A large part of our route overlaps with the Senda del Duero Trail (GR14).
We’ll leave Valladolid on an excellent asphalted cycling trail. On the way to Simancas, we’ll connect with another great cycle tourism route, the Madrid Pilgrims’ Route to Santiago.
Simancas is worthy of a relaxing stop. Once known as Septimancas, it became an important communications node in Roman times; the road that connected Emerita Augusta (Mérida) to Caesaraugusta (Zaragoza) passed through it.
The most prominent monument is the National-Historical Archives, located in a castle built in the 15th century by Admiral of Castilla Don Alonso Enriquez. A century later, it changed its function, housing the archives where the documents of the Crown were stored, with the subsequent architectural transformation. Currently, it mainly stores documents from the Modern Age and is considered one of the most important in the world.
After leaving Simancas, we head to Tordesillas by dirt trails that are generally in good condition. From the majestic medieval bridge over the Douro, you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of Tordesillas. In this town, the New World was divided during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs in the so-called Casas del Tratado (Houses of the Treaty), two 15th and 16th century buildings. It was here that, in 1494, the treaty was signed by which Castilla and Portugal established the borders of their Atlantic domains.
In 1509, Queen Joan I of Castilla, Joan the Mad, arrived. While she was imprisoned for almost half a century, Charles I, Phillip II and other members of the royal family visited this place. The most important building today is the Monastery of Santa Clara, part of Spain’s National Heritage. A Mudejar palace transformed into a monastery, it is one of the best examples of Mudejar art in Castilla y León.
Tordesillas, declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1977, belongs to the Rueda Wine Route, a territory of contrasts in which innovation and tradition come together to give life to a wine with its own name and international fame. This town boasts a great infrastructure of restaurants and hotels and extraordinary sightseeing options.
Comments: Section 14