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Asturias has some of the most beautiful rural scenery in the whole of Spain. As well as spectacular snow topped mountains such as the Picos de Europa, there are deep valleys, rolling foothills and an outstanding coastline, much of which is a protected landscape. Situated on the northern coastal strip of the Iberian Peninsula, the Atlantic Ocean bounds it to the north and the high Cantabrian mountain range to the South.

Above the Beyos gorge between the western massif of the Picos de Europa and the Ponga mountains

The Picos de Europa are probably the best known mountain range of the area, but there are many other mountain ranges of outstanding beauty. The unspoilt Ponga mountain range to the west of the Picos de Europa, and the much smaller Sueve mountains close to the sea, where the famous Asturcon ponies still roam freely.

Such a variety of undisturbed natural habitats from coastal to sub alpine provide for an extraordinary diversity of fauna and flora, including a wide variety of birds of prey, chamois, boar, deer, wild horses, wolves and even a small population of brown bears. The traditional farming practices in the mountain pastures and the antiquity of these grasslands have resulted in a diversity of plant life unrivalled in Western Europe today.

This variety of habitats, high mountains, rolling hills, rivers and sea also makes it possible to practice many different activities such as walking, canoeing, bird watching, surfing, potholing, fishing, etc.Air Max 90 NS GPX Mid

2 Responses to “Asturias”

  1. Stephanie says:

    Really pleased to have found your wonderful website. I am relocating to Gijon in the coming weeks and as a mountaineer (at the weekends) your website is going to be most helpful! In the UK we have Ordance Survey maps and Harvey maps, could you reccommend any for Spain please?

    • Nigel Burch (Hotel Posada del Valle) says:

      Hi Stephanie
      The only 1:25,000 maps that cover the whole of Asturias are the IGN maps which are moderatly accurate. You should be able to get them in good bookshops in Oviedo or Gijon. or if not in the IGN office in Oviedo. The ADRADOS maps cover a range of the more popular walking areas such as the Picos, Somiedo etc these can also be found easily in good bookshops. I hope you enjoy your time here. Its a fabulous area for walking. Nigel

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