The best forests to see autumn in Cantabria are Peña Cabarga, the Saja-Besaya Natural Park (with the Saja beech forest and the Los Tojos trail), Alto Campoo and Liébana. Between mid-October and mid-November, beeches, oaks and chestnut trees turn these areas ochre, red and gold.
Summer says goodbye in Cantabria with the beaches still mild, but the interior has its own way of announcing the change of season. As soon as the beeches and oaks start to turn, the region's forests become one of the most sought-after autumn plans, and you don't need to stray far from the coast to find them.
Not all forests change the same way or at the same pace: altitude and orientation create weeks of difference between one area and another. We run through four genuine forest spots, with no traffic jams or crowds, ordered from closest to furthest from Bareyo, so you can choose based on how much time you have.
Peña Cabarga, the closest forest to Bareyo
A little over half an hour by car, the Peña Cabarga massif is the fastest option if you only have an afternoon. Its slopes combine oak groves, ash and maple trees that in autumn swap green for coppery tones, a contrast best appreciated on the route that climbs from Santiago de Cudeyo up to the viewpoint, with Santander bay in the background. It's not an isolated stretch of untouched nature — there are eucalyptus plantations in the lower areas — but the upper section keeps native woodland and one of the best views along the whole Cantabrian coast.
The Saja beech forest, on the way to Bárcena Mayor, at its autumn best
The Saja-Besaya Natural Park, the largest in Cantabria, holds the beech forest many consider the most beautiful in the region. The Los Tojos trail, which partly follows an old Roman road, crosses this beech forest before reaching Bárcena Mayor, one of the most charming villages inland. In autumn the ground disappears under a carpet of golden leaves, and the contrast between the village's stone and the forest's colour is, without exaggeration, among the most photographed in Cantabria. It's just over an hour's drive from Bareyo, and it's worth setting aside half a day.
Alto Campoo, when autumn climbs in altitude
If the plan is to see autumn from above, Alto Campoo offers a more mountainous version: mixed forests climbing the slopes of the Sierra del Cordel until giving way to high-mountain pastures. The colour change arrives here a few days later than in lower areas because of the altitude, making it a good option for stretching the season if you've already seen the Saja beech forest. The drive is almost two hours from the coast, so it's worth planning as a full day trip, with a stop in one of the Campoo villages. If you came up in September to see the deer rut in this same area, our guide to the deer rut in Cantabria is handy for planning a second visit now that the forest has changed colour.
Liébana, where autumn blends chestnut groves, beech forests and vineyards
Liébana is probably the Cantabrian district where autumn shows the most nuance: chestnut groves, beech forests and the last vines before the grape harvest coexist in the same landscape, with the Picos de Europa always in the background. The Braña de los Tejos trail, of medium difficulty, combines stretches of forest with a high-pasture setting that at this time of year takes on reddish tones rarely seen elsewhere in northern Spain. It's the furthest excursion from Bareyo, close to two hours away, but also the most complete if you want to see every shade of the Cantabrian autumn in one go.
What to know
The best window to see the colour change in Cantabria generally runs from mid-October to mid-November, though it varies with altitude: low-lying areas like Peña Cabarga change before Alto Campoo does. Wear trekking shoes with good grip, since wet leaves are slippery, and check the forecast before setting out, as these mountain routes close in with fog more easily than coastal ones. None of the routes mentioned requires a booking or has an entry cost, except for specific guided activities.
“In Cantabria, autumn doesn't arrive all at once: it climbs from the coast towards the mountains, forest by forest.”
Swapping the beach for the forest for an autumn weekend is, for many guests in the area, how they discover a Cantabria quite different from its summer self. We designed Bareyo Residences with exactly that in mind: a base by the sea from which to explore both the coast and the interior, in any season.
