Cabezón de Liébana – Culture and Nature on Historic Trails

In the municipality of Cabezón de Liébana lies Santa María de Piasca, designated as an Asset of Cultural Interest. The Romanesque church dating from the 12th century was built on the site of a former monastery founded in the 9th century.

Culture

The former portal and former main chapel of the old parish church have been preserved in the cemetery of Cabezón de Liébana. The portal of the church in Luriezo contains a Cantabrian-Roman round stele measuring 1.35 metres in diameter and 20 centimetres in thickness. Cabezón de Liébana is also home to the Baroque Chapel of Guadalupe.

In the centre of the village of Aniezo, the Parque del Agua opened in 2000. It includes a Roman bridge, a horse-shoeing frame, a water-powered fulling mill, also known as a batán, and a grain mill; several of these structures are associated with the use of hydropower. The Pisa, or batán, is a pre-industrial hydraulic machine made of oak, used for beating, degreasing and fulling woollen fabrics.

The Virgen de la Luz festival in Peña Sagra, Aniezo (Cabezón de Liébana), is recognised as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico Regional, meaning a festival of regional tourism significance, and is listed for 8 September in Cabezón de Liébana.

Nature

The Las Colladillas route passes through a contrasting mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic ecosystems with a great diversity of habitats. Protected and priority species such as Rosalia alpina and the Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos) occur along the route; the relevant habitats and species are protected within the European Natura 2000 network in the Liébana and Río Deva Special Areas of Conservation. In the municipalities of Pesaguero and Cabezón de Liébana, the route also passes remnants of old fortifications, traces of former dehesas, and a network of paths and historic trails.

The Cornejas circular route runs between Cabezón de Liébana and Cillorigo de Liébana; it starts and ends in Cahecho. It enters the protected Natura 2000 site of ZEC Liébana. Near the ZEPA Sierra de Peña Sagra, a wide variety of bird species can be observed, including birds of prey as well as smaller woodland and field birds. It passes through the Azufral de Cambarco, one of the most extensive cork oak forests in the north of the Iberian Peninsula; the forest has recovered considerably since a fire in summer 2006.

The circular hike to the Ermita de la Luz begins in Luriezo (Cabezón de Liébana), follows the slope of Peña Sagra to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de la Luz, and returns to the starting point via the Valle Estrecho. The hike offers views of the landscapes surrounding Liébana’s major peaks, extensive woodland and valley sections with villages and evidence of human use. It passes through oak and beech forests as well as extensive areas of scrubland with remarkable biodiversity.

Geographical Setting

A road route from Potes via Ojedo to Piedras Luengas passes through Cabezón de Liébana and Pesaguero. Naturea also offers the route “Cabezón de Liébana, un viaje en el tiempo”, lasting two hours, covering 1.5 kilometres and rated low in difficulty.

More Local Pages

More local pages: Frama, Perrozo, Cambarco; Alfoz De Lloredo, Rionansa, Selaya, Bárcena de Ebro, Carriazo

To the main travel overview: Cantabria.