Puentedey – Natural Rock Arch of Puentedey loop from Partido Judicial de Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja

Villarcayo De Merindad De Castilla La Vieja

Puentedey – Natural Rock Arch of Puentedey loop from Partido Judicial de Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja

Hard

riders

Puentedey – Natural Rock Arch of Puentedey loop from Partido Judicial de Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja

04:28

75.0km

710m

Gravel riding

Hard gravel ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 1, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Parque Natural Hoces del Alto Ebro y Rudrón

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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1.99 km

Roman Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

Roman bridge that is located between two roads, the one called Caminos de Medina and the one coming from the west, called Camino de Villarías.

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5.13 km

The Museum of the Constables of Castilla is located inside the Monastery of Santa Clara de Medina de Pomar. A visit is highly recommended if you want to enjoy great works of Medina heritage, the history of the Constables and learn about the life of the Poor Clares who still live in the monastery. Entrance costs 3.5 euros.

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22.3 km

Hermitage of San Pedro

Highlight • Cave

Near the Argés road junction, a narrow path ascends to a beautiful hermitage, which, in addition to being used as a place of worship and housing, was used as a cemetery. Indeed, the Cueva de San Pedro is excavated in the rock on a mound on the outskirts of town.

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40.0 km

Soncillo

Highlight • Settlement

There are several hostels and restaurants

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54.6 km

Puentedey

Highlight • Natural Monument

The name of this small village of only 50 inhabitants means "Bridge of God". His most photographed image is the natural stone bridge created by the Nela River. On the arch the town was created. In 2022, the association The Most Beautiful Towns in Spain announced that Puentedey was added to its list.

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54.7 km

Natural Rock Arch of Puentedey

Highlight • Natural Monument

This is considered one of the most beautiful towns in Spain and for good reason. It is crossed by the Río Nela and where the houses are built above a natural cave that has created the passage of the river by making a hole in the stone itself. You can not miss it!

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55.3 km

Greenway of the Sierra de la Demanda

Highlight • Cycleway

66.6 km

Villarcayo

Highlight • Settlement

Stage 2. Villarcayo/Trespaderne
97 kilometers. 1,370 positive meters.

In the old Villarcayo-Horna station there are many remains and curiosities of the railway heritage of the old Santander-Mediterranean line. An old machine parked next to the track, the water tanks, the platforms, the point changes and the buildings attached to the railway service dismantled in 1985. The Natural Trail continues through Cigüenza, with a new bridge over the Nela, and continues through a fantastic valley crossing the meanders of the Nela through Tubilla, Escanduso and Escaño to the curious railway station of Brizuela , which preserves some rails, the railway building and a pleasant grass “pavement” between the platforms. Puentedey is another attractive stop to go down to the bed of the Nela and see the impressive natural tunnel that the river bed has carved under the town. The old train track also passes through another tunnel under the town and continues through the spectacular canyon that the Nela River has carved at the foot of the Muelas de Dulla. In Quitanabaldo the track deviates along the Ruta de los Sentidos towards Soncillo to complete the stage following the Ebro Natural Path but still has to travel one of the emblematic sections of the Santander-Mediterranean Natural Path to the Tunnel of Engaña. At the Nela bridge, the Cidad Dosante detour leaves to the left, the main route crosses the imposing bridge, passes through the Pedrosa de Valdeporres station and goes up to the entrance of the Engaña Tunnel. The area is a forest jungle of birch, oak, beech, maple, hazel and bushes of all kinds in a place steeped in history. The construction of the tunnel in the bowels of the Cantabrian Mountains was essential to complete the railway line; it took 17 years and hundreds of workers, most of them political prisoners, to drill the seven kilometers of gallery between Burgos and Cantabria, a work that had never been It was used for the passage of trains, however it was used for several decades to exchange goods between the two slopes of the mountain range by private vehicles, until landslides in the interior complicated transit and it was permanently closed.

The traveling cycle route returns along the same path to Quintanabaldo and deviates from the Santander-Mediterranean Natural Path along the Route of the Senses GR-85. From this point on, the technical level for gravel bikes increases, there are sections with uneven surfaces, high slopes, narrow paths and several points in the Ebro canyon where it is necessary to load the bike to overcome some walkways. In reality, everything is cyclable except for the walkways, which are easy to navigate in a few minutes on foot, and it is worth it to travel a fantastic stretch of the Ebro Natural Trail through the Manzanedo and Valdivieso valleys. The GR-85 goes up from Quintabaldo along a fairly steep track to the town of Villabáscones de Bezana, a gem of popular architecture hidden in the Pisas beech forest. In the town you have to continue along the road to Soncillo, a good place to regain strength after the climb from the Nela valley. The gravel trip continues along the Alto de la Hoya road and begins an enjoyable descent through the towns of the Trifón River valley, all asphalt, without traffic, between mountains sculpted by a capricious and suggestive nature. In Lándraves there are signs of the Palancas Gorge, one of the natural wonders of the area. The Route of the Senses passes through the canyon but on gravel it is not recommended. The descent continues through Cueva de Manzanedo and finally reaches the bank of the Ebro in Manzanedo, connecting with the Ebro Natural Trail. The route changes banks and continues for about ten kilometers along technical and entertaining trails surrounding livestock meadows and private farms. Cyclability is one hundred percent with patience and skill on this type of narrow and bumpy paths, a complication can be mud during times of heavy rain. The alternative would be to continue along the road to Incinillas and then along the N-232 to Puente del Aire.

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