Cabuérniga Valley. Deep Cantabria

Approximate distance: 35 km

Setting off from La Casona de los Güelitos towards Puente San Miguel, take the A-8 towards Oviedo until you reach Cabezón de la Sal, where this scenic route begins. From here, you will travel through charming villages such as Carrejo, Ucieda, Ruente, Carmona, and Bárcena Mayor.

This route follows the historic Foramontanos Route, once taken by Cantabrians leaving the mountains after the Reconquest to repopulate the lands of Castile.

The landscape is a vast forest of changing colors, with hazelnut trees, birches, willows, oaks, beeches, and elms, dotted with small villages known for their traditional stone houses, wooden balconies, and sunny terraces.

Starting in Cabezón de la Sal, a beautiful town that still preserves many traditional streets and houses, you will soon reach Carrejo, another village rich in traditional Cantabrian architecture. Crossing the Santa Lucía Bridge over the Saja River, you will begin to enter the meadows and forests of the Cabuérniga Valley.

Explore the three districts of Ucieda, admire its stately homes and mountain palaces, and take the forest track leading deep into the Saja-Besaya Natural Park.

On your way to Carmona, stop in Ruente to visit the Mier Palace, the Nogalera Manor House, and La Fuentona, a natural spring that emerges from a cave, forming a stream that runs through the village and is crossed by a unique eight-arched bridge.

Climb the Collada de Carmona mountain pass to reach Carmona, a village declared a Historic-Artistic Site, known for its stone façades, family crests, arches, and flower-filled wooden balconies.

Passing through Terán, Selores, Renedo, and Fresneda, you will enter the Saja Valley. On the banks of the Argoza River, you’ll find the beautiful village of Bárcena Mayor. Be sure to visit its old stone bridge and enjoy its 9th-century origins, remote atmosphere, and traditional oak and stone houses.

Throughout the valley, you’ll discover remarkable architectural ensembles, where noble manor houses stand alongside more humble dwellings. The typical local architecture features two-story houses, with an entrance hall on the ground floor and a continuous wooden gallery above.

In Renedo, Selores, Valle, and especially Carmona, you will find large manor houses with family crests, spacious balconies, and areas once used for carriages.

A peaceful and authentic journey into the heart of rural Cantabria.