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Cliffs & Secret Coves of Asturias
Nights: 7
Starting point: Las Helgueras (2*), Noriega. Antique furniture and the warm hospitality of owner Carmen combine to make a charming rural hotel. Home-made breakfasts are served in a room with picture windows. Day 1: your first day has a good mix of the hills and the sea, with great views of the Bay of Biscay to the north and the Picos de Europa to the south. You can detour via Colombres at the start of the day to see some of the distinctive houses built with money from the Indianos (Spaniards who emigrated to Latin America to make their fortune). Later in the day you head down to the coast, passing limestone blowholes and beautiful coves where you could pause for a swim. (24km or 27km) Accommodation: Posada de Babel (3*), La Pereda. This is one of the first hotels we discovered in Asturias, and remains a firm favourite. Lucas and Blanca are charming hosts, and the bedrooms and large drawing room are stylishly decorated. The focal point, however, is the locally renowned restaurant, where you can savour delicately flavoured fish dishes and mouth-watering desserts. Day 2: leading along some rough tracks, our recommended route is fairly strenuous but very worthwhile, rewarding you with views and optional (tough) detours to secret small bays. One of the beaches you can detour to is Playa de Huelga, complete with a small natural arch. You end the day following in the footsteps (albeit on your bike!) of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela over many centuries. (32km or 34km) Accommodation: Villa Rosario (4*), Ribadesella. Besides a first-rate restaurant specialising in delicious Asturian beef and fresh fish from the Bay of Biscay, this incomparable hotel (superbly converted from a colonial-style house with beautiful architectural detail) boasts gardens, views of both the sea and mountains, and direct access to the beach. You stay on a bed and breakfast basis. Day 3: if you can tear yourselves away from your hotel, visit the nearby caves of Tito Bustillo, where you can witness one of Europe’s finest collections of Palaeolithic art, or cycle to the village of Cuevas by the River Sella, visiting a Romanesque church en route (12km). Alternatively, you may wish to hire a canoe (pay locally) for a paddle on the river nearby, or stroll to the hermitage on the headland opposite your hotel. Accommodation: Villa Rosario, as above. Day 4: you start by climbing fairly steeply to Tereñes. The ascent is rewarded by impressive views as you cycle along the flat top of the ridge through fields of flowers. You follow parts of the Camino de Santiago pilgrims' trail again and have the option of pausing at a couple of long, sandy beaches along the way. Your destination is the pretty fishing village of Lastres. (26km) Accommodation: Casa Eutimio (2*), Lastres. This authentic inn is located in the heart of the village and is a superb example of an early 20th-century stone casona. The hotel has a lounge, reading room and terrace where you can enjoy outstanding views of the Cantabrian Sea, the Sueve Sierra and the Picos de Europa. Having started life as a restaurant, Casa Eutimio is still renowned locally for its fresh fish and seafood. Day 5: an easy day, particularly if you take the old main road. Otherwise you can follow the hilly cross-country route. If you wish to cycle some more, you can continue to the Cistercian monastery at Valdedios, where you can visit the 9th-century church of San Salvador, a gem of pre-Romanesque architecture. (18km, 20km or 34km) Accommodation: Casona de Amandi (3*), Villaviciosa. A magnificent house set in beautiful gardens where you can relax on the spectacular terrace before enjoying a dinner of locally grown produce. Day 6: there are three options to reach your final destination depending on how energetic you are feeling and whether you would prefer to stop at a beach to break your ride or spend time exploring Gijón, where you can stroll along the seafront promenade and through the Old Town. The two longer routes (both the same length) are hillier but reveal yet more beguiling Asturian pastoral scenery. (30km or 34km) Accommodation: Hotel Quinta Duro (3*), Cabueñes. This exquisite country house hotel has been run by the Duro family since the 18th century, and makes a wonderful base for your final night. Relax in the hotel’s extensive surrounding parkland, set in ancient woodland and home to squirrels and various species of birds. Breakfast only is included as there are several good restaurants located just a short walk from the hotel. Recommendations for extra nights: Posada de Babel (La Pereda) or Hotel Quinta Duro (Cabueñes) for time to explore the coastal towns of Llanes and Gijón, respectively. Other information: if you would like to see the brochure page, you can download this (and the pages for any other holidays you are interested in) by using our brochure creation system. Similar holidays: From the Plain to the Wild Coast (grade 2), Golden Cities (grade 2-3), Secret Hills & Precious Mosaics (grade 2-3) Prices & travel 2008:
Recommended destination airports: Asturias (Oviedo) & Santander Extra night prices 2008
> Notes on prices > Any queries? Let us call you back > Booking
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Green and unspoiled, Asturias is dominated by the magnificent mountain range of the Picos de Europa, just a few miles inland from its beautiful and unspoiled coastline, characterised by delightful fishing villages and sandy coves hidden by tall cliffs. The coastline is effectively divided into two distinct areas by Cape Peñas just to the west of Gijón. This wonderful route takes in the area east of the cape, which almost feels separated from the rest of Spain by its dramatic mountain backdrop. The landscape here is full of drama, with tranquil coastal roads winding between hidden hamlets and linking steep ravines. The cycling, therefore, is not for the faint-hearted, but your efforts are rewarded by mesmerising views and a real sense of discovery. You cycle through fertile agricultural land, crossing river estuaries full of birdlife, while you stay in some truly unique accommodation. You can also make use of the narrow-gauge railway that runs parallel to the coastline and stops at virtually every village along the way – enabling you to shorten routes and make more time for sightseeing or relaxation (pay locally).
There are numerous detours down to the sea 
