Information about stage 16: Stage from Carrión de los Condes to Terradillos de los Templarios
| STAGE 16 |
KM 26.6 |
TIME 06H00′ |
Itinerary
- Km 0. Carrión de los Condes (All Services)
Along José Antonio street, where the beautiful frieze of the church of Santiago appears , and Esteban Collantes and Piña Blasco streets, we arrive at the Carrión river and the Benedictine monastery of San Zoilo , hotel and Center for Studies and Documentation of the Camino de Santiago with a specialized and complete Jacobean library open to the public. Advancing along the exit road we find the N-120, which we cross to take the Villotilla road (Km 2) . Weeds have invaded the narrow shoulder of this local road but fortunately it has little traffic. Three kilometers from its beginning we leave the property of what was the Benevivere abbey on the right hand side (Km 4.8) , and eight hundred meters later we say goodbye to the road to step on the Via Aquitana , a Roman road that linked Bordeaux with Astorga and that more than two thousand years later still retains part of its original layout (Km 5.6) . In this section the shadows are not scarce, they simply do not exist. Fortunately, it no longer has a pebble floor, which was covered with gravel a few years ago. Also, just before crossing the Bustillo road and in high season, it is possible to find an improvised bar in the middle of these solitudes.(Km 10) . Almost two and a half kilometers after crossing the road, we arrive at a stone indicator that informs us of the Cañada Real Leonesa pass , one of the long-distance Spanish itineraries used by transhumant shepherds to drive cattle from the pastures of summer (León) to winter (Extremadura) and vice versa .
- km 12.4. Cañada Real Leonesa (Food truck from May to October from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)
More than four and a half kilometers later we finally approach Calzadilla de la Cueza, a Salvadoran town that at first glance resembles the set of a western . Hostel, hostel and restaurant, all in one, allow any possibility: from mere rest and snacks to the final stop for those who have ended up deranged from the ancient road. Any option is valid.
- Km 17. Calzadilla de la Cueza (Shelter. Hostel. Bar. Shop)
Since the bar is at one end, to continue the march you have to go around the town and join Calle Mayor which leads to the N-120. On the national highway we pass the Cueza river and cross it to advance along a path that runs parallel. The detour to Santa María de las Tiendas , the old hospital also known as the Gran Caballero (Km 18.8) , is followed by a stretch of about three kilometers that saves an insignificant drop of 50 meters. Later, in a gentle descent, we cross the N-120 again to enter the small nucleus of Ledigos .
- km 23.4. Ledigos (Hostel. Bar)
We leave Ledigos parallel to the national highway, which we cross again to resume for the last time the well-known andadero that leads to Terradillos de los Templarios itself , a town that takes its name from the Knights Templar, a Christian military order founded in the 12th century. who guarded the already defunct hospital of San Juan in this same place .
- km 26.6. Terradillos de los Templarios (Hostel. Bar. Small grocery store in one of the hostels)
Difficulties
- From Carrión to Calzadilla de la Cueza, a new Food Truck: You have to go back to the first stage between Saint Jean Pied de Port and Roncesvalles to find such a large distance between towns. From Easter to October there are two mobile bars, one 5 kilometers after Carrión and another 4 kilometers before Calzadilla de la Cueza. This last town that can only be seen when you are approaching it, since it is tucked into a hollow giving the sensation that you are walking towards the horizon with no goal within sight.
- Various crossings of the N-120 from Calzadilla de la Cueza: At the exit of Calzadilla de la Cueza, the itinerary enters and leaves the N-120 to access the andadero that goes to the left. Some informative signs warn to take these crossings with caution.
Observations
- Especially in summer it is advisable to bring a good supply of water and a hat to protect yourself from the sun.
What to see, what to do
- CALZADILLA DE LA CUEZA: Fifty-two inhabitants (according to the INE in 2012) live in this town bathed by the Cueza River. Roman vestiges have appeared in Calzadilla, specifically the Vía Aquitana , an indelible memory for the pilgrim, it passed through here long before the Jacobean route. In the parish church of San Martín there is a beautiful 16th century Renaissance altarpiece from the old monastery of Santa María de la Tiendas , a great abbey and hospital of the Knights of the Order of Santiago. The name is due to the cloth tents that were used to welcome pilgrims.
- LEDIGOS: Small town of about 70 inhabitants and adobe walls. The parish church is consecrated to Santiago and there are three different images of Santiago: matamoros, pilgrim and apostle. Nearby, as in many other towns in Tierra de Campos, we will see the famous dovecotes : circular or quadrangular, built in adobe and in which innumerable pigeons are bred whose pigeons are tasted throughout the region.
- TERRADILLOS DE LOS TEMPLAROS: Its name evokes the presence of the warrior friars. It was owned by the Knights Templar dependent on Villalcázar de Sirga. The Christian military order of the Temple was founded in the 12th century, after the first crusade. The last master of the order was Jacques de Molay, the name of a local hostel. The parish church of San Pedro keeps an interesting crucifix from the 14th century .