Spain Guide
Cantabria and Asturias
Western Asturias
The coast west of Avilés, as far as the Río Navia, is rugged, with scarcely more than a handful of resorts carved out from the cliffs. The most appealing are the old port and resort of Luarca, and pretty little Cudillero. West again from the Río Navia, the coast becomes marshy and, save for an honorable mention of the attractive fishing village of Tapia de Casariego, unexceptional. The FEVE line trails the coast, with some spectacular sections, though a number of the stations (including Cudillero and Luarca) are inconveniently sited some way out of town.
Inland from Oviedo, the N634 and C630 offer a winding approach over the hills to Lugo in Galicia. The old town of Salas, with its castle, is of passing interest, but the main appeal of the route is the mountainous wildness, which hardly sees a tourist from one year to the next.