Friday, July 24, 2026 – 5th day

Navarra – La Rioja

Puente de la Reina - Estella

22.00 km

At 6:15, Mª Carmen was there with her taxi to pick us up and take us to Puente de la Reina. The taxi situation has been super easy because each driver gives us the phone number of their colleague in the next town. The truth is that it is very well organized, and they are super friendly.

Puente de la Reina 🌉 is named after Queen Doña Mayor, wife of Sancho Garcés III, the Great. She was the one who ordered the construction of the bridge over the Arga River to facilitate the passage of pilgrims, which allowed the town to grow on both sides of it. It is the junction point of the French Way with the one coming from Aragón and is considered one of the best-preserved bridges on the Jacobean route. 

Once you cross the bridge and enter an uphill path that still preserves the remains of a medieval monastery, you reach the village of Mañeru, famous for its cobbled streets and its past related to the Carlist Wars. Ciaruqui is situated on top of a hill and still retains the remains of a Roman road like most of the towns in the area, and once you leave it behind, you stumble upon the Salado River, over which there is still a medieval bridge that allows you to cross it, although it is not in great shape 🤭.

In Lorca, we made a short mandatory stop to drink a couple of bottles of water and eat the banana we usually carry. We always bring water, but asking for it at the bar allows us to break the routine and rest, although I must say that starting again is a bit tough 💁‍♀️.

Although the route had a few challenging points, we overcame them with the dignity of someone who has been walking for four days, exhausted and sore but happy😉.

Estella is celebrating, and the main street had a medieval market, which entertained us a bit while we continued on our way to reach the campsite… In the end, we couldn’t make it on foot; there were no buses or taxis, so in a moment of desperation, I stuck out my thumb just as a patrol from the Navarra Police passed by, who saw our tired faces 😅 and kindly offered to take us the four kilometers from the end of the path to our home.

Super nice 🥰. They explained to us that they were on patrol for the pilgrims and their job was to lend a hand if necessary. Fortunately, they considered that our situation was necessary 😂😂😂.

The rest of the afternoon passed with a little nap, eating a couple of hamburgers and boiled potatoes, and a dip in the pool, which is what we have it for, and Thorsten resorted to some “traditional remedies” to relieve the heaviness in his legs. It remains to be seen, as he did both at the same time, which is more effective, ice on the knees and feet or… a cold beer straight to the stomach while relaxing on the porch 😉.

Tomorrow we will leave the campsite walking to our destination, and we will return by taxi.

Good night… I’ll keep you posted 😘