Around Lavín, information about the Collados del Asón Nature Park can be considered alongside a variety of routes. The Interpretation Centre brings together visitor information and exhibition topics; routes lead to the village, to the Río Gándara and along the Monte la Vega circular hike. For planning, it is especially helpful to distinguish between a descent to Lavín and a circular route.
The Nature Park Centre and its topics
The Collados del Asón Nature Park Interpretation Centre is located in Barrio Lavín in La Gándara de Soba, beside the Monte Lavín recreational area. It offers visitor information, as well as guided and self-guided visits. An audiovisual presentation lasts about 20 minutes; the exhibition covers Quaternary glaciation and the underground world.
Information panels also present the geomorphology, vegetation and fauna, as well as rural life in the Valle de Soba. Geomorphology describes the shapes of the landscape; vegetation and fauna draw attention to plant and animal life. This brings together the valley’s geological, natural-history and cultural topics. Anyone interested in different ways of exploring a landscape will find both nature topics and the human perspective on the valley here.
Nature Park, forest and river
The Collados del Asón Nature Park is a protected natural area in Cantabria. Its 4,020 hectares lie entirely within the municipality of Soba. This area refers to the Nature Park as a whole and places Lavín in the wider municipal context.
At Monte Lavín in La Gándara, the Cagigal woodland has been preserved and restored as a place for recreation. A path along the Río Gándara offers views of several large river basins. Routes along the river and through woodland are also among the options described: after crossing Lavín, one route crosses the Río Gándara on an iron bridge and continues into a wooded area.
From the descent to the circular hike
The “Recorriendo el Valle de Soba” route descends about 1.5 km from the Interpretation Centre to the village of Lavín. The description thus specifies a route downhill from the centre to the village. It is easy to distinguish from a circular hike when you want to choose first by route type and destination.
Monte la Vega is a 10 km circular hiking route with 200 m of elevation gain and a moderate difficulty level. The route reaches Lavín after passing through a small stand of Cantabrian holm oaks (Quercus ilex). It also follows the Río Gándara along old paths, trails and tracks that connected villages in the Valle de Soba. This offers a choice between a descent of about 1.5 km to the village and a 10 km circular route with a specified elevation gain and moderate difficulty level.
A regional cultural reference
The tradition of Marzas is also part of the Valle de Soba: men of all ages and children continue to sing them, keeping the traditional celebration alive. This regional perspective complements the Interpretation Centre’s nature topics with a cultural tradition from the valley.
Discover more destinations: Miengo, Santoña, La Lomba, Valcaba, Bárcena de Ebro, Santiurde De Toranzo, Castanedo, Secadura.
For the main travel overview: Cantabria.
