Stage 5: Puente la Reina - Estella

Puente la Reina is a town that owes its name to the bridges that were built over the Arga River as a means of passage between this river and the Camino de Santiago.

The city has an important religious influence that can be noticed through its number of churches, being examples to highlight the Church of the Crucifix, the Church of San Pedro and the Church of Santiago. All three were built at the same time (12th century).

The Church of Santiago retains its captivating design of Romanesque and Moorish influence, undoubtedly with a variety of details that show the pride of the city. One of the main reasons for the strong religious presence is that Puente de la Reina acted as a meeting point for pilgrims heading west towards Santiago de Compostela.

Now that we are far from Pamplona, today is much quieter than the previous two days. Most of the day is spent on tracks through farmland and sometimes on special pilgrim trails made of compacted earth.

After crossing the Pilgrims Bridge leaving Puente la Reina, walk down to the next bridge to get the best views and pictures of the most famous bridge on the Camino.

This is one of those days where you can easily cover more distance if you want to complete the French Way in less than 33 days.

The village of Maneru has a small local parish church dedicated to San Pedro, as well as the ruins of a Gothic church. This village has less than 500 inhabitants.

Leaving Maneru, you will pass the cemetery and see the village of Cirauqui in the distance. Just before reaching Lorca, you will cross the Salado River over a small medieval double-arched bridge.

Between Lorca and Villatuerta, you will pass the ruins of a pilgrims' hostel built in 1066, called Hospital de Peregrinos de Arandigoyen. From there to Estella it is 3.7 km.