Portal de Turismo de Castilla y León

Journey

Circular

Way

• On foot (8 h.)

Length

20 kms.

Ascent slope

1,357 m.

Descent slope

1,357 m.

Recommended

• spring
• summer
• autumn

Difficulty of the route

High

Route

From Llánaves de la Reina to Los Pozos de Peña Prieta

The Fuentes Carrionas massif is one of the most important bastions of the Cantabrian Mountains, and its trilogy formed by the powerful peaks of Peña Prieta, Curavacas and Espigüete, shares its space with many other mountains and crags, with perhaps less sonorous names for the uninitiated, but no less important.
The ascent of Peña Prieta has two very different faces, one of them, friendlier, when the snow has disappeared from its slopes everything is simple, but when the snow season arrives, this mountain becomes harder so you have to Take extreme precautions, in addition to having the necessary equipment and material in your case, which you must know how to use correctly.

ITINERARY DESCRIPTION
We begin walking at the end of the town of Llánaves de la Reina (1,400 m) taking the track that in an ESE direction leaves the road that continues towards the port of San Glorio. The track, wide, and passable by any vehicle, but which is prohibited except for public services or livestock, takes us on a pleasant walk towards the Naranco plain, leaving the stream of the same name on our right (there is another track parallel that also begins at the beginning, that reaches the same place, and that runs on the other side of the stream).

From the small height of Prados de las Condesas we can already see the Mariñas refuge (1,518 m) of the Tajahierro Alpine Club in Santander, located in the heart of the Naranco plain. Next to the refuge we turn to our right, heading south, keeping our eyes fixed on our horizon which marks the lowest pass that is located on the EW alignment between the Cumbre de los Altares (2,416 m) and the Sierra de Orpiñas ( 2,107 m). This pass is the Boquerón de Bobias (1,860 m).

Vega del Naranco with the Mariñas Refuge
The path at the beginning goes through clear meadows but little by little the low vegetation begins to make the path uncomfortable and we have to look for it, slightly to the left in a section in which the unevenness is already more pronounced.

Once we have completed the Boquerón, we have a view of the Lechada valley, at our feet, delimited by the ridge formed by the Picos de las Cuartas (2,451 m), the Lomas (2,438 m) and the rugged rocky landslides of the Agujas de Cardaño (2,393 m).

We are descending slightly to the middle of the slope, in a SE direction, in search of the wide hill that the Arroyo de la Canaleta leaves on its left and which we will have to cross. This hill, which widens as we go up, will allow us to climb the notable gap that exists, first in a SE direction, eventually drifting further to our right, until we reach the ridge that comes from the Altos del Cubil del Can to finally ending at the summit of Pico or Mojón Tres Provincias (2,498 m), where Cantabria, Palencia and Leon meet. We can also reach this summit if, once we have passed the Boquerón de Bobias, we go down on our right to the track that comes through the Lechada valley and continue along it in the direction of the Laguna del Hoyo Empedrado (2,070 m), where it ends. , from there walk along a hill towards the east to meet the summit of the Tres Provincias Mojón.

From this point our objective is already visible since we are in front of Peña Prieta, which is located to the east, above the Puertos del Cubil del Can, and towards which we will walk along a narrow and rocky path, to the left of the ridge, which begins by descending and then taking a half slope that will lead us, always between rocks, to the top of Peña Prieta (2,539 m).

We are in a privileged viewpoint over Cantabrian lands, with the capital of Liébana, Potes, far below and in the background. On the horizon and towards the N and NW the three massifs of the majestic Picos de Europa with all their splendor showing us all their highest and most significant mountains. Towards the east, the generous, extensive ports of Pineda where cattle graze peacefully in the summer. And towards the S and SE the giants Espigüete and Peña Prieta.

The Wells of Peña Prieta
On the way back, the nearby adjacent summit of Pico del Infierno, the highest point in Palencia, is a must-see, since the summit of Peña Prieta is entirely Cantabrian, and is barely three meters lower than it.

Once back at the top of the Tres Provincias Mojón we cannot stop admiring, to the south, the nearby and charming cirque that this summit forms with the Altos del Concejo (2,439 m) and the Altos de la Panda (2,397 m) to the right and the southern rocks of Pico del Infierno on the left, and where the surprising and beautiful Fuentes Carrionas lagoon is located. To return to the starting point we will follow the same route used in the climb, having as obligatory steps the Boquerón de Bobias and the Naranco plain.