The chozos, the paramo and the banks of the Ebro from Orbaneja del Castillo

Orbaneja del Castillo is situated on the banks of the Ebro, halfway between Santander and Burgos. At km 60.5 of the N-623, which links Santander to Burgos, lies the village of Escalada, where you’ll take the BU-643 towards Orbaneja del Castillo. After 6 km, park in the well-shaded car park 3 just before the entrance to the village.

(S/E) Walk to the village of Orbaneja along the paved verge of the road. After enjoying the views of the Orbaneja waterfall and the Pozas de la Turquesa, turn right at the waterfall and take the steps leading up to the village. At the top of the steps, turn left to reach the square where the resurgence flows. Look out for Calle La Cuesta on the right, a little further up; take this road after visiting the resurgence, the Cueva del Agua, and tasting the crystal-clear, ice-cold water.
Retrace your steps and follow Calle Cuesta northwards. After 300 metres, near the church, look out for a signpost showing various possible routes.

(1) Leave the street and head left up the path signposted ‘Sendero de los Chozos de Orbaneja’, marked with white and yellow markings. The path makes a hairpin bend then climbs above the village and the Cueva del Agua.
You’ll reach a windswept grassy plateau with a few holm oaks; this is the paramo, reminiscent of the high Andean altitudes. Then cross the village of Estilla, made up of chozos, which are stone shepherds’ huts.

(2) Continue straight on along the main track, leaving the signposted ‘Circuito de los Chozos’ route, which forms a large circular route before returning to Orbaneja.
You can shorten the walk to 5 or 6 km by taking this signposted path.

(3) Take the track on the left for about a hundred metres.

(4) Leave this track and head off-track due west into the páramo towards the valley floor of the Barranco de Valdelaguna. See photo labelled WP4
Look out for old cultivated areas bordered by low stone walls at the bottom of the valley. Descend into this small valley, following sections of animal tracks. Reach a junction with the Barranco de Vadecarril.

(5) Take the path opposite, which climbs uphill and is marked by cairns. Reach a Y-junction.

(6) Take the path on the left, following the cairns, and reach a Y-junction.

(7) Continue straight ahead, still following the cairns, until you reach a wider track.

(8) Turn right onto it and, immediately afterwards, at the top of the climb, you’ll come to a junction of tracks.

(9) Head downhill along the wide path on the left. The path joins a track.

(10) Carry on straight ahead and continue downhill until you reach a Y-junction.

(11) Keep to the right and stay on this track, ignoring the paths branching off to the right or left. You’ll reach the CA-275 road.

(12) Take care here: cross this busy road with caution. Cross the bridge over the Ebro straight ahead and head towards the village of Villaescusa de Ebro. Immediately after the bridge, turn left and follow the Ebro. This is the Camino Natural del Ebro,^GR®99, marked in red and white. Follow the signposting through the village. On leaving the village, the road turns into a farm track. At the end of the track, in the next bend, you’ll reach the car park at the Cascada del Tobazo.

(13) Continue straight ahead along the path. The path curves in a wide ‘S’ shape, following the bends of the River Ebro.

(14) Leave the^GR®99and head for the footbridge on your left.
Cross the Ebro, head back up onto the road and turn right at the side of the road. Pass the waterfall again and head for car park 3 at Orbaneja del Castillo (S/E).

This walk is classified as moderate as part of it is off-trail and requires the ability to navigate and find your way. The Visorando app or a route imported into your GPS will be useful.
The first third is in the sun; the rest is divided between a lovely climb through holm oaks and then through the beautiful beech forest along the banks of the Ebro.
There are a few water sources by the Ebro, but the water is not drinkable; there are no facilities for refuelling, though there is a picnic area at Villaeuscusa halfway along the route.
Swimming in the Ebro is not possible due to strong currents. Swimming is prohibited in the Orbaneja pools; in fact, the water is likely to be around 12°C even in the middle of August. However, we did see people coming down from the Cascada del Tobazo in swimwear, so swimming there may be possible, though this has not been verified.
Food and drink are available in Orbaneja, but there are few restaurants for the large number of visitors.
Standard kit for a seasoned hiker, bearing in mind there is some off-trail walking.
The Chozos circular route is popular; as soon as you leave it at the (2), you’ll be on your own.
A recap of this hike
Note: the OpenStreetMap hiking map corresponds more closely to reality than the Topo map, which confuses tracks with footpaths.

(S/E) Orbaneja del Castillo: a small village with barely 50 inhabitants, one of the most beautiful villages in the province of Burgos. At no point can visitors escape the sound of the waterfall that rises right in the centre of the village. Its crystal-clear waters gush from the base through the Cueva del Agua, a cave that opens out into the rocky cirque overlooking the village. This cave, which forms part of the Orbaneja karst complex, is the natural outlet for groundwater from the vast aquifer beneath the Bricia plateau.
The hamlet is spread out along the valley slope in a sort of rocky amphitheatre. At the highest point stands the church, an ideal spot from which to admire the valley. A village where Mozarabs, Jews and Christians lived side by side, giving it a rich cultural heritage. It enjoyed its period of greatest splendour in the 12th and 13th centuries, when the Way of St James passed through this valley and pilgrims stopped at its convent and renowned hospital.
The village is well worth a visit.
Note: don’t go looking for the castle – the village lost its fortress several centuries ago, but not its name!
(2) The chozos: if they were made of straw and mud, they would resemble the ancestral circle of an African tribe lost in some remote corner of God knows where. But there they are, on the edge of a treeless moor where the winter wind carries gusts of cold so intense that your blood turns the colour of morzilla and hot coffee becomes an obsession. There, on the edge of a marvellous, vast moor, blessed with pastures and splendid views of the jagged cliffs carved out by the Ebro: a cluster of stone shepherds’ huts, where patience and wisdom can withstand the annual storms.
(S/E) Risco los Camellos: this rock formation opposite Orbaneja is spectacular, formed by a very tight bend in the Ebro which has caused this highly photogenic erosion.