Palencia Natural Spaces
Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente Cobre
In the most remote and inaccesible border lands of the province
of Palencia, lies a spectacular, almost unknown, mountain range.
Its peaks and crests, sculpted into the hard tight mountain limestone,
rise over 2,500 metres and give form to a singular relief of fantastic
needles, impressive precipices, proud cliffs and deep valleys.
There are also many lakes of glacial origin in the area.
Two important rivers have their sources in these mountains, the
Carrión and the Pisuerga. The first of the two rises in
steep heart of the mountains and its source - the lake of Fuentes
Carrionas which gives its name to the whole county - is so isolated
that it is even possible to find the footprints of several pairs
of brown bears. The river Pisuerga rises from the Fuente del Cobre
- a gentler landscape, where beech and deciduous oak woods predominate.
Northern Palencia also contains one of the largest and most notable
collections of Romanesque art in the world.
Covalagua
In the Páramo de La Lora, between the provinces of Palencia
and Burgos, we find a spectacular geological region of karstic
origin, set in a landscape characterised by large hanging synclinals.
Some of the key features of this landscape include dolines, lapiaz,
uvalas, abysses, caves and river resurgences. This last group
includes the resurgence of Covalagua, which gives its name to
the whole natural space.
Especially notable are the amazing subterranean caverns of the
famous Cueva de los Franceses. Very near Covalagua are two notable
points of tourist and cultural interest: Aguilar de Campoo, with
its magnificent restored Cistercian monastery of Santa María
la Real, and the Cantabrian hill-fort of Monte Bernorio.
Las Tuerces
Las Tuerces form a peculiar landscape created by the active dissolving
of Upper Cretaceous limestone caused by Karstic erosion.
Situated in the Westernmost spurs of the Páramos de La
Lora, where the geography of the Cordillera Cantábrica
and the sediments of Cuenca del Duero come together, Las Tuerces
constitutes a real labyrinth of large and fantastically shaped
blocks.
Giant mushroom shapes, natural arches and bridges, closed gullies
and sheltered small caves give rise to a charming landscape which
invites a gentle stroll and calm contemplation.
Palencia guide