The Camino Lebaniego is a short route with a big purpose. You walk from the coast up into the mountains, to the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana. There, the Lignum Crucis is venerated, the largest surviving piece of the cross of Christ. Santo Toribio even has its own holy year. Very few places do.
You start by the sea, in San Vicente de la Barquera. Then you head inland, through the Nansa valley and later through the Liébana region, at the foot of the Picos de Europa. The landscape gets higher, quieter and wilder. On the second day the route shows its teeth: more than 400 metres of climbing within a few kilometres. It’s a short route, but your legs will know what they’ve done by the end.
The best time to go is July to October. In the months before and after, it’s cool and often rainy. The path in the mountains becomes slippery and you see little of the peaks. It doesn’t have to end at Santo Toribio. If you’re not ready to stop, you can continue along the Camino Vadiniense to the Camino Francés.