Tineo sits on a ridge in western Asturias, and for pilgrims walking the Camino Primitivo it is the place where the real mountains begin. This is the oldest of the routes to Santiago, said to have been walked by King Alfonso II in the ninth century when he went from Oviedo to the tomb of St James, and it climbs from the green hills around Oviedo into a wilder landscape of ridges and valleys that separates Asturias from Galicia. The town itself has about 11,000 people, a handsome old centre, a church and a pilgrim hostel, and the Camino passes through it on the way west.
The route from here has a famous variant, the Hospitales, a high-level path along a ridge that follows an old trail past the ruins of medieval pilgrim hospices, with long views across the mountains. It is a walkers' route, not a road, though roads that cross the same hills give riders much of the same scenery. Landscape here is a patchwork of meadow, chestnut, oak and gorse, with villages of grey stone and slate roofs, and the weather is often misty and damp, as the Atlantic air pushes against the mountains.
The riding in western Asturias is rewarding. Roads wind along ridges and down into deep valleys, with plenty of bends, some of them tight, and surfaces that vary from smooth to patched. Cattle and tractors on the road are normal, and mist can make visibility poor, especially in the morning. Spring and early autumn are the best times, with green hills and clear air, though rain is possible at any time. Check the weather before heading up to higher roads.
Tineo has fuel stations, shops and several places to eat, and it is a sensible overnight stop. Asturian food is generous, with fabada, a stew of white beans with sausage and pork, and a strong tradition of cheese, including Cabrales and others made in the mountains. The local drink is sidra, a dry cider, which is poured from a height into a wide glass, a ritual known as escanciar. If you see walkers with scallop shells on their rucksacks, give them room and a wave, since a rider's pace and a pilgrim's are very different.