French Way (Camino Francés) ‧ Stage 13
French Way
On foot
33 stages
Information
About this stage
Now we will really get into the Castilian landscape, with its vast plains and cereal fields. The climate will be extreme; if we travel in summer, the high temperatures and lack of shade will put our water bottles to the test; in winter, the strong blizzards and snowfalls will prevent us from warming up, even after having travelled just over twenty kilometres. Despite this, the charm of the medieval villages that we will visit today will bring back the magic and charm of this millenary route.
Recommendation Pilgrim
This is one of the largest stages in the French Way. Some pilgrims decide to divide this stage into two, finishing in Hornillos del Camino where you will easily find accommodation to stay the night.
In this stage, people with reduced mobility will have many problems because there are some dangerous points. We recommend them go to Rabé de las Calzadas and the go in any kind of transport. For cyclists, there are some parts that are a little bit complicated and sometimes they will have to walk instead of pedaling. Tampoco es una etapa fácil para ellos.
f you are traveling in summer you should know that is very important to keep sun cream, water and a hat because maybe temperatures are too high, and there are not too many shades. If are traveling in winter you have to be careful because it’s too cold and you will need a raincoat, waterproof boots and warm clothes.
Distance and elevation
Stage profile
Route
Itinerary
Km 0 ‧ Burgos
From the cathedral we can go to the promenade next to the river and follow it to the right for about twenty minutes, until we reach the Malatos bridge; or we can follow the signposted path along Fernán González street, to the left along Emperador street, to the right along Benedictinas de San José street, and to the left along Villalón street. When we reach the Malatos Bridge over the river Arlanzón, we cross it.
On the right we enter the Parral Park, which we cross and at the exit we pass in front of the Hospital del Rey. We continue alongside the N-120 national road, and after 700 metres we take a road on the right which shortly afterwards turns into a dirt track.
Further on we see Villalbilla de Burgos on the left. We walk under the AVE railway line through a subway and follow it parallel to the line to cross the N-120 national road and the BU-30 dual carriageway by successive subways.
Once past the latter, we turn right towards a large roundabout, where we continue along a dirt track parallel to the N-120; we cross the Arzobispo Bridge over the River Arlanzón and continue on to Tardajos.
Local Information
Police, Medical Care, What to See, Where to Eat…
Km 11,5 ‧ Tardajos
We cross the Urbel river valley on the secondary road that links the villages of Tardajos and Rabé de las Calzadas.
Km 13,4 ‧ Rabé de las Calzadas
From the square where there are two hostels we turn right into calle Baldomero Pampliega. On leaving Rabé we continue along a stony dirt track, which climbs gently upwards. We follow the same track, between cereal crops until we reach the top of a hill; from the top we can see Hornillos del Camino in the background. We descend and before entering Hornillos we cross a provincial road.
Km 21 ‧ Hornillos del Camino
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Police, Medical Care, What to See, Where to Eat…
