Connecting cycling route. From Luarca to Tinéu

The route starts in Luarca/Ḷḷuarca along the coastal plain as far as Caneiru where, weather permitting, you can take a break on the spectacular beach of Cueva. We start to head inland, flattening out along the valley of the river Esva along the N-634 as far as Brieves. From here the landscape changes, the river Esva and then the river Merás gradually become squeezed into a narrow gorge and the route presents significant ramps with greater difficulty. Once we reach Merás, we take the AS-351 road towards Paredes.

If you have enough time and strength, in Paredes you can walk the route known as Las Hoces del Esva, considered a Natural Monument of great geological and scenic interest. It is a narrow gorge excavated in quartzite, in a good state of conservation and with important aesthetic values. The slopes of the gorge are dotted with patches of carob groves, some forest plantations and a narrow riverside grove bordering the riverbed.

We resume our route following the valley of the river Ubienes until we reach the village of the same name, from where the more difficult slopes begin, leading us to the Alto de Entreferto and from there we descend to Naraval, the village of Tinéu, where we can visit the Asturias Cowherd Museum. After soaking up the history and customs of the Vaqueira region, we continue our route along a mountain road towards Navelgas, another village of great archaeological interest. Here we can take a break and visit the Gold Museum, where Asturians, Romans and legends of our century tell us stories of struggle, power, rites and symbols, as well as learning the ancient technique of gold panning.

From Navelgas we continue uphill for about 5 km to the Alto del Forcallao, followed by a descent of about 5 km to Bárzana, where we can visit the Monastery of San Miguel. The church preserves two Romanesque doorways and a twin window from its primitive pre-Romanesque construction.

In Bárzana we take the AS-350 road towards Tinéu. We now have a 10 km ascent (halfway up we can visit the Benedictine Monastery of Santa María La Real de Obona, one of the jewels of the Primitive Pilgrim's Way), and a gentle descent of another 6 km to reach Tinéu, the end of the route. The town has been declared a Historic Site, and its Museum of Sacred Art is unique in Asturias.