Discover Dobres: Culture and Mountain Landscapes

Dobres and Cucayo form a historic ensemble recognised as an Asset of Cultural Interest in the category “historic ensemble”. Dobres is first mentioned in writing in 945 in the cartulary of the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, while Cucayo is first mentioned in 1188 in the cartulary of Piasca.

Culture and History

In Dobres, there is a house displaying three coats of arms belonging to the Bedoya, Corral and Salceda families. The hermitage of San Esteban in Cucayo is a single-nave building with three sections covered by an eight-part vault. It has a prismatic tower and preserves an 18th-century sculpture and two 19th-century paintings.

The present-day parish church of San Mamés in Dobres was built beside the road in 1925. Its main altarpiece dates from the 18th century. Other historical traces in the mountain area include the Invernales de Ranes, a group of buildings that served as shelters and hay barns for livestock from the village during transhumance.

Other Places

Other places to discover include Enterrías, Vada, Tollo, Tudes and Cucayo.

Trails and Landscapes

The Cucayo–Puertos de Riofrío route starts at the entrance to Cucayo, leads to the mountain passes of Riofrío and reaches the high mountain passes there; from that point, the view extends as far as Peña Prieta. At Collada de las Ánimas, the Bárago–Las Retuertas–Cucayo trail offers views of the two villages of Cucayo and Dobres. This trail was once the only connection between Dobres and Bárago.

Naturea lists Las Praizas de Cucayo as the self-guided CA-ENP25 route in Vega de Liébana; the trail is approximately 6.9 km long. Its entire route lies within the Liébana ZEC and ZEPA protected area. A circular route around Pico Mamozán, Las Praizas passes through the two river basins that converge in Cucayo: those of the Río Requejada and the Río Frío. From the lower edge of an extensive beech forest, the route offers panoramic views of Pica de Casanzo.

Mountain Landscapes

Pico Mamozán rises 1,331 m above Cucayo and separates the watercourses of the Río Frío and the La Requejada stream. The Altos de Ríofrío route starts in Cucayo, climbs along the Río Frío to the high pastures and reaches an altitude of 1,700 m at the Puertos de Pineda. Its descent passes through birch, beech and young oak forests before the route returns to Cucayo.

The summit of Pico Mamozán can be reached from Collado de Sierra Lamoa via the trail through the Riofrío passes; the summit offers panoramic views. The gorge of the La Requejada stream can be used for the return journey. An old trail runs through the canyon between Peña Ginesta to the east and Pico Mamozán to the west.

The Cucayo–Puertos de Riofrío route passes through Sierra Llon, where the deeply cut Río Frío powered two small watermills that served the residents of the Dobres municipal district until a few years ago. The Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) occurs at the Puertos de Pineda and Río Frío, which can be reached via the Las Praizas route; the area is designated as a protected area for the Cantabrian brown bear.

To the main travel overview: Vega De Liébana.