Historical character and literary, cinematographic and legendary hero, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, el Cid, was born in the Burgos town of Vivar del Cid and from there he went into exile. Following in his footsteps through the province of Burgos is a perfect experience to do on foot and backpack on your shoulder.
The Camino del Cid connects Vivar del Cid with Orihuela, in Alicante. It can be done on foot, by bicycle, by mountain bike or by car and its first hundred kilometers -which correspond to the part of the exile of El Cid- pass through the province of Burgos, through high-impact natural settings and locations rich in heritage.
The trail also offers an enormous diversity of landscapes, where pine, juniper and oak forests give way to scrubland, moorlands, valleys and cultivated fields. To this are added towns where history and legend meet, charming villas and deep-rooted gastronomy.
Vivar del Cid, birthplace of Rodrigo Díaz
The streets of Vivar del Cid are an ode to its most famous neighbor. The statue of the Cid (in the image) and the landmark of the zero league recall his figure and in the convent of Nuestra Señora del Espino the chest is located where the oldest copy of the Cantar de mio was kept for a long time. Cid. The Poor Clares of this convent prepare sweets as evocative as Doña Jimena’s tears.
Rodrigo Díaz left Vivar del Cid for exile, accompanied by his wife, Doña Jimena, his two daughters and some faithful gentlemen. After leaving his hometown behind, the Camino del Cid passes through Quintanilla Vivar, Villatoro and enters Burgos, the city of Cidiana par excellence, to continue to Cortes and reach the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña.
Monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, the refuge of his family
In this monastery and under the care of the abbot, the Cid left his wife, Jimena, and his two daughters. Rodrigo and Jimena were also buried here. Rising amidst a green landscape of forests and meadows, it was founded in 899 by the Benedictine order and became a cultural center of the highest order.
Place of Cidian legends, San Pedro de Cardeña has suffered a lot throughout history: it was looted by Andalusian troops in the 10th century and by the French in the 19th century, left to fend for years and used as a concentration camp during the civil War. Despite the vicissitudes of history, the 11th century tower and a Romanesque cloister of great beauty have been preserved.
Santo Domingo de Silos, spiritual heart
It is another of the Cidian landmarks of the Camino del Cid because Rodrigo and Jimena donated some lands to this monastery while they were alive. In addition, one of the capitals of its Romanesque cloister represents a medieval table where you can see how the soldiers dressed in those times.
We are within the protected area La Yecla and the Sabinares del Arlanza, an environment of great beauty that is worth walking slowly and enjoying, if we go ahead, the La Yecla gorge, a deep and narrow gorge sculpted by the Arlanza river in Las Peñas de Cervera, with walls that exceed one hundred meters in height.
Pinarejos or Espinaz de Can
Scholars of the Cantar de mio Cid place Espinaz de Can, where the Cid dreamed of the angel Gabriel, in an undetermined place between the Duero Valley and the Sierra de la Demanda. They dispute the position Espinosa de Cervera or the current recreational area of Pinarejos, near Arauzo de Miel.
This leisure and rest area, full of pine trees, with fountains and a hermitage, is the ideal place to recharge before completing the Burgos section of the Camino, which takes its last steps through Huerta del Rey and two of its districts: Quintanarraya and Hinojar. King.
Walking slowly through these towns reveals old half-timbered stone houses, coats of arms, hermitages and churches of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque origin. Deviating a few kilometers from the marked path you reach the ancient Roman city of Clunia (in the photo), one of the best preserved Roman cities in old Hispania.
