- Itinerary municipalities: Llanes
- Duration: 2 days
- Distance: 71,9 kms
- Difficulty: Short
- Start point: Llanes
- Layout of the route: Download kml
The east is one of the best known tourist regions of Asturias. The proximity of Picos de Europa to the sea makes it an ideal destination for all kinds of trips.
The east is one of the best-known tourist regions of Asturias. The proximity of Picos de Europa to the sea makes it an ideal destination for all kinds of trips, short two-day trips, such as the one we are now embarking on, or longer trips to explore the area in greater depth. Llanes is the gateway to the mountains and a direct link to the beaches.
Route
Llanes - Las Arenas
The route can start in Llanes to discover the town's heritage in a morning. The starting point for the excursion is the San Pedro promenade, next to the Sablón beach. This 19th-century watchtower connects us to the sea and allows us to see the first stones of the medieval old town. Next, the walls, the town gates, the keep, the basilica, the chapels of La Magdalena and Santa Ana, the Gastañaga palace and the Posada Herrera palace, converted into a cultural centre. The traveller should also visit the port to enjoy the Cubos de la Memoria (Memory Cubes), a gigantic work by the Basque sculptor Agustín Ibarrola.
After this foray into Llanes, we head for the Picos de Europa, along the AS-115, a road that climbs the mountain from Posada de Llanes. In just three quarters of an hour's drive (34 kilometres), you reach Carreña. Just at the beginning of the village, a signpost on the left points to the village of Asiegu, where the Pedro Udaondo viewpoint stands. This will be the first glimpse of Picu Urriellu (known as Naranjo de Bulnes), the mountain that will watch our every move during this trip. On the way back to Carreña, you can stroll through its streets and visit the parish church and the Bárcena house. Four kilometres further on is Arenas de Cabrales, the town that reveals the secrets of Cabrales cheese thanks to a cave-museum.
Las Arenas - Camarmeña
The second day is spent in the mountains. From Arenas we drive up to Poncebos, which will be the strategic point for all the excursions. The first option is to go up to Bulnes, one of the villages in Asturias that has no road. Tourists can get there on foot or by an underground funicular railway. Or you can combine both options, one for each route. The route on foot has a gradient of 400 metres and takes an hour and a half. The funicular takes only seven minutes.
Once back in Poncebos, we take the car again to reach Tielve and Sotres, the latter being one of the highest villages in the region. This detour can be completed in 20 minutes along the CA-1 road and allows us to contemplate the way of life at an altitude of 1,000 metres. The descent from Sotres must be made, once again, through Poncebos, an opportunity to take the detour to Camarmeña, at the Poncebos bridge, to see the Monument to the Urriellu Climbers and say goodbye to the mountain from its viewpoint.
