Trajan's Arch and Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Trajan's Arch

   Trajan's Arch is a puzzle with a lovely name. It stands at one end of a modern street in Mérida, a single granite span about fifteen metres high, and despite the label there is no proof that Trajan, the emperor born in nearby Italica, had anything to do with it. Archaeologists think it was a ceremonial gate marking the entry to the religious precinct of the town, maybe dedicated to the imperial cult, and that it was once clad in marble that has long since been stripped for building. What remains is bare, solid and grand, standing out against a bright blue sky as though somebody had left a door ajar in time.

   Read the complete Trajan's Arch write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Trajan's Arch is where the day begins. Next is Old Town of Cáceres.

2. 2. Old Town of Cáceres

   Cáceres has an old town so complete that film crews treat it as a ready-made set, and walking its streets at dusk, when the stone glows amber and the crowds have gone, you can see why. Inside the walls, built largely by the Almohads in the twelfth century, are dozens of fortified mansions, towers, churches and palaces, many built by noble families who made their fortunes in the conquest of the Americas. The towers once had battlements, but Queen Isabella ordered most of them cut down to curb the nobles' power. UNESCO listed the old town in 1986.

   Read the complete Old Town of Cáceres write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Old Town of Cáceres comes up about 76 km into the recorded legs. Next is Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup.

3. 3. Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup

   Planning note

   about 213 km into the recorded legs you reach Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalup. Next is back through Old Town of Cáceres.

4. 4. back through Old Town of Cáceres

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Old Town of Cáceres write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Old Town of Cáceres, late in the day. Next is Trajan's Arch.

5. 5. Trajan's Arch

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Trajan's Arch write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Trajan's Arch. That is the ride.