Camino del Cid

Covarrubias to Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza Loop

Senderos Exile

Saturday 24 September 2022

Distance: 16.1 km Time: 4:15 Ascent: 450m Descent: 450m – Wikiloc

The Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza isn’t on the Camino del Cid but well worth a detour. Dedicated in 912, it’s one of the monasteries from the foundation of Castile. Abandoned in 1841 and now in a state of semi-ruin, work is now being done to maintain the spaces that time has left standing.

It’s a very nice walk along ancient paths through the forest but there are no waymarks and many crossing tracks so GPS is necessary.

A deer watches us walk by
We walked via the Ermita de San Olav in the Valley of Wolves
It was dedicated in 2011 to remember a complicated story involving a 13th century Spanish King, Queen and a Norwegian Princess
The path becomes narrower as we continue up hill through forest
To reach the Monastery we’ll descend into this canyon …
… to arrive suddenly at the Monasterio San Pedro de Arlanza
Entrance to the Monastery
Tree growing in the minor Cloister
Passageway
Major cloister





The Monastery Church was huge





Looking down into the Monastery 





Ermita de San Pelayo above the Monastery





Back in Covarrubias, Amigos of the Sardines of Covarrubias were handing out free Sardines and wine in the plaza