Spain Travel – Asturias:
Exploring the Picos de Europa
My day began with a nice breakfast overlooking
the town of Cangas de Onís, a pretty town
of about 6700 people that is embedded in the Picos
de Europa region in the northern Spanish province
of Asturias. I was staying at the Hotel La Cepada
whose elevated location on a hillside provides amazing
views over the town below. The weather had cleared
up since yesterday
and fortunately the rain had stopped.
A great view from the Hotel La Cepada
Just after 9 am my local expert guide, Juan Feliz,
came to pick me up. Juan runs a local outdoor adventure
company called www.fronteraverde.com which offers
all sorts of activities, from canoeing and canyoning
on the Sella River, to hiking, trekking and caving.
Recommended by Turismo Asturias, he was the perfect
guy to introduce me to the Picos de Europa, the
limestone mountain chain that runs along northern
Spain.
Juan Feliz, my adventure guide for today, on the
Roman Bridge of Cangas de Onís
We began with a walk through the town of Cangas
de Onís, which was the capital of the Kingdom
of Asturias until 774 AD. In nearby Covadonga, Christian
forces under Don Pelayo won a critical battle over
the Moors, which triggered the start of the Reconquista,
the Christian reconquest of Spain from its Muslim
invaders. Our first major sight as we walked into
town was the “Puente Romano”, the Roman
bridge over the Sella River, which actually was
built during medieval times. The bridge is a rather
unusual structure, with its large arch that culminates
in a triangular peaked walkway, and four smaller
arches. A Christian cross is suspended from the
highest point of the arch of this designated Historic
Artistic Monument.
The Roman Bridge in Cangas de Onís
During our stroll into town Juan told me a bit
more about himself. His entire family is from this
area, but Juan, given his adventurous spirit, has
lived in Madrid, Oviedo, France, Germany and even
Pensacola, Florida. After completing a university
degree and all his international travels, he moved
back to Arriondas where together with his father,
he decided to open an outdoor adventure company
in 1999. Today about 70% of his clientele comes
from different parts of Spain while about 30% come
from other parts of Europe, the United States and
Canada. He added that North Americans have been
coming here for a long time.
The parish church of Cangas de Onís
We had now reached the main square of Cangas which
is anchored by an attractive church and a big statue
of Don Pelayo, the local hero who defeated the Moors.
On the main street we walked by a miniature model
of the Picos de Europa mountain chain and Juan explained
all the different peaks and valleys to me. In some
of the gorges there is an altitude difference of
2000 metres between the river and the mountain.
The Picos de Europa are definitely a magical destination
for any outdoor enthusiasts.
Don Pelayo stands guard on the main square of Cangas
de Onís
Juan also took advantage of our walk to introduce
me to some of the gastronomic specialties of Asturias.
We walked into an attractive store called “La
Barata” that carries a variety of typical
Asturian food items. Since its inception in 1934,
La Barata has been one of the most popular specialty
grocery stores in Cangas.
An antique cash register at La Barata
The store carries a variety of local beans (a key
ingredient in the famous Asturian bean stew called
“fabada”), a wide range of Asturian
cheeses, different varieties of cider (the regional
drink of Asturias), sausages as well as a selection
of local cookies, candy, honeys, jams, spices and
condiments. All the local Asturian delicacies are
on offer here at La Barata.
Lots of different Asturian cheeses are available
at La Barata
After our explorations in Cangas Juan and I drove
up into the mountains where we parked the vehicle
and walked for about 20 minutes on a forested pathway
to the La Molina River. This is the starting point
for the canyoning experiences that Fronteraverde
offers. I have never gone canyoning, so I did not
have a clear idea of what’s involved here.
But it basically entails rappelling down to the
river and from that point forward could involve
swimming, walking, scrambling and climbing through
the narrow, rocky river valley. A wet suit is a
necessity for this activity.
Juan takes me on a hike to the La Molina River
Today we opted for a softer type of adventure as
we hiked back up from the river which gave me a
chance to find out more about Juan Feliz. During
the downtime in his business in the winter, he actually
loves to travel himself and has been to the Philippines,
and more recently to Mozambique where he worked
on an ecological resort. This winter he went to
Andalusia in southern Spain which offers much warmer
temperatures than the north of the country. Juan
is an adventurer through and through!
Great nature experiences await in the Picos de Europa
The sun was coming out nicely now as we drove on
the narrow country roads of the Asturian mountains.
We stopped in a pretty village called Asiegu which
is a typical Asturian mountain village. Juan explained
that in the Picos de Europa most of the villages
are located on the southern slopes of the mountains
because the north-facing slopes receive very little
sunlight during the day.
The mountain village of Asiegu
We walked on narrow streets past a number of stone
houses before we arrived at our destination: a cider
house that was founded by brothers Manuel and Javier
Niembro to introduce visitors to the typical gastronomy
in an Asturian mountain village. The brothers wanted
to preserve the cultural and culinary heritage of
their region and now they make this experience available
to travellers from all over.
Manuel Niembro introduces me to Asturian mountain
cuisine and cider
Their company is called “Ruta’l Quesu
y la Sidra” (the "Cheese and Cider Route"
in the local Asturian dialect) and it provides a
two hour tour of the village and well as a sit-down
meal. Visitors get to see a cheese factory where
the local cabrales goat cheese is made. A visit
to a cave where the cheese matures is included as
well. They also learn about rural life and agricultural
traditions in Asturias before they get to sit down
and sample some typical Asturian delicacies. The
menu includes cabrales cheese, corn cakes, bean
paste, a cod omelette, boiled eggs, homemade croquettes,
Asturian chorizo sausage, and a pecan pie for dessert.
All this is accompanied by cider from Manuel and
Javier’s own production.
Manuel and Javier's grandmother Guillermina acted
as the inspiration behind their venture
Inside an Asturian farm house with a wooden ceiling
and a stone roof, we first saw a video that introduced
us to the details of cider production. Then Manuel
showed us the ceiling-mounted spigots that bring
in the cider from holding tanks in the next room.
The spigots are mounted on the ceiling because in
Asturias cider is always poured from above the head.
If there is no overhead spigot, people raise the
bottle high above their head and pour the cider
in a long stream down into the waiting glass. This
unusual method of pouring is intended to aerate
the cider.
The two ladies from Asturian television and me (middle)
Then - what a big surprise - Asturian television
showed up to film me while I was interviewing Manuel.
The arrival of a Toronto-based travel journalist
was apparently big enough news to draw out the local
television crew. This was a first for me, getting
filmed while I was interviewing Manuel! The two
young ladies from Asturian television were very
nice and they were planning to accompany us to our
next destination.
The Cares River Gorge
Juan packed me in his car and we drove down the
mountain into the Cares River Valley. This valley
cuts deeply into the surrounding mountains, and
the Cares River Gorge is one of the most popular
hiking routes in the Picos de Europa. The road is
also a popular drive for motorists who love scenic
mountain routes. In truly awe-inspiring fashion,
the walls of the mountains ascend almost vertically
from the river bed.
Mountain views in Camarmeña
After turning off the main road and ascending through
a number of switchbacks, we stopped in Camarmeña,
a picturesque high-altitude mountain village that
features a gorgeous view towards the Naranjo de
Bulnes, one of the highest mountains in the Picos
de Europa mountain massif. Although the weather
was a little overcast, we enjoyed the awe-inspiring
mountain panorama. Asturian television was still
filming me as I took my photos of this unique location
while mountain goats were munching away on grass
completely undisturbed by all the commotion.
Another interview with Asturian Television, this
time in Camarmeña
It was now late afternoon and my stomach was definitely
growling. After we finished our shots with Televisión
Asturias, we drove down the mountains into a village
called Arenas where we stopped for a very late lunch
in a rustic local restaurant. Juan ordered liver
soup and pork with cabrales sauce while I requested
"pote", a local Asturian stew with beans,
kale and potatoes. Our hearty dishes certainly hit
the spot before we drove back to Cangas de Onís.
Pote, my Asturian bean stew
From here we made one more attempt to visit the
glacial lakes Enol and Ercina, high above the pilgrimage
village of Covadonga. But as yesterday, the fog
had rolled in and the weather was getting worse
by the second. Soon the mountains were completely
enshrouded in a thick grey soup and there was no
way I was going to see the beautiful Lakes of Covadonga
or the impressive mountain panorama surrounding
them. With my packed schedule in Asturias, there
was no chance of me seeing these gorgeous mountain
lakes this time; reason enough for me to travel
back to Asturias some time the future…
Lookout point above Covadonga in the Picos de Europa
So we drove down the mountain again and Juan dropped
me off at my comfortable home for the night, the
Hotel La Cepada, where I enjoyed a nice warm night
inside, looking out the large picture windows at
the lit-up town of Cangas in the rain. Hopefully
tomorrow the weather was going to be better for
my explorations
of the coastline of Asturias.