A circuit around Lake Ebro

Two excursions along the shores of Lake Ebro

The north and south shores of the vast expanse of water that is Lake Ebro constitute two startlingly different perspectives in terms of terrain, population density, history and flora and fauna. On each drive (which could equally be a cycle) there are ample opportunities to stop and admire the views, spot wildlife or visit the area’s museums, shrines and places of interest. Although we have presented the routes as two separate journeys, it is of course possible to drive or ride the entire way around the lake.

 
North Ebro 

From junction 136 of the A67 we follow signs for Requejo to join the CA171 heading east. The open fields of the area to the north of the road are an excellent area for hiking and a short drive (or walk) soon brings you to a picturesque spot at Laguna de Santa Águeda. Three kilometres along the road from Requejo you come to an observation point (mirador) ‘Cartel Embalse del Ebro’ where you will enjoy excellent views over the lake and have access to a number of information panels (in Spanish).

A little further on there is another viewpoint – Mirador de Orzales – which is a popular bird watching location. The mirador is on the site of an early aerodrome and you will find panels, in Spanish, describing the aerodrome’s function, the importance of the munitions factory in nearby Reinosa and the destruction inflicted on this area in the first days of the Spanish Civil War.  

Just beyond the village of Orzales a small diversion takes you to the bridge ‘Puente de Lalastra’ which will take you to another popular hiking area, Peninsula de Lalastra. A walk from Bustamente onto the peninsula is described on an adjacent page.

Continuing along the CA171, you pass Quintana and Monegro, where you will find the church Santa Cecilia. The next village, La Costana, is home to the area’s Town Hall and here you can also view a historical monument, La Torre de los Bustamente as well as visiting the nearby wildlife reserve at Isla de la Cruz and the ruins at Quintanilla de Bustamente. A little further on, near Quintanamanil, is a garden centre dedicated to tulips (Reserva de Tulipanes de Europa), best visited in the spring when the tulips are abundant. The next stretch takes you past two important wildlife conservation areas, one dedicated to amphibious creatures before arriving at another mirador, Quintanamanil.
Just before you cross the water to enter La Población, a left turn onto the CA726 brings you to the important Information Centre for Ornithology. Here, you will find displays and information panels relating to the birdlife that flourishes on and around Lake Ebro as well as the opportunity to watch a video and peruse leaflets relating to the lake and its surroundings. A little way north of here are the remains of a Roman Camp, El Cincho.
Returning to the CA171 and resuming our journey eastwards, we pass through La Población with its chapel ‘Virgen del Humano’ as well as a number of restaurants and bars and then past a small recreation area to soon arrive at Corconte. This is the last village in Cantabria on this section of road and is home to the Tourist Information Office for Lake Ebro. Located in the former village school, the centre features several displays explaining the history of the lake, technical data around the volume of water, its provenance and uses, the rivers that both feed and flow from Lake Ebro as well as information about the flora and fauna that populate the waters and the surrounding area. As well as the Information Centre, Corconte offers a spa hotel, a renowned fountain and a small wildlife reserve.

Leaving Corconte, we soon cross into Castilla y León and the road number changes to CL630. A short distance further on  you arrive at the N623 and turning left here soon brings you to the historical monument, Pirámide de los Italianos, dedicated to the Italian forces who lost their lives fighting for the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. Retracing our steps and heading south on the N623 we arrive at Cilleruelo de Bezana from where we can follow the southern shores of Lake Ebro back to the motorway. The route is described below.

South of Lake Ebro 

Leaving the A67 at junction 133, we join the CA730 heading east. Soon we pass through Bolmir and a short distance further on come to a turning (CA732) with signs to Rertortillo and Julióbriga. At Julióbriga you will find the remains of a Roman town, complete with pillars, the foundations of houses, deep wells and outhouses. It is a remarkable step back into the history of Spain under Roman rule. The town – named after Julius Caesar - was a thriving centre of commerce and served as a connecting point between Rome’s territories in the north and the remainder of the peninsula. Within the complex you can visit a reconstruction of a Roman domus while alongside is the twelfth century church of Santa María del Retortillo with its external stairs to the former bell tower inviting you to climb up for a magnificent view of Lake Ebro and its surroundings.

The CA730 continues through Villafría where is a small chapel (Ermita Santa Bárbara) and lavadero (washing station) before following the southern shores of Lake Ebro southwards until you reach Arroyo, the first of the villages in the Las Rozas area. Here, you can see the man made cascades that see the River Ebro begin its journey away from the lake before the road across a dam leads you on towards the more substantial dwellings that make up Las Rozas and its neighbour Renedo.

On the water’s edge at Las Rozas you can gaze on the remarkable sight of a church tower protruding from the lake. The church, Villanueva de las Rozas - also known as La Catedral de los Peces (The Cathedral of the Fish) – is a visible remnant of the villages that were submerged in the formation of Lake Ebro in the mid twentieth century. Preliminary works began in the 1920s although the main construction didn’t commence until after the Spanish Civil War with much of the labour being undertaken by prisoners of war. Four villages were forcibly evacuated and the final flooding of the area took place in 1947; the lake becoming fully functional in 1952. The issue remains a contentious one locally; the original inhabitants of the affected villages and their descendants claim that they never received the compensation that they had been promised and much of the reconstruction work for other businesses and villages not coming to fruition.

About eight hundred metres after the railway station at Las Rozas de Valdearroyo, a sign directs you off the main road to a small car park from where a short walk brings you to the walkway leading to the tower which you can climb to enjoy splendid views of the lake and its surroundings. Look out for the little grebes that are very common on and around the water. There are several picnic tables and information panels in Spanish detailing the history of the lake. As well as providing much needed irrigation, commercial and domestic water supply to much of the north of Spain, Lake Ebro is a natural refuge for a vast array of wildlife and is a centre for a range of water sports.

For much of the following stretch, the road runs alongside the railway; the narrow gauge line that connects León and Bilbao. At times the train seems to run perilously close to the water’s edge while on other sections small bridges take the line over the lake itself and the streams that feed into it. The route – known as La Robla – dates from 1894 and is one of Europe’s longest narrow gauge journeys. The train takes you from the bustling city of León, across Spain’s northern meseta, through the rugged terrain of the border between Cantabria and Castilla-León and in the shadow of the lofty mountains that separate the northern regions from the rest of Spain. It then runs alongside Lake Ebro and from there deep into the Basque Country before pulling into Bilbao. The epic journey will take you past stunning scenery and fabulous historical monuments but it is best to allow plenty of time; the entire trip can take upwards of six hours.

 

As you drive through this remote part of Cantabria, it is worth looking out for the herds of horses that often gather on the shore and sometimes venture into the water and your passengers may wish to peer into the skies where they might catch sight of a stork, a marsh harrier, an Egyptian vulture and, who knows, maybe an eagle.

Our next point of interest is at Llano where you will find an extensive forest populated with various types of oak and holly trees while in the grounds of the village church there is an ancient yew tree. This area forms part of a Bird Protection Zone (ZEPA) and is a particular haven for waterbirds. A marked walk through the forest is described on our walks page. You should be aware that the forest is also a base for hunting and you should take notice of any warning signs.

Shortly, at Arija, you cross into Burgos and road name changes to the BU642 and moves away from the shores of the lake. You continue in a generally eastward direction passing through a number of small villages until you arrive at the N623 at Cilleruelo de Bezana.Turning left here will take you northwards towards Santander, some eighty kilometres away, while in the opposite direction lies the historic city of Burgos, also a journey of about eighty kilometres.