The Way of El Cid crosses Spain, from Burgos in the northwest to south of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast. It follows the history and the story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid Campeador, a famous medieval knight of the 11th century. The main travel guide on the route is the Poem of El Cid, the great Hispanic medieval epic poem written at the end of the 12th century. It tells of the adventures of El Cid Campeador from his exile, fighting to survive against Moors and Christians to the Conquest of Valencia. The Way of El Cid for hikers covers a total length of 1497 km.
Click here for more.
In 2019 whilst walking in the Soria Province (here) we came across a statue of El Cid near El Burgo de Osma. That’s when we discovered the Camino del Cid and decided to walk it.
This year (2022) we are starting on the first section, 285km – “The Exile” where El Cid is exiled with his small group of loyal followers, ordered by the king to leave Castile in nine days.
We’ll have a Letter of Safe Conduct, the credential that features the stamps of the various towns and villages travelers pass through. It is based on the document used during the Middle Ages to ensure that travelers and goods were allowed to travel freely and safely.
Click here for more about this section.
The Camino del Cid website is here.
Distances and ascent/descent: I recorded each day’s tracks on a Garmin 245M watch and uploaded to Wikiloc. I’ve used the distances and ascent/descent from Wikiloc as it matched more closely the “official” distances.