you do not need to know anything about wikiloc, GPS tracks, or anything beyond being able to look at the arrows and follow them. I know you have been researching all the Romanesque and Visigothic churches near the camino, but maybe that's just contributing to the anxiety. You're not going to see all that Spain has to offer on your first (or on your twentieth) Camino. So, if it were me, I would maybe get a kindle version of the Davidson/Gitlitz book (I carried it on my first Camino and that was silly -- it is ridiculously heavy, but I have heard there is now a kindle/mobile version). And then just focus on seeing all the little jewels you will pass (or will be within a stone's throw of) on the Camino Frances. There's enough of the Romanesque on the camino to fill you with awe. And many people just walk right by, because they aren't interested or because they don't know about it. The Davidson book will keep you informed every step of the way.
One thing to consider as you plan all these detours is that as you are walking, you are likely to develop strong ties with a group, your "Camino Family." Are you going to want to pop off for a bunch of side trips and then start over to rebuild social ties with new people? You may want to on some occasions, it may be a good way to disconnect from a bunch of rotten apples (that does happen every now and then), but it's probably more likely that you will have strong bonds with a group that you don't want to lose. But never fear, there are plenty of places on the Camino, so you can have your cake and eat it too. And if you can find a pal or two who wants to detour to Santo Domingo de Silos or San Miguel de la Escalada (easy to do by taxi during a rest day in Leon, for example), those may be nice ways to break up the walking and give your body a rest.
So, just know that being scared is part of the routine, even people who have done this many times are anxious and a bit apprehensive before starting out, but once you take the first steps, that all melts away and you just focus on the present and doing what you went to Spain to do. March 20 is coming up, and I can't wait to hear how it goes for you!
The other issue has to do with Mecerreyes. I've been comparing maps and gps tracks, etc, and it seems I was wrong (no surprise there) on my first calculation of distances from Mecerreyes as opposed to Covarrubias.
I THINK Mecerreyes to the church at Quintanilla as shown on Alan's GPS is 13, whereas from Covarrubias the Camino San Olav route shows 17. That means that the Mecerreyes route is actually shorter than the San Olav route.
Me, too, Tulle, please?Tulle, could I have the information as well?
There's a bus stop on the N-234, about 4 kms away. Mambrillas is right near the highway so more easily accessible by bus...but it's about the same distance (maybe a bit further) from Quintanilla de las Viñas.Therpasa (www.therpasa.es) quotes Quintanilla de las Viñas among its destinations from Burgos but looking at the schedules and at the time quoted from Quintanilla de las Viñas to Mambrillas de Lara, it seems to me they don't leave you in the town but at the junction of road N-234 with the provincial road heading to Quintanilla de las Viñas (i.e.: roughly 4 kms away from Quintanilla de las Viñas) but that's just what it seems to me so I could be wrong... Anyway, I would suggest to get in touch with Therpasa to know where's the stop at Quintanilla de las Viñas (or its surroundings) and confirm whether it leaves you in the town or several kms out of it.
I visited it this summer. If you enjoy with this kid of monuments, dont forget to visit Santa Maria del Arco at Tricio 4 Km from Nájera. and a little far San Millán de Suso Abot 20 km from Nájera.I've just visited Santa María de Lara, a rare visigothic church of c650AD in the sierra de la Demanda, south of Burgos. It's an amazing building, just outside the village of Quintanilla de las Viñas. The walls are covered with intricate stylised carvings showing plants, birds, vines and dogs. Inside is what is believed to be the earliest representation of Christ in Spain, and a sun and moon which later would probably raise questions of paganism from any sharp-eyed Inquisitor. After the reconquista, in about 880AD, it was restored, possibly with funding from Doña Mumadona, mother of Fernán González, the count of Castille.
Well worth a detour
Because that is exactly what I was wondering about when I began this thread!:
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