Nájera has been a capital, and the town remembers it. In the eleventh century, it was the seat of the kings of Nájera-Pamplona, and the great monastery of Santa María la Real, founded in 1032 by King García Sánchez III, still stands at the foot of a red sandstone cliff. The legend says the king, chasing a dove while hunting, followed it into a cave and found a statue of the Virgin inside, and he built the monastery on the spot. The church holds the royal pantheon, with carved tombs of the kings and queens of Navarre, and a cloister of delicate stone tracery. The cliff above, the colour of rust, gives the whole town a warm tone.
The Najerilla river runs through the middle, and the town is a stage on the Camino de Santiago, so pilgrims in boots and sunhats pass through every day in season. There is a battlefield nearby too: in 1367 the English Black Prince, allied with Pedro of Castile, won a battle here against his half-brother Enrique, which says something about the town's importance in medieval politics. About eight thousand people live here, so fuel, supermarkets and a good choice of restaurants are all easy.
Nájera is in the Rioja Alta, the upper part of the wine region, and the vineyards of tempranillo run down the valleys in neat rows, with the Sierra de la Demanda on the horizon. A short ride to the southwest, the monasteries of Suso and Yuso at San Millán de la Cogolla are listed by UNESCO, and the earliest known written words in Spanish were scribbled in the margins of a manuscript there, which is why the village claims to be the cradle of the language. Wineries throughout the area offer tastings, though a motorcyclist should treat these with caution.
The riding in the area is relaxed, a gentle mix of country roads between vineyards, with soft curves, wide views and very little traffic outside harvest season. Summer is hot and dry, with temperatures well above thirty degrees in the afternoon, so ride early. Autumn is the best season, when the vineyards turn and the harvest brings a festive mood. Local food is excellent: roast lamb, patatas a la riojana with chorizo, and grilled vegetables. After a day on the road, a glass of Rioja and a plate of local cheese is the right way to finish.