Stage Puente la Reina to Logroño (by bike)

The 71.4 kilometres between Puente la Reina and Logroño make this the longest day of the Navarrese half of the Camino by bicycle. There are no passes of note, but the ground rolls relentlessly among vineyards, olive groves and cornfields, so the difficulty lies in piling up kilometres under the sun rather than in any particular ramp.

The exit crosses the Romanesque bridge over the Arga and climbs at once to Mañeru and Cirauqui. The latter, perched on a hill, preserves one of the best-conserved stretches of Roman road on the whole route, with its bridge still in use: an uncomfortable pavement for wheels, but hard to avoid without missing the best of the day.

After Lorca and Villatuerta comes Estella-Lizarra, founded in 1090 to receive pilgrims and today one of the greatest monumental ensembles of the Camino: the church of San Pedro de la Rúa with its cloister, that of San Miguel and the palace of the Kings of Navarre, an exceptional example of civil Romanesque. Two kilometres on stands the monastery of Irache, beside the winery whose wine fountain offers the walker a free draught.

The route continues through Villamayor de Monjardín, below its castle, and crosses a long stretch without services to Los Arcos, whose church of Santa María hides an overwhelming Baroque interior. Shortly after appears Torres del Río and its church of the Holy Sepulchre, an octagonal building of disputed filiation, with a dome of crossed ribs of Islamic root.

Viana, the last Navarrese town, keeps walls, emblazoned palaces and the church of Santa María, before whose porch lies buried Cesare Borgia, killed nearby in 1507. From there the way descends to the Ebro valley and enters Logroño across the stone bridge. The Riojan capital greets you with the cathedral of Santa María de la Redonda, its twin towers and the bustle of Calle del Laurel, a stage finish hard to better.