Etapa 7: Cangues d'Onís/Cangas de Onís - Cuadonga/Covadonga

Go to Image Stage 7: Cangues d' Onís/Cangas de Onís - Cuadonga/Covadonga
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GR105 - Pilgrimages Route - Stage 7

Map
Stage 7: Cangues d' Onís/Cangas de Onís - Cuadonga/Covadonga
GPS: 43.32235231674414, -5.094293556148578

Cangues d' Onís/Cangas de Onís - Llano el Cura - Següencu - Los Pallares - Peñalba - Cuadonga/Covadonga

Cangues d' Onís/Cangas de Onís - Cuadonga/Covadonga 14,6

The route of this last stage of the GR105 begins in Cangues d' Onís/Cangas de Onís, where we head towards the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, which is in the upper part of Cangas. We go around it towards the cemetery, where we take a road that leaves it on the left and in a long ascent takes us to the recreational area of Llano del Cura, ignoring the many dirt tracks we come across.

This area offers a good view over Cangues d' Onís/Cangas de Onís and the Sueve mountain range. On leaving the area, take the path on the right that climbs steeply and soon widens into a good track. Continuing the steep ascent along this track, and ignoring all the turnings to the left and right, we reach a 180º bend where we have a view of the Següenco mountain range, as well as an excellent panoramic view of the valley of Onís, where the landscape opens up to the east. At this bend we take the right fork which ascends to the line of summits, here we have under our feet and to the right the great bend that the river Sella makes in the area of Cañu.

It is worth climbing the four or five metres up to the mound on the left, almost at the end of the small straight line, to get a 360º view of the area. Continuing along the track, we can see the Següenco peak in front of us, with its antennae towering high above us. After a short distance there is a crossroads of paths: one to the right that descends, another to the left that also descends and one in the centre that heads uphill towards the bottom of the valley.

The path goes halfway down the slope and after reaching the peak, it turns and goes to the other slope, heading towards the pass in front of us. Once there, it makes another 180º turn and takes us onto the eastern slope.

After a short distance we see the road below us that leads to the village of Següencu, and there is a dirt track on the right where we leave the track that takes us to the upper part of the village, which we cross in the same direction until we find the track.

Just after leaving the village there is a wide crossroads with several indicators that tell us the way to follow to the Següenco peak, the route takes the left turn-off leaving the peak on the right and almost immediately afterwards there is another crossroads of three paths, first one on the right that we ignore and then two more, the one on the left runs next to a stone wall with a metal fence and the one on the right ascends slightly, it is along this one that we have to climb, to find after a while a beautiful hut.

Continue along the track, ignoring the next two crossroads on the right (the impressive massif of the Cornión de los Picos de Europa begins to loom in front of us), until the moment when a slight descent begins, where we come face to face with the narrow valley of the Dobra River.

Shortly afterwards there is an esplanade with a turn-off to the left, where we turn off the track that descends towards the bottom of the valley, leaving almost immediately afterwards the path that leads off to the left and descends, to take the one on the right, which climbs upwards until we reach the Pallares huts. Continuing along the recently restored track, which runs halfway up the slope, we pass by a water trough where we can get water, as this is the last fountain we pass until the end of the route.

Shortly after passing the fountain, the track ends in a small esplanade, where there are two paths: one on the left and the other on the right, both going in opposite directions and bordering the mountain. Following the one on the left we find, above us and to the right, a sign indicating that we are entering the Picos de Europa National Park.

From this point the track turns into a road with stones dotted along the ground, which ascends slightly and almost immediately reaches the Najuentes sheepfold, where there are some huts.

Here the path forks again and we must continue along the left-hand path, which makes a slight U-turn and heads towards the bottom of the valley, before continuing along the hillside through low vegetation.

On the other side of the slope we can see a small peak, and we can see that its left slope is very vertical with abundant vegetation and the right slope is somewhat flat with a lot of stones; it is on this slope that we have to go around the peak and head towards Monte Auseva, which is the one we see behind the peak and which has the occasional tree on the ridgeline. Shortly after passing Najuentes we can look back and have another good view of this beautiful sheepfold, and in the background, above it, the antennae of Següenco peak, which we will see for the last time.

Continuing along the path, it starts a slight ascent and seems to turn into a wider grassy path to reach a small pass, where we have a splendid view of the Cornión Massif, with the tower of Santa María de Enol standing out above all the others.

When we reach the pass we must be very careful, as a few metres further on the path turns sharply to the left and abandons the path that it seems we should be following, which runs flat and in front of us, to go halfway down the slope and descend to the steps on the left (at this point it is in front of us).

As a reference, there is a hut that is completely surrounded by trees in the upper part, it is Soperi de Arriba. Once we have gone down the stone path and reached the meadow, we must head towards the left and go down next to the crag, to find a small path just where the rock seems to disappear, as the limestone outcrops do not protrude so much.

Here we see below us another small hut surrounded by trees, in its lower part there is a meadow surrounded by a stone wall, this is where we have to go.

The path continues, leaving the hut to the left and heading towards the stone wall, which descends towards the bottom of the valley. Descending through the meadow, and taking the wall to our left, we ignore the first gap we find to cross the wall by the second one we find, which is almost at the bottom. Here the path continues downhill and passes to the left of a chasm, which is closed off by a wire fence.

Once past the chasm and following the same direction, we find the small but well-marked path again, which starts a descent, always taking the mountain to the right. It heads towards a crag that we see on the left, with three beautiful trees, giving the sensation that the path is lost, but as we approach the crag we see that the path is well marked and that it begins a steep descent.

It heads towards a crag on the left, with three beautiful trees, giving the impression that the path is lost, but as we approach the crag we can see that the path is well marked and that it starts a steep descent. We can also see on the slope in front of us how the path forks into two, one that descends and the other that begins an ascent, and it is along this one that we should go.

Leaving the crag behind us, the path enters a somewhat muddy area and passes to the slope on the right, to find a fork in the path a short distance further on.

Here we must take the path on the right that ascends and skirts the mountain. Once the path starts to flatten out and the descent begins, we can see the village of Llerices below us and, jutting out from the hillside, the Cruz de Priena, which is next to Covadonga, the final place on this Gran Recorrido.

Shortly afterwards we come across some huts on the left of the path and further on a meadow. We are in the Estellero sheepfold, which we cross and continue the descent in the same direction, to shortly afterwards begin a small ascent that takes us to an enclosure made with a bed frame; in front of us we see a large meadow completely surrounded by a stone wall, this is the Caserío de Peñalba (Peñalba hamlet).

Once we reach the meadow, the path goes towards the hill, where we can see a magnificent building on the right. It is towards these buildings on the right that the path heads, to take, a few metres before reaching the houses, a path flanked by two stone walls.

Taking this path, which has now become a track and runs underneath the buildings we saw earlier, we find ourselves, in a bend and a few metres after leaving the houses behind us, with an impressive view of the Basilica of Covadonga.

Now all we have to do is continue the steep descent of the track through the forest, to arrive in just over fifteen minutes at the esplanade of the Basilica of Covadonga, the end of this GR that has taken us from Oviedo/Uviéu to the heart of Asturias.

It would be possible to do it with a pushchair/stroller (most of the route is on asphalt and is practically flat.

The section from Muñigo to Covadonga is the most difficult, due to the slope and, at certain times of the year, it is not in good condition.