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| Promenade, Paseo de
la Grúa. |
Ribadesella is one
of the best places in Northern Spain to enjoy walking. One of
the nicest walks is from the beach to the end of the port. And
there are three routes to walk near by the town. The closest
to the town is along the promenade of the port, called the Paseo
Princesa Letizia; it starts at the spot where the trophies are
awarded to the canoe race winners and continues to quay at the
end of the port. This is a popular area, because of the views
of the town and the harbour. You pass the fish market, a building
in the rationalist style built at the end of the 2nd republic
before the civil war. And then you continue along the Grúa
promenade, built in the 18th and 19th century. Along the quay
are benches made of stone, the fonte del cay, an ornate water
fountain. Following on you reach the circular walkway at the
end of the quay. From this point you can climb to the view point
at the Guia chapel and to where the old canons that protected
the port are situated.
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| Ruta de
los Molinos. Route of the mills |
In the area of the beach, there
are two scenic walks. One is along the promenade of the beach,
recently rebuilt and awarded an accreditation for quality. Along
this walk you can admire the small palaces built in the modernist
style. One of the best views is from the lighthouse in the Somos
mountains. In the same area but a little hidden is Malecón,
a natural reserve, a marshland of great ecological interest.
It is the stopover for many species of migratory bird. There
is a beautiful pedestrian pathway.
There are a lot of possibilities
for hiking in Ribadesella. Both sides of the estuary have hiking
paths. The right side follows the railway track and you get
reach Campos de Oba, a refreshing grove near the river. Here
is the picnic area used during the canoeing fiesta in August.
From there you can see a railway bridge, designed by a student
architect of Eiffel, rebuilt after the civil war. For more advanced
walkers you can walk along the N-634 until the pedestrian bridge
in Cueves. And arrive at Cueves del Agua.
The left side of the estuary in for advanced walkers or cyclists.
We start at the Tito Bustillo cave, past Palacio de la Piconera
and Sardalla, in the direction of Tezangos, there are excellent
views here. It is recommended to leave the route to visit the
Romanesque church of Santa María de Junco, built in the
13th century. Returning to the road you arrive at the small
village of Cueves del Agua. However before arriving here, turn
off in Nocéu to visit the ruins of the Romanesque church
of San Salvador de Moru (in Moru, we can walk over the hills
and to Arriondas).
Returning to the original route we come to Cuevas del Agua.
To access the village you have to pass through a cave. The road
passes through the cave and follows a stream. The cave is illuminated
and is one of the most amazing natural phenomena of the area.
Cuevas is the start of the ruta de los molinos, the route of
the water mills. Where you can enjoy the beautiful landscape
and the interesting old water mills.
The major route in the area
is the Camino de Santiago, also known as the Camino de la Costa.
This route was more or less the original Camino Royal, up until
the 19th century, when the roads were re laid out, as they are
today. This is the most complete route to get from one end of
the borough to the other. But it is recommended to walk it in
stages, to enjoy it more
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| Bridge
at Cuerres. |
The Camino enters the borough
of Ribadesella in Cuerres. You have to cross a medieval stone
bridge over the river Guadamía. Nearby there are a couple
of mills. In Cuerres you can visit the church of San Mamés,
the old hostel for pilgrims and its fountain built in the 18th
century, placed in the middle of a field, because this fountain
was originally used for cattle. From Cuerres, following the
signs for the Camino de Santiago you pass Toriellu and you walk
along the railway to your right is Cuetu la Barca, and head
down in the direction of Ribadesella, missing the villages and
passing along the cliff tops. When you arrive to Espina, leaving
the cliffs at Arra, arrive at the road AS-263, The old road
to Santander. From here turn to Collera to visit the church
of San Martin, which used to have an important monastery.
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| Covarosa. |
We can access the town
of Ribadesella through the neighbourhood of El Portiellu, past
Trasmarina or Oscura street, both with and old feel to them.
And we arrive at the renaissance palace of Prieto-Cutre in the
city centre. If you carry on walking straight ahead you arrive
at the new church, which is on the site of hospital for pilgrims,
dating from the 15th up until the 19th century. Inside the church
you can see an amazing painting from the middle of the 20th
century by the brothers Uría Aza. Then you can walk along
Fernández Juncos street and La Atalaya and admire the
facades of the old houses. Visit the chapel of Santa Ana built
in the 18th century in the port, rebuilt recently and incorporated
into the Camino de Santiago
Up until the middle of the 19th century it
was necessary to cross the estuary by boat to continue the Camino
across the beach. Now we have a bridge. Next to the secondary
school you can take the original road to the hamlet of San Pedro,
once the villagers kept beautiful gardens. Then you have a steep
route until you reach Abeu, a lovely hamlet with many hórreos
and a magnificent view of the sea. From here we can see the
next point of interest, the church of San Esteban de Leces,
whose origins are Romanesque here is the beginning of the borough
of Ribadesella. Also there is the medieval tower of Ruiz de
Junco and a hostal for pilgrims that opened in 1999.
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| Paseo de la Grúa. |
From here you can walk to the
farm house of El Forniellu, which was an old Roman settlement.
Then you can take a stony road that was the Camino Royal, up
to Vega. At Vega there was an old stone bridge built in the
19th century and destroyed by a flood. This was replaced by
a wooden structure in 1988. Carry on along the Camino up to
village of Berbes, surrounded by green fields and views of the
sea. In this hamlet, in a farm house called El Parapetu, Napoleonic
solders were encamped for a year during the Peninsular war,
important because of its strategic location. From this point
you arrive, by way of a tunnel, cut through the stone, and called
La Caleyona, to the N-632 road. And arrive at a bridge over
the river Cerracín, which is the border with the next
borough, Caravia.
| Copyright de todos los texts por el author:
José Antonio Silva Sastre |
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