Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Grado it runs 410 km to Grado; allow about 6 h 04 of riding. It goes by way of Chemin Primitif, Santa Cristina de Lena, Eglise San Salvador and back through Santa Cristina de Lena. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. La Peña de Candamo
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Peña de Candamo is where the day begins. Next is Chemin Primitif.
2. Chemin Primitif
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.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chemin Primitif comes up about 41 km into the recorded legs. Next is Santa Cristina de Lena.
3. Santa Cristina de Lena
On a grassy knoll above the Lena valley, south of Oviedo, stands a tiny stone church that has watched over the main road between Asturias and Castile for more than a thousand years. Santa Cristina de Lena is one of the jewels of Asturian pre-Romanesque architecture, built in the ninth century when the little Christian kingdom of Asturias was the only part of Iberia outside Muslim rule. Its unusual plan, with a raised presbytery behind an arcade of carved arches, and its finely worked stone screens are unique. Together with Santa María del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo in Oviedo, it is part of a World Heritage listing.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 131 km into the recorded legs you reach Santa Cristina de Lena. Next is Eglise San Salvador.
4. Eglise San Salvador
Tucked into a narrow valley a few kilometres south of Villaviciosa, the little church of San Salvador de Valdediós is one of the jewels of Asturian pre-Romanesque architecture. Locals call it El Conventín, the little convent, and it was consecrated at the end of the ninth century under King Alfonso III, during the period when the small Kingdom of Asturias was the only Christian state in Iberia not under Muslim rule. Its tall, narrow nave, round arches and delicate stone lattice windows give it a strangely intimate atmosphere.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
La Peña de Candamo closes the day.
Leg by leg
La Peña de Candamo to Chemin Primitif
La Peña de Candamo → Chemin Primitif is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chemin Primitif to Santa Cristina de Lena
Chemin Primitif → Santa Cristina de Lena is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Santa Cristina de Lena to Eglise San Salvador
Santa Cristina de Lena → Eglise San Salvador is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Eglise San Salvador to back through Santa Cristina de Lena
Eglise San Salvador → back through Santa Cristina de Lena is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Santa Cristina de Lena to back through Chemin Primitif
back through Santa Cristina de Lena → back through Chemin Primitif is 91 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Chemin Primitif to La Peña de Candamo
back through Chemin Primitif → La Peña de Candamo is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.