Things to do
8-
Desfiladero de la Hermida
Running between Panes and the Liébana valley, this gorge is the only road route into Potes from the coast. Cliffs close in so tightly that parts of the floor see little winter sun, and the Deva river runs beside the road the whole way. Drive it in daylight and expect slow traffic behind buses and cyclists in summer.
-
Fuente Dé Cable Car
A single cabin climbs 753 metres up the cliff of a glacial cirque in about four minutes, setting walkers down at 1,823 metres inside the national park. Online tickets fix a half-hour boarding slot, and summer queues for the return trip can run long in the afternoon. Wind, storms and maintenance close it at short notice, and a cloudy summit brings no refund.
-
Mogrovejo
Stone houses with wooden balconies cluster around a medieval tower on a slope facing the peaks, a few kilometres from the road to Fuente Dé. Cars stay at the entrance and the village is explored on foot along a couple of lanes. Evening light on the limestone wall behind it is the time to come, and an hour is enough for the walk.
-
Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana
Pilgrims climb the short road above Potes to see the relic kept here, held to be the largest surviving fragment of the cross of the crucifixion. The church is plain Gothic stone with a quiet cloister, and the Puerta del Perdón opens only in jubilee years. A footpath carries on uphill to small hermitages with views across the whole valley; allow an hour for both.
-
Picos de Europa National Park
Limestone massifs rise abruptly here from green valleys, a short drive from the sea, and Potes sits on the park's eastern edge. From the top of the Fuente Dé cable car, marked tracks lead across the high plateau towards Áliva and the Horcados Rojos pass. Weather turns fast at altitude: carry a layer, water and a map, and start early on clear summer days.
-
Potes Old Town
Stone bridges, arcaded lanes and timber balconies pack the old quarter where the Quiviesa joins the Deva. The Monday market fills the streets with cheese, honey and orujo, the valley's grape spirit, so parking that morning is hard to find. Evening is the quiet time for a walk, after the day visitors leave, with cocido lebaniego on the menus of the taverns.
-
Santa María de Lebeña
Horseshoe arches and stone columns inside this small church date from the tenth century, and it is one of the finest examples of Mozarabic building in northern Spain. It stands in a meadow just off the Hermida road, under a steep rock face. Visits are short, around half an hour, and fit easily into the drive between Potes and the coast.
-
Torre del Infantado
Square and battlemented, this stone tower rises over the main square of Potes and sets the shape of the town's skyline. It now serves as the town hall, with exhibition rooms open to visitors inside. Seen from the bridges over the Quiviesa, with the peaks behind it, it gives the best photograph in town, especially in the late afternoon light.
