Top 10 things to see and do in Los Oscos

There is a place like a fairy tale, which could well be the home of the xanas and the goblins, and also of the nuberu and the busgosu, and of all the mythological beings you can imagine. A place made up of quiet villages, and gentle mountains, bits of forest and small rivers and waterfalls. A place where the green of the Asturian nature blends with the black of the slate of its naked architectures, and where fire and iron have found the home of their dreams. This place is called Los Oscos, and among many other distinctions and awards it has been named Exemplary Town of Asturias 2016.

Los Oscos are three in one: Santa Eulalia, San Martín and Villanueva, and all three municipalities bear the surname De Oscos, and they wear it with pride. Three peaceful places where, in addition to the serene beauty of the landscape, the sweet hospitality of its inhabitants, always ready to make their home your home... Pure western Asturias!

They are also part of the Oscos-Eo Biosphere Reserve, which is the only one of the 7 Biosphere Reserves in Asturias that overlooks the coast, allowing you to enjoy a stay in the mountains, with the advantage of having fantastic beaches just half an hour's drive away.

There are many things to see and do in Los Oscos. Here are 10 suggestions that we hope will not fall on deaf ears...

The Oscos are a world of blacksmiths or "ferreiros". A world where hydraulic devices, which used raw materials such as water, fire and iron, have marked a whole life and a whole era.

A living testimony to this reality is the village of Mazonovo , a remote and cosy village located in the municipality of Santa Eulalia de Oscos, where one of the oldest ironworks in Asturias is preserved, dating from the early 18th century.

This forge can be visited and is well worth a visit, with its enormous water wheel and its banzao (water tank). Furthermore, the descent along the path is of singular beauty, as we can contemplate the village of Mazonovo bathed by the river Agüeira.

Another example of artistic nature that confirms this tradition are the iron sculptures , made by different "ferreiros" in the National Encounters organised by the Iron Council, which are scattered throughout Santalla , the capital of the council.

The sculptures represent motifs as varied as a biker cow, a "ferreiro" at work, a giant nail and a bust of the Marquis of Sargadelos. And the truth is that they are of a memorable technical virtuosity, and it is worth a stroll through Santalla to contemplate them in situ at leisure. You can consult timetables and guided tours on their website.

The people of Huesca, by which the natives of Los Oscos are known, are generally friendly and hospitable people, with a humble attitude. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they are used to building worlds with their own hands...

And the fact is that in this territory of western Asturias, there is a great tradition of craftsmanship, which has been kept alive until the present day, and which has even experienced an upturn in recent times.

Weaving and knives are two of the crafts that you will find in Los Oscos.

When you meet Irene, the first thing you will exclaim is "What a loom", because this artisan is determined to recover the spirit of the loom tradition using natural materials such as wool, silk, cotton or linen. She has a very old loom and a not so old loom, and it is on the latter that she makes the most avant-garde and modern garments such as shirts, shawls and scarves. For Irene, tradition blends perfectly with modernity.

Three quarters of the same thing happens with knives. A craftsman called Jorge Toquero shapes these precious tools with techniques learned in Japan - they are Hyttoko knives -, thus combining the Asturian tradition with the Japanese one, and turning his knives into a unique craft product in Spain.

The craftsmanship of Los Oscos wisely combines all the ancient knowledge with current techniques and styles, and that makes it very special, and above all different from what you can find in other places.

Los Oscos is one of those places to travel to the past with total serenity and naturalness. Everything there seems to be looking after the traditions and life of yesteryear.

An excellent example of houses that speak of the past is the Casa del Marqués de Sargadelos, where you will learn, among other things, what a "polavila" is. Here you will learn, among other things, what a "polavila" (gathering of neighbours) is, around an old "lareira" (traditional local cuisine). And step by step, room by room, you will discover the life of the time, and that of the Marquis himself, Antonio Raimundo Ibáñez, who was born in 1749 in Santalla, and who developed an intense work as a merchant, industrialist and enlightened man, creating the still famous Sargadelos pottery at the end of the 18th century.

In addition, in the Museum of the Marquis of Sargadelos there are guided tours and cultural activities, as well as artisan workshops and interpretation of rural heritage for children and adults. It is located in Santalla.

Another example of this permanent homage to the past is the Casa del Marco. Museo de la Casa Campesina, in the village of Villarquille (San Martín de Oscos), where you can learn about what rural life was like in previous centuries: the loom, carpentry, bread ovens, etc. In short, all the essential activities of rural life. It is possible to visit this space free of charge by prior reservation, which can be made by calling 615 37 57 57 01, or by emailing turismo@sanmartindeoscos.es.

When you visit Santa Eufemia, in Villanueva de Oscos, you will realise the vital importance of bread in our lives, and that in this village you will find museum bread in the broadest sense of the term.

In the Ecomuseum of Bread you will learn in an easy and very didactic way the whole process of making this food with so much history, from the sowing of the cereal to the baking, the harvesting, the milling - which can be seen in an old 19th century mill - and the kneading.

The Ecomuseum is really a model of thematic organisation. It consists of three rooms and in each of them everything is very well displayed. The room entitled "From the land to the threshing floor" deals with sowing and harvesting; the room called "From the threshing floor to the granary" talks about the mallegas and grain storage, and in the third room called "From the granary to the table" you will learn about milling, preparation and consumption.

In short, you will take a journey through the world of bread, which leaves no one indifferent, neither adults nor children, who usually have a great time, and also in a more than pleasant human and scenic environment.

The Oscos have a wonderful river beach in the village of Ferreira, in Santa Eulalia de Oscos. That's right. And that will be one of your great discoveries in the area.

Ferreira is an elongated, secluded and quiet village, displaying the best and most traditional western architecture. It is set against a gentle mountainside, where the river Agüeira flows in the form of a natural pool, creating a dreamlike landscape, perfect for a quiet swim or for any kind of river water activity.

As if that were not enough, the space is completed with a recreational area and a children's playground. So Ferreira will be an obligatory stop on your agenda in Huesca, to enjoy a river baptism or simply to relax while contemplating the landscape.

Los Oscos is not only a nature destination. If you are an architecture lover, you must visit the Mon Palace in San Martín de Oscos.

Dating from the late 17th and early 18th centuries, it preserves all the grandeur and charm of Baroque palatial civil architecture.

Its main façade is particularly striking because it boasts two impressive coats of arms. These two works of art are in a magnificent state of preservation and tell a lot of history about the people who lived on the noble plot of land before you.

The Mon Palace, with its irregular floor plan around a central courtyard and its slate roof, symbolises like no other the stately past in the rural environment of western Asturias.

What's more, this palace is the starting point for one of the most beautiful and popular hiking routes in Los Oscos: the Mon Route.

It offers guided tours. To do so, it is necessary to book in advance, either by calling 615 375 701, or by emailing turismo@sanmartindeoscos.es.

Obviously, in a place as evocative and magical as Los Oscos, a monastery could not be missing....

So when you arrive at Villanueva de Oscos, the first thing that greets you is its Monastery of Santa María, very well preserved, given that it has been recently restored, and in which, among other curiosities, a sewage system from the 17th century has been discovered.

The monastery, with its imposing presence, adds a touch of mystery and legend to Villanueva, something that is always welcome in territory so conducive to fantasy.

Dating back to the 12th century, it has seen Cistercians and Benedictines pass through its walls, it has seen thousands of prayers and rituals and it has seen so much monastic and worldly life!

Now, you can contemplate all those centuries of history, going inside and outside the monastery, as it is a monument that can be visited.

Oscos is also a very active and enjoyable destination, where you can take part in a wide range of activities, some of them designed for the whole family to enjoy.

In the Oscos you will not only enjoy the landscape, the gastronomy or the infinite hospitality of its inhabitants, but you can also fill your leisure time with active tourism activities such as horse riding.

And if you prefer more artisanal and ecological activities, the creativity of the local company Artesanamente makes it easy for you. This summer it is organising workshops for children and adults on making handmade soap, candles and lanterns, natural cosmetics, plant recognition, beer tasting, basket making and archaeology workshops focused on discovering our roots: Romans and Castrians, prehistory, traditional games and toys...

For its part, the family company Duxemiel offers you beekeeping products and invites you to discover the world of bees through Apitourism. Once you are equipped like a real beekeeper, the activity consists of going to the beehive area to see the hives in situ, as well as the surrounding area. The activity ends with a tasty tasting of beehive products. It will be two hours of interesting activity in the village of Caraduxe, in Santa Eulalia de Oscos.

If you like farm life, you can immerse yourself in it in the village of As Poceiras, just 5 kilometres from Santalla. And if you are passionate about blueberries, during the month of August you can take a free guided tour of the facilities of Asturias Best Berries, in the village of Ventoso (Santa Eulalia de Oscos) and pick blueberries of your choice (every Friday in August at 11:00h by prior reservation at: 677 951 453 and 677 951 491).

In short, Los Oscos opens up a world of possibilities where there is no room for boredom...

Everything in Los Oscos inspires tranquillity and the trails are no exception. So they are a real paradise for peaceful hiking. This is the kind of hiking with gentle routes, without steep slopes or steep paths.

On each route you can enjoy an idyllic setting of green forests and meadows, rivers and waterfalls, and villages so beautiful that you'll want to stay there forever...

You will savour with unusual pleasure every corner, every stop, every glance at the landscape.

The truth is that there are many and varied routes - more than 15 in the whole region - that you can do in Los Oscos: the Silencio route, the Seimeira waterfall route or the Mon route, among others. Each one is different from the other, but they all have something in common: the infinite charm of Los Oscos...

And among all of them, there is a very new and pioneering one. It is the Route with Art, which follows the route of the path of "A Mina de As Talladas". It is a 12-kilometre route which, in its first phase, offers walkers a unique experience where art and nature merge. The seventeen works of art, distributed along the PR 203 path, include a varied mix of painting, sculpture in wood, iron, stone and wicker, ceramics and poetry in Fala. These pieces, created by local and national artists, blend seamlessly into the landscape.

Among the works are the iron animal figures by Keiko Shimizu, the giant acorns carved by Eugenio Linares and the large stone slug by Cristian Marne. In addition, the ceramist Natalia Suárez offers a mushroom corro in Ferreirela de Baxo, while poetry in fala, captured in methacrylate frames, invites reflection. You can also admire the mural by graffiti artist Diego As and the faces carved by Antonio Martínez in As Barreiras. The intervention by Busom and Cid, which integrates resin and Renaissance paintings on stacked trunks, closes a route that, respectful of nature, turns the path into an open-air gallery.

If there is something striking about the landscape of Huesca, it is that suddenly, in the midst of the greenery and water, a village appears, as if by magic. In the least expected, most unsuspected place, there they are, as eternal companions of a landscape to which they add a touch of black colour with the slate of their roofs and their forceful walls.

They are villages with personality, which are true oases of tranquillity, with their hórreos and cabazos, their bridges and streams, their meadows of intense green, and always very close to the forest.

The villages of Los Oscos will seem different, idyllic, as if waiting for you with time standing still. Names like Pumares, Santa Eufemia, San Cristobo, Soutelo, or A Valía will remain engraved in your memory as unique places to which you will always want to return.

As a sample of all this, the cover photo of this post is of the beautiful village of Pumares.

Check out the accommodation in the area here.