mountain pass
Puerto de San Glorio
A 1,609 m pass on the N-621 between Potes and Riaño, famed for the nearby Mirador de Llesba brown-bear monument and grandstand views of the Picos de Europa massifs.
28 km · about 30 min drive
EuropeSpainCastille and León
Velilla del Río Carrión
Castille and León, Spain · Europe
About Velilla del Río Carrión
Velilla del Río Carrión is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Guardo, 41km from Picos de Europa National Park.
Velilla del Río Carrión is in Castille and León, Spain, with about 1,600 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Guardo, about 4 km away.
Velilla del Río Carrión (or simply Velilla) is a town and municipality located in Montaña Palentina of the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2023 INE census, the municipality has a population of 1,145 inhabitants, the majority of whom live in the town of Velilla itself.
The villageRead more
straddles either side of the Carrión river, a tributary of the Pisuerga and eventually the Duero. It is only 5 kilometres upstream from Guardo, the largest town in the region. Velilla's town centre is overlooked by two prominent mountains: Peña Lampa (1804m, which forms the provincial border between Palencia and León) and the Peña Mayor de Velilla (1869m) in the adjacent Sierra de Brezo.
The wider municipality comprises a geographically large and mountainous area of the far north of Palencia province, incorporating the isolated villages of Otero de Guardo, Alba de los Cardaños, Camporredondo de Alba, Cardaño de Abajo and Cardaño de Arriba. The main landmarks in the area are Espigüete (2450m), the most emblematic mountain in the area, and Pico Murcia (2431m) a nearby pyramid-shaped peak. The town of Velilla (along with Cervera de Pisuerga) is the starting point of the Ruta de los Pantanos or 'Reservoirs Route', a route which follows the P-210 through the Palentine mountains alongside the Compuerto and Camporredondo reservoirs (inaugurated in 1960 and 1930 respectively).
The Cantabri, a pre-Roman tribal federation who lived in northern Iberia in the second half of the first millennium BCE, were the area's first inhabitants and possibly constructed the town's famous Fontes Tamarici.
Although its original Cantabri name was Tamarica, the town was known as Velilla de Guardo until 1949, when it adopted its present name, which describes its position on the Carrión river.
Although for much of the 20th century its economy was largely dedicated to coal mining, the decline of this industry from the 1980s onwards has resulted in a sharp decline in Velilla's population, a decline characteristic of much of rural Spain. Velilla was home to the Velilla Power Plant owned by Iberdrola until its cooling towers were demolished in June 2020.
Nowadays, Velilla is in the process of reinventing itself as a minor centre of rural tourism, with an adventure sports centre, a visitor centre about the local trout population and most recently a children's attraction centred on Ratoncito Pérez.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Velilla del Río Carrión.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Velilla del Río Carrión?
Within an hour or so of Velilla del Río Carrión: Puerto de San Glorio (28 km), Fuente De Cable Car (36 km), Picos de Europa National Park (41 km), Desfiladero de los Beyos (N-625) (44 km).
Are there any good drives near Velilla del Río Carrión?
The nearest famous roads are Puerto de San Glorio, Desfiladero de los Beyos (N-625) and Desfiladero de la Hermida.
Where is Velilla del Río Carrión?
Velilla del Río Carrión is in Castille and León, Spain, about 4 km from Guardo.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,591
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Spain
- Region
- Castille and León
- Timezone
- Europe/Madrid
- Coordinates
- 42.8261, -4.8463
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Spain
Guardia Civil (traffic police): 062. Two warning triangles required in vehicles.
Full driving guide for SpainTags
Worth the detour from Velilla del Río Carrión
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
scenic viewpoint
Fuente De Cable Car
A vertiginous cable car rockets 750m up a sheer cliff into the heart of the Picos de Europa, opening onto a high alpine plateau of trails.
36 km · about 40 min drive
national park
Picos de Europa National Park
Spain's first national park, a jagged limestone massif of soaring peaks, deep gorges and emerald valleys straddling three regions.
41 km · about 45 min drive
famous road
Desfiladero de los Beyos (N-625)
The N-625 threads one of Europe's narrowest road gorges, squeezed between towering limestone walls along the Sella river on the western edge of the Picos de Europa.
44 km · about 50 min drive
famous road
Desfiladero de la Hermida
Spain's longest gorge carves a dramatic 21km road between towering limestone walls along the Deva river into the Picos.
48 km · about 55 min drive
natural wonder
Ruta del Cares
The 'Divine Gorge' trail clings to cliffs hundreds of metres above the Cares river, one of Spain's most spectacular and popular hikes.
48 km · about 55 min drive
famous road
Garganta del Cares Road (Poncebos)
The narrow road up to Poncebos through the Cares gorge, where the walls close to a slot and the Ruta del Cares path begins.
48 km · about 55 min drive
natural wonder
Lakes of Covadonga
Two ethereal glacial lakes set in a dramatic alpine amphitheater within the Picos de Europa, a sacred site in Spanish history.
51 km · about 60 min drive
Driving roads near Velilla del Río Carrión
- 28 kmPuerto de San GlorioA 1,609 m pass on the N-621 between Potes and Riaño, famed for the nearby Mirador de Llesba brown-bear monument and grandstand views of the Picos de Europa massifs.
- 36 kmFuente De Cable CarA vertiginous cable car rockets 750m up a sheer cliff into the heart of the Picos de Europa, opening onto a high alpine plateau of trails.
- 44 kmDesfiladero de los Beyos (N-625)The N-625 threads one of Europe's narrowest road gorges, squeezed between towering limestone walls along the Sella river on the western edge of the Picos de Europa.
- 48 kmDesfiladero de la HermidaSpain's longest gorge carves a dramatic 21km road between towering limestone walls along the Deva river into the Picos.
- 48 kmGarganta del Cares Road (Poncebos)The narrow road up to Poncebos through the Cares gorge, where the walls close to a slot and the Ruta del Cares path begins.
- 51 kmLagos de Covadonga RoadA steep, narrow climb from Covadonga to two glacial lakes at 1,100 m, restricted to shuttle buses at peak times.
Driving in Spain
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.55/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€4.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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