Stage 9: Soto de Luiña - Viḷḷamouros

Stage 9: Soto de Luiña - Viḷḷamouros 19.9 Kms

In Soto de Luiña we take the Cuesta de la Torre and in Llanorrozo we pass through Las Chabolas, where the Camino Real de la Sierra de Las Palancas (Camino vaqueiro) begins. The Las Palancas path is a path of great scenic beauty but difficult to follow, due to its abrupt route and the fact that there are no buildings (or any possibility of obtaining drinking water or shelter) along the eleven kilometre route.

An alternative signposted route, also historically documented as a Pilgrim's Way, is the Las Ballotas route, which starts in Las Chabolas and continues through Valdredo, Albuerne, Novellana, Castañeras, Santa Marina and Ballota. On the descent to the river Cabo, the boundary between the municipalities of Cudillero and Valdés, there is now a stone bridge, a direct heir to the mythical medieval "Pont qui tremble" (bridge that trembles). After crossing the bridge, the ascent to Tablizu begins, continuing the route through the villages of Ribón, Cadavéu and Viḷḷamouros, where it joins the Camino de Las Palancas.