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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

La Peña de Candamo and Santa Cristina de Lena

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
317 km
Riding-time estimate
4 h 25
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

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.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

317 km from Grado to Grado, about 4 h 25 of riding. The stops in between: Eglise San Salvador, Santa Cristina de Lena and back through Eglise San Salvador. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,250 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It suits an unhurried touring pace.

Scenic road chapters

Ruta de la Plata

Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 85 km this is Ruta de la Plata, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.

Chapter facts
Length
85 km
Named road
Ruta de la Plata

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 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.

    Read the complete La Peña de Candamo write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    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 Eglise San Salvador.

  2. 2. 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.

    Read the complete Eglise San Salvador write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Eglise San Salvador comes up about 85 km into the recorded legs. Next is Santa Cristina de Lena.

  3. 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.

    Read the complete Santa Cristina de Lena write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    about 159 km into the recorded legs you reach Santa Cristina de Lena. Next is back through Eglise San Salvador.

  4. 4. back through Eglise San Salvador

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Eglise San Salvador write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Eglise San Salvador, late in the day. Next is La Peña de Candamo.

  5. 5. La Peña de Candamo

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete La Peña de Candamo write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Back at La Peña de Candamo. That is the ride.

Leg by leg

La Peña de Candamo to Eglise San Salvador

La Peña de Candamo → Eglise San Salvador is 85 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

Eglise San Salvador to Santa Cristina de Lena

Eglise San Salvador → Santa Cristina de Lena is 74 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

Santa Cristina de Lena to back through Eglise San Salvador

Santa Cristina de Lena → back through Eglise San Salvador is 73 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

back through Eglise San Salvador to La Peña de Candamo

back through Eglise San Salvador → La Peña de Candamo is 85 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

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