Forgotten Path
Rediscover the Forgotten Way, an ancient Jacobean route before the French Way. From Bilbao or Pamplona, it traverses the north mountains of Spain until Villafranca del Bierzo.
Organize your Forgotten PathGeneral Description of Forgotten Path
With a journey that exceeds 500 km, it is an demanding route, with solitary stretches and significant inclines, but of exceptional landscape beauty and historical value. Its recent revival attracts pilgrims seeking less crowded routes with a strong adventure component.
Connections of Forgotten Path
The French Way
Distance:
779 km
Days:
33
Difficulty:
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The Camino Francés is the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela of excellence, chosen by thousands of pilgrims every year. With a journey of approximately 780 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or less from Roncesvalles, it traverses northern Spain. This path, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, offers exceptional infrastructure for services and hostels.
Pilgrims traverse Navarra, La Rioja, Castile and León, and finally Galicia, marveling at monumental cities such as Pamplona, Burgos, and León, and charming villages. The diversity of its landscapes is one of its greatest attractions, from the Pyrenees and the Castilian plains to the green forests of Galicia. It's a physical and spiritual journey that leaves an indelible mark, ideal for both experienced pilgrims and those starting out on the Camino de Santiago.
Stages of this variant:
Stage 1: St. Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles
Stage 2: Roncesvalles to Zubiri
Stage 3: Zubiri is going to Pamplona.
Stage 4: Pamplona to Pontevedra
Stage 5: Bridge of Queen to Estella
Stages of Forgotten Path
Etapa 1: Bilbao to Güeñes
Description:
The first stage of the Forgotten Way from Bilbao is a transitional journey that takes the pilgrim out of the great city. The route is demanding, with an initial strong climb to leave the valley of Bil...
Etapa 2: Güeñes to Nava de Ordunte
Description:
This stage enters the heart of Las Encartaciones, in a medium mountain terrain. The profile is demanding, with several ascents and descents. The route passes through the historic village of Balmaseda,...
Origen: Güeñes
Destino: Nava de Ordunte
Etapa 3: Nava de Ordunte to Bercedo
Description:
This stage enters the Mena Valley in Burgos province. The profile is of medium mountain, with a continuous rise and fall through a landscape of green meadows, forests, and small traditional villages. ...
Origen: Nava de Ordunte
Destino: Bercedo
Etapa 4: Bercedo to Quintanilla del Rebollar
Description:
This stage continues through the Las Merindades region, on medium mountain terrain. The profile is undulating, with an ascent to Cabrio Pass. The landscape is of great beauty, with oak and beech fores...
Origen: Bercedo
Destino: Quintanilla del Rebollar
Etapa 5: Quintanilla del Rebollar to Soncillo
Description:
This stage is a long journey that crosses the Valdebezana valley. The profile is smoother than in previous days, with a terrain of gentle undulations. The landscape is of great beauty, with meadows, f...
Origen: Quintanilla del Rebollar
Destino: Soncillo
Etapa 6: Soncillo to Arroyo de Valdearroyo
Description:
This stage marks the entry into Cantabria. It is a day of great beauty that approaches the birthplace of the Ebro River. The profile is undulating, with an ascent to the Puerto de Carrales. The landsc...
Origen: Soncillo
Destino: Arroyo de Valdearroyo
Featured Towns of Forgotten Path
Explore the key towns and cities of this route.
Bilbao
Vibrant start of the North Way. Bilbao offers the pilgrim a cosmopolitan beginning of the route marked by the Guggenheim Museum, its bay and exquisite pintxos cuisine.
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Güeñes
Güeñes, with its heritage of tower houses and its peaceful atmosphere, is a rural stop on the routes that cross the Encartations.
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Nava de Ordunte
Small village on the border between Biscay and Burgos. Nava de Ordunte is a haven of peace on the Forgotten Way, perfect for enjoying nature in a mountain setting.
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Bercedo
Burgess town in the lush Valley of Mena. Bercedo is a rural stop with charm on the Forgotten Path, ideal for a break in a privileged natural setting.
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Quintanilla del Rebollar
Quintanilla del Rebollar, in the Forgotten Path, offers a rural retreat with mountain views and a peaceful atmosphere.
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Soncillo
Service center in the valley of Valdebezana. Soncillo on the Forgotten Path is a functional stop with a rural atmosphere and a history linked to Jacobean tradition.
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Arroyo de Valdearroyo
Cantabrian village on the banks of the Ebro River. The stream, alongside the dam, offers a pilgrim of the Forgotten Way a landscape of water and mountain of great beauty and tranquility.
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Olea
Olea is a rural stop on the Forgotten Path, offering the serenity of the mountain and a beautiful landscape.
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Aguilar de Campoo
Capital of Romanesque Palentine and the best galician village in excellence. Aguilar de Campoo is a monumental stop and sweet on the Forgotten Way, at the feet of the Palantine Mountain.
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Cervera de Pisuerga
Capital of the Palatine Mountains. Cervera de Pisuerga is the entrance to the Fuentes Carrionas Natural Park, a paradise for nature lovers, hikers and Romanesque enthusiasts.
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Santibáñez de la Peña
Mine villa in the Palentine Mountains. Santibañez of the Peak, on the Forgotten Path, offers a landscape marked by its industrial past and a beautiful natural environment.
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Puente Almuhey
Leonese village in eastern mountains. The Almuhey bridge, on the banks of the River Cea, is a charming stop with rural charm and services on the Route of Forgotten.
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Cistierna
Capital of eastern León mountains. Cisterna, by the River Esla's banks, is an important communication hub and service center on routes like the Forgotten Way.
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Boñar
Heart of Eastern Leonese Mountains. Boñar, famous for its "negrillos" and natural surroundings, is a service center and a key stop on routes that cross the Cantabrian Range.
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La Robla
Industrial village in the Leónese mountains and stop on the Way of St James. The Robla, with its mining tradition, offers pilgrims all services before entering the Cantabrian Mountains.
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La Magdalena
Magdalena is a stop on the Forgotten Way, a service center in a valley of great scenic beauty by the Bernesga River.
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Riello
Capital of the Omaña region. Riello is the heart of a León-registered biosphere reserve, a stop to enjoy nature in its purest state.
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Fasgar
Small village in western Leonese mountains. Fasgar is one of the last stops on The Forgotten Path, a refuge for peace before entering El Bierzo.
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Igüeña
Capital of the municipality of Alto Bierzo. Igüeña, with its mining past and mountainous surroundings, is a stop on the Forgotten Path that offers services and a landscape of contrasts.
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Labaniego
Small Basque village on the Forgotten Way. Labaniego offers the pilgrim a rural and quiet refuge at the threshold of historic city of Ponferrada.
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Congosto
Conquest, by the river Sil. Conisto, with its dam and its natural surroundings, is a scenic stop on the Forgotten Way, ideal for rest.
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Villafranca del Bierzo
Known as the "Little Compostela," this village on the French Way allows pilgrims with illnesses to gain the Jubilee in its church of St. James, a historic privilege.
More InformationMillenary History of the Camino de Santiago: Origins and Evolution Forgotten Path
Discover the origins and evolution of Forgotten Path
In the early centuries after the discovery of the Apostle's tomb, the Iberian Peninsula was a territory in constant conflict. Christian kingdoms clung to the north, and the border with Al-Andalus was an unstable and dangerous line. For the first pilgrims, both locals and those arriving from Europe at the Vascos ports, the most logical and safe route was not to venture into open plains, but to seek shelter in the mountains. The Forgotten Path offered precisely that: a natural corridor protected by geography, which connected the emerging Lordship of Vizcaya with the Leonese Bierzo through the mountainous comarcas of northern Burgos, southern Cantabria, and northern Palencia.
This route not only offered physical security but also connected important monastic and power centers of the time, which acted as beacons of civilization and refuge for travelers. It passed by strategic enclaves such as the Monastery of San Salvador de Oña in Burgos, a royal pantheon of great influence, or the village of Aguilar de Campoo in Palencia, now considered the capital of Romanesque art due to the incredible concentration of churches and hermitages in its surroundings. These holy places offered hospitality and solace to pilgrims on a route that, while safe from incursions, was not exempt from the hardships of high mountain: cold, snow, wolves, and long stretches without population.
The path's layout is a clear reflection of its mountainous character. Starting from points like Bilbao or Balmaseda, it ventured into the valleys of Las Merindades of Burgos, crossed the Ebro by Valderredible in Cantabria, and faced the ports of the Palentine and Leonesa Mountains. It was an demanding path, with constant ascents and descents, that required great physical and spiritual strength.
The "forgetfulness" of this path began in the 12th century. With the advance of the Reconquista and the determined promotion of Navarre and Castile kings, the French Way, more to the south and considerably flatter, became the new "highway of faith". With better infrastructure, greater royal protection, and the impulse of the Cluny Order, the route diverted the main flow of pilgrims. The Mountain Path was relegated to local use or for travelers who knew the terrain well. As the centuries passed, its memory faded from the general map of pilgrimages, although it never disappeared completely from the memory of the people that traversed it.
Its rediscovery and recovery in the 21st century is an authentic labor of pedestrian archaeology. Historians and friends of the Camino associations have dedicated years to investigating ancient documents, charters, and maps to reconstruct its original route, signaling it again for contemporary pilgrims. Today, the Forgotten Path offers a Jacobean experience of overwhelming authenticity. It's a solitary, hard, and wild path that allows the walker to connect with the essence of medieval pilgrimage and discover landscapes and Romanesque heritage of incalculable value, before converging near Villafranca del Bierzo with the French Way. Walking it is, in some way, unearthing forgetfulness and doing justice to one of the first paths that led men to Santiago.