Valderredible - an introduction

Valderredible, the southernmost and largest municipality of Cantabria, lies to the south of Lake Ebro and is bordered by Burgos to the south and east and Palencia to the west. Its 300,000 square kilometres is home to some fifty villages and a little under a thousand inhabitants, with its main town and administrative centre at Polientes. Its name derives from the old Spanish for ‘Valley on the banks of the River Ebro’ and the river does indeed play a major part in the geography, economy and infrastructure of the area. Sitting on the edge of the meseta, Valderredible shares its climate with the northern central mass of Spain with limited rainfall, summer temperatures in excess of thirty degrees and cold winters.

Here the visitor will find a wealth of treasures, both natural and man made that are often overlooked in the guide books. The compendium of attractions includes one of Spain’s oldest railways, magnificent churches, forest walks, geological treats, breathtaking waterfalls, submerged villages, illuminating museums, an astronomical observatory and, of course, a tremendous collection of rock churches for which it is possibly most renowned.

Its expansive fields provide pasture for a range of livestock as well as growing areas for various crops including the region’s famous potatoes. In the forests and skies above you can observe an abundant array of birdlife while the shores of Lake Ebro, the river and the various streams see an equally impressive number of fish and waterbird species.