Goldorak · CC BY-SA 4.0Mountain village
Velilla del Río Carrión (or simply Velilla) is a town and municipality located in Montaña Palentina of the province of Palencia, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2023 INE census, the municipality has a population of 1,145 inhabitants, the majority of whom live in the town of Velilla itself.
The village straddles either side of the Carrión river, a tributary of the Pisuerga and eventually the Duero. It is only 5 kilometres upstream from Guardo, the largest town in the region. Velilla's town centre is overlooked by two prominent mountains: Peña Lampa (1804m, which forms the provincial border between Palencia and León) and the Peña Mayor de Velilla (1869m) in the adjacent Sierra de Brezo.
The wider municipality comprises a geographically large and mountainous area of the far north of Palencia province, incorporating the isolated villages of Otero de Guardo, Alba de los Cardaños, Camporredondo de Alba, Cardaño de Abajo and Cardaño de Arriba. The main landmarks in the area are Espigüete (2450m), the most emblematic mountain in the area, and Pico Murcia (2431m) a nearby pyramid-shaped peak. The town of Velilla (along with Cervera de Pisuerga) is the starting point of the Ruta de los Pantanos or 'Reservoirs Route', a route which follows the P-210 through the Palentine mountains alongside the Compuerto and Camporredondo reservoirs (inaugurated in 1960 and 1930 respectively).
The Cantabri, a pre-Roman tribal federation who lived in northern Iberia in the second half of the first millennium BCE, were the area's first inhabitants and possibly constructed the town's famous Fontes Tamarici.
Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
The essentials for getting around Velilla del Río Carrión without surprises: how to get there, municipal facts and when it's most worth coming.
Coordinates: 42.8263° N, 4.8463° O
By bus: check the regional bus timetables, they change by season. If you come without a car, confirm the last service back before you leave.
We only list verified numbers. The town hall itself will give you the number of the clinic or the pharmacy.
There are no events in Velilla del Río Carrión's calendar yet, so any month works. Ask us about the local festivals: almost every village has one.
Spring
Thaw and green fields. Some mountain access can stay tricky until May.
Summer
Long days and cool nights. The best time for hikes.
Autumn
Forests at their best and far fewer people.
Winter
Serious winter at this altitude: snow likely and chains in the car. Check the state of the roads before heading up.
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