Senda del Oso, Camin Real de la Mesa. Balcón Real.

LA SENDA DEL OSO, THE BEAR’S PATH GREENWAY In the mythology of Asturias in northwestern Spain, xanas are nymphs and fairies that live near streams, fountains and caves.  eir gaze is enchanting, and their songs echo through the tunnels and canyons. If you believe in such sprites, La Senda del Oso, or the Bear’s Path Greenway, would be the place to fi nd them. Located just 15 miles from the Asturias capital, Oviedo, the 25-mile Bear’s Path traverses a fairytale landscape of tunnels, deep ravines and rock crevices, mountainsides and medieval towns.  e magic of this enchanting rail-trail is very real.

aA scenic standout, La Senda del Oso,
follows an old mining rail line that was
used until 1963. Shaped as an inverted
Y, the trail links the valleys of Tuñón
(Santo Adriano), Entrago (Teverga),
Santa Marina (Quirós) and Proaza. A
good place to start is at the top of the Y
in the recreational area of Tuñón, by the
Trubia River and Route AS-228. Here
you can park your car, rent a bicycle
and stock up on refreshments for the
day. Large brown signs make it easy to
follow the route, which launches across
the road from the ninth-century Church
of Santo Adriano, an early example of
Asturian religious architecture.
Th is fi rst stretch—on fl at, even
terrain—runs parallel to and above the
Trubia River. On quiet days all you’ll
hear is the breeze that brushes your face,
the crunch of loose gravel on the trail
and the gurgling water down below.
Half a mile along, you will come upon
the fi rst tunnel. Bare rock swallows the
path here, enticing you as a hoop would
invite a child to jump through.
Beyond the tunnel a canopy of beech
and ash trees shades the trail. Soon a
farm comes into view below the trail,
where sturdy Percheron horses roam in
the fi elds. Cross a bridge over the Trubia
River and continue another mile to
Villanueva, a picturesque hamlet full of
centuries-old houses refurbished to withstand
another 200 years. You can see
beautiful examples of horreos—houses
on stilts—which are typical in this area
and still are used as food pantries. You’ll
also cross a medieval bridge and pass a
stone-laundry and fountain that further
cloak the trail with a mythical aura.
Continuing on the Bear’s Path, you’ll
soon reach the most popular point on the
rail-trail: La Montaña del Oso, or Bear
Mountain. An enclosed natural reserve
houses three protected brown bears. At
noon, feeding time for the bears, cheerful
groups of children from nearby schools
fi ll the path to catch a glimpse.
As you approach the six-kilometer
mark (3.7 miles), you’ll come to a
hydroelectric plant designed and built
in the 1960s by the Asturian
architect and artist Vaquero
Palacios. Cruise past the plant
and cross a bridge into the
center of Proaza. Th e perfect
place for a rest stop, Proaza is a
lively town off ering a selection of hotels,
restaurants and bars. While here, check
out the circular medieval tower and the
18th-century Palace of Gonzalez-Tuñón.
Beyond Proaza, the Bear’s Path steps
down to the Trubia River and runs
through a series of tunnels. You’ll feel
like you’re in a game of peekaboo as you
pop in and out of dimly lit, bare-rock
tunnels built 100 years ago. When you
start to lose track of how many you’ve
passed through, you’ll come to the spectacular
Gorge of Peñas Juntas. Th e echo
of your footsteps in this lengthy tunnel
will bring back childhood fantasies of
fairies dancing in the darkness.
After crossing the main road, the
Bear’s Path enters the area of Perihuela,
where the inverted Y route divides
at a crossroads. If you head toward
Entrago, you will bear right on the path
before entering the town of Caranga
de Abajo and traveling on to the magnifi
cent Gorges of Entrepeñes and
Valdecerezales. Excavated from limestone,
the trail seems to cantilever over
the ravine in this dramatic setting. You
will pass through more than 20 tunnels
and cross nine bridges over the Trubia
River, the Teverga River and Route
AS-228. Th is 16-kilometer (9.9 miles)
segment ends in Entrago in the Valley
of Teverga. Th e Teverga Prehistoric Park
and the Collegiate Church of San Pedro
de Teverga, dating to the 11th century,
are worth a visit.
Th e other branch of the inverted Y
starts at the Perihuela recreational area
just beyond the Peñas Juntas Gorge. Th e
path wraps around the town of Caranga
de Abajo and continues to the Reservoir
of Valdemurrio and Santa Marina. Th is
section of the trail was added in 1999
and runs parallel to AS-229, halfway up
the mountain in the narrow Valdemurrio
Gorge and through one more tunnel
before arriving at the Reservoir of
Valdemurrio in the Valley of Quirós. On
this arm of the trail you will slip through
lush natural reserves where oaks, beech
and holly thrive.
At the village of Arrojo, three kilometers
(1.9 miles) from Valdemurrio
Reservoir, be sure to visit the remains of
the eighth-century Castle of Alba and
the even older Church of San Pedro
de Arrojo. Shortly ahead, the historical
town of Bárzana is a memorable fi nal
highlight for a trail steeped in medieval
charm and mystique. And when you
reach the trail’s end just a mile ahead
at the hamlet of Santa Marina, you’ll
already feel the lure of Asturias and the
xanas pulling you back.
Maria Schneider, originally from Spain, is a
writer and photographer based outside of
Philadelphia.
28 railstotrails u spring/summer.10
destination
The hamlet of Villanueva, where you’ll fi nd
many examples of horreos, centuries-old
houses built on stilts; (at left) just past
Proaza, where the Bear’s Path runs through a
series of tunnels along the Trubia River.
AS-228
AS-228
AS-228
AS-228
AS-228
AS-228
AS-229
AS-229
AS-230
AS-230
N-634
N-634
A-63 N-634 N-630
A-66
A-66
QU-3
QU-4
Map for reference only.
Not for navigation.
Trail route approximate.
N
miles
0 1 2
kilometers
0 1 2
A S T U R I A S
reservoir valdemurrio
recreation area
la montaña del oso
(bear mountain)
trubia
recreation
area
Oviedo
Villanueva
Tuñon
Trubia
Santo Adriano
San Andrés
El Valle
Caranga
Las Ventas
Santa Mariña
Entragu
Bárzana Quirós
Arrojo
Casares
Santa Marina
Proaza
Villamejín
La Senda
del Oso
Trailhead
Total trail length:
25 miles
(40.2 kilometers)
Trail surface:
Crushed stone
and gravel
map illustration by
daniellemarks.com
Autovía Oviedo - La Espina
Río Trubia
Río
Nalón
Autovía Ruta de la Plata
S P A I N
GETTING THERE: The Aeropuerto de Asturias
Asturias is the only international airport
in this province. Located 30 kilometers
(18.6 miles) from Oviedo near the town
of Avilés, it has regular links with Madrid,
Barcelona and Paris, as well as EasyJet
service from London’s Stansted Airport.
On the ground in Spain, you can use
RENFE, the National Rail Company network
(www.renfe.es), which links Oviedo
with the rest of Spain. The FEVE Company
(www.feve.es) runs a more localized train
system. There is a fine bus service, the
ALSA Bus Company (www.alsa.es), which
connects Asturias with other parts of
Spain and thoroughly covers the region.
Another helpful trip-planning tool
is available at www.consorcioasturias.
com. From this page, you can use Google
Transit to plan your trip using public
transportation.
There is ample parking as well as an
ALSA bus stop at each of the main towns
and recreational areas along the trail:
Tuñón, Entrago, Proaza, Valdemurrio,
Buyera, Perihuela and Santa Marina.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT: You’ll find a great variety of lodging
and dining options along the Bear’s Path Greenway, especially
in Proaza and Villamejin. Good sources of information about
the choices are www.asturnor.com and www.vivirasturias.com.
Standard free Web translators work well with these pages.
Enjoy the typical specialties of Asturias—sidra (fermented
apple cider) and fabada asturiana (slow-cooked meat, legumes
and vegetable stew)—in almost every area bar and restaurant.
Purists will tell you that pouring sidra from two feet above the
small glass changes and enhances the flavor of this quintessential
Asturias drink.
FOR MORE: The Bear’s Path is not the only rail-trail in
Asturias. Search www.viasverdes.com for other nearby trail
options. The pages for Asturias are in Spanish but are easy
to navigate by clicking on “Itinerarios” and then “Asturias.”
RENTALS: There are bicycle rental shops at each of the main
points along the trail. One of the most popular vendors is
CBTT (www.vallesdeloso.es).
railstotrails u spring/summer.10 29

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