Route of the Camino Frances stage: Ledigos – Sahagún (16.2 km)
This stage of the Camino de Santiago Frances is short and flat: 16.2 kilometres that bid farewell to the province of Palencia and enter that of León, passing through the Camino’s halfway point at Terradillos de los Templarios and the curious wine cellars of Moratinos, as far as Sahagún, cradle of brick Mudéjar and former seat of the most powerful monastery in Spain.
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Ledigos
You leave Ledigos along dirt tracks through the fields as far as Terradillos de los Templarios, considered the halfway point of the Camino Frances.
3.3 km
Terradillos de los Templarios
The name recalls an old Templar commandery. The church of San Pedro is built of brick and adobe, like almost everything in this area. Here, more or less, the pilgrim has already covered half the distance between Saint-Jean and Santiago.
6.6 km
Moratinos
At the entrance to the village, a small hill is riddled with dozens of underground wine cellars with their little wooden doors, one of the most photographed corners of the meseta. Church of Santo Tomás.
9.6 km
San Nicolás del Real Camino
The last village in Palencia, with the Mudéjar church of San Nicolás de Bari. A little further on you cross a stream and enter the province of León.
16.2 km
Sahagún
You enter past the Mudéjar hermitage of the Virgen del Puente and the bridge over the Cea river. Sahagún was once home to the most powerful Benedictine monastery in Spain and is the cradle of brick Mudéjar: the churches of San Tirso and San Lorenzo and the Santuario de la Peregrina bear witness to it.
Ledigos – Sahagún: complete guide
Stage profile: distance, elevation and difficulty
Distance: 16.2 km. Walking time: 3 h 15 min – 4 h. Elevation: minimal (+70 m / –90 m). Difficulty: low. A short, flat stage of pure transition from Palencia to León, linking four villages with a bar. Ideal for a half-day, or to combine with the previous or next stage. Very easy by bike.
Sahagún, the Spanish Cluny
The Monastery of San Facundo y San Primitivo in Sahagún was, under Alfonso VI in the 11th century, the most powerful abbey in the Hispanic kingdoms: the head of the Cluniac reform in Spain, with dozens of priories under its command, and the king himself buried in its church. Almost nothing survives of that splendour beyond an arch and a ruined tower. But from its workshops came brick Mudéjar, an art made by builders of Islamic tradition that spread from here across the whole of Tierra de Campos.
What to see: monuments and heritage
The wine cellars of Moratinos. In Sahagún, the Mudéjar churches of San Tirso (12th century) and San Lorenzo (13th century), the Arco de San Benito and the remains of the monastery, the Santuario de la Peregrina —home to the Museo del Camino— and the Benedictine convent of Santa Cruz. On the way in, the Mudéjar hermitage of the Virgen del Puente.
A little history
Under Alfonso VI, Sahagún was almost a second capital: the king brought in the Roman rite and French monks, favoured the abbey above any other, and chose its church as his burial place. Its later decline was as deep as its power had been. Terradillos de los Templarios recalls in its name the Order of the Temple, which held a commandery here to protect the Camino.
Food and drink
We enter the province of León with a star product: Sahagún leeks, famous nationwide. Alongside them, roast lechazo, cecina (cured beef), garlic soup and empanada. To drink, wines from the Tierra de León D.O., made from the prieto picudo grape.
Practical tips
Being a short stage, many pilgrims combine it with the previous one or carry on from Sahagún to El Burgo Ranero. In Sahagún, stop at the Santuario de la Peregrina to collect the “Carta Peregrina”, the certificate proving you’ve reached the halfway point of the Camino. The town has several hostels —including the municipal one, in the former church of la Trinidad— and a train and bus station.
Services and accommodation by town
Listings published in our guide for the towns on this stage.
Ledigos
Churches
Terradillos de los Templarios
Churches
Moratinos
Churches
San Nicolás del Real Camino
Churches
Sahagún
Hostels
Churches