Tineo stands on a hillside above the green valleys of western Asturias, and it is one of the main stops on the Camino Primitivo, the original Way of St James. According to tradition, it was King Alfonso II of Asturias who first walked from Oviedo to Santiago in the ninth century to see the tomb, newly found, of the apostle, and the route he took became the Primitivo. It is the hardest of the Caminos, crossing mountain after mountain, and the pilgrims you meet here, wet, muddy and cheerful, are a special breed.
Tineo itself is a market town of about ten thousand, with stone houses, a Franciscan church and a promenade with a view over the hills. Its cattle markets have long been important in a region where cows outnumber people, and the surrounding hills were home to the vaqueiros de alzada, herdsmen who moved with their cattle between summer and winter pastures and had their own distinct traditions. The town is also known for its cured sausage and for the local version of fabada, the white bean stew of Asturias.
West of Tineo, the pilgrim route divides. The harder option, the Hospitales route, climbs over the high, bare mountains towards Pola de Allande, while the road follows the valleys. On a bike, the AS-14 from Pola de Allande over the Puerto del Palo is the one to do: it climbs in long switchbacks to over a thousand metres, with views across wild, heather-covered ridges and almost no traffic. Descending towards Grandas de Salime, you reach the huge reservoir of the Navia, a vast sheet of water hemmed in by steep slopes.
The roads in this part of Asturias are twisty, narrow and often wet. The Atlantic delivers rain in every season, and fog clings to the passes, so expect slippery surfaces and limited visibility. On a clear day, though, the colours are intense, every shade of green against grey stone and blue sky. Summer is the safest season; winter can bring snow to the passes.
Tineo has fuel and several places to eat, and Salas, to the east, is another option. Stop for a cider, poured from a height to aerate it, and drink it quickly before it goes flat, as Asturians do.