Montejo De San Miguel – Trails, Crafts and Wine Tradition

Montejo De San Miguel lies at the foot of Cerro de San Miguel on the left bank of the Ebro.

Trails along the Ebro

The Senda de Montejo de San Miguel is an easy 4.4-kilometre circular trail with an estimated walking time of 1.5 hours. As a botanical educational trail along the Ebro, it leads to the Ermita de San Miguel on the hilltop and past restored remains of former brickworks and charcoal-burning sites. The hilltop offers views of the surrounding area. The beginning of the trail runs together with the GR-99 Camino Natural del Ebro and is marked with red-and-white trail markers. The Senda also passes the former Fuente de la Salud, a spring and washing place with thermal water. The various stops combine natural history, the hilltop and traces of earlier work into a route that makes the landscape and local history visible side by side. The length, duration and character of the trail provide different points of reference for planning your day.

History and Historical Traces

The place name Montejo de San Miguel derives from its location on a small hill near the former San Miguel monastery. Only the Ermita de San Miguel on the hilltop remains of this monastery. The Ermita displays traces of Romanesque architecture; a monastery may previously have stood at its location. La Pontinueva denotes the site of a former bridge over the Ebro, some of whose associated structures are still recognisable. El Tejero is a restored brickworks on the flank of Monte de San Miguel.

Culture and Townscape

The traditional houses of Montejo de San Miguel are loosely arranged around the Santiago Apóstol church. Inside, the church has an impressive Baroque altarpiece. The church is built of dressed stone, its atrium serves as a portico, and a distinctive large tower defines the complex. Santiago Apóstol is also the only church in the valley where frescoes of the four Evangelists have been preserved. Some of the manor houses are considered casonas de Indianos; their owners made their fortunes in the Americas.

Crafts and Wine

A. C. Trébede organises activities to restore and teach traditional crafts, in which the public can participate. The programme includes basket weaving, blacksmithing, farriery, woodturning, coppersmithing, brickmaking, pottery and stonemasonry. El Lagar is a reconstructed former Chacolí wine press house, inaugurated on 30 July 2023. The Ethnographic Museum of Montejo de San Miguel explains the important role that vineyards and wine cellars played in Montejo de San Miguel.

Other Places

Loma De Montija, Llano de Bureba, La Cueva De Roa, Cabanas de Virtus, Montorio, Oquillas, Quincoces De Yuso and Estépar

For the higher-level travel overview: Burgos.