Liébana is a green bowl surrounded by mountains, a valley system in south-west Cantabria with the town of Potes at its centre and the limestone towers of the Picos de Europa rising to the north and west. On a hillside above Potes, among oak and chestnut woods, stands the monastery of Santo Toribio, one of the holy places of Christian Spain. It keeps the Lignum Crucis, said to be the largest surviving fragment of the True Cross, and for that reason it holds a jubilee year whenever the feast of Saint Toribio, the sixteenth of April, falls on a Sunday.
The monastery has a long history. In the eighth century a monk named Beatus lived here and wrote a commentary on the Book of Revelation, which was copied and illuminated in monasteries across Spain for centuries. The surviving Beatus manuscripts, with their vivid, strange images of apocalyptic beasts, are among the treasures of medieval art. Pilgrims come along the Camino Lebaniego from San Vicente de la Barquera, and the monastery church, simple and Gothic, is always open for visitors.
The road into Liébana is famous. From the coast, the N-621 follows the Deva river through the Desfiladero de la Hermida, a narrow gorge with walls hundreds of metres high, and then opens into the valley. From the south, the passes of San Glorio and Piedrasluengas cross the Cantabrian mountains with wonderful views and quiet roads. To the west, the road continues from Potes to Fuente Dé, where a cable car lifts you onto the high plateau of the Picos. Expect wet surfaces, cattle and slow traffic in summer, and snow on the passes in winter.
Potes, three kilometres away, is a small town with fuel, shops and plenty of restaurants. Its old centre, with stone houses and wooden balconies along the river, is charming, and the medieval Torre del Infantado dominates the main square. The local specialties are cocido lebaniego, a hearty chickpea stew, and orujo, a strong spirit distilled from grape pomace, which is celebrated in a festival each autumn. Do not drink it before riding; save it for the evening in Potes.