Cider Shire

In this land, the Asturian Cider Culture ( Intangible Heritage of Humanity for UNESCO) is practised daily as a gymnastics of identity and resistance. In every cider mill, in every cider house, in every glass, the ancestral agreement between the Asturian and his "magic potion" is rewritten. But to say that this region is only cider would be like saying that a river can flow without a riverbed. Cider needs roots: a landscape that nourishes it, a history that tells it, a gastronomy that accompanies it, and a peasant culture that gives it meaning.

Located in the centre-east of Asturias, the Cider Shire conserves an extraordinary medieval heritage in which its deepest spirit beats. The highest density of pre-Romanesque and Romanesque churches in Asturias is concentrated here, with gems such as San Salvador de Valdediós, San Salvador de Priesca (Villaviciosa) or Santiago de Gobiendes (Colunga). In addition, Romanesque temples such as Santa María de Narzana (Sariego) or San Juan de Amandi (Villaviciosa) give way to an incipient Gothic style in Santa María de la Oliva, in the heart of the capital of Mali.

Church of Santiago de Gobiendes - Colunga.

The legacy continues in villas and palaces: the Casa de los Hevia (Villaviciosa), where the young Carlos I slept after disembarking in Tazones, the Palacio de La Ferrería (Nava), or the stately Casa del Marquesado de Estrada (Bimenes). All of this is framed by the Jacobean route of the Camino de la Costa, a World Heritage Site, which crosses landscapes of great cultural and natural wealth, before reaching the peaceful valley of Sariego. Parishes such as Fuentes or Sietes, in Villaviciosa, preserve hórreos (raised granaries) in the oldest decorative style in Asturias ("Villaviciosa style", 14th-16th centuries). There are also fine "Indiano" mansions in Torazu (Cabranes) and Ceceda (Nava). Likewise, the Cabranes Rural School Museum is a moving window into the region's educational past.

Ceceda - Nava

From much further back in time are the burial mounds, forts and Palaeolithic sites, although the most remote treasure of this area is its Jurassic coast. The Jurassic Museum of Asturias in Colunga, the most visited museum in the Principality, makes us very small before the dinosaurs and the ages of the Earth.

In this territory, farmers know about tides and sailors know about apple trees. The region stretches between the Cantabrian Sea and agricultural lands. The town of Villaviciosa is the main centre of population, the administrative and cider-making epicentre, together with the town of Nava, further inland.

Llastres, perched above the port like a tightrope walker, is one of the most beautiful villages in Spain(opens in a new tab) and was named Exemplary Village of Asturias in 2010 for its tradition of solidarity, which began in the 13th century with the Guild of Sailors. From the viewpoint of San Roque you can contemplate its seafaring profile and the fall of the Sierra del Sueve towards the sea. The Llastres lighthouse, solitary and very Instagrammable, dominates the cliffs surrounded by flat pastures and open sky.

Lastres from the viewpoint of San Roque - Colunga

Not far away, in the council of Villaviciosa, a visit to the village of Tazones is a must. It is also a very photogenic town, located between the hillside and the sea, with low stone and wooden houses, colourful façades and balconies full of flowers overlooking narrow cobbled streets.

On this coastline, the Villaviciosa estuary, with an area of 10 square kilometres, is a serene and changing estuary, where salt water mixes with fresh water among reeds, alder groves and marshes. Declared a Partial Nature Reserve, it is a refuge for migratory birds and an estuary of great biodiversity. It opens up to the Bay of Biscay between the beaches of El Puntal and Rodiles, and goes as far as the "porreos", land reclaimed from the sea that today is home to wet meadows and fertile ecosystems. The estuary and its coastline allow for water sports such as surfing or sailing, peaceful boat trips, or beautiful hiking routes in the surrounding area.

In the cider region, the beaches stretch out under the imprint of untouched nature and an unattainable geological history. Rodiles, open to the Bay of Biscay and embraced by the Villaviciosa estuary, stands out as one of the widest and most dynamic beaches in northern Spain. Its protected dune system and strong waves make it a favourite spot for surfers. Beaches such as España or La Ñora (Villaviciosa) conserve their rural essence, between cliffs and clean waters. Merón Beach is a unique enclave on the Jurassic Coast of Asturias, with a trail of 20 dinosaur ichnites.

Ichnite deposit - La Griega Beach, Colunga

In the vicinity there is also a magnificent riverside path through riverside woods, the so-called Ruta de los Molinos del Río Merón, which allows us to discover hydraulic devices from another time. In Colunga, La Griega beach adds to its natural charm some of the largest dinosaur footprints in the world. A simple walk, perfectly signposted, allows visitors to get close to these colossal footprints and literally stand on them. La Isla beach (Colunga) offers a unique experience: at low tide, a sandy tombolo allows you to walk to the islet that gives it its name. Its peaceful setting, next to Indian villas and houses with glass galleries, is reminiscent of the summer splendour of the early 20th century.

But it is not all coastline in this region. Inland, hiking becomes rural archaeology. Routes such as the Ríu Profundu (Villaviciosa) or the Senda de los Molinos de Bimenes combine hiking and ethnography, recalling the role of corn and the old water mills in rural life. From Gobiendes, the route to the Obaya Waterfall enters the leafy Sierra del Sueve, land of Asturcones and unique landscapes such as the Picu Pienzu, the beech forest of La Biescona or the Tejeda del Sueve, the largest concentration of yew trees in Europe.

Autumn offers one of the greatest natural spectacles: the bellowing of the deer, both in the Sueve and in the Peñamayor mountain range, a massif of gentle peaks that allows us to walk among pastures, beech forests and open panoramic views in the councils of Nava and Bimenes. The Foces del Río Pendón, in Nava, form a gorge of great beauty.

Pomar - Nava

Cabranes, the discreet heart of the Cider Shire, stretches between valleys and hills covered with native forests. It is an ideal place for cycle touring, with routes such as La Vuelta a Cabranes, a circular route of some 30 kilometres starting and finishing in Santolaya, its capital.

Another good idea is to reach the Alto de La Campa by bicycle or car. This pass is located between the Asturian municipalities of Sariego and Villaviciosa, and climbs gently through meadows, pumaradas and scattered farmhouses. In short, a landscape that clearly shows the rural essence of this land.

In the Cider Shire, eating is an expression of identity and respect for local produce. The cuisine is based on what the land and the sea have to offer, without artifice: fabes and potes, meat from local breeds such as the Asturian cow from the valleys, the pita pinta (free-range chickens), the xalda sheep or the gochu asturcelta (pig), together with artisan cheeses such as those from Ovín in Nava, Los Caserinos in Villaviciosa or those from Saregana in Sariego, homemade sausages from Bimenes, and fish and seafood from the fish markets: "merluza del pincho" (hake), sea bass, "pixín" (monkfish), red mullet, "bugres" (lobsters), "andaricas" (crabs) or spider crabs.

Pote asturiano - Traditional cuisine from Asturias

Gastronomy transcends the culinary and becomes a cultural event, with festivals and days that pay tribute to each emblematic product. Such as the Gochu Gastronomic Days ( Bimenes, early December), the sea urchin festival in Huerres (Colunga, late March), or that of the boroña preñada in Torazu (Cabranes, early June) - a rustic corn loaf stuffed with chorizo and bacon, linked to peasant cooking. The Rice pudding festival (Santolaya de Cabranes, second weekend in May) is the event par excellence for the llambiones (sweet-toothed). The Semana de les Fabes (Colunga, long weekend in December), offers special menus in restaurants, and an exhibition and sale of fabes with designation of origin and other varieties.

In the Cider Shire, cider is much more than a drink: it is a party and sociability, but above all it is a trade. The humid and temperate climate favours the cultivation of apple trees and makes it possible to obtain varieties of fruit that give more character to this drink. The region leads the Principality in terms of the number of hectares of apple trees and apple harvesters, although it is not only apples that are grown here, but also culture. In December 2024, the Asturian Cider Culture was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a living legacy that this area embodies like no other.

Cider cellar - Asturias

Villaviciosa and Nava are two great cider references in Asturias. The former stands out for its concentration of pumaradas and cider houses, including emblematic brands such as El Gaitero, and for its variety of ciders: natural, sparkling and new expression or table ciders (the latter do not need to be poured). Nava, for its part, is home to the Cider Museum and every July celebrates the Natural Cider Festival (a Festival of National Tourist Interest), an unmissable event where people pour in torrents in the squares, compete to be the best cider pourer or the best cider production, and toast with naturalness and pride at all times.

Cider Museum Exhibition - Nava, Asturias

In July, Sariego celebrates its Homemade Natural Cider Competition, a tasting in which the locals present ciders made in the traditional way, with no help other than tact, time and peasant wisdom. Similar competitions are organised in Villaviciosa in August and in Nava in September. Also in September, Villaviciosa celebrates its Cider Festival, centred on the professional production of its cider makers. But the big event in Mali comes in October, with the multitudinous Apple Festival (a Festival of Tourist Interest in the Principality) which, every two years, fills the town with activities: exhibitions of varieties, cider-pouring competitions, technical conferences, food and agriculture markets and an intense cultural programme.

In addition to the celebrations, several cider houses in the Cider Shire offer wine tourism experiences that allow visitors to learn about the cider-making process up close. Through guided tours, visitors can follow the complete cycle - from the apple tree to the glass - and enjoy guided tastings and pairings with local products.

When it comes to cider and apple trees, this territory has an obligatory calendar. Spring, between April and May, is pure visual delight. The apple blossom transforms the orchards, which suddenly awaken and dress up in an ephemeral mantle of white and pink. During the first week of May there are numerous activities organised throughout the region around the blossoming, such as visits to the apple orchards in bloom, and also to the rural cider houses that hold the secrets of natural cider. In restaurants, cider houses and cider mills, cider menus and cider tastings are offered.

Summer, with its long light and good weather, allows us to fully enjoy a region that has everything: sea and mountains, an enviable heritage, fishing villages, beautiful hamlets and a generous gastronomy that wants us to become repeat "holidaymakers".

Apple blossom in Sales - Colunga

Autumn marks the peak ofthe cider cycle in Asturias. September and October are the key months for apple harvesting. It is time to "mayar", to fill the barrels. Work is in full swing and many cider houses open their doors to show how cider is made. In addition, many accommodations offer special packages designed to make the most of the cider experience.

And anyone who thinks that winter is an inhospitable time is mistaken. In the Cider Shire life does not stop: the forests are covered in moss, the sea roars with force, the valleys are covered in fog and the kitchens are buzzing with pots and steaming pots.

Each season has its own story, its own light and flavour. That's why a single visit is not enough, you have to come back, again and again.