Spain Travel – Asturias:
Exploring Cangas de Onís and Covadonga
My last day in Oviedo,
the capital of Asturias, had arrived. After a nice
breakfast I checked out of the Barcelo Oviedo Cervantes
Hotel and started driving through the mountains
towards a village called Arriondas. On my schedule
for this rather drizzly and cool day was a canoe
run down the Sella River with an outdoor adventure
company called Frontera Verde. When I arrived there
before noon, Juan Feliz, the owner, informed me
that a big group had already left to go down the
river. The prospect of staying dry on this clammy
day seemed rather exciting, so Juan and I started
working on an alternate program for today.
Juan Feliz, my expert for the Picos de Europa region
Juan and his father started Frontera Verde together
in 1999 after Juan graduated from a business degree
in Oviedo. Asturias calls itself “Nature’s
Paradise”, and Juan strives to introduce travelers
from all over the world to the outdoor opportunities
in the Picos de Europa mountain region. Fronteraverde
offers canoe trips on the Sella River, hiking, caving,
canyoning, and multi-adventure programs that are
geared towards specific target groups, such as school
field trips, bachelor parties or corporate team
building events. He also connects travelers with
local lodging providers to give them the best deals
on accommodation.
My hotel for the next two nights: Hotel La Cepada
Since Juan has grown up in this area he has indepth
knowledge of local attractions and places to visit.
So we started to work on an alternate independent
sightseeing program for me and he suggested that
I explore the main town of Cangas de Onís,
the historic village of Covadonga and the nearby
mountain lakes Enol and Ercina which are jointly
called the Lagos de Covadonga.
View of Cangas de Onís, from the Hotel La
Cepada
I thanked Juan for his suggestions and started
my drive to Cangas de Onís where I checked
into my hotel for the next two days, the Hotel La
Cepada, which has a great hillside location. As
a small mountain town of about 6,700 people, Cangas
de Onís has huge historical significance
as the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias and was
established in 722 AD after the first major victory
by a Christian military following the Islamic conquest.
This watershed event started the Reconquista, the
Christian recapturing of Spain from the Moors.
Great terrace with a view at the Hotel La Cepada
Built in 2001, the Hotel La Cepada has a gorgeous
location above the village of Cangas and all the
hotel rooms have large picture windows that provide
gorgeous views over the town. Outside a huge terrace
with table service invites guests to sit down and
enjoy the superb vistas of Cangas de Onís
and the Sella River Valley. The reception area features
elegant sofas for guests to relax and a library
area.
José Manuel, the owner of Hotel La Cepada
Even on this grey and drizzly day the views from
my hotel room were phenomenal. My elegant room was
appointed with a king size bed, a practical desk
and working area, a mini-bar, satellite television,
music and free Internet access. This would be a
great base for the next couple of days to explore
the Picos de Europa mountain region.
My hotel was located on a hill, with a great view
over the town
I briefly met José Manuel, the owner and
general manager of La Cepada and asked him for some
advice on where to go for lunch in Cangas de Onís
and he recommended a wine bar called El Palco which
is run by his wife. So I drove down into the village,
parked the car and crossed the River Sella on a
wooden bridge. Cangas is a small mountain town that
is the regional tourism hub for people visiting
the Picos de Europa National Park.
View of the Sella River in the heart of Cangas de
Onís
Vinateria El Palco is right in the heart of Cangas
and serves a selection of more than 200 wines, typical
Spanish tapas featuring different cheeses and meats,
several varieties of toasts and succulent skewers
of meat and fish with ingredients from local production.
I chose a vegetable toast with gratinated goat cheese,
followed by fabada, the hearty Asturian bean stew.
Vinateria El Palco
After this delicious lunch I had to head back to
the hotel to grab my umbrella because it had started
to rain now. Now properly equipped for this weather,
I set off on this afternoon’s excursions.
My destination was the tiny village of Covadonga,
one of the most important pilgrimage destinations
in Asturias.
My delicous lunch at Vinateria El Palco
Covadonga played an important role as the site
of the Battle of Covadonga which the Iberian Christians
won over the occupying Moors in 722 AD. This event
started the Reconquest, a 770 year endeavour to
expel the Moors from Spain. The village is anchored
by the Lady of Covadonga, a shrine dedicated to
the Virgin Mary who was believed to have miraculously
aided the Christians in their fight against the
Moors. It is said that Don Pelayo, who led the Christian
forces, retreated to a cave in the remote mountains
of Asturias where a hermit had hidden away a statue
of the Virgin Mary. He prayed to the Virgin for
victory, and with Mary’s help Don Pelayo’s
troops were successful in vanquishing the Moorish
conquerors.
The impressive Basilica of Covadonga
A shrine was dedicated to this miracle but it was
destroyed by fire in 1777. The shrine was eventually
replaced by a huge Basilica that was consecrated
in 1901 after 24 years of construction. Built entirely
of pink limestone, this impressive church has become
the most important pilgrimage destination in Asturias.
The nearby Holy Cave holds the current statue of
Our Lady of Covadonga, which dates to the 16h century.
Embedded within the steep mountains, Covadonga is
a phenomenal site and I counted myself lucky to
visit during low season because this village definitely
teems with busloads of tourists during the busy
summer months.
Local souvenirs in Covadonga
The walk up a winding road from the car park was
pretty interesting in itself. I walked past a series
of souvenir stalls, which sell religious gift and
local mementos. Two large stone carved lions flank
the entrance to the walk up to the Holy Cave which
holds the tomb of Don Pelayo. The Museo of Covadonga
explains the history of this significant location
and the 4-star Gran Hotel Pelayo offers luxurious
accommodation right next to this sacred place. The
courtyard in front of the basilica houses the chapter
house, and a bronze statue of Don Pelayo.
Don Pelayo and his troops won a crucial battle against
the Moors
After leaving the most visited monument in Asturias,
I continued my drive up the mountains. The western
massif of the Picos de Europa was declared a National
Park in 1918, the first national park in Spain and
it was expanded in 1995 to include an even larger
part of this mountain range that spans the Spanish
provinces of Asturias, Cantabria and León.
Due to its unique fauna and flora, it is also a
designated UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This area is
unique because it represents the northern limit
of many Mediterranean animal species, and the southern
limit of many species native to northern Europe.
Indigenous species include the Cantabrian capercaille,
the Cantabrian brown bear, the Cantabrian chamois,
the grey partridge, the Iberian wolf, and various
birds of prey.
The imposing stone interior of the Basilica of Covadonga
I wanted to head to two glacial mountain lakes,
Lake Ercina and Lake Enol, but as I ascended the
mountain I was surrounded by thick fog and drizzle.
Even if I had made it to the top I would have absolutely
had no view, which was a big disappointment. The
vista from the Lagos de Covadonga is supposed to
be stunning, but it was not to be today. I did,
however, find out that the road I was driving on
is part of the famous Vuelta de España, the
Spanish equivalent of the Tour de France. The Lagos
de Covadonga section is the most important climb
of this professional bicycle race. With its length
of 12.6 kilometers and its 7.3% average incline,
it represents the most demanding section of the
entire race. One 800 meter section of this road
even features a 15% incline!
The Holy Cave of Covadonga - Santa Cueva
Frustrated by the weather, the lack of visibility
and chilled to the bone I made my way back to the
Hotel La Cepada to relax and warm up for a few hours
in my comfortable room. In the evening I decided
to stay in and explore the cuisine in the onsite
restaurant called El Cenador de los Canónigos.
Even the Prince of Asturias and his wife have enjoyed
a meal here at the Hotel La Cepada!
The restaurant at Hotel La Cepada
Elena, one of the hotel employees, gave me a brief
tour of the hotel and welcomed me warmly to the
restaurant. I asked for her recommendation and she
suggested that I try “merluza con patatas”,
a delicious grilled hake with fresh potatoes.
My dinner, with fresh local ingredients
For dessert I splurged on a millefeuille with hazelnut
ice cream and enjoyed the night-time view over Cangas
de Onís. Hoping that the weather would be
better tomorrow for my
activities in the Picos de Europa, I retreated
to my room and enjoyed a bit of Spanish television
before resting up for a busy day.
