Net of Natural
Trails
Sarón - La Penilla Nature Trail
Description
A natural oasis in the centre of Cantabria
Cayón Valley is located between Caballar and La Matanza mountain ranges. The rivers Pisueña and Pas meet here surrounded by oaks, hazels, hawthorns, beeches, hollies, large fields of crop and livestock pastures, abuzz with the constant twitter of the many bird species that inhabit the valley.
The Natural Trail begins at the bus station on the west side of Sarón, from where it crosses the park, and continues along "La Campanilla" housing development, until it leaves the town behind.
The route runs parallel to the road until it reaches another park. It then continues along the Suscuaja River, climbing down towards an underpass below the N-636.
Further on, it crosses the road leading to Abadilla. Flanked by riparian vegetation, the route continues along a gravel path to La Penilla. The road continues straight ahead through the town, until it reaches the “Nestlé” factory, far away from the river.
After about 500 metres traversing through houses, market gardens and meadows, the road arrives at La Cueva footpath, where this route ends.
Sites of interest
Profile
Harshness of natural environment- 1. The environment is not risk-free
- 2. There are more than one risk factors
- 3. There are various risk factors
- 4. There are quite a lot of risk factors
- 5. There are many risk factors
Guidance along the route- 1. Well defined trails and crossings
- 2. There is a clearly marked trail and signage
- 3. Requires the identification of geographic features and cardinal points
- 4. Requires off-path navigation
- 5. The trail is interrupted by obstacles that have to be gone around
Route difficulty- 1. Walking on a flat surface
- 2. Trails with different types of path
- 3. Walking on stepped paths or irregular terrain
- 4. The use of hands or jumping over the terrain is necessary
- 5. The use of hands is required to progress
Amount of effort needed- 1. Up to 1 hour of continuous walking
- 2. Between 1 and 3 hours of continuous walking
- 3. Between 3 and 6 hours of continuous walking
- 4. Between 6 and 10 hours of actual walking
- 5. More than 10 hours of continuous walking
(Calculated according to the MIDE criteria for an average excursionist with a light load)
Highlights
Further information
San Miguel de Carceña shrine
The St. Michael of Carceña Shrine is a small hermitage built in the 13th century in Romanesque-Gothic style, and which was declared a Site of Local Cultural Interest in 2005- This shrine, located in La Penilla, was attended by worshippers from La Cueva, La Penilla and La Encina de Cayón.
It is built as a small single nave church ending on a semicircular apse, and decorated with figure-shaped brackets in the Romanesque tradition. Legend has that the origin of the shrine goes back to the time where two shepherds saw a bull stubbornly digging at the top of the Carceña Hill. They decided to go to have a look, and were surprised to discover an statue of St. Michael buried on the ground. In consequence, it was decided to build a church and dedicate it to St. Michael, but in a slightly different place, where it could be more easily accessed by worshippers. However, a series of eerie events took place while this church was being built, which the worshippers themselves took as a sign from God and decided to build the hermitage in the place where it belonged.
Astillero - Ontaneda old railway
This Nature Trail follows a section of the 35-km railway that was in operation between 1902 and 1978. It was built for the purpose of connecting Santander, Burgos and Madrid as an alternative to the Santander-Alar del Rey railway.
At the beginning, it favoured the boom in tourism, taking visitors to the spas in Puente Viesgo and Alceda. Later on, the line became more industrial as mining grew in the area. It also contributed to the holding of livestock fairs, since it combined passenger transport and livestock transport.
The poor profitability of the railway prompted the gradual closure of several sections until the final closure of the line.
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