Stage eight begins in the territory of the province of Burgos and subsequently covers the Álava municipality of Valdegovía as it enters the region of the Valles Alaveses, following the river meadow of the River Omecillo, declared a Site of Community Importance on account of its high ecological value. The shortness of this stage enables trekkers to stop and visit the important historic elements it runs through, such as the Burgos town of Valpuesta; the location of the documents thought to be the first to be written in Castilian Spanish, and the towers and small forts scattered around the municipality of Valdegovía, especially the fortified Palace of the Varona family.
The stage begins in San Millán de San Zadornil, on crossing over the River Omecillo, which flows through the town, and the BU-553 highway. You take an alleyway, which is the starting-point of a forest track that heads eastwards, bordering the meadow, where two wooden goalposts mark the location of a rustic football field. Following the track for a little over a kilometre, immediately after passing over the stream of Mioma —a tributary of the River Omecillo—, you come to an asphalted road that leads to Valpuesta. This town, which belongs to the Burgos municipality of Berberana, has enormous historic importance as it is where, according to some studies, the first documents in Castilian Spanish are preserved.
A narrow forest track begins through an alleyway on the right, next to the first houses in Valpuesta. It begins with a sharp gradient measuring some 500 m in length and enters an extensive mixed patch of oak and common pine trees, with very thick undergrowth of junipers and savin junipers (Juniperus ssp.). High up, the path continues its route along the forest track offering an excellent view of the municipality of Valdegovía and of the forest masses in the environment. After a few hundred metres, the track begins its steep descent to Villanueva de Valdegovía, the capital of the municipality, where the tourist bureau is located.
After crossing the road and the River Omecillo, you take a turn-off on the left in the vicinity of the parish church of Santa María, which continues along a farm path across the river meadow, among cereal lands. After some three kilometres, you will arrive at the Palace of the Varona family, located next to the town of Villanañe.
After covering the track for another two kilometres, you come to a road that you have to follow to the left for some 300 m. You should then take a turn-off to the right along another asphalted road, which you will then leave once again some 400 m later along a path that emerges on the left. A steep descent begins, crossing a very dense pine grove and continuing for another two kilometres along a farm track as far as the village of Espejo, the end of the stage. Espejo is located on the banks of the River Omecillo, your travel companion during this stage, and offers travellers interesting services such as accommodation, restaurants, a health centre, a rest area, restrooms, etc.
This stage is suitable for cycling, except for a part on leaving Valpuesta, which is approximately half a kilometre long, given its sharp slope that will force cyclists to walk and push their bicycles.
The village of Valpuesta in the municipality of Berberana is located at the eastern end of the Burgos region of Las Merindades. It is one of the most likely sites of the birth of written Castilian Spanish, given that spoken Castilian emerged in the streets and there is no record of when or where.
In the midst of the Arab occupation of the Peninsula, Valpuesta and the territory surrounding the area of Valdegovía constituted a small fort to preserve the 9th century Castilian Spanish Romance language. With good reason, the church of Santa María de Valpuesta was built in 804, under the protection of Bishop Juan, by Mozarabs fleeing from Muslim domination. In this way, from a religious point of view, these lands remained under the control of the Bishopric of Oca and of Valpuesta.
Studies by the Castilla y León Language Institute confirm that the first written words in Castilian Spanish were found in the Cartularies of Valpuesta; these are manuscripts that have original writings (titles of ownership, rights, privileges, etc.) by different bodies (the Crown, the Bishopric, towns or people). The Cartularies of Valpuesta are formed of two documents – the so-called Gothic and Galician documents. With respect to their date, it can only be confirmed that the former is prior to the mid-11th century, and the latter, later, as it was at this time when the use of visigothic characters changed to Carolingian letters. It has even been said that the first Castilian Spanish words date back to the 9th century.
The Monastery of San Millán de Cogolla has been established as the main alternative for the cradle of Castilian Spanish. Nevertheless, this monastery was located on the boundary between the Kingdom of Navarre and the County of Castile and was linguistically influenced by the inhabitants of Castile, Navarre and Álava, so that the language spoken there had clear Basque influences and it was not until the 11th century when it was be Hispanicized.
Since the Middle Ages, the town’s border status meant that it was involved in the on-going frontier disputes between the kingdoms of Castile, Navarre and Aragón. In the 14th century, Tulebras was destroyed by the wars of Castile and the residents abandoned the town, where only monks were left. In the face of the shortage of food in the Monastery, based mainly on the cultivation of farmland, the religious order succeeded in repopulating Tulebras granting concessions to its residents, although it maintained as an essential condition that they should be the Monastery’s labourers. It was not until 1812, with the Courts of Cádiz, when the town broke free of the religious order and the lands changed hands, mainly ending up under the control of the local nobility.
In the area surrounding Tulebras, you can also enjoy natural spaces with high scenic value, such as the Lake of Lor, the Bárdenas Reales, the Sotos del Ebro and El Bocal. There is also a recreational area in the well-known Fuente de las Ranas or the Frog Fountain, located on the banks of the River Queiles and very close to the station.
In Tulebras, the layout is adapted to the N-121 highway and, some two kilometres further on, you will come to the town of Cascante, where you can take a break from your route in the rest area located in the old train station.