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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Santa María del Naranco and Chemin Primitif

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
148 km
Riding-time estimate
2 h 46
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

148 km from Oviedo to Oviedo, about 2 h 46 of riding. The stops in between: La Peña de Candamo, Chemin Primitif and back through La Peña de Candamo. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,050 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. 1. Santa María del Naranco

    There is a point on the road up Monte Naranco where Oviedo suddenly appears below you, and it is nothing like what you imagined. Spread across a valley of green hills, the capital of Asturias looks more like a country town than a city of two hundred thousand, with the cathedral tower in the middle and the sea hidden somewhere beyond the ridge. The hillside is a ride of about three kilometres from the centre, steady and winding, and it leads to one of Spain's best-loved medieval buildings.

    Read the complete Santa María del Naranco write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Santa María del Naranco is where the day begins. Next is La Peña de Candamo.

  2. 2. 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 comes up about 32 km into the recorded legs. Next is Chemin Primitif.

  3. 3. 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.

    Read the complete Chemin Primitif write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    about 73 km into the recorded legs you reach Chemin Primitif. Next is back through La Peña de Candamo.

  4. 4. back through 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 through La Peña de Candamo, late in the day. Next is Santa María del Naranco.

  5. 5. Santa María del Naranco

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Santa María del Naranco write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

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

    Planning note

    Back at Santa María del Naranco. That is the ride.

Leg by leg

Santa María del Naranco to La Peña de Candamo

Santa María del Naranco → La Peña de Candamo is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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 back through La Peña de Candamo

Chemin Primitif → back through La Peña de Candamo is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through La Peña de Candamo to Santa María del Naranco

back through La Peña de Candamo → Santa María del Naranco is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

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