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Complete Guide

Complete Guide to Fiber Way

The Wool Road connects Alicante with Burgos, following ancient routes of transhumance. A historic long-distance route through the Spanish interior to the French Way.

Last updated: 28/03/2026

Technical Summary of Fiber Way

677 km

Distance

27

days

27

Stages

Media

Difficulty

125 accommodations available on the route

Introduction to Fiber Way

The Wool Road is a historic Jacobean route originating in Alicante and heading north to link with the French Way in Burgos. Its name comes from the ancient royal pastures used for sheep herding, which also served as pilgrimage routes. This long journey of 677 km to Burgos passes through Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Soria.

All Stages of Fiber Way

Complete route divided into 27 stages

1

Alicante to Orito

This stage continues across the Manchegan plain, on flat terrain with no difficulties. The landscape remains dominated by vineyards and fields of grain. It is a transition day that brings the pilgrim ...

24.50 km 6.00 h Media View Stage
2

Oriente towards Pequera

This stage enters the province of Cuenca, in a flat terrain and without difficulties. The landscape continues to be dominated by vineyards and fields of cereals. It is a day of transition that brings ...

23.00 km 5.50 h Media View Stage
3

To visit Villena

This is a short and flat stage that runs through the heart of La Mancha Conquense. The landscape is dominated by vineyards. It's a day to enjoy the peace of the countryside and wine culture. Arrival i...

22.00 km 5.00 h Media View Stage
4

Villena to Caudete

This stage is a journey to the heart of La Mancha and Don Quixote's universe. The route is flat and runs through a landscape of vineyards and olive groves. Arrival in El Toboso, Dulcinea's homeland, i...

17.00 km 4.00 h Baja View Stage
5

Go to Almansa

The last and most magical stage of the Camino. It is charged with emotion and symbolism. The first part unfolds in a rural environment. The first major moment arrives at Lavacolla, where pilgrims used...

17.50 km 6.53 h Baja View Stage
6

Almohalla to Alpera

This "super stage" links Jacobean capital with the end of ancient world in a single day, a challenge only suitable for cyclists or very well-prepared pilgrims. The route passes through rural Galicia, ...

15.00 km 11.63 h Baja View Stage
7

Alpera to Alatoz

This long stage connects the capital of Galicia with the Virgin of the Barca sanctuary, a challenge for well-prepared cyclists or pilgrims. The route crosses the interior of Galicia, in a "break-neck"...

21.00 km 11.37 h Media View Stage
8

At the House of Casas Ibáñez

The first stage of the Camino del Norte is one of the most beautiful and demanding. The route ascends to Monte Jaizkibel, offering stunning views of the Cantabrian Sea and the Basque coast. After a te...

21.50 km 8.60 h Media View Stage
9

Houses of Ibañez to Villarta

This stage is a continuous rise and fall through the hills that separate San Sebastián from the coast of Zarautz. It's a beautiful day that combines sections in the interior with spectacular views to ...

17.00 km 5.67 h Baja View Stage
10

Villarta to Campillo de Altobuey

This stage is one of the most spectacular along the Basque coast. The route follows a coastal path that winds its way over cliffs, offering stunning views of the Cantabrian Sea. The route passes throu...

19.00 km 6.33 h Media View Stage
11

Campillo of Altobuey to Monteagudo de las Salinas

This stage marks a radical change in landscape. The Camino leaves the coast to venture into the interior mountains of Biscay. It is a hard day's journey with a medium mountain profile and constant ups...

15.00 km 5.00 h Baja View Stage
12

Mounteagudo de las Salinas to Fuentes (Cuenca)

This stage continues through the interior of Biscay, in a mid-mountain terrain. The profile is a continuous "breakneck", with several ascents and descents. The route passes through a beautiful landsca...

12.00 km 4.00 h Baja View Stage
13

Sources (Cuenca) to Cuenca

This stage is approaching the great city of Bilbao. The profile is a continuous rise and fall through the hills surrounding Gernika Estuary. It's a beautiful day that alternates rural zones with more ...

21.68 km 6.67 h Media View Stage
14

Cuenca to Villar de Domingo García

This is a short stage that has as its destination the capital of Biscay. The journey involves climbing Mount Avril, from where the first and spectacular views of Bilbao and its bay are obtained. After...

33.00 km 5.00 h Baja View Stage
15

Villar of Domingo García to Villaconejos de Trabaque

This stage is an urban and peri-urban route that takes the pilgrim out of Bilbao by following the Nervión River. The route passes through the industrial and working-class area of the Left Bank, a land...

20.00 km 5.00 h Media View Stage
16

Villaconejos de Trabaque to Salmerón (Guadalajara)

This is a short and beautiful stage that brings the pilgrim back to the coast. The route is an enjoyable stroll that skirts the mouth of the Nervión estuary. The route passes through the seaside villa...

22.00 km 5.50 h Media View Stage
17

Salmerón (Guadalajara) to Viana de Monjardín

This stage marks the entry into Cantabria. It is a day of great beauty that combines interior trails with spectacular views to the coast. The profile is a continuous rise and fall. The route runs thro...

18.00 km 6.00 h Baja View Stage
18

Mondéjar to Cifuentes

This stage continues along the eastern coast of Cantabria. The profile is a continuous rise and fall, with sections of interior and sea views. The route passes through the small coastal village of Lie...

12.00 km 6.67 h Baja View Stage
19

Sources for Mandayona

This is a short and beautiful stage that connects two of the most important coastal villages in Cantabria. The journey involves crossing the bay on a small boat, an unforgettable experience. After dis...

15.00 km 4.00 h Baja View Stage
20

Punishes Atienza

This stage moves away from the coast to venture into the interior of Cantabria. The profile is a continuous rise and fall through a landscape of green meadows and small villages. It's a day of great b...

17.00 km 5.67 h Media View Stage
21

Wait for Retortillo of Soria

This stage is headed for the elegant capital of Cantabria. The route is an enjoyable stroll that approaches the bay of Santander, one of the most beautiful in the world. The journey involves crossing ...

24.00 km 6.00 h Media View Stage
22

Retortillo de Soria to Fresno de Caracena

This long stage connects the capital of Cantabria with one of Spain's most beautiful villages. The route is a continuous rise and fall along the central coast of Cantabria, through a landscape of mead...

18.00 km 9.67 h Baja View Stage
23

Caracena to San Esteban de Gormaz

This stage connects two of the most monumental villas in Cantabria. The route is a continuous rise and fall along the western coast, through a landscape of meadows and forests. It's a day of great bea...

15.00 km 5.00 h Baja View Stage
24

St. Stephen of Gormaz to Quintanarraya

This stage marks the entry into Asturias. The route follows the coastline, passing through the beautiful seaside town of San Vicente de la Barquera, with its bridge and castle over the estuary. After ...

20.00 km 6.67 h Media View Stage
25

Quintana-Rurata to Santo Domingo de Silos

This stage enters the eastern coast of Asturias. The route is a continuous rise and fall through a landscape of green meadows, cliffs, and spectacular beaches. It's a day of great beauty that allows y...

25.00 km 8.33 h Media View Stage
26

Saint Dominic of Silos to Mecerreyes

This long stage continues along the eastern coast of Asturias. The profile is a continuous rise and fall, with interior sections and spectacular views to the sea. The route passes through a beautiful ...

15.00 km 12.00 h Baja View Stage
27

Mecerreyes in Burgos

This stage moves away from the first line of coast to venture into the interior, at the feet of the Sierra del Sueve. The profile is a continuous rise and fall through a landscape of meadows and fores...

20.00 km 8.33 h Baja View Stage

Key Towns of Fiber Way

The most important towns and cities on this route.

Alicante

Alicante

Mediterranean city and starting point of the Southeastern Way. Alicante offers the pilgrim a bright start to the route, between its castle, beaches, and vibrant Explanada.

Orito

Orito

300 m

Pilgrim center at the beginning of the Southeastern Way. Orito, with the Cave of St. Pascual Bailon, is a place of deep popular devotion and an spiritual haven for the pilgrim.

Petrer

Petrer

450 m

Alicante villa crowned by an imposing medieval castle. Petrer is a stop with history and shoemaking tradition on the Southeastern Way, at the heart of the Vinalopó valley.

Villena

Villena

Alicante, a city on the Southeastern Route of the Camino, dominated by the imposing Castle of La Atalaya. A historic stop for pilgrims before entering the plateau.

Caudete

Caudete

550 m

Historic Albatelean village on the border with the Valencia Community. Caudete, with its castle and sanctuary, is a monumental stop on the South East Route.

Almansa

Almansa

Albacetean city on the Southeast Route, famous for its spectacular rocky castle, one of the most beautiful in Spain. A historic and monumental stop in La Mancha.

Alpera

Alpera

800 m

Albacetean municipality with a valuable prehistoric legacy. Alpera is famous for its rock shelters with Levantine rock art paintings, declared World Heritage by the UNESCO.

Alatoz

Alatoz

880 m

Peaceful Albateño town on the Way of the Wool. Alatoz offers the pilgrim a genuine rural retreat in an environment of agricultural and forest landscapes.

Casas Ibáñez

Casas Ibáñez

710 m

Capital of the Manchuela region. Casas-Ibáñez is a dynamic service center on the Way of the Wool, with a rich wine-making tradition and an lively atmosphere.

Villarta

Villarta

800 m

Small town conquered in the Manchuela region. Villarta offers a peaceful refuge to pilgrims on the Wool Road, an authentic rural setting.

Campillo de Altobuey

Campillo de Altobuey

940 m

Conquense is conquered with an important baroque heritage. Campillo of Altobuey is a monumental stop on the Way of the Wool, with one of the most spectacular churches in the province.

Monteagudo de las Salinas

Monteagudo de las Salinas

1000 m

Conquest town with a medieval castle. Monteagudo de las Salinas, in the Sierra de Cuenca, is a stopover with history and an ideal natural environment for rest.

History of Fiber Way

The Wool Road is the Jacobean route that follows the trail of one of Spain's greatest sources of wealth in history: the wool trade from Merina sheep. Its name is not a metaphor, but a literal description of its origin. This historical itinerary, which connects Alicante to Burgos, overlaps the journey of faith with that of economics, following the path of ancient royal pastures of the transhumance. It's a long-distance route that traverses the heart of Spain's interior, a slow journey at the pace of old shepherds.

The history of this road is the story of The Mesta, the "Honorable Council of the Mesta", a powerful association of sheep farmers created in 1273 by King Alfonso X the Wise. The Mesta controlled the lucrative wool trade for centuries, highly prized throughout Europe. To ensure the movement of massive flocks between summer pastures in the north and winter pastures in the south, a network of protected roads was established: the royal canals. These routes, up to 75 meters wide, were genuine livestock highways, safe and open to the public, that crossed the peninsula.

Medieval pilgrims and those of the Modern Age, always practical, used these magnificent infrastructure for their own journeys. For an inhabitant of the southeast (Alicante, Valencia, Cuenca) who wanted to go to Santiago, following the canals was the safest and most direct option to head north. These routes were equipped with wells, bridges, and refuges that, although designed for shepherds, also served pilgrims.

The Wool Road therefore starts in Alicante and begins its long ascent to the Meseta. It collects tributaries from other regions that produce wool, such as Cuenca or the Alcarria of Guadalajara. One of the most important milestones on the route is the city of Cuenca, a World Heritage Site. The pilgrim, after passing through its famous Hanging Houses and Gothic cathedral, continued their journey through the serranía, a landscape of canyons and pine forests.

The route continues north, crossing the Alcarria, land of honey and aromatic plants, and enters the province of Soria, passing by historic villages such as Atienza. A climactic moment in the journey, both spiritual and artistic, is the arrival near the Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, in the province of Burgos. The visit to its cloister, one of the universal masterpieces of Romanesque art, and listening to its famous Gregorian chant, were a sublime reward for the pilgrim.

The final destination of the Wool Road is the city of Burgos. Upon arriving at this historic capital of Castile and one of the key points on the Camino Francés, the pilgrims of the wool joined the international flow of walkers. They had completed a genuinely peninsular route, following the economic wealth routes of the country, to join the great spiritual wealth road of Europe.

Its modern revival has highlighted an itinerary of great diversity in landscape and culture. It's a less-traveled path that requires planning but offers a highly authentic experience. To walk the Wool Road is to immerse oneself in rural and economic history of Spain, a meditative journey through the silent landscapes of Spain's interior, following the invisible trail of millions of sheep and the footsteps of pilgrims who shared their route.

Accommodations on the Route

The Fiber Way has 125 verified accommodations along the entire route.

View Stages & Accommodations

Practical Tips for Fiber Way

Best Season

Spring (April-June) and autumn (September-October) are the best seasons. Pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds than summer.

Physical Preparation

Train by walking progressively in the months before. Start with short distances and increase. Your body will adapt to the rhythm of the Camino.

What to Pack

Light backpack (max 10% of your weight), worn trekking shoes, breathable technical clothing, raincoat, sunscreen and basic first aid kit.

General Tips

Carry the pilgrim credential, stay hydrated, respect your pace, book accommodation in high season and enjoy the journey without rushing.

FAQ about Fiber Way

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