Day 7- Estella to Villamayor de Monjardin

Depart Time: 6:20 Temp: 60F RH: 55%

Walked today: 6.0 mi. Camino 2024: 44.4 mi.

The forecast was for warmer weather today, so we started earlier, before first light. We walked for nearly 2 miles before getting clear of Estella and its suburbs.

The gravel path took us past an interesting metal working vendor and his shop. Shortly after that, we reached the famous wine fountain, which is associated with the adjacent Irache Benedictine Monastery.

metal crafted Camino souvenirs
metalworking artistry displayed on wall on the right and table on the left, as the artisan was hammering on anvil inside.
Irache wine fountain

Continuing with some scenes along our walk…

walled in vineyards of the monastery
humongous Irache campgrounds and sports complex with multi-sport fields, courts and pools
continuing toward “Monjardin”, 11th century castille in the distance
walking along grain fields with the unusual Sierra de Lóquiz mountain range in the distance
younger pilgrims passing us
one of the few downhill sections on today’s walk
short, steep ascent into hamlet of Azqueta
breakfast in Azqueta with Castillo de San Esteban looming in background
A steep, rough, overgrown section of Camino just before Villamayor de Monjardin.
the way began to level out a bit and we walked on the edge of some of the vineyards of the “Jardin”.
and we got a closer, final look at the Castillo
a partial view of the Jardin below

As we walked into the village, Linda commented that the entire way seemed uphill, but not terribly difficult. Jim’s Apple watch confirmed that we had a total elevation gain of 1053 ft. But because the gain was spread over most of the 6 miles, it did not feel challenging while we walked it.

our lodging in Villamayor de Monjardin… our door on the right and our 4 windows and two floors above.

Markiola is a unique property and a hidden gem in the village of Villamayor de Monjardin. This is our 3rd time to stay here. We like it because it has everything we need in an overnight stay. This small village (pop.129) has very limited facilities and limited hours of operation. But Markiola has everything you need, including food/ supplies for lunch, dinner, breakfast and snacks for the “road” (Camino) without needing to go off of the property. Oh, and we have a small grocery store literally next door.

the main floor accessed from ground level front door and stairs to main bedroom and bathroom on second level.
a full kitchen, a nice washing machine, well supplied fridge (fresh eggs, selection of sliced meats and cheese, drinks, bottle of Navarre wine, condiments and spreads, yogurt, milk, juice, etc.
a spacious living and dining area and even room for portable clothes drying rack.
a nice selection of snacks, pastas, canned beans, cocktail meats, coffees, teas, onions, rice, olive oils, vinegar, a fresh baguette, etc..

Today, because of our early start, we arrived at 10:00, two hours before our scheduled check in. The owner had emailed us the entry code for the front door, yesterday, so we tried it and got immediate access. The owner who also runs the only grocery/snack bar in the village, saw us entering the door and helped us with our packs (which were waiting for us just inside the door) and told us we could do the check in process later, when convenient.

In addition to resting and blogging, we prepared bocadillos for lunch, spaghetti for dinner, washed and dried clothes and prepared some snacks for the Camino, tomorrow morning.

We love everything about this place. A nice day on the Camino Frances.

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