The route starts in the mountain pass itself and heads for the town it is named after. We take the first turning on the left and then turn off again down a dirt track after about one kilometre. At first the path runs through a young pine plantation before the scenery opens up into gorse heathland. At first pretty flat, the route then slopes down towards the precipice. At 3.6 km from the start of the track we come to the breathtaking crag of Peña del Fraile, usually barnacled with snoozing vultures that nest on the nearby ledges.

After we have watched these remarkable birds of prey, we move on towards the Virgen de Orduña, along an upwardly sloping path of 1.5 kilometres.  This striking cement monolith houses inside it a huge circular room supported by the trunk and branches of a schematic tree. We are now almost 700 metres above the town of Orduña.

The Peña de Orduña, at a height of 1039 metres, now looms close, little more than a kilometre to the northeast along a well-trodden path. Along this part of the walk we should be careful not to get too close to the cliff edge.

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