Pancorbo

If you'd ask me, our visit to Pancorbo in the summer of 2025, is what this photo project is about. Without Kurt Hielscher's travel books as my travelguide, for sure, I would never have come here. 

Pancorbo is a beautifully situated and authentic little village with only 451 inhabitants (as of January 1st 2016). Pancorbo is known as the gateway from the green north to the dry central Spain. It truly feels that way when you drive up from Miranda de Ebro, when the road narrows and jagged rock formations surround you, and then suddenly, on the other side, you're greeted with a broader and wider view and Pancorbo alongside the main road. Crossed by a railway and grazed by this main road, it has lost a bit of its original charm, but still, it's easy to look past that and simply enjoy the village. 

Kurt Hielscher must have been captivated by the village and its location too, as he included three photos of it in his photo book about Spain from over 100 years ago. Here's the first one. It took a bit of searching, but with the pointed mountain as a guide, it was not that hard to find, but also not that easy to see this is the right place, since from the house in the front only the foundations remain.

A little wider view and me working on it with Kurt Hielscher's book next to me as an example to be able to find the right angle.

Several hiking trails start from here, and I took a short walk uphill with my two sons, rewarded with stunning views on the village from the Castillo de Santa Marta.

View from the remnants of the Castillo de Santa Marta.

Photos made by Kim from near the campervan. You can see me and the boys waving at here from up the Castillo de Santa Marta.

Camoing for free with the van is possible in Pancorbo, but only with a handful, so we were lucky to find a nice place to spend the night and be able to enjoy Pancorbo for a while.

Below: View on the surrounding rock formations of Pancorbo.