Llanes - Las Cámaras Beach (Celoriu)

Llanes - Celoriu 6

The coastal path from Llanes to Celoriu starts at the Paseo San Pedro, on the Sablón beach, in the very heart of the town of Llanes. Llanes is located on the coastal strip between the Cuera mountain range and the Cantabrian Sea, an area included in the protected landscape of the Eastern Coast, rich in landscape and history, with abundant evidence of human activity since Palaeolithic times.

The Roman road between Oyarzum and La Coruña passed through here, and the raids of the Reconquest began in these lands. In 1228 the town charter was drawn up, creating the town to fight against the influence of San Vicente de La Barquera.

Salt, cloth, iron, iron, oil and manufactured products came in through its port, and wood, oranges, chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, butter and salted fish went out, bound for Ireland, England, France, Portugal and the Netherlands.

Other important seafaring industries were salted fish and whale fishing. Corn and beans were grown in the fields, and there was always a very powerful livestock industry. The weavers were well known, who left their villages in the summer to carry out their work throughout the Principality, the Mountains -Cantabria- and the lands of Castile.

The town was guarded by a wall, a good part of which remains, and by a fort located between the port and the Sablón beach. In 1509, a fire destroyed almost all of Llanes. By 1800, almost all the inhabitants were still nobles, and there was a good level of enlightenment. The ruins of the palace of the Dukes of Estrada still remain from the French occupation.

Today Llanes is a thriving town, full of good architecture: medieval palaces and Indian mansions, with special brilliance in the Casino building. From the San Pedro promenade, the town's balcony overlooking the sea, the path starts to head west towards Poo. Once past the town centre, the meadows begin, crossing the spot known as "Malzapato", 1 km from the start, and leaving La Atalá and Punta de Xarri to the right. The path leads through farms where herds of cows of the native breed Asturiana de los Valles graze. These are the meadows of Los Jorcaos.

To the left, you can see the old road to Oviedo and the railway track. It was in Llanes where the Ferrocarriles Económicos de Asturias linked up with the Cantabrian railway. Behind the railway track you can see the Cuera mountain range, responsible for the region being the rainiest area in Asturias, and the Sierra Plana de La Borbolla. After 3 km, you reach the spot of Alburri. Shortly afterwards, you reach the outskirts of Poo. The path turns north towards the beach, which is well worth a visit.

After the village, the path crosses the river La Vallina, approaching the island of Poo between meadows. This is El Portillo. From these heights you can see the islets, which here are called "castros": the Poo, Pelau, San Martín, Gaiteru and Amielles fortified settlements.

La Boriza is reached after 6 km. The only thing left to do is to go down towards Celorio, where the monastery and hostel of San Salvador was established in 1017. The creation of this monastery brought about the agricultural development of the whole region.

The Romanesque tower, reminiscent of that of Oviedo Cathedral, and an interior portico remain from the time of its foundation. Inhabited by Benedictine monks, it reached its peak of splendour in the 17th century. It was acquired by private individuals when Mendizabal's disentailment took place, and later by the Jesuits, who are its current occupants. It has a very valuable archive miraculously preserved from the vicissitudes of history.

Leaving the convent behind, after 6.8 km, we come to the beautiful beach of Las Cámaras, the end of the route.