Boó de Piélagos

How long to stay?

An afternoon is enough. Boó is not a place for sightseeing but for a short stage. If you leave Santander only at midday, or don't want to walk the 37.8 kilometres to Santillana del Mar in one day, you arrive here early, do your washing, eat and sleep. Next morning 24.3 kilometres remain to Santillana.

Boó de Piélagos in Ninja numbers

• 13.5 kilometres from Santander to here, with 192 metres of ascent.
• 549.5 kilometres still to go to Santiago.
• 12 metres above sea level is the village point, just before the mouth of the Pas.
• 24.3 kilometres is the stretch from here to Santillana del Mar, with 490 metres of ascent and 413 metres of descent.

Arriving: at the edge of the ría

After Santander the way runs through the suburbs of Peñacastillo, Santa Cruz de Bezana and Mompía, then past fields down to Boó. The village belongs to the municipality of Piélagos and lies on the east bank of the Ría de Mogro, as the mouth of the Pas is called here. Church and station stand close together, with the hostel right next to them.

In brief: a village on the ría

Boó is a village that lives from the ría and from being close to Santander. For pilgrims it has for years been one thing above all: the place to stop before the long loop around the ría. The only crossing of the water here is the railway bridge, and you are not allowed to use it on foot.

Honestly

• Little to see. Boó is a residential village without notable sights; if you are after culture, you will find it in Santillana del Mar.
• No cash machine, no pharmacy. Bring cash and medicines from Santander.
• The hostel is off the route. According to a hostel portal it stands about 700 metres from the Camino, next to the church and the station.
• Lots of asphalt the next day. The way around the ría via Arce and Oruña runs for a long stretch on roads.

Where pilgrims sleep

There is no public pilgrim hostel in Boó. The Albergue Piedad is private; according to a hostel portal it has 18 beds in three dormitories and four rooms, costs €17 in the dormitory including bedding and takes reservations (as of August 2026). It is open almost all year, except the second half of February; call ahead out of season. There are also a few rooms in posadas and small hotels.

Ninja tips

• Not over the railway bridge. The only crossing of the ría to Mogro is the railway bridge; crossing it on foot is forbidden and dangerous. Pilgrims report that many take the train from Boó to Mogro for the short hop; the ride takes about two minutes.
• If you want to walk, go around. The Camino Ninja map takes you on foot via Arce and Oruña de Piélagos around the ría, the longer but continuous route.
• Shopping is possible. There is a shop, a butcher, a bakery and a bar in the village.

Practical tips for pilgrims

• Cash: No cash machine in the village.
• Health: A health centre is open on weekday mornings; there is no pharmacy.
• Train: Boó has a station on the local line, which also takes you back to Santander.

Onward: around the ría to Santillana del Mar

According to the Camino Ninja map the way leads from Boó via the Urbanización Ría del Pas, Arce and Oruña de Piélagos around the river mouth, then via Mar, Requejada, Barreda and Viveda to Santillana del Mar: 24.3 kilometres with 490 metres of ascent. The day's highest point, 122 metres, lies just before Santillana.

What awaits you tomorrow

Santillana del Mar, one of the best-known villages in Cantabria: cobbled lanes, noble houses and a Romanesque collegiate church that gave the town its name. The cave of Altamira lies close by.

Deep dive: On the banks of the Pas

A short read, in case you want to learn more about Boó de Piélagos. About two minutes' reading.

A halt before the water

Not every place on the way needs a great story. Boó is one of the places that live from the Camino because the landscape makes it so. The Pas, which rises in the mountains of Cantabria, flows into the sea here through a wide ría. If you walk west along the coast, you have to get across somehow, and the only bridge far and wide belongs to the railway.

Two ways across the ría

So this is where pilgrims divide. Some take the train for the one stop to Mogro and spare themselves a long detour. Others walk around on foot, via Arce and Oruña, on roads and tracks, until they meet the Camino again on the other bank. Both are legitimate, but only one of them is in the Camino Ninja map: the way on foot.

What Boó gives you

An evening in Boó shows you that the Camino del Norte is not made only of highlights. Between Santander and Santillana there are suburbs, fields, rails and a ría. Sleeping here is a small decision for a calmer day. Next morning Santillana del Mar is waiting for you.