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Soria is developing a reputation as a great destination for leisure walkers and ramblers and what better way to discover this culturally rich province than to participate in the annual walk with Spanish Footsteps along the ancient Roman road that St James was reputed to have traveled on his way to Zaragoza from Galicia. The walk known as Numantobriga is held on the second weekend in August, following the road that connected the Celtiberian and Roman settlements of Numancia and Augustobriga. This event has a different theme each year, with re-enactments performed along the route at historical sites, giving you a sense of life during the Roman period. The theme for last year’s walk was water and it was during the first re-enactment we were introduced to Publio Cornelio and his family, who, having run out of clean drinking water, had decided to make the long journey to Augustobriga. We encountered the family four more times over the weekend as we made our way along the 56km route. The family didn’t hold up quite as well as we did, suffering water shortages and then leprosy (only in character), we however had the backup support of a large organisational team which included the Red Cross, who were with us all the way.
Our journey took us through historical rural villages and beautiful countryside. The organisers kept us well fed and hydrated with refreshment stops every 6-8kms and in typical Spanish fashion large sit down communal lunches under awnings in quaint village squares. The luxury of having our bags and tents transported ahead allowed everyone to pack a few extra comforts that they probably wouldn’t have considered normally, which all made for a comfortable over night camp in the village of Calderuela where the population of 15 residents swelled to 320.
As the group neared its final destination on Sunday afternoon our numbers increased to 492. It was an awesome sight to see the long trail of walkers some 300 meters in length, like a Roman legion marching passed fields of wheat and sunflowers all dressed in our commemorative red t-shirts. The biggest surprise of the weekend came as we approached Augustobriga. After a short rest at the Roman fountain, where we cooled down in the refreshing waters, we were met by Roman escorts mounted on horses and led into the present day village of Muro. Whilst we had been walking 56kms to get here from Soria, the villagers of Muro had been transforming themselves and their village into a Roman settlement. The weekend was topped off with a festival of dance, food, games and music, which was a delightful and fun way to finish off our two day walk. All in all an extremely well organised, fun event that will certainly be on our calendar this year.
Anyone wishing to join Spanish Footsteps for this years Roman Walk (8th & 9th of August 2009) Please send an email to louise @ spanishfootsteps.com or complete the contact form on our website and we’ll provide you with more information. |
