In addition to its privileged location 28 kilometres from Santander and 10 from Torrelavega, Castañeda is very close to the main tourist spots in the area (Cabarceno Nature Park, the Viesgo Bridge, Santillana with its Altamira Caves and the beaches of Suances and Mogro); it also has an important history of its own, which reached its high point during the Middle Ages with the construction of the Santa Cruz Collegiate, one of the most important Romanic monuments in the region.
This location, which enjoys a huge native chestnut and oak forest area, was also an access to Santiago de Compostela as an alternative to the Jacobean route on the Cantabrian coast.
The Church of Santa Cruz, one of the most important Romanic churches in Cantabria, was created as a monastery during the first centuries of the Reconquista, becoming a collegiate at the end of the 12th century, when the existing building was constructed. In the Middle Ages the monastery was close to the crossroads between the road parallel to the coast and the one linking the Meseta with the Escudo mountain pass; this fact turned it into a wealthy enclave.
Africa, America, Asia and Australia extend all the way to Cantabria. A forest of rocks, minerals and wild animals hides one of Nature’s treasures. The Cabarceno Natural Park is a fantastic animal paradise that shelters hundreds of animals, representing practically all animal communities of the world that are allowed to roam almost freely in their surroundings.
When you visit this natural reserve you will be able to observe, unlike anywhere in Europe, tigers, bears, lions, jaguars, giraffes, buffalo… that live and breed in a thousand-year old habitat that has now been recovered.
The Pasiegos Valleys, Santander, Santillana de Mar and many other Cantabrian tourist attractions can be found within a few kilometres from the “Venta de Castañeda”.
The “Venta de Castañeda” Restaurant is a member of the Cantabria “Infinita” Quality Club.
