Udías: Trails, Mining History and Architectural Heritage

Get to know Udías through several distinct themes: trails through its villages and rural landscape, traces of mining, historic buildings and the woodland around Monte Corona. If you’re looking for a hotel in Udías, you can plan your trip around whichever aspects of the area interest you most. The different routes vary in length, course and focus.

Hiking Trails and Mining History

The Sendero Real: Paisaje y Arquitectura Popular starts and ends in Barrio Canales. This easy circular route is 8.8 km long and is suitable for walking or cycling. A much longer option is the equally easy Arquitectura Religiosa y Arquitectura Popular route: it runs 20 km in a straight line through the villages of Udías and the valley’s rural landscape. It starts in Canales and ends at the Chapel of San Esteban on Monte Corona. The circular and linear routes therefore differ clearly in both distance and course.

Those interested in industrial history will find a different focus at Sel del Haya. The route leads from La Gándara in Cobijón to the Sel del Haya mine and is described as a 2.6 km linear out-and-back route. Its remnants include spoil heaps with traces of calamine, signs of mineral transport and a landscape shaped by mining. The El Mozucu route leads from the Iglesia de la Virgen de la Caridad in Barrio La Virgen to Braña El Mozucu. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

Buildings and Archaeological Traces

The parish church of Pumalverde is a Gothic building with two naves, dating from the 15th or early 16th century. Its described architectural features include a square apse with a ribbed vault and a pointed entrance arch of Romanesque tradition. Heads are depicted on the capitals, with stems emerging from them. Alongside its dating, these details give the church its own distinctive architectural character.

In La Hayuela, the Chapel of San Nicolás follows the model of a vernacular Romanesque chapel in Cantabria. A medieval necropolis with slab graves and limestone sarcophagi was discovered nearby in 1982 and 1985. A pottery kiln was uncovered at Cotero de los Tejeros near Barrio La Virgen. Dating evidence points to a pre-industrial tileworks that is thought to have operated between 1679 and 1744.

Mining has also left archaeological traces: objects and coins from Roman times were found at the San Bartolomé open-pit mine in Canales. Cueva de Las Cáscaras in Canales is notable for the discovery of a significant collection of human skeletal remains. Together with the remnants along the Sel del Haya route, these sites offer different insights into Udías’s long history of human activity and settlement.

Monte Corona and the Karst Landscape

Monte Corona is part of the Parque Natural de Oyambre. Native beech and oak trees typical of Atlantic forests grow there. The Udías karst massif contains more than 40 cavities and numerous short tectonic shafts. The woodland and karst therefore represent two distinct aspects of the landscape.

Cueva El Rescaño currently extends for 15 km of natural galleries; further exploration could change this figure. Its entrance is accessible only via a steep descent, which requires caving equipment. Cuevas y Minas de Udías offers guided caving and mining tours that start at the provider’s base in Pumalverde, opposite the church. Check the current offer details in advance.

Local Festivals and Seasonal Experiences

Folk festivals are held every year in the villages of Udías. After a mass comes the Picayos dance in honor of the saint; a romería and verbena follow in the afternoon or evening. If you’d like to plan your trip around a festival, check the specific date in advance.

At Finca Fuente del Corzo in Pumalverde, visitors can experience a beehive in its natural setting in June, July and August, handle bees and honeycombs, watch honey being extracted and bottled, and taste honey and products from the hive. Availability outside these months should be confirmed. This seasonal experience complements the area’s historical and natural attractions with an insight into honey production.

Discover more destinations: Canales, Valoria, Silió, Gibaja, Laredo, Puente San Miguel, Villabanez, Valdáliga.

For the broader travel overview: Cantabria.