Surroundings

VALLE DE TOBALINA

The municipality of Valle de Tobalina is located in the south-eastern part of the Merindades. A beautiful, very quiet valley to explore. With an area of 157 km2 and over 1,000 inhabitants, the population density is seven people per square kilometre.
Casa La Sonrisa is located in Hedeso, a largely abandoned village on a hill in this valley. From the house you can make several walks. There is even a GR route running past the house. In the car it takes 5 minutes to get to Pedrosa de Tobalina, a village with two bars and a waterfall, or the other way to Quintana Martin Galindez with a number of bars and restaurants as well.

FRIAS

A visit to Frías, less than 10 km away, is a “must” when on holiday in the Merindades. The medieval town is built against a steep mountainside. You will find a medieval bridge over the Ebro, streets with pretty porticoes and the remains of a castle to visit. Frias was recently named one of the 20 most beautiful villages in Spain.

OÑA

A beautiful village less than half an hour away. Traditionally the seat of the region’s ecclesiastical power. As a result, the village has kept a beautiful monastery and church. This complex can be visited and is a surprise even for those not so interested in ecclesiastical art. Accessible, medieval art and, for the real enthusiast, headphones with English-language information. The monastery garden, free entry is also worth a stroll.

POZA DE LA SAL

Another 20 minutes further on, Poza de la Sal is perched against the hill. Towering over the village is the old castle, which is freely accessible and offers great views of the surroundings. The village gets its name from the salt pans that were in use here until 20 years ago to collect the salt-rich water from the surrounding hills. These ‘pozas’ can be visited and, with the castle and the village with its small leaning houses, are a fun destination. Guests often make a combination of Frias, Oña and/or Poza de la Sal in a day.

SALTO NERVION

“Monumento natural Monte de Santiago” is a nature reserve in the eastern Merindades close to the Basque province of Alava. A beautiful hiking area with an information centre. The highlight is the Salto de Nervión, a waterfall where the water plunges down some 300 metres. In the whole of Spain, there is no waterfall with a greater drop than this “Salto de Nervión”! The waterfall is located in an impressive gorge. In summer when the Nervión is dry, it is a special experience to walk through the dry riverbed carved into the rocks and watch the vultures swoop over you. You can walk through to where the water plunges down in winter and spring. A spectacular walk with incredible views as your reward. For many of our visitors, one of the highlights of their visit to Casa la Sonrisa.

You can also take one of the beautiful marked walks here, each with different beautiful views over the valley: on a clear day, you can see flocks of sheep in the depths and villages in the distance. Griffon vultures are eminently to be admired up close here. They nest in the rocks and sail in groups motionless on thermals along the gorge wall. In May and June, when the young are still in their nests, it is a beautiful sight to see the vultures throwing food to their young.

RIOSECO

The monasterio de Rioseco is a large ruined monastery and is hidden among the trees in the Ebro valley. The overgrown ruins of this medieval abbey were partially refurbished in 2011 by volunteers, “the Friends of Rioseco”. By “refurbished” we actually mean “tidied up”: debris has been removed and some paths have been cleared. It is a very nice place to wander around and imagine yourself in days gone by. Discover the crypts, the spiral staircases, the murals or the old ovens.

OJO GUAREÑA

Ojo Guareña is Spain’s largest cave complex. The 14 caves are connected by 100 kilometres of tunnels. However, only a small part is open to the public. Accompanied by a guide, you can visit this section and a real surprise awaits you at the end: a little church carved out of the rock with centuries-old frescoes of the life and suffering of Christ. The cave complex is currently being further opened to the public in phases. In 2018, a guided tour of more than three hours started…

PUENTEDEY

Puentedey is a village you cannot skip when you are in the Merindades. It is a small village built on a “natural bridge” under which a small river winds its way.

MEDINA DE POMAR

This historic town is the largest of the Merindades. Medina de Pomar is about 85 kilometres north of Burgos and about 80 kilometres south of Bilbao. A few medieval streets surrounding the robust castle give the town its own character. To see that, you have to go into the town because from the outside it looks like a modern place like so many in Spain. Medina de Pomar was protected as a fortress by a double wall since the Middle Ages. The current wall was the inner rampart and dates from the 14th century. The Arco de la Judería and Arco de la Cadena are two of the five entrance gates that once existed. Connected to the city wall is the Church of Santa Cruz, built between the 12th and 15th centuries. The big castle near the plaza Mayor with its sturdy towers is called the Alcázar de los Condestables de Castilla. Today, this 14th-century castle is the headquarters for the Museum of the Merindades, which displays the history of the city and the region, through documents, manuscripts, archaeological finds and other objects.

There are other interesting religious buildings in Medina de Pomar. The Monastery of Santa Clara, which dates from the same century as the Alcázar, the Monastery of Saint Peter and the Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

The friendly green park is a good place for picnics and swimming.

Medina de Pomar’s population doubles in summer due to the many Basques who own second homes here. As a result, the central plaza Somovilla, where numerous bars are located, is always bustling. At the beginning of October, the festivities of Nuestra Señora de Rosario, the patron saint of Medina de Pomar, are held and there is a lot going on for ten days.

ORBANEJA DEL CASTILLO

Orbaneja del Castillo is located just outside the Merindades. This village is one of the most beautiful in the province of Burgos, located on the left bank of the narrow gorge of the Ebro. A beautiful route leads you to the village in the Valle de Sedano. At the edge of the village, steep rocky outcrops can be seen where vultures nest and circle. There are a few restaurants and bars, a beautiful waterfall and a small river flows through the village.