Agés to Cardeñuela Riopico

What you pass through

Every place on the path in order, with the distance from Agés. Most are too small to sleep in — a fountain, a chapel, a bar that may or may not be open — but they are what the day is actually made of.

1. start
   Agés966 m3 to stayBar · food

   Just outside Agés on the left, likely obscured by tall grass, sits a small single-span bridge over the Río Vena — one of San Juan de Ortega's lesser-known engineering works. It takes only one arch to cross the diminutive river.

2. 2.4 km
   Atapuerca952 m6 to stayBar

   From Atapuerca, the camino climbs into the Sierra de Atapuerca — in reality a modest hill, gaining no more than about 100 m. The views from the top look back toward the Montes de Oca and ahead toward the plains around Burgos. The descent leads to Cardeñuela Riopico and Orbaneja Riopico, neither of which is remarkable, but after Orbaneja you'll face the decision of how to enter Burgos: the river route through Castañares (more pleasant, along the Arlanzón) or the road route through Villafría (longer, industrial). The river route is the strong favorite.

3. 2.4 km
   Sierra de Atapuerca1070 m

   The Sierra de Atapuerca is a modest ridge — the climb from the village gains about 100 m and the views from the top stretch across the meseta toward Burgos. On a clear day the spires of the cathedral are visible in the d…

4. 6.8 km
   Villalval945 m

   A tiny hamlet on the road between the Sierra de Atapuerca and Cardeñuela Riopico. No services. The landscape here is open farmland, and Burgos is beginning to make its presence felt on the horizon.

5. 8.2 km
   Cardeñuela Riopico926 m4 to stayBar

   A small village along the Río Pico with a bar and basic facilities. The Iglesia de Santa Eulalia has some Romanesque elements. It's a functional stop rather than a destination — most pilgrims are focused on reaching Burg…