Ruta de la Sierra del Crespón. PR.AS-121

Difficulty rating: medium to difficult

Time: 4.5 hours

Ruta de la Sierra del Crespon. We did this walk backwards- starting in Soto and finishing in Villamorei . Take the ruta del Alba heading out of Soto. Just after the fish factory, there are 2 steep paths going off to the right. take the first one. Confusingly, it has a ‘no walking’ sign, but this is to keep those looking for the Ruta Del Alba on the right track.

Follow the path up and up and up towards some huts, until you can take a sharp turn off the the right.

Keep following the path upwards, until you get to a group of huts.

The path continues along the line of a water pipe carrying water to Gijon, you have beautiful views to your right of Soto, Villamorei, Ladines, Campiellos.

You come to a clearing, head to the left of the rock and take up the narrow path again heading slightly down and along the side of the mountain.

 

 

Follow the path until you reach a mountain hut. The keep going sign is on the front of the building, turn sharply to the right and look for another keep-going sign. This path will lead you down and towards the reservoir. When you come to a tumble down house with a stone wall crossing your path, go to the left and you will find the ‘keep-walking’ sign again.

Keep going down, it gets quite scrabbly and steep and parts are best done ‘al culo’ (on your bottom) but it’s perfectly doable. When you get to Villamorei, head back to Soto or into Rioseco for a well deserved coffee/beer.

 

Ruta de Curyargayos PR AS 63

We did this walk backwards, starting in Agues through Feleches then heading up to the summit of Curyargayos and finally Ladines.

Difficulty rating: medium to difficult

Time: 5 hours +

I recommend long trousers and good walking shoes-you will be doing a bit of climbing through fern and gorse and there’s a fair bit scrambling up and down rocks. We saw lots of deer, a snake, a toad and there were tons of pretty wild flowers and blackberries to keep us going.

Turn left at the tumbledown bar

 

Head up through Agues turn right over the bridge crossing the Nozalin river and when the path splits 3 ways, go straight on and up into the forest. Continue on this path going up and up until you come to a T junction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feleches

Feleches

 

 

 

It’s clear that you follow the fork to the left and you continue on the path going up and round the mountain. Eventually you come to a group of tumble down stone huts. This is Feleches.

 

Follow the path that zigzags round the huts and up into the mountains. You come to a small clearning with a barn on your right, you will see a water trough ahead and to the left which marks the path as continuing ahead and to the left.

 

 

 

the water trough is near the trees. This is looking back on it.

the water trough is near the trees. This is looking back on it.

 

 

 

 

Follow the path up- you are now going through fern and gorse. It’s easy to lose the path so you need to keep looking around. Basically it goes up and to the left.

 

 

 

 

 

A signpost always helps.

A signpost always helps.

 

 

 

 

You continue on the path until you come to a clearing that is marked with an AS 63 post and an arrow pointing the way.

 

 

 

 

Scramble along the ridge

Scramble along the ridge

 

 

 

 

 

Now the path takes you up and down some little ridges, don’t go down into the forest. You basically scramble along the mountain ridge for a couple of kilometres .Keep going, the views are incredible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views of Ladines, Rioseco and Soto

 

 

 

 

You can see the whole of the Redes Park: Soto, Ladines and Rioseco are tiny clusters below you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now the ridge scramble takes you close  to the forest on your left, to your right there’s a path and green pasture. (I don’t have further pictures because we got caught in a thunder storm!) Follow the path down to the right and into the pasture. Soon you’ll see another sign telling you that you’re on track. Follow the path down through the fields, it turns rocky and it brings you out onto a plain. The path takes you off to the left and onto a concrete path which leads to Ladines,to the comfort of the local bar for a little treat.

The tower at Villamorey

Ruta de la Sierra del Crespón. PR.AS-121

You're headed here.

You’re headed here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another favourite walk of mine starts in Villamorey and takes you up to the tower, where you can either enjoy the views and feel good about what you’ve done or you can continue up and round for a more challenging walk. This walk has great views, nice gentle climbs and falls and again, you will often be alone. If you’re driving to Villamorey, leave your car in the car park next to the chapel and walk to the end of the village where you’ll find the path that goes past a chicken house and up along a  path with views of the fields and Rioseco on the other side of the resevoir.  Keep walking along and up  you will climb up some stone steps and come to a picnic area with great views over the valley. From there, continue along and up slightly. You follow the line of the resevoir until a path takes you down and to the right. At the bottom you come to the ruins of a stone house. Cross infront of the house and take the narrow steep path up the side of the tower. It’s perfectly doable with young children (my youngest was probably about 4 when he did it for the first time) but you will need to keep a tight hold on them. Climb up and round until you are at the base of the tower. Sit down and enjoy your sandwiches and looking down on it all!