Collégiale de Ziortza and Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
303 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 37
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Ermua it runs 303 km to Ermua; allow about 4 h 37 of riding. The stops in between: Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz, Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites and back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Scenic road chapters
La Rioja Wine Route
Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through. 81 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it.
Chapter facts
Length
78 km
Named road
La Rioja Wine Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Collégiale de Ziortza
High on a green hillside above the village of Bolibar, in the Biscayan interior, the collegiate church of Ziortza looks out over a valley of meadows, farmhouses and eucalyptus and pine plantations. It is a tranquil, solid place, a church and cloister built of grey stone with a fortified look, and it stands on the Camino del Norte, the coastal route to Santiago, so you will often see pilgrims resting on the benches outside.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Collégiale de Ziortza is where the day begins. Next is Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz.
2. Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz is the capital of the Basque Country and possibly its most underrated city. It sits on a high plateau, the Llanada Alavesa, surrounded by low mountains and wide farmland, and its medieval old town climbs a small hill in the shape of an almond, with the old cathedral of Santa María at the top. This is the cathedral the label refers to, a Gothic church begun in the thirteenth century as both a temple and part of the town's defences.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz comes up about 73 km into the recorded legs. Next is Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites.
3. Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites
In a quiet valley in the foothills of the Sierra de la Demanda, in La Rioja, two monasteries stand one above the other, and between them they tell a story that matters to hundreds of millions of people. The upper monastery, Suso, is small and ancient, built partly into caves on the hillside where the hermit Saint Aemilian, San Millán, lived in the sixth century. The lower monastery, Yuso, is a grand complex of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, sometimes called the Escorial of La Rioja. Together they were listed by UNESCO in 1997, recognised as the birthplace of the written Spanish language.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Collégiale de Ziortza. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Collégiale de Ziortza to Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Collégiale de Ziortza → Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz is 73 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz to Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites
Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz → Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites is 78 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites to back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz
Suso Monastery and Archaeological Sites → back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz is 78 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz to Collégiale de Ziortza
back through Cathedrale de Vitoria-Gasteiz → Collégiale de Ziortza is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.