Castro Valnera (1,718m) and Cubada Grande (1,607m) from El Bernacho
The Castro Valnera (1.718m)The Pasiego Mountain, in the heart of the Pasiego valleys between Cantabria and Burgos, is the highest mountain in the eastern sector of the Cantabrian Mountains and one of the most prominent on the Iberian Peninsula (number 53). It is a summit that, out of numbers, has one of the most rewarding and beautiful ascents that we can make throughout the length and breadth of Spain.
Its "modest" altitude should not lead us to underestimate Castro Valnera. Its orography and its location on the Cantabrian-Mediterranean watershed make Castro Valnera a place that is extremely exposed to abundant rainfall, much of it in the form of snow, and to the cold. In fact, this harsh climate is reflected in the landscape with numerous examples of glacial morphology (basins, moraines, U-shaped valleys...).
From an orographic point of view, Castro Valnera has two clearly differentiated slopes. The Cantabrian slope, where it plummets wildly with steep grassy slopes of 1000 metres of unevenness; and the Burgos slope, where this route passes through, much gentler but also beautiful.
Map:
Downloadable:
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Summary:
Circular route to Castro Valnera with ascent to Cubada Grande from Cabañas de El Bernacho. The route climbs up to the pass between the two peaks to turn off to Cubada Grande and return again to the pass before starting the ascent to Castro Valnera. For the descent, follow the ridge to the pass that precedes the Torcaverosa and from there to the pass of Alto de La Piluca. The descent to the Bernacho huts offers two possibilities, we have chosen the path to the right through the valley.
How to get there:
See in Google Maps.
Taking the town of Espinosa de los Monteros as a reference point, follow the signs to Portillo de Lunada, which coincides for the first 5 kilometres with the road to Portillo de la Sía and up to kilometre 8 with the road to the Estacas de Trueba / Vega de Pas pass. On reaching this crossroads, we leave the BU-570 to continue another 3.5 km along the BU-572 towards Portillo de Lunada and Castro Valnera (el Bernacho). At around kilometre 3.5 on this road there is a concrete track at first, then gravel, which indicates Castro Valnera and El Bernacho. Follow it for another 3.5 kilometres. The best place to park is a little before the end of the track, on a left-hand bend before a climb, or else on the right-hand bend after this last climb. Another option is to park at the end of the track, where there is also a place. From here we place the start of our track.
Technical specifications:
Distance: 8,8kms.Cumulative difference in altitude: +/-850m.
Timetable: about 4 and a half hours. Walking time without stops: 3h50min.
Water: there is no water on the route.
Difficulty: The route has no technical climbing steps or difficult areas. On a clear day it is easy to find your way around.
Recommended equipment for the summer: boots or slippers, two walking sticks, GPS (optional), canteen.
Itinerary:
(0h00min; 0,0km) El Bernacho, Cabañas de... (1.115m).
On the track that leads to the Bernacho huts, on the last bend to the right, 150 metres before the end of the track, we find the path that leads up to Castro Valnera. The beginning of the path is signposted by a wooden post with PR (white and yellow) and SL (white and green) markings. The start in the beech forest is very pleasant and does not take long, and half an hour later we find ourselves walking through a clear area with a predominance of heather. The path gradually gains height and if we look back we can see the valley we have climbed and in the background, the silhouette of Becerril (1,455m), Bustarejo (1,517m) and Peña Lusa (1,573m).
(1h00min; 2,2km) col between Cubada Grande and Castro Valnera (1.446m). At this point we can decide whether to climb directly to Castro Valnera, continue to La Capia (1,501m) or climb Cubada Grande (1,607m). Here we have chosen to climb Cubada Grande and leave La Capia for another occasion. We will therefore look out for a small path on the left hand side that is not very well marked, which ascends diagonally towards Cubada Grande.
The access to the summit is defended by a small wall a few metres high but very long. The path skirts the wall on the right (south), losing some height until we find its weak point, a small crack-hole through which we can easily climb.
The summit is in a north-north-easterly direction. If you follow the track, we have ascended following the edge of the cut, making a small detour.
(1h30min; 3,2km) Cubada Grande (1.607m). Unbeatable views of Castro Valnera and the Merindades region.
For the descent, now we will head as straight as possible in search of the pass through the rocks, and through familiar terrain we will return to the...
(1h50min; 4,0km) col between Cubada Grande and Castro Valnera (1.446m). Now we head towards Castro Valnera. The path skirts the base of the wall to the left (west) in search of a weak point through which to overcome the rocky strip and, once at the top, turn right and ascend halfway up the slope through grassy terrain.
The main path skirts Castro Valnera to come out onto the ridge a few metres beyond the summit (north), although in this terrain the path becomes diluted and other options appear by which we can reach the summit.
(2h30min; 5,5km) Castro Valnera (1.718m).
The panoramic view of the Cantabrian valleys is breathtaking. Towards this slope, Castro Valnera falls down some very steep grassy ramps of intense greenery. Meanwhile, in the background, you can see the Cantabrian Sea and Santander, on the other side of the bay.
The path now continues along the edge of the ridge. We follow it until we reach the pass that precedes the peak of Torcaversosa, where we leave the ridge to descend to the right through a gully.
We head for a wide pass below the Pico de la Miel known as...
(3h10min; 7,2km) alto de la Piluca (1.412m). The path turns to the right and shortly after splits, halfway down the slope, straight ahead, we continue towards the Pico de la Miel and the Portillo de Lunada; downwards, to the right, we return to the Bernacho huts. We regret not to climb the peak of Pico de la Miel, so we continue to the right to find a second crossing 10 minutes later. Both options lead to Bernacho. Here we describe the path to the right, the less clear of the two. The path descends close to the wall on the right before turning and heading towards the bottom of the valley.
At the time we set out on the route, the path was clean, but it is notorious for being easily closed due to the heather. Without any major setbacks we reached the starting point of this route, the...
(3h50min; 8,8km) cabañas del Bernacho (1.115m).
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