San Roque Del Acebal combines a clearly defined circular route with traces of its pilgrimage history. The Senda del Valle Invisible is twelve kilometres long and passes through the village along the Camino de Santiago. There is also a wooded area with holly trees, mill ruins and a parish church with distinctive architectural features. This lets you plan your stay around a range of interests: hiking, historical connections to the route, or the village’s architectural and landscape features.
The Senda del Valle Invisible
The circular route is twelve kilometres long and starts and ends at the San Roque Del Acebal petrol station. The starting point is also the destination, so you can plan the walk as a closed loop. The Senda features carvings in wood and stone. The route also passes the upper entrance to Cueva de Collubina, where there is another carving. The cave entrance is therefore a specific waypoint on the walk, while the carvings made from different materials add a cultural dimension to the Senda.
Nature in San Roque Del Acebal
Las Santacinas is a wooded area with numerous naturally occurring holly trees. The Senda del Valle Invisible offers another connection with nature: it follows the Riega del Toyu to a waterfall. This brings together two distinct natural features: a woodland with characteristic vegetation and a watercourse with a waterfall. If you would like to focus your outing on particular landscape features, you can take these details into account when planning.
Traces of work and pilgrimage practices
The remains of as many as seven mills can be found along the Riega de los Molinos. The Senda also leads to the ruins of the MalaterÃa de San Lázaro. Another connection with the history of pilgrimage is the Humilladero, also known as the Capilla de las Ãnimas: it was a place where pilgrims left alms for the sick. The mill ruins, the remains of the MalaterÃa and this former pilgrimage practice offer different points of reference for exploring the village’s cultural history.
Parish church and the Camino de Santiago
The parish church, Iglesia parroquial de San Roque Del Acebal, has three naves and a single apse. The three naves divide the church interior into longitudinal sections; the apse is another feature of its layout. The stone bell gable has three openings, topped by a cross. This allows you to consider the features of the church interior and the bell gable separately: one describes the layout of the interior, while the other is a detail of the building’s exterior.
Two details are also useful for planning around the Camino de Santiago. The Senda del Valle Invisible passes through San Roque Del Acebal along the Camino. On Stage 2, from Vidiago to Poo, the route passes through the village along the N-634 to El Cornellar, then returns to the traditional route towards La Jorcada. The circular-route description gives the distance and the start and finish at the petrol station; the stage description, by contrast, outlines the route sequence between Vidiago, Poo, El Cornellar and La Jorcada. You can use each description according to whether you are interested in the circular route or the course of the Camino stage.
Getting there
San Roque Del Acebal is about four kilometres from Llanes. By car, take the N-634 towards Santander. Check road conditions before setting off.
Discover more destinations: Los Callejos, Debodes, Pendueles, Piñeres, Vidiago, Porrúa, Poo, Pancar
For the overview of the wider area: Llanes.
