Bárcena is about 22 km north of the Camino de Santiago. It is located on the right bank of the Valdavia River. It limits to the north with Villanuño de Valdavia, to the east with Santa Cruz del Monte, to the south with Villavega, and to the west with Itero Seco. A town with a marked Jacobean character since at the foot of the Alto de la Esperina the Besaya route, coming from Suances, meets the Camino Real de la Valdavia route that linked San Vicente de la Barquera with Carrión de los Condes.[3]
