our first big trip in caravan
The trip began to prepare a month before departure, it is true that we had already thought about it for a long time, but we had not found the time to decide where to go.
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As we have said before, a month before this departure, we stayed in one of the caravans where we were going to decide the destination to visit.
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After tough negotiations and several places on the table where we could enjoy a family vacation, we decided on Asturias, a place which we really wanted to go and that in the end, we were going to be able to know.
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At the end of the meeting we decided to book the campsite
where we would be installed for 10 days, the
VILLAVICIOSA campsite. A small campsite, familiar and
very cozy in an ideal location, to visit the sites we had in
mind.
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But before leaving we would have another small meeting, this time we would decide those places that we would like to see, when to go to each one, call to make an appointment and / or reserve, prepare a small menu and all those things that a trip requires.
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We thought and said many places, perhaps too many, we were running out of days !!!! we had to readjust several times to consolidate the itinerary. In the end we are left with:
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Lastres, Covadonga and Cangas de Onís, we would descend the river Sella visiting Ribadesella and La Cuevona in Cueves del Agua, the museum of the Dinosaurs (this could not be due to being exhausted capacity), we would also sign up a route simple to do with children, El Camín Encatu and on the way back to the campsite, we would stop by Cobijeru beach, a cheese factory with a very peculiar farm, Los Caserinos, we would travel to Llanes, trying to go around the Gulpiyuri beach, we would also try to travel to Cantabria, we would like to visit the Cabarceno Nature Park and being in Asturias, land of mines, we would approach one of them, the Pozo de San Luis mine, in the Samuño valley, where the return to the beginning, you can do it through a beautiful route, crossing the entire valley .
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And the moment arrived !!!!
With everything prepared, the day came to leave for Asturine lands, to the land of Don Pelayo and history. The land where the reconquest began.
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It was too early, too early when we were leaving home towards the parking lot where the caravans are, 2:00 IN THE MORNING !!!!!!, my mother, I am an early riser.
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2:30h, We hook up the caravans and the journey begins !!!!!!
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We made several stops, as the journey is long and we had to rest. A coffee and we were back on the road.
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An advice that you should heed, before reaching the roads of León, please refuel jajajajajajajaja. We had no idea that there were no gas stations for many kilometers and we almost ran out of gas !!!
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10:00h, quiet trip, without rush or surprises, we arrived to
the VILLAVICIOSA campsite. We soon settled in our plots.
A caravan here, another there, awnings, tables and chairs, a
couple of tents and we will a little shopping in the town of
Villaviciosa. Town in that we take advantage of to take a walk
through its streets of old town and of course some pictures
in its famous sculpture of apples.
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Day 2. of our presence in Asturias, we were not going to move
far away. We had booked a time to visit Los Caserinos but this visit was in the afternoon, so in the morning we went to Lastres. .
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We leave you the link of the videos so that you can take a look:
Lastres has streets that are mostly narrow and narrow, cobbled like the ones before and always sloping, homes that seem to hang towards the abyss. The beautiful balconies everywhere and the proximity of the houses to each other stand out. You can see the beautiful port from almost anywhere. Lastres has been declared a Historic Site, which also makes it a point of tourist interest.
In the afternoon we went to the LOS CASERINOS cheese factory.
This factory is located in a small Asturian village, called Grases, in the heart of the Sidra Region, near Villaviciosa, specifically in the neighborhood known as Maoxu. The Caserinos are the fourth generation of an Asturian family dedicated, especially to raising the best dairy cattle, both cows and goats.
Day 3. We're going to the mine !!!!!
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We are in the land of miners, so what better than visiting a mine inside? Well said and done, we are going to see the MINA DEL POZO DE SAN LUIS.
The Samuño Valley Mining Ecomuseum is a mining museum and ecomuseum that is located in the Asturian mining basins in the municipality of Langreo.
It is a museum complex made up of two elements: the mining train that runs through the old trench of the Samuño Valley railway and that enters an old mining gallery, and the San Luis Well, at the end of the route, where all the old ones are preserved. museum facilities all located in the natural environment of the Samuño River Valley, a tributary of the Nalón.
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The visit to the Mining Ecomuseum begins with the train ride,
part of the El Cadavíu Station, reception center visitors. The train
ascends through the valley, where the natural environment with
the mark left by the activity mining after more than a century of
extraction than after a kilometer and a hundred meters of surface
travel, the train leaves natural light and through the Socavón Emilia,
goes into the first floor of the San Luis well, 32 meters from depth,
and that it constitutes the longest railway route underground in a
real mine in Spain.
The return to the parking lot where the cars are left can be done in two ways, you can get on the train again or you can walk along the green route of the Samuño valley, a comfortable and short walk among the lush vegetation that hides and discovers the travelers the traces that the mining activities left in these lands, while walking through another of the trenches of the old steam railways.
Day 4. As we do not get tired of knowing and walking ... We are going on the road !!!! to finish on an inland beach.
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Asturian mythology is very extensive. Therefore, there are many roads, trails or routes that have names related to goblins, witches, fairies or winged snakes.
The Camín Encantáu begins in town of
La Venta los Probes (Llanes), next to a bar with
a large car park, where an informational poster
indicates the starting point of the route.
We will cross the town, following the signs, until we reach the San Miguel River. We will take a path along the river bank until we reach the road. In this first section of the route, the path is always upwards. It is the part that requires the most effort. Once this unevenness is overcome, we will find “El Sumiciu”.
We will continue ascending, but now the slope is smoother and we will enter a forest of eucalyptus, holly, beech and oak that will take us to the town of La Malatería.
From the Chapel of the Magdalena we will have beautiful views of the Picos de Europa.
We will cross the town, where we can see typically Asturian constructions such as granaries that serve to keep food away from humidity and rodents.
We will leave this village along an asphalt road and after about 200 m, we will turn left and leave the grasslands to enter a shady forest.
We will continue the road to the town of Villanueva. We will immediately arrive at the town of Palaciu, we will continue along the road until we reach Ardisana. At the exit of the town, we will take a path to the right that starts next to a renovated laundry room.
Along the way we will see wide meadows with cattle and a recreational area. It only remains to continue descending the cobbled path to reach the town of Riocalientenos, enter the town crossing a stone bridge over the San Miguel River, to reach the starting point.
In the afternoon we went to Cobijeru beach.
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It is an inland beach of the town of Buelna, in the council
Asturian from Llanes, Spain.
It can only be reached on foot but it is not very complicated.
You simply have to access the town of Buelna, cross the train
tracks and head to the right, following the indications that we
will find along the way. No reaches a kilometer in length.
But before reaching this beautiful inland beach, you will find the cave of LOS IJANCANOS, which we cannot avoid looking at. We will cross the small stream ... the great cave awaits us, we observe and investigate ceilings, floors and we question how deep it can be, we will feel a bit primitive ... and of course many many photos.
Day 5. One of the most anticipated days arrives, we are going to see Covadonga, we are going to see Santina !!!.
Yes, this was one of the visits we were most excited about. Visit Covadonga. See La Santina in that special and spectacular cave. Being able to get closer to its basilica and the statue of Don Pelayo, tour this magical place full of history.
And we have to admit that the place did not leave us indifferent. As soon as you arrive you find that vertical wall, in which you can see a cave where the Virgin of Covadonga is located, from where water gushes out and from which you cannot take your eyes off.
Logically, we go up to see that place, by endless steps, to finish and meet La Santina and see the spectacular landscape.
To end this magnificent day, you could not miss CANGAS DE ONÍS.
And that's what we did, a stop in this mythical town. Obviously we climbed to the top of its Roamano bridge, with its photos of rigor, and we also descended to the level of the Sella. A magnificent place where we take the opportunity to have a coffee contemplating wonderful views of the river bank.
We continue our peculiar tour, we enter the basilica, which is austere and Castilian on all four sides, impressive. We were at the feet of Don Pelayo, master, lord and holy custodian of this place. We were going to culminate the tour with a small route through the Jardin del Principe.
We found a small route when we approached the bridge where a majestic waterfall was appreciated. We continued along the path and he let us see some beautiful places. The route was not as short as we thought and we decided to abort the tour, not without first taking the necessary photos in some hidden corners that this path has.
Day 6. A river, canoes, adventures, of course. We are going to descend the Sella !!!!! and if that were not enough, we would go to Cuevona, in Cueves del Agua.
Well, how we were not going to descend the Sella !!!! It is an activity that we had prepared and reserved before starting the trip. We had booked it with the company of MONTAÑAS DEL NORTE.
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The activity started around 11:00 in the morning, so we had to be in Ribadesella at 10:00, for a bus to bring us to Arriondas, which is where our adventure was going to begin.
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Well, nothing we were all prepared for, they even gave us some guidelines on how to better handle the canoe.
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And to the water !!!! the descent was beginning.
Some shock to start, some that we stay, others that
advance too fast, jajajajajaja often chaos !!!!.
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After more or less 1h. we made our first stop. Some cokes,
some sandwiches and we resumed the decline.
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The adventure continued apace. The river was quiet and
on the way he let us see all the splendor of this land.
Halfway through we decided to make a second and final stop, we had to gather strength to face the last section of the route. And that's what we did.
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With the batteries recharged, we got back to work and lowered what we had left. We had the odd scare, some of us fell in line and our canoes were flooded, others we capsized, ufff what a scare !!!! But everything stayed in anecdotes that in the end we will remember with grace.
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16:30 in the afternoon, the tour ended and we got on the bus again on our way to Ribadesella, where a park was waiting for us next to the canoeing school, where we would regain strength, as we were approaching the Cuevona.
The arrival at the Cuevona was with expectation, because we were very curious to contemplate this work of nature.
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When we arrived we were left speechless, more than three hundred meters in length !!!!!
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The road reaches a small valley where the mountain that crosses La Cuevona is located. The natural pass was enabled and used in the past by the residents and this road was later modernized with asphalt, building a real road through which vehicles can circulate and pedestrians.
The stream that in ancient times gave rise to the cave runs parallel to one side. On the other side of the entrance is the village called Cuevas del Agua.
Day 7. We are going to Cantabria !!!! We visit the Cabarceno Nature Park.
What can we tell you about Cabarceno Park that you still don't know?
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Well that, little thing. Still, we will tell you something about this nature park.
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The Cabárceno Nature Park is a natural enclosure with animals in semi-freedom, located in the town of Cabárceno, in the municipality of Penagos, in the Pisueña valley, within Cantabria, 17 kilometers from Santander.
The Cabárceno Park develops both research work related to the conservation of endangered species, as well as environmental education. In this area there were some iron mines, whose industrial structures can still be seen.
Facilities and services
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Route: more than 20 km, to be done by vehicle, bicycle or on foot. Now it has a cable car.
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Facilities: restaurant, cable car, viewpoints, self-service, cafeterias, shops, parking lots, lake area, picnic area, playground and infirmary.
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Shows: birds of prey, with vultures, kites, Harris's eagles, eagles, buzzards, hawks. Also of sea lions.
It has an area equipped for motorhomes with an ecological waste treatment service before the entrance to Cabárceno
Day 8. Well, we only had LLANES and GULPIYURI beach. How short it has become.
Well yes, indeed it has been very short, but it has been intense. We have not stopped any day. We have many things to see, but that's the best, so we have an excuse to return.
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But we still had two days left to enjoy Asturias and its people, so we decided to visit LLANES.
LLANES holds the title of "Very noble and loyal town". It has numerous beaches and a good conservation of its monumental heritage, which makes tourism one of the largest areas of activity.
On the coast of Llanes there are forty sandy beaches and two inland beaches:
- Cobijeru: beach where we have already been and we enjoyed it and its caves.
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Gulpiyuri: inland beach to which we will go after touring the town of LLANES.
The visit to the VILLA DE LLANES, we did it in his tourist train.
Train that is taken at the Llanes Bridge (Downtown Area). The tour of the town of Llanes, the port and the fort, the downtown area, the town hall, Casino, Basilica and the historic center, the oldest neighborhood of Llanes "El Cuetu", also approaching the beaches of Sablon and Toró, the Paseo de San Pedro, the house where the movie “El Orfanato” was filmed, to finish again at the Puente de Llanes.
And we finish our excursion through LLANES visiting its promenade
A peculiar walk, a lawn walk, the Paseo de San Pedro. This is one of the most photographed places in the region. It was built in the 19th century, more specifically in 1847, with the idea of ââproviding a recreational place for the neighborhood. Thanks to this natural walkway, about eight meters wide. The walk is integrated into the more general one of the coastal path of Llanes, which crosses the entire municipality, at present it has been extended from the original 300 meters to almost a kilometer in length.
We did not want the day to end without going to see GULPIYURI beach, another beautiful inland beach.
On this occasion we could not see it in its maximum splendor, because we caught low tide and it was raining on top of it, so the sight, although it was wonderful, was not the splendor we were looking for.
Still it is a place worth visiting.
Day 9 and 10. Last day of our holidays in Asturian lands
Even though we weren't tired, we wanted to stay at the VILLAVICIOSA campsite.
First, to enjoy a little of its facilities, soccer field, ping pong, playground ... And second because the next day we had a few hours of travel and we did not want to take a bill.
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We thought it was the most opportune day for a good barbecue And that
was what we did. Soon we went to rest, no we were going to get up very
early, but we didn't want to get up either at so many.
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The next day around 9:00 we left for home, a long but quiet journey again,
without incident or scares.
Our first great trip, was coming to an end, well rather, it came to an end. It has been 10 unforgettable but not unrepeatable days.
WE WILL BE BACK!!!!!