Walk Round Potes, Between the Deva and the Quiviesa

What it is

Potes is the capital of Liébana and the village where the whole valley does its shopping. Its historic centre is a Site of Cultural Interest and can be walked in an hour: stone streets beside the río Quiviesa, arched bridges that cross it, houses with wooden balconies and the medieval tower in the centre. The Quiviesa joins the Deva as you leave the village.

It has a history of lordship: in the 14th century it belonged to the infante Tello, son of Alfonso XI of Castile, and from 1445 to the Marquis of Santillana and his descendants, the Dukes of the Infantado. Hence the name of its main monument, the Torre del Infantado, a fortified 15th-century building that was the town hall until recently.

The route

Leave the car in one of the car parks at the entrance, because the centre is narrow. Start at the Torre del Infantado and continue to the tower-house of Orejón de la Lama, a Baroque manor house. From there cross the bridge over the Quiviesa into the old quarter, the one with the strongest medieval character, and lose yourself in its alleys. The village's two old bridges are San Cayetano and La Cárcel; cross both to see the village from the river. On the way you will see the parish church of San Vicente, with parts from the 14th to the 18th centuries, and many manor houses with coats of arms: the tourist office suggests a route of the coats of arms with the Osorio tower, the Calseco one or the Capitán house.

It works well with small children: the lower part is flat and there are benches by the river. With a pushchair, the alleys of the old quarter are sloping and cobbled.

The Monday market

Every Monday Potes holds its traditional market, a meeting point for the people of Liébana and the best place to buy what the valley produces: cheeses with designation of origin, Quesucos de Liébana and Picón Bejes-Tresviso, wild boar and deer cured meats, honey, fruit, nuts and orujo, the village's best-known product. If you want a spoon dish, the district's speciality is cocido lebaniego, made with chickpeas.

When

Any day. The village fills up in August and on long weekends. In November it celebrates the Fiesta del Orujo, 13 to 15 November in 2026, and that month also hosts one of Cantabria's great livestock fairs. Out of season is when you most notice that it is a living valley village and not a stage set.

Getting there and what to combine

You arrive along the N-621 from the coast, through the La Hermida Gorge. Less than a kilometre away, along the CA-185, is the turn-off to the Santo Toribio monastery, and the same road continues to the Fuente Dé cable car. The Town Council is at Calle San Roque, 7, telephone 942 730 006.