Camino Lebaniego

On the eastern flanks of the Picos de Europa mountain range lies the Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, just a few kilometres west of the picturesque Catabrian town called Potes. According to Christian faith only five places in the world have the privilege of issuing perpetual indulgences. The Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana is one of them, together with Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela and Caravaca de la Cruz. The most important relic in the monastery is the left arm of the cross (Lignum Crucis) on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Therefore this monastery is the ultimate goal of the pilgrimage Camino Lebaniego and can be reached from the North as well as from the South.

The northern route starts in the Cantabrian coastal town of San Vicente de la Barquera and follows the Camino del Norte for about 10 kilometres until the town of Muñorrodero. Continue for 50 km and you will reach the town of Potes. Potes is the ideal base for a visit to the monastery and a day trip to the stunning Picos de Europa. From Potes the Camino Lebaniego continues south connecting to the Camino Lebaniego Castellano, which only means that you leave the autonomous community of Cantabria and enter the autonomous community of Castile and León. From Potes you can get to the Provincial capital of Palencia in just over 210 km. About halfway, at Alar del Rey, you will reach the birthplace of the famous Castile Canal. By then you have left the mountains behind and you can more or less follow the Castile Canal, which guarantees a flatter terrain.

Just after lock 16 of the Castile Canal and the road into the town of Boadilla del Camino, the Camino Lebaniego Castellano joins the Camino Francés until Frómista. This makes the Camino Lebaniego an interesting and beautiful route to connect the Camino del Norte with the Camino Francés.