Bustelín Gorge

The Bustelín Gorge Route begins in Riodeporcos, a small village that can only be reached by crossing the suspension bridge over the river Navia, which offers a unique experience right from the start. Riodeporcos maintains the essence of the traditional villages of Ibias, with cobbled streets and vineyards and cork oaks that characterise this area of western Asturias.

From the village, the path ascends between chestnut and oak trees towards the ruins of Bustelín, a small abandoned village from where you can get a first panoramic view of the mountainous surroundings. As the path progresses, it crosses the river Bustelín over a wooden bridge, entering a leafy riverside forest. The sound of water and dense vegetation accompany the ascent towards the Cova da Osa, an old mining pit excavated in the rock, testimony to gold mining in Roman times.

From this point, the path gains height, crossing a wood of strawberry trees, a rarity in the Asturian mountains, before linking up with a forest track that leads to Penedela, an uninhabited village where there is still a house in good condition. The path continues gently uphill towards the hermitage of San Antonio de Padua, located in the vicinity of Peneda, a small village where only two people live. According to an old legend, during the Arab invasion, the inhabitants of Peneda got the invaders drunk and rolled them into a vat down the Teso da Cuba, hence its name.

From Peneda, the path continues ascending until it reaches a rocky promontory that marks the pass through the Sierra de Busto. At this point there are wide views of the valley and the village of Busto, which is reached after a short descent. Busto is a village divided into two neighbourhoods, currently without permanent inhabitants, but which conserves the charm of its traditional stone and slate architecture.

The last section of the route begins a long descent towards the river of Las Valías, crossing it to rejoin the original path that returns to Riodeporcos, passing through Bustelín once again. Along the route, the landscape changes continuously, alternating between lush forests, uninhabited villages and mountainous areas that offer an authentic vision of the most remote and unknown Asturias.

The Bustelín Gorge Route allows you to explore a unique environment where history and nature intertwine, discovering ancient settlements, Roman remains and landscapes that show the contrast between rural abandonment and the natural beauty of the region.