These actions are part of the Singular Tourist Infrastructure Program in Natural Areas of the province of León, which proposes 30 projects, with a total investment of 24.7 million euros, co-financed by the Junta and the Diputación, which contributes 6 million euros, within the framework of the FEDER and Just Transition Programs. A 250-meter cable-stayed walkway over the Riaño reservoir and a 6-kilometer path to enjoy the Anciles Valley are planned, as well as a pier to connect the route with the ‘Leoneses Fiords’ boat. The objective of these infrastructures is to enhance the natural resources and nature tourism in the Riaño and Mampodre Regional Park.
July 7, 2025
Castilla y León |
Department of Environment, Housing, and Land Planning
The Patrimonio Natural Foundation has published on the State Procurement Platform the tender for the creation of tourist infrastructures associated with the Riaño reservoir, in the province of León, for an amount of 3,756,625.35 euros and a deadline of 18 months. The deadline for submitting proposals ends on August 8. This action is part of the protocol signed on October 21 between the Department of Environment, Housing, and Land Planning and the Diputación de León to promote nature tourism in the province.
The Riaño and Mampodre Mountain Regional Park, located in the northwest of the province of León, covers an area of 101,330 hectares and is one of the most outstanding mountainous enclaves in the Cantabrian Mountains, with a high botanical, zoological, geological, geomorphological, and landscape interest that attracts nature tourists from both national and international backgrounds every year.
About the actions
The planned actions will be carried out in the easternmost area of the reservoir and aim to offer visitors access to new areas of the Riaño and Mampodre Regional Park, providing nature tourists with a perfect place and route to contemplate its majesty, while maintaining the utmost respect for the values that are sought to be preserved and protected.
The proposed route, 6 kilometers long, aims to provide pedestrian access to the Anciles Valley and its surroundings, through a path that includes a nearly 250-meter-long suspension bridge, walkways attached to the limestone walls of the reservoir’s edge, a new viewpoint, and a floating pier.
In this way, and with the construction of the aforementioned walkway, new hiking and outdoor leisure routes will be opened, such as the ascent to Pico Yordas from its southern face or the possibility of combining it with the return by boat through the ‘Leoneses Fiords’.
The starting point of the route will be located at the existing parking lot at PK. 91+800 of the N-621 national road, approximately one kilometer from the town of Riaño.
The first part of the route will run from this point to the Osines viewpoint and will have a minimum width of 2.5 meters with a length of 3,230 meters.
The next action starts at the Osines viewpoint and goes to the new Anciles viewpoint in the Yedrales, with a distance of 1,450 meters. In this section, a 300-meter-long metallic suspension path between rocks, a 250-meter suspension bridge over the reservoir made of steel cables and anchored to a structure on the rocks at the starting and ending points, as well as an 85-meter metallic staircase, have been planned.
The new viewpoint will be located in the area known as Yedrales, at an altitude of 1,230 meters, an ideal place to observe the landscape and the peaks located to the south of the reservoir, such as the Gilbo.
The third part will connect the viewpoint with the new floating pier that is planned to be built, with a distance of 1,155 meters. This infrastructure, which will be anchored to a platform, will allow mooring and boarding maneuvers, both in high and low water seasons. It will be conditioned by protecting the banks with a breakwater and regenerating them. The pier will have an access walkway, a reception pontoon, and a mooring pontoon of 12 x 2.5 meters supported on polyethylene floats.
To facilitate the enjoyment of the Anciles Valley safely, different signs and information points will be installed to discover the peculiarities of the area.
About the Singular Tourist Infrastructure Program in Natural Areas
This program presents proposals and ideas to provide Protected Natural Areas of Castilla y León with new facilities for the development of nature-related activities, promoting their socio-economic development. Since 2017, when the program started, 123 actions have been carried out with an investment of 57,167,183 euros.
In the province of León, a total of 30 actions are planned with an investment of 24,694,045 euros, of which 18 million are part of the protocol signed between the Department of Environment, Housing, and Land Planning and the Provincial Council of León, which contributes 6 million euros. The proposals are being developed in the Eastern and Central Mountain, El Bierzo, Alto Sil, and Babia and Luna Valleys.