Holiday apartment in Ontoria – Mining history, church art and the Senda del Minchón

Ontoria makes its mining history visible at a specific site: the Cargadero de Ontoria was the receiving station of an aerial cableway that transported minerals from the Udías mining complex to the loading site in Ontoria, Cabezón de la Sal, and connected to the Reocín-Torres complex. In 1925, the Cargadero was built as an unloading station for the minerals extracted from the mines; the skips reached it via an aerial cableway starting at the Casas de la Mina, and the loading site is next to the railway.

Culture and history

The Church of San Bartolomé is a 17th-century church with a basilica-style floor plan divided into four sections, two parallel original apses facing northwest, and a tower at the foot of the building. The church contains a Solomonic altarpiece from the mid-18th century, reconstructed from remnants of the original, with carved depictions of the patron saint, San Bartolomé, and modern paintings.

In the Fontanón district, the Casona de Ríos bears the year 1793 on its wooden balcony corbel and was restored in 2000. It displays characteristic features of traditional Baroque architecture from the Montañes region, including a solana and a broad balcony frontage with wooden balusters. One Casa Llana has a 16th-century round-arched entrance door, a small later addition and no porch at the front. Another Casa Llana has a door with a straight lintel; rooms added at the sides date from the 17th or 18th century and may have enclosed an earlier small barn.

A divided portalada has a round-arched entrance, paired pilasters, a cornice with a double entablature, a poorly preserved coat of arms, pyramidal pinnacles and a cross. A 17th-century chapel has a rectangular floor plan, a single-nave interior and a hipped roof. A humilladero, a chapel for the deceased or a santuco from the second half of the 18th century, served to mark and protect routes; it was also a place of devotion and remembrance for passing pilgrims.

Nature and paths

From Ontoria, you can walk or cycle along the Senda fluvial del Minchón. On the Senda del Minchón, a wooden footbridge over the river connects the municipalities of Cabezón de la Sal and Mazcuerras; grey herons (Ardea cinerea) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are frequently observed along this stretch of the river.

Local character and uses

Productive and service-related activities have become concentrated around the small settlement of Venta de Ontoria, along the N-634 national road and the railway, as well as by the Saja River.

When booking a holiday apartment in Ontoria, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions on the respective offer page. These three details help you sort offers according to your own travel plans.

More local pages: Ibio, La Ventona, Herrerías, Parbayón, Tresviso, San Vicente de la Barquera, Puente San Miguel, Miengo

To the higher-level travel overview: Cantabria.