In the hills above the Nalón valley in Asturias, a cave hides one of the great collections of Paleolithic art in Spain. The Cueva de la Peña de Candamo, near San Román de Candamo, was discovered in 1914 and contains paintings and engravings of horses, bison, deer, goats and other animals, made during the Upper Paleolithic, and a remarkable wall of engraved figures. It is part of the UNESCO listing of cave art in northern Spain, and unlike some other caves, it can be visited, though only in limited numbers and for part of the year, so book ahead.
The Nalón valley, in central Asturias, is green and fertile, with meadows, apple orchards and forests of chestnut and oak, and the river winds toward the sea at San Esteban de Pravia. The area is known for its kiwi farms, and for the cider of Asturias, which is poured from a height to aerate it, a skill that locals perform with style. Grado, about eight kilometres away, is an old market town, and its market days bring in local produce, cheeses and crafts from the surrounding villages.
Asturias is a paradise for motorcyclists. The roads are endlessly twisty, climbing through green valleys and over mountain passes, with spectacular views of the Picos de Europa and the Cantabrian mountains. From Grado, roads lead west toward the coast at Cudillero, a fishing village of colourful houses built into a ravine, and south into the mountains, toward the Somiedo natural park, home to brown bears. Traffic is light, but roads can be narrow and wet, and cows on the road are a regular hazard. The weather is mild but changeable, and rain is frequent, so be prepared.
Grado has fuel, shops and restaurants, and Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, is about twenty-five kilometres away, with its cathedral and pre-Romanesque churches, Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo, on a hill above the city. Asturian food is hearty: fabada, a stew of white beans with chorizo and black pudding, cachopo, a huge breaded veal steak stuffed with ham and cheese, and cheeses like Cabrales, a strong blue cheese matured in mountain caves.