Peñacastillo

Peñacastillo is a locality in the municipality of Santander, situated on the southern hillside above the bay on the western exit from the city. The area is part of the urban suburban fabric of Santander, with residential development on the slopes above the bay giving way to more open terrain as the route moves westward.

The name, meaning rock castle, suggests the presence of a fortified position on the rocky hilltop terrain historically, though no significant castle structure survives. The locality functions today as a transitional urban area between the city centre and the first rural municipalities to the west.

For pilgrims on the Camino del Norte, Peñacastillo marks the beginning of the westward departure from Santander, the point at which the urban environment gives way to the first open terrain of the Cantabrian coast continuation.