 Km 0
The first section, called “Circuito de Ontaneda”, is a short round trip which starts from the disused station (now converted into a tourist office) at Ontaneda and for half its length uses the old rail bed. After a short section through the town, where we need to take special care at the crossroads, we arrive at an intersection after which a series of posts lining the route tell us that we are entering a section closed to motor traffic. When we reach the streets of San Vicente de Toranzo, we find ourselves once again sharing our route with motor traffic, albeit very light, before arriving (Km 2) opposite a timber yard. Here the “Circuito de Ontaneda” turns around and heads back to Ontaneda on a route which takes us past a thermal spa. Once past the spa we arrive back at Ontaneda station.
Another option is to give the “Circuito de Ontaneda” a miss and instead leave the station and head in the direction of Santander using the original railway route. The first noteworthy feature of the Greenway is an iron bridge over the River Pas which is open to pedestrians and light vehicles (i.e., bicycles, motorcycles, and cars). On the far side of the bridge, a tarmacked section takes us to the small station house and platform of the Apeadero de San Martín. After this station our route takes us along the right hand side of the valley towards the town of Santiurde, the capital of the municipality.
Km 6
After the town of Santiurde (Km 6), the Greenway arrives at an old aqueduct and the trail continues parallel to the road. When it reaches the village of Soto, the trail is interrupted and we have to make a couple of diversions. The first takes us through the streets of the village to Soto Station (Km 9). Later we come across the second interruption that takes us 300 m along the Penilla road. We need to take great care as we go along this road because it is used by motor vehicles. After passing the church we return to the Greenway proper, once again for the exclusive use of cyclists and walkers.
The trail now heads towards Penilla. Once past Penilla the Greenway drops down to the banks of the river to another section of the rail bed that has been reclaimed for our trail. Here it is worth pausing to take a look at the old washing place between the Greenway and the river which has been developed as a rest area where children can play and adults relax.
Km 12
 At Km 12 we find the station of Puente Viesgo, now refurbished as a Museum of Prehistory, where the station building and platform clock have been preserved. Beyond Puente Viesgo and its Romanic church the trail continues for another two kilometres along a road that, while there is little traffic, we need to use with care.
Before arriving at Pomaluengo (Km 17) we need to take great care in crossing the N-634 road before arriving at the old railway station. From this point a long straight section takes us back to the road again where we will need to travel along the hard shoulder for around 300 metres. This is the most dangerous part of the route as the road is used by a large number of trucks.
Once again on the Greenway proper, which now runs between the old and the new road, we arrive at the next village, La Penilla (this is not a mistake: it is a different place from Penilla mentioned earlier). The old railway line now runs through a narrowing strip of verdant lowland between the road and the River Pisueña before arriving at La Encina, which we enter via a tree lined path that passes by the old Torrentero or La Campanilla watermill.
When we reach the village of Sarón (Km 23) we have reached what is temporarily the end of our non-motorized trail. If we want to head northwards through the Pisueña valley we need to use the road, following the signs to Obregón, Santander, or Cabárceno. Once again we recommend that you take special care since we are sharing our route with motorized traffic. We leave the road at the first turn-off for Obregón.
Km 26
 This section of the Greenway is perfectly signposted. Our route takes us from one side of the village of Obregón to the other where we very briefly rejoin the road from Sarón. We take our definitive leave of the road at the turn-off for the Cabárceno Natural Park. The Astillero-Obregón section of the Greenway starts at the information booth of the park from where 6.3 km of non-motorized trail leads us downhill towards the sea. This section, which runs through woods and farm and grazing land, is already equipped with all the typical features of a Greenway: water fountains, benches, picnic tables, waste bins, signposting etc. The trail passes close by the refurbished station at La Concha (Km 29) and finally arrives at the Ría de Solla, a drowned river valley that runs into the bay of Santander. We cross over this natural beauty spot on an old metal railway bridge before heading towards the town of Astillero (Km 34), where our trail ends. Here we can take a modern FEVE narrow gauge train to Santander, the original destination of the long defunct railway that used to run through the Pas valley, and so avoid the congested roads leading into Cantabria’s lovely capital city.
Note: The term ‘Apeadero’ refers to a small station, typically with few facilities and often unstaffed. In Britain such a station used to be known as a ‘Halt’ although the term (but not the concept) has fallen into disuse, for reasons of image. |
