Bárcena Mayor – Holiday Apartment Amid Mountain Architecture and Hiking Trails

Bárcena Mayor is a rural settlement of exceptional ethnographic value that has preserved almost entirely the structure of former mountain villages. By Royal Decree 3058/1979 of 7 December 1979, Bárcena Mayor was declared a historic-artistic site.

Culture

The Casa Rectoral is an 18th-century building with striking ashlar arches and a sundial, and is considered an example of traditional mountain architecture in the heart of Bárcena Mayor. The restored building houses the “Las Lavanderas” Interpretation Centre, with life-size figures of washerwomen and information panels. Thus, a single historic building and an illustrative facility with a documentary character are both central to a tour of the village.

Nature

The oak woodlands of Bárcena Mayor are considered a notable landscape feature of Saja-Besaya Nature Park. The Pozo de la Arbencia is also located in this nature park and is known locally as “Pozu las Bencias”. It lies at the confluence of the Hormigas and Fuentes rivers, which become the Argoza River there. If you follow the course of the Hormigas for a while from the Pozo de la Arbencia, you will reach a waterfall.

The Llano Castrillo recreation area is approximately one kilometre from Bárcena Mayor. It has picnic tables, drinking-water fountains, barbecue facilities and a children’s play area. For this route, vehicles are left in the Bárcena Mayor car park, as access to the village is restricted to residents only.

The natural attractions combine different landscape elements: Two rivers meet at the Pozo, while the further course of the Hormigas leads to a waterfall. Llano Castrillo complements this waterside and woodland landscape with a specifically equipped recreation area. Distance, facilities and route remain identifiable as distinct features of the village’s surroundings.

Hiking

The route from Bárcena Mayor to the Pozo de la Arbencia is an approximately 20 km out-and-back hike on a linear trail of moderate difficulty. It is considered moderately difficult because of its length, not because of any technical requirements. The information on the trail type, length and difficulty provides a clear basis for distinguishing this hiking format from shorter circular routes.

The Sendero de Fuente Clara is a 7.5 km circular route with spectacular views of the Lodar River valley. The Ruta Alto de La Guarda is a circular route with spectacular panoramic views stretching from the Picos de Europa to the Montaña Oriental.

The three routes described therefore initially differ in their trail format: The linear out-and-back route to the Pozo contrasts with the two circular routes. Of the trails for which a length is explicitly given, Fuente Clara covers 7.5 kilometres, while the route to the Pozo is approximately 20 kilometres. They also offer different vistas – from the Lodar valley to panoramas between the Picos de Europa and Montaña Oriental. These features allow a direct comparison of length, route type and landscape perspective.

For the general travel overview: Los Tojos.