Espinama: Hiking Trails and Architectural Heritage in the Valley

Espinama is especially easy to explore when planning a trip from two different perspectives: trails through the mountain landscape and the town’s architectural history. If you are looking for a hotel in Espinama, deciding what you want to focus on may help: would you like to explore a circular route that starts and ends in the town, or a route that runs between El Cable and Fuente Dé? Churches, a historic bridge and a manor house also shape the area’s historical and cultural attractions, which can be explored alongside its landscapes.

Hiking Routes with Different Starting Points

The PR-PNPE 26, Ruta Hayedo de las Ilces, is a 10.4-kilometre circular route that begins and ends in Espinama. For a start in Espinama, the recommended direction is counterclockwise; the trail is marked in this direction. Following the right bank of the Deva, it runs beneath the forests descending from the peaks of Coriscao and passes through Las Ilces. The route thus brings together the riverbank, woodland scenery and the village of Las Ilces in a circular trail.

The PR-PNPE 24, Ruta Puertos de Áliva, takes a different course: it leads from El Cable through the extensive mountain pastures of Áliva and down to Fuente Dé. Beech and oak forests feature in the landscape along the final stretch. This stretch offers an alternative to the trail that descends to Espinama. From Espinama, Fuente Dé is 2.5 kilometres uphill by road. One route therefore begins and ends in Espinama, while the other runs from El Cable to Fuente Dé—a practical difference to consider when planning, whatever landscape interests you most.

Espinama and Pido form the upper section of the Valdebaró Valley and are considered suitable starting points for excursions into the Picos de Europa. The two routes described offer different points of reference for planning a hike: on the Hayedo de las Ilces, the defining feature is a circular trail that starts and ends in the village; the Ruta Puertos de Áliva links mountain pastures with the descent to Fuente Dé. Trail and mountain conditions can vary by season, so check trail markers locally as well as road and parking access conditions in advance.

Churches and Architectural History in Espinama

The Iglesia Vieja de Espinama is dedicated to Saint Vincent the Martyr and dates back to the late 16th century. Its origins are sometimes placed a century later. The church was built by stonemasons from Trasmiera. The Puente de San Vicente stands right beside it; the bridge was built towards the end of the 18th century with support from Alejandro Rodríguez de Cosgaya. The church and bridge thus offer two different historical points of reference at a named location.

The new church in Espinama, the Centro Parroquial de Espinama, stands on a rise and commands a view over the village. It was built from 1966 to 1968 to a design by architect Ángel Hernández Morales. Its ancillary rooms are arranged in an L shape around a square courtyard, which is framed by a colonnaded gallery with cloister-like design elements. Its layout is therefore distinctly different from that of the old church, described as standing beside the bridge: here, the courtyard and gallery define the architecture, while there, the church and bridge form part of the historic setting of the village.

La Casona, Espinama’s largest manor house, is located in the hamlet of Resturo. Its striking features include two large coats of arms and elaborate decorations on the stone-framed windows, wooden gallery and eaves. Together with the churches, it offers a view of different architectural forms and periods, without requiring any one building to represent every aspect of the village’s history.

Hórreos: History and Construction

The first known documentary mention of hórreos in Espinama dates to 26 July 1463. The hórreos of Liébana are freestanding granaries and food stores: their walls are made of wooden boards, and their roofs are covered with Arabic tiles and have two or four pitches. The granaries described in the region also typically have four or six so-called pegollos, made of wood or stone. These truncated-pyramid-shaped supports raise the buildings about two metres above the ground. Their construction can thus be identified by specific structural features, while the early mention adds to the historical picture of Espinama.

Discover more destinations: Lon, Turieno, Fuente Dé, Cosgaya, Pembes, Pido

For the broader travel overview: Camaleño.