Covarrubias and Silos: keep, olla podrida and vespers.

This Sunday joins the two villages in the Arlanza valley that almost everyone visits separately. Covarrubias in the morning, with its collegiate church and the keep of Count Fernán González; a long lunch of olla podrida on the square; and the afternoon in Silos, with the La Yecla gorge, the Romanesque cloister and, if you can hold out until seven, the vespers sung by the monks. From Burgos it is 40 minutes out and under an hour back.

The Day, Hour by Hour

9:45 · Departure. From Burgos, along the N-234 towards Soria and the Covarrubias turn-off: about 40 km. Park next to the Arlanza, outside the old town.

10:30 · Covarrubias and the collegiate church. Enter by the wall arch and climb to Plaza de Doña Urraca, with its arcades and half-timbered houses. Go first to the collegiate church of San Cosme and San Damián: in winter, on Sundays it only opens until 12:30. Inside are the tombs of Fernán González and his wife and, in the cloister, the sacred art museum and the tomb of Princess Kristina of Norway. Cloister and museum, €4.

11:45 · The keep. A few steps away, the keep of Fernán González holds an exhibition of siege machines. There is a guided visit at 12:00, for €2 on top of the €6 admission; children aged 5 to 12 pay €3.50. Afterwards, a stroll along the streets behind the square until lunchtime.

14:00 · Lunch at Casa Galín. On Plaza de Doña Urraca itself. Order the olla podrida, the red-bean stew with pork meats that is Covarrubias's dish, and roast lamb as a main if you are hungry. Wine from the DO Arlanza. On Sundays it is open at midday and closed at night; book by phone.

16:00 · San Pedro de Arlanza. 6 km along the BU-905, the ruins of the monastery where the legend of the count begins. Admission is free; in winter it is open until 16:45. Note: it closes on the second weekend of each month.

16:45 · The Silos cloister. Continue to Silos, about 20 minutes. On Sunday afternoons the cloister is open from 16:00 to 18:00: two storeys of Romanesque arches, the monks' pharmacy and the museum. €4, free for under-12s.

17:45 · La Yecla. Leave Silos for 3 km along the BU-910 to the car park, at the exit of the tunnels. The gorge's walkways are done in a quarter of an hour, between limestone walls and vultures. In November and December it gets dark early: if you are short of light, do La Yecla before the cloister.

19:00 · Vespers. In the abbey church, the monks sing vespers in Gregorian chant. Arrive a few minutes early and sit in silence.

19:45 · Return. You reach Burgos in about an hour.

With Children

The keep and La Yecla are what they like most: the siege machines and the walkways between rocks. La Yecla has steps and is not for pushchairs. If they are small, swap San Pedro de Arlanza for Territorio Artlanza, a hand-built medieval village that you walk through, and leave the vespers for another day.

With Dogs

Along the streets of Covarrubias and Silos, on a lead, no problem. They are not allowed in the collegiate church, the keep or the cloister, and at La Yecla, inside the natural park, check the rules before going.