Orbaneja del Castillo

Surely, from that dark, chaotic and confusing protohistorical era, in which the epic Greek poets placed the paradigmatic scenarios that confronted the Gods with the ungovernable Titans, as a method to explain the superb transformation of a nature not always satisfied with itself, arose , from the bottom of the abyssal silts, spectacular geographical features, which, due to their grandiose constitution, attracted the attention of primitive man, who settled next to them, without a doubt, hopelessly seduced by their supernatural beauty.

This is what the traveler could come to think, using the influence of his own fantasy, when he accesses this charismatic place and feels, overwhelmed by its prodigious grandeur, that he is happily protected by a natural space, whose magnetic grandeur must provoke him, like the legionary, blows to the soul: the Ebro Canyons.

It is not surprising, either, that the eagle and the vulture are the undisputed lords of some cliffs, which, thanks to the carefree work of water and erosion, resemble the towers and minarets of fantastic cities, eternally forgotten by time and fragile memory of men.

The same does not happen - and the traveler once again takes control of his worldly objectivity - with some of the towns, settled, with imperturbable resilience, on the side of these majestic rocks, along whose sinuous banks a vital asset circulates, whose waters, a few kilometers further on, they are submerged in a spectacular reservoir: the emblematic Ebro River.

Possibly the largest and most picturesque of human settlements in this privileged area, which delimits the natural borders between the north of Burgos and those 'Asturias de Santillana', as Cantabria has long been called, is none other than the one whose name is Orbaneja del Castillo.

Located, furthermore, in the vicinity of that other important Thebaid of hermitages and rock hermitages, which is Valderredible - the closest, probably, is that of Cadalso, about thirteen kilometers away, with its small rock hermitage at the foot of the road - Orbaneja, As the well-known writer, Juan Eslava Galán, would say, it is, without a doubt, one of those places in Spain that you have to visit at least once in your life.

It is also said that, in this picturesque stepped town, crossed by a beautiful waterfall, which increases even more, if possible, its mystical beauty, they had a house and a hospital for pilgrims and a convent, that of San Albín, the monks-warriors of a medieval order of chivalry, which still, after its disastrous dissolution in the year 1307, continue to arouse unusual interest: the Order of the Temple.

Let us not forget that, as an old saying goes, there are many roads that lead to Santiago de Compostela and what has come to be called 'the Forgotten Way' passed through here, although it is hardly used today: that one, which, from the ports of the Cantabrian Sea, descended towards the Castilian Plateau through the immeasurable Merindades of Burgos, passing through places of surprising beauty and mystery, such as San Pantaleón de Losa, San Lorenzo de Vallejo and Santa María de Siones.

But, without a doubt, another of the characteristics that highlights the richness of this dream environment and that, by default, revalues the value of Orbaneja, is none other than the rustic permanence, in a pleasantly acceptable state, of a very ancient rural architecture, which, worthy of admiration, remains, in many cases, faithful to its ancient medieval essence, making the place one of the most recommended places, also, for the lover of architecture, which, even being remodeled in the present, does not leave to have a nostalgic taste of the past.

Ideal place, on the other hand, for the adventure that always involves letting yourself be carried away by the charm of hiking routes, which delve, without further ado than their own spectacularity, into environments where Nature, with its grace and spontaneity, she is completely queen and lady.

NOTICE: Both the text, the accompanying photographs, as well as the video that illustrates it, are my exclusive intellectual property and are therefore subject to my Copyright.

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