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morning, the gates are opened and six bulls and four steers charge wildly through the streets towards the Plaza de Toros, where the run ends and the injured are counted among the more than 3,000 participants who challenge fate each year. Leaving Pamplona behind, the route soon reaches Puente la Reina, lying along the banks of the Arga River, where the elegance of the bridge commissioned in the 11th century by Doña Mayor, wife of Sancho III, King of Navarre, still inspires admiration.
Departing from the ancient atmosphere of Puente la Reina, the journey continues towards Logroño and then on to Nájera, from where a worthwhile detour leads to the monasteries of San Millán de Yuso et de Suso, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. It is a deep immersion into nature and beauty within the Sierra de la Demanda: a harmonious and captivating landscape, shaped by gentle bends and sweeping turns that cut through a welcoming, vividly coloured land, all the way to the outskirts of Burgos.
Burgos is a fascinating city, renowned for its remarkably preserved medieval architecture. Its finest example is the Cathedral of Santa María, whose Gothic spires soar skyward in what has been described as an attempt to draw closer to God. In the square in front of the cathedral, pilgrims are now numerous, easily recognisable by their walking sticks and backpacks adorned with the Shell of Santiago, the universal symbol of the Camino. We are in the heart of Castilla y León, whose first capital was Burgos, and from here the Camino begins to immerse itself more deeply in nature, along routes that resonate fully with the spirit of a journey of faith.
As the kilometres pass, the yellow shell on a blue background guides pilgrims through increasingly quieter landscapes, where secondary roads alternate with long stretches of gravel. These straight, seemingly endless tracks feel detached from the modern world and bring us closer to the physical effort faced by those
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