Do you need reasons why visit Saja Nansa? 

	When you visit a place for the first time, you want to see EVERYTHING. You want to slowly take in the magic of the area while savoring every moment, and paying attention to your surroundings. That´s how memories are made. But you´ll always need a reason to come back. Here you have all the reasons you need so you get the "bug" to visit, or return to, the area Saja Nansa. At the end of this section you will find the map to locate each of the places. So you can create your own photo album Saja Nansa

 

Autumn is the most colorful season on the year. The forests are incredible and if you add a river, the result is amazing! In this photo you can see the Nansa River. In its basin you can find the Palombera Reservoir. It´s truly a luxury with a hidden treasure right beside it: the Chufín Cave.

 

The Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga is a mountain range that goes from east to west, and it´s also one of the best places that offers SPECTACULAR VIEWS of the region. It has 360º panoramic views of the Cantabrian Sea, Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe) and the eastern mountains of Cantabria. 

 

One of the most beautiful coastal areas of the region is the road that goes from Gerra to San Vicente de la Barquera. At any point along this road, you´ll have the chance to enjoy a BREATHTAKING SUNSET, and if you´re lucky, you may be able to see the green ray. 

Scenic roads are the best if you like driving! In this region, we boast of having several you can drive along and see the different landscapes of each season. Tha Palombera mountain pass route goes through one of the natural spaces of the region: the Saja Besaya Natural Park.

 

When autumn arrives, the lifeblood of the trees flows through Its leaves and allows for photos like this one. The Casa del Monte, or Campa de ucieda, is located within the Saja Besaya Natural Park. It´s the starting point of different hiking routes like the Los Puentes Trail.

 

The Chufín Cave was declared a World Heritage Site in 2008. Like all treasures, it´s hidden away in the confluence of the Palombera Reservoir and the Lamasón (or Tanea) River, in Riclones. The interior of the cave can be accessed by crawling a few meters. Once inside, there is a den with cave paintings and a small lake. It is a pure space where you can experience what it would be like to go back to a prehistoric time. 

 

Near Pechón you ca find the Tina Menor lookout point. This estuary is where the fresh water from the Nansa River mixes with the salt water from yhe Cantabrian Sea. Apart from the beauty of the landscape, the estuary serves a great enviromental purpose. Over 30 different species of birds use it for shelter. Moreover, it is protected as a Special Area Conservation (SAC) under the name Western Estuaries and the Oyambre dune. 

 

...“And if you go over the hill, and you look out from El Ribero, you,ll see Carmona, the Jewel of the "Albarqueros"...  ‘Albarqueros’ are artisans who make wooden clogs typical in Cantabria and these are the lyrics to the traditional song ‘La Collada de Carmona’ (The Hill of Carmona). The road that passes through it, the CA-182,  connects the Saja and Nansa Valleys. From the Asomada del Ribero lookout point, not only can you see Carmona, but also los Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe), los Picos de Ozalba (Peaks of Ozalba) and the Sierra de Escudo de Cabuérniga. A truly BREATHTAKING sight to see!

 

Located next to the Nansa River is the Foundry and Watermill of Cades, one of the few examples of a hydraulic device that still operates today. On the guided tours, you’ll have the chance to travel back in time and see what life was like for the iron workers and millers. It’s highly recommended! Find information at Foundry of Cades. 

 

Berellín Beach in Prellezo, is known in many places as being one of the hidden paradises of Cantabria. They’re definitely right about it being a paradise! Nevertheless, it’s not so hidden nowadays. It’s a summer hot spot, so if you’re planning to go sunbathe, make sure you check the tide chart first, as the size of the beach changes every 6 hours!

 

Do you want to know what it’s like to walk among trees that are over 36 meters tall? Come to the sequoia forest in Cabezón de la Sal and connect with this species that originates from North America. The forest has been declared a Natural Monument and has over 840 specimens of the Sequoia sempervirens species, also known as the coastal redwood or California redwood. The forest’s main entrance is through a wooden walkway.

 

The views from the Peña Sagra Mountain Range are impressive no matter where you look. This mountain range separates the Nansa and Liébana valleys. In the middle of the photo you can see the majestic Cuernón standing tall at 2,047 meters high. This photo was taken from the stables in Tanea, in Lamasón; and it’s well worth the walk or bike ride to be able to visit the landscape and take in all of your surroundings.

 

El Bolao is one of the most amazing and recommended places to visit on the coast. In fact, it’s been the setting for advertisements and films like "Altamira", which starred Antonio Banderas. There is a bench in the view point of La Molina. It is a perfect place to take the picture!

 

In Bustriguado, at the foot of the Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga, you’ll find a natural marvel: the Llasca de los Moros.  It’s a diagonal stone wall that the Bustriguado stream flows down. At first sight, it looks like a man-made wall, but it’s not. Mother Nature was the engineer of this captivating corner. 

 

Los Zamarrones is a very old tradition with Pagan origins that represents fertility, the expulsion of evil spirits and the preparation for the arrival of a new season. It’s celebrated on the first Saturday after Ash Wednesday. The white zamarrones jump with a hazel rod to grab everyone’s attention. Tied to the end of the rod, is a piece of cloth or a sack called a “zamárgano,” which is wet with water or mud to splash the single women with. This tradition is called “Sabaneo.” 

 

Paradise has a name, Oyambre. The Natural Park is nearly 6,000ha in size (about 6,000 football fields) and it’s divided into different areas: the coast with cliffs, beaches and estuaries;  meadows; and the forest. Can you belive it? It has the perfect balance and, at the same time a very sensitive place, that it is essential for our life. That is the reason we ask your help to keep it in an easy way: place al rubbish in the bins provided, and if you find a piece of plastic, please pick it up. We can make a better world. In the lighthouse of San Vicente de la Barquera, you can visit the Oyambre Natural Park Interpretation Center.

 

The Nansa River is one of the most used rivers by man in Cantabria. It’s during the postwar period that it’s course is most modified due to the construction of dams, artificial canals and mini-power plants. Construction of the La Cohilla Reservoir began in 1943. The challenge was building the highest vault in Spain, with a height of 116 meters and 282 meters across at the crown. The dam was filled for the first time in 1951.

 

Sport is another attraction in the Saja Nansa region. You can practice hiking big mountains, surfing or canoeing in the same day. We are endorphin boosters!

 

Traditional activities linked both the sea and the mountain survive in Saja Nansa. Seaweed collection is a type is a sustainable way of taking advantage of the resources that the sea gives us. Seaweed have a very important function: recycling nutrients, sequester carbon, oxygenate and purify water. When they reach the coast, they are collected and, after drying, they are sold to make agar-agar (E-406), gelling agents (E-400) or the material that covers medicines.

 

The municipalities of Herrerías, Rionansa and Valdáliga share a subterranean world: El Soplao cave. At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of miners discovered El Soplao while they were looking for zinc. Its geological richness is its greatest attraction. The cave is covered in speleothems like stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and columns, although the eccentric ones are the most striking and amazing. Highly recommended visit! More information in El Soplao Cave.

 

Originally called Villa Quijano, the Capricho is a historical landmark in Comillas. The owner was Don Máximo Díaz de Quijano: Indiano, lawyer, musician, and brother to the 1st Marquis of Comillas’ sister-in-law. It’s one of the first projects undertaken by Gaudí when he was just 31 years old. Outside of Catalonia there are only 3 complete works by Gaudí and we have one of them here. Book a guided tour if you want to find out all of its secrets (and there’s a lot of them!).

In the middle of the Camino Lebaniego, you’ll see a unique Romanesque structure in the region: Santa Juliana church. It was built in the late 12th or early 13th century. The exterior of the church is decked out in Romanesque elements like corbels (structural pieces of stone the support the eaves), the semi-circular arch and the checkered ‘jaqués’ style details. 

 

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Santa Catalina Viewpoint

Known as Santa Catalina or Bolera de los Moros, this viewpoint is a BALCONY that literally hangs over the La Hermida gorge. The views from here are absolutely incredible: Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe), Tresviso, Linares, La Hermida, Liébana and, right at your feet, the gorge. It’s a breathtaking sight that you’re sure to never forget!

 

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Mines of Udías

Udías’s subsoil is rich in minerals. Remains of its exploitation have been found that date back to the Roman times.In the greenway El Pelurgu you can walk part of the same route as the mining train that extracted minerals from pozo de Peña Montero to La Gándara. It’s simple, with hardly any incline and a component that attracts people of all ages: two tunnels that you need to pass through with a flashlight or a headlamp!

 

Livestock fairs continue to be traditions that are alive. Lots of different animals like horses, sheep and goats gather, although cows are the most relevant in the fairs, especially the Tudanca breed which is native to Cantabria. The fair starts with the animals’ arrival to the fields that are set up for their exposition. Throughout the day, there are singing groups and musicians who play traditional music, along with other activities like artisan markets, and in some cases, rock dragging contests and open-air dances.
One of the most anticipated moments of the fair is the “Pasá,” when the animals leave the fairgrounds. It’s truly a parade! 

 

Do you know what fabric and eucalyptus have in common? You can discover it visiting the Textile Art Museum in Cabezón de la Sal, a unique museum in Spain. There, you can learn about "vertical process", in other words, the entire manufacturing process, from its raw materials to the finished piece. Furthermore, on the top floor there’s a display of the traditional Regional Costumes. You can see the different outfits that are used depending on the occasion and geographical area from which they come.

 

Art is the medium we, as human beings, use to express our feelings, emotions and perceptions. Since 2015, art has been embedded in Mazcuerras’ streets and landscape. The neighbors use their properties to exhibit all types of art like photographs, sculptures, and music. The first year of the exhibition, the neighbors displayed their sculptures high above the ground, similar to when the chickens would “aselar” in the evening, or in other words, perch themselves in high places to rest or sleep. That’s how the annual summer exhibition—in which everyone comes together to give the town an artistic touch—received the name Aselart.
 

 

In the foot of the Peña Sagra mountain and the Tánago cabins. It’s an incredible landscape with lots of hidden gems like menhirs and megaliths from the late Neolithic and Chalcolithic period. Among these different structures, the most unique is the El Hoyo de La Gandara idol, a rock from the glacial period located next to an artificial canal. On the eastern side of the rock which faces Peña Sagra, there are geometric engravings. The landscape and the place’s symbology are both highly recommended.
 

Visiting la Casona gives you the opportunity to see what an 18th century house was like.One of its owners was José María de Cossío, philologist, essayist, author of the bull-fighting encyclopedia El Cossío and member of the Spanish Royal Academy. Many people visited la Casona and left their mark, including José María de Pereda, Carlos Gardel, Unamuno and Alberti.  Inside, there’s a library of 25,000 books, French engravings, manuscripts by Alberti and Cela, drawings and paintings by Zuloaga and Solana. It’s truly an amazing place that you can see on a guided tour!
 

This viewpoint is an educational place that allows you to see the landscapes during the day and observe the stars at night due to its low light pollution. You’ll see a lower area with an information panel with relevant points of the panorama. The top part is the astronomical area where there’s a telescope to view the surroundings and the stars, a planisphere and a globe. There’s a sign pointing out the North Star and two information panels that explain how to use the planisphere and read the solar time with the globe.