Gijón/Xixón and the fertile lowlands of the Nora River
- Gijón, Siero, Noreña and Llanera Asturias Centre
- Distance: 57,4 kms
- Difficulty: Short
- Cars: 2 days
- Start point: Gijón
- Layout of the route: Download kml
Gijón/Xixón is sea, culture, industry, sport, heritage, villages and the first city in population of Asturias.
Info
Gijón/Xixón is sea, culture and industry. Gijón/Xixón is sport, heritage and people. The most populated city in Asturias is a tourist attraction that has managed to embrace the traveller without losing its essence. On the outskirts of Gijón, inland, lies the Nora region, which takes its name from the river that runs through it and has accumulated stories of pilgrims and traders due to its strategic location.
Route
Gijón/Xixón - Gijón/Xixón 22,9
To begin to savour Gijón/Xixón, you need a day with an intense agenda. The traveller begins his excursion on the Poniente beach, a sandy area reclaimed from the sea, where the Aquarium is located. Next, the marina, on which stands a modern thalassotherapy centre, the Plaza de Revillagigedo, and the ascent to Cimadevilla, the foundational district of the city, with the hill of Santa Catalina and its Eulogy of the Horizon, the sculpture by Eduardo Chillida. The descent from the hill towards the church of San Pedro reveals San Lorenzo beach, a kilometre and a half long, which is bordered by a promenade that continues on to the rural area. Once the sea has been discovered, it is time to go inland and to go through the Plaza del Instituto towards the commercial axis formed by the streets Corrida and Moros, the Plaza de Europa, the Paseo de Begoña and the Jovellanos Theatre.
In the afternoon, the city bus network is the best way to get to the rural area and to the Botanical Garden, where four lines stop (1, 2, 18 and 26). Just a few minutes' walk from the Botanical Gardens, Laboral Ciudad de la Cultura, a magnificent example of how a former Francoist building has been converted into a modern and dynamic cultural facility.
Gijón - Llanera 34,4
The Nora region requires a car and at least a whole day. The more romantic can leave Gijón/Xixón towards La Pola Siero via the old Carretera Carbonera (AS-246) and cross a network of villages. The more practical ones have the faster and more comfortable Autovía Minera (AS-1) at their disposal. In La Pola Siero you can see the Palace of the Marquis of Santa Cruz, the neighbourhood of Les Campes, the church of San Pedro, with murals by the painter Casimiro Baragaña, and a unique market square, an example of early 20th century architecture. From La Pola Siero to Noreña, just 5 kilometres to the west, to discover the Miraflores Palace, the Ecce Homo chapel, the centre of this county town and its rich pork-based cuisine. In the afternoon, take the A-64 motorway towards Oviedo/Uviéu, continue on the A-66 towards Gijón/Xixón and take the Lugones/Llugones exit if you want to discover the last territory of the region: Llanera. In its capital, Posada, is the Plaza de La Habana, and a few kilometres away, Arlós and its Romanesque church or the 14th century Torre de los Valdés, located in San Cucao.