The Arga River Park covers a long distance of 130 kilometres along the banks of the river Arga. It enters the city of
Pamplona through the market gardens of La Magdalena, whose produce is of excellent quality and taste. It then crosses the neighbourhood of La Rochapea and leaves the city, after getting close to the centre, through the suburb of San Jorge. It also runs along the banks of many places in the Pamplona Basin such as Burlada, Villava, Arre, Barañáin or Zizur Mayor.
This delightful green zone is the result of environmental recovery work started in the 1990s. It is a long and uninterrupted nature walk that can be enjoyed on foot or by bicycle that runs along new parks, footbridges, nine bridges, jetties and renovated mills, accompanied by Ash, willow, alder, lime trees or sloe bushes and tortoises, fish and ducks, among others.
In Pamplona, the route
is divided into four sections from east to west: Magdalena, Aranzadi, Rochapea and San Jorge.
The
Meander of La Magdalena: several farms and market gardens, whose produce is well-known for its quality and taste. There is also a picturesque dam at the 'Mill of Caparroso' and the bridge of La Magdalena, which leads to the Park of Tejería. A striking feature is the mediaeval bridge of La Magdalena, which is crossed by travellers on the Pilgrims' Way to Santiago de Compostela.
The Aranzadi section is further away from the city walls and starts at the 'Mill of Ciganda', a spot often painted by local artists. In calle Errotazar is the Environmental Education Museum and, a little further on, the Bridge of San Pedro, the oldest in the city. Its origins go back to the Roman period.
The Rochapea section approaches the Old Part of the city, a busy shopping and leisure area, with the towers of the Cathedral in the background. There are many bridges over the river, some of them modern: el Vergel, La Rochapea (also known as 'Curtidores'), Oblatas, Santa Engracia and Cuatro Vientos.
In the San Jorge section the river walk passes a frontón, a fountain, a dam, a bridge and a mill. The parks of San Jorge and Biurdana flank the river's course. Up the hill is the neighbourhood of San Juan, and a little further on, the Bridge of Miluce marks the north-western boundary of the city.
From there on, the Arga flows on through a
tree-lined landscape that it is tranquil and silent. Pamplona has now been left behind.
