Eastern Asturias

It is where the sun rises first, the true land of the rising sun in Asturias. Deep contrasts and unevenness sculpt its morphology, turning it into a land of high altitudes that flow into the sea with limitless sweetness, composing dreamlike landscapes, where imposing mountains soften their shapes and merge with the coastline in the form of spectacular cliffs and large sandy beaches, or small coves and rocky outcrops.

The land of the rising sun has a sixty-kilometre stretch of coastline, where the greenery of the meadows and mountains mixes with the blue of the sea and the white of the foam from the waves. Its beaches are suitable all year round for sports such as surfing, paddle-surfing, swimming, kayaking, sailing, etc., or for strolling and total relaxation. The karst nature of its geology, especially striking on the coast of Ribadesella, Llanes and Ribadedeva, generates the phenomenon of the so-called bufones: when the tides are very strong, and the sea seeps through the rocky cavities, it produces a loud and impressive sound and an effect of a saltwater jet or geyser, which constitutes a striking natural spectacle. Just as impressive are the dinosaur footprints in the cliffs of Tereñes, in Ribadesella.

Prehistory has been generous with the region, which has four caves declared World Heritage : Covaciella in Cabrales, Tito Bustillo in Ribadesella, Llonín in Peñamellera Alta and El Pindal in Ribadedeva, all of them with a privileged natural environment. And its charismatic fishing villages, Ribadesella and Llanes, have historic centres and coastal environments of interest.

The slope is the first cousin of the river basins, so there are several rivers with character that surround the region: the Piloña-Sella, cradle of the most international Asturian festival, the Piraguas; the Cares, Tinamayor, etc., and they all make up landscapes of unequalled beauty, where you can practice sports such as canoeing, rafting, fishing, etc.

The highest peaks of the Cantabrian mountain range are in the Picos de Europa, a National Park and Biosphere Reserve, most of whose surface area is on Asturian soil, where the highest and most mythical peaks, such as Torrecerredo and Urriellu, can be found. Picos, with three massifs, is a unique ecosystem where there are dozens of routes to follow and milestones to reach, bearing in mind that it is the second most important limestone massif in the world after the Himalayas, and the one with the most explored "menosmiles", chasms a thousand metres deep or more, on the planet. There are many mountains and ranges that surround the Picos, Peña Maín, the Cuera, the Sueve, etc., which are visible from the sea. visible from the sea for the pleasure and orientation of sailors and from land for those who prefer to have their feet on the ground, from places such as the Fitu viewpoint in Parres, from where you can appreciate the extent to which this symphony of dizzying heights are close to the immense blue of the sea, forming a contrast that accentuates the beauty of the whole and makes the journey from sea to mountain and vice versa in Asturias a matter of minutes!

It also turns out that so many mountains mean that the cattle are strong and fibrous, living in stables in winter and in the port in summer, giving rise to a shepherding culture in Picos that has almost disappeared, but which still gives rise to a lifestyle that involves the artisan production of cheeses, including two of the best in the world: Cabrales and Gamonéu. It is a region where cheese is essential in the economy, in the diet and in the kitchen, both in quality and quantity, and which contributes decisively to making Asturias the leading cheese-producing region in Europe. With the added value that these cheese, shepherding and mountain routes take us to villages such as Sotres, Bulnes, Tielve, Gamonéu, Güensucesu..., references of a habitat of mythical summits and impossible feats that have marked the life of a territory and its addicted followers, who have in a short time and kilometres all the sea, mountains, sport, history, gastronomy... just a stone's throw away.

Thirteen councils make up the easternmost region of Asturias: Amieva, Cabrales, Cangas de Onís, Caravia, Llanes, Onís, Parres, Peñamellera Alta, Peñamellera Baja, Piloña, Ponga, Ribadedeva and Ribadesella.