ROUTES: La pajarita (187 km)
Distance: 187 km
Date prepared:
2002-06-01
Date updated:
2013-12-01
We will drive over the south-east of Navarre, over small mountain passes arount the Yesa water reserve and drive through some of the most important towns of the province, over a fast, comfortable route that ends in Pamplona.
187 km. (7 sections)
Motorways and highways: 40.86 km
Local / Secondary: 146.14 km
section1
Pamplona - Cruce a A-1601 (62.74 km)
We fill up the tank at the Noain petrol station, close to the Airport of Pamplona, to start the trip on the N-240.
This first leg is long (62km) on good roads and with two different parts:
On the first 42km leading to Yesa the road is wide and with straight stretches of up to 8km (near Monreal), with some wide, open curves. At milepoint 39 we can make a first stop to visit the remains of the Roman Village of Liedena, from which point parts of the Crags of Lumbier can be seen, with its colony of Griffon vultures. If a visit there is deemed necessary, the Crags can be accessed through the town of Lumbier.
The second part of this leg runs along the edge of the Yesa water reserve, on a narrower road but with good surface and full of curves and bends, some quite tight. Halfway around the water reserve, at milepoint 47.6 of the route, we enter into the province of Zaragoza, where the old thermal baths used to be and where a stop and a bath can still take place when the water level is down.
After the water reserve, at milepoint 62 of the route, a sigh indicates “Sos del Rey Catolico”, and 400m after this we leave the N-240.
section2 ¡TRAMO PARA INTRÉPIDOS!
Cruce a A-1601 - A-127 (33.23 km)
We start the leg on a bridge that crosses a narrow road, which will continue being narrow for about 30km. The Yesa water reserve will stay in view until we reach Ruesta, a curious town, on milepoint 73 of this route.
Once past Ruesta, we are on a very bendy stretch of road, which has widened at this point.
After driving a few kilometres, we will start up the Cuatro Caminos mountain pass, from which, on a good day, the Pyrenees can be seen. The high point of the pass is at milepoint 81.9 of the route, and at an altitude of 848m.
The descent is very bendy and with a steep slope at some points, until we reach the town of Urriés, which we will leave on our left.
At milepoint 88.9 of the route we will find Navardun, where it is worth stopping to admire what seems to have been a defensive tower, right on the edge of the road.
We finish this leg at a T-junction where we turn right towards Sanguesa.
section3
A-127 - Na-127 (7.63 km)
This is a wide, well-kept, well signposted road, where the scenery changes from mountainous vegetation to farmland.
On milepoint 103,6 we enter Navarra and end this leg.
section4
Na-127 - Sanguesa. (4 km)
Halfway through the route, at milepoint 107, we reach Sanguesa driving on as good a road as the previous one.
Going through Sanguesa can be slow, but it will give us the opportunity to do some sightseeing and make a short stop to have something to drink.
Upon leaving the town we will drive over a metal bridge over the Aragon river, and we will reach a crossroad with the NA-132 road where we will take a left towards Aibar and Tafalla.
section5
Sanguesa. - San Mart�n de Unx (30.2 km)
We will come to a crossroads at milepoint 114,3, on the NA-132 to Aibar, where we turn left towards Eslava and Tafalla, which keeps us on the same road, the NA-132.
At milepoint 129,7 we find ourselves in Lerga, after which town we start driving up the Lerga pass for four kilometres, surrounded by the windmills of one of the many windfarms located in Navarra.
We drive down the pass on a straightish wide road and reach the town of San Martin de Unx.
section6
San Mart�n de Unx - Olite (9.6 km)
Once in San Martin de Unx we will come up to a crossroads where we will turn left towards Olite on the NA-5300, a nice wide straight road with good tarmac, which we will stay on until we reach Olite.
There we will find a roundabout where we have to go straight towards Pamplona on the N-121.
section7
Olite - Pamplona (39.6 km)
The first town we find on this last stretch is Tafalla, a bustling town with great atmosphere. We leave the town and its traffic on a wide road which has often got the Guardia Civil with their radars at some point.
We go over the Carrascal pass, always windy, until we reach the A-15 motorway, which is also the toll-free N-121 on this short stretch. Some kilometres ahead we can decide whether to stay on the motorway and pay the toll, or leave onto the N-121 which is free, to reach our final destination, Pamplona, where this route ends.
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Route for GPS Garmin (zip) 
