Camino del Cid

Sigüenza to Alcolea del Pinar

Senderos Borderlands

Friday 19 May 2023

Distance: 23.2 km Time: 6:00 Ascent: 350m Descent: 190m – Wikiloc

Walking through pine forests then beneath the cliffs of the Barranco del Río Dulce Natural Park it was an easy enough day. We’d read about the beautiful 12th century parish church of Saúca and decided to divert from Camino del Cid to visit it, adding a couple of kilometers of road walking. So we got to see three wonderful 12th/13th century Romanesque churches in excellent condition.

We couldn’t find any accommodation in Alcolea del Pinar but there’s a hotel/restaurant at a petrol station on the highway about 2 km away.

Leaving Sigüenza
Sandstone formations in the forest near Sigüenza
Deer in the forest watching us walk by
Barbatona hermitage dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Salud
There’s two pilgrimages to Barbatona (pop 18) from Sigüenza each a year when thousands of people come, with great devotion
We re-enter the Barranco del Río Dulce Natural Park
Church of San Juan Bautista in Jodra del Pinar (pop 5), 12th century Romanesque
Yes, it has been maintained and modified over the years but with great sympathy
Estriégana (pop 6) is the source of the River Dulce we’ve been following
Church of San Pedro Apóstol, simple rural Romanesque-style from the 13th century
We’d read about the beautiful 12th century parish church of Saúca (pop 52) and decided to divert from Camino del Cid to visit it
Romanesque porticoed gallery
A photo of the Church during the Civil War in the town bar. There was no school so the gallery of the Church was enclosed to create a classroom
As we walked beside the motorway to the hotel, trucks honked encouragement