Teverga and the Senda del Oso

The weekend before last was our first trip away in our motorhome for a long time. So long in fact that when we turned the key in the ignition on the Saturday night the battery failed to turn over. All packed up and nowhere to go. We duly dismounted, clutching our bedding and toothbrushes, put the battery on charge and crossed our fingers for the morning.

Thankfully, our trusty steed did not let us down and we set off the next morning, a little delayed but with undampened spirits despite the showery outlook for the days ahead. Our destination was the valley of Teverga, just over an hour’s drive from here; easily doable as a daytrip but also a great place to spend a few days if you have the opportunity to linger.

The entrance to the valley of the River Trubia and the concejo of Teverga lies just off the motorway, south of Oviedo (the capital city of Asturias), its easy accessibility belying the spectacular natural beauty and wildness of the place. This is an area where wolves and brown bears live in the wild – just half an hour from the city!

The Senda del Oso – a 40km long path through this beautiful valley, and best of all, FLAT!

It’s a great destination for activity break and family getaway alike, with something for everyone. The most popular attraction is the Senda del Oso (Bear Path) a 40 km long walking and bike trail that wends through the impressive limestone valley along the path of a disused mining railway. It cuts through tunnels carved in the rock and is lovely and flat (uniquely so in this mountainous region) – perfect for little legs just starting out on bikes, trikes or push-alongs or for mums and dads towing kiddy trailers. (There are a number of spots to hire bikes along the trail for those who need to.)

A self-propelled toddler = a happy toddler and happy parents!

Jack was happy to spend hours safely zooming along the path on his moto and spotting wild flowers in the hedgerows. Below is a small selection of the flowers found by our budding baby botanist.

There are several picnic spots along the trail, at the grassy foot of crags and alongside the rushing river. If pursestrings permit, there are also a number of excellent, traditional restaurants in the villages that the path passes through. My personal favourites are the pulperia Casa Gallega in Entrago for excellent pulpo (octopus) and lacon (boiled ham) or Casa Aladino in San Martin for more Asturian fare (and an excellent 3 course Menu del Dia, including wine, for 8 Euros).

For us, the Senda also serves as an access point to the plethora of sports climbing crags that surround it. Some soar up directly from the trackside, others are approached steeply uphill.

Climbing in between showers, just above the Senda

Our friends were in the mood for a more strenuous yomp than was suitable for little legs (or adult ones carrying heavy toddler backpacks) so they set off from the Puerta de Marabio to hike some of the peaks surrounding the valley. Thanks to them for these pictures of the views from on high.

As well as wild animals the valley is also home to two Cantabrian brown bears kept in semi-captivity. Rescued as cubs after their mother was shot by a poacher they now live in an enormous enclosure alongside the Senda. At midday everyday they amble along to the edge of the Senda to be fed by their keeper – a must-see, guaranteed to delight children and adults alike.

And we still haven’t even ventured into the Parque de la Prehistoria, at the end of the valley, or the dinosaur museum at the start of it. These fun, interactive museums are our aces in the hole for a rainy day in Teverga. One things for sure, we have many years of visits here ahead of us!
Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Comments

  1. Truly the Land of Enchantment outside the state of New Mexico in the U.S.! These wonderful, toddler-friendly flat, paved paths going through the valley and throug those tunnels just looks like it was perfect for your family outing. With the addition of the museums and the restaurants and the semi-tame bears, this preserve is incredibly inviting. Thanks to your friends for those majestic photos.

  2. Great photography. Looks like a fab trip! €8 for a 3 course meal is amazing! :)

  3. That just looks so amazing and so different to anything in England. Those views are quite spectacular, I bet Jack had a wonderful time. Thank you for sharing your adventure on Country Kids and I look forward to more motor home adventures!

    • You can’t beat a bit of outdoors fun. It’s certainly the best way to keep Jack entertained (and to tire him out for a great night’s sleep – always a bonus!) Will certainly be linking up again!

  4. What a beautiful place, great pictures!

  5. bavariansojourn says:

    What an incredible sounding place! The photographs are gorgeous too! PS. I have just tagged you in a travel meme over at mine. As I still have to do the one you tagged me in, there’s no obligation obviously! :)

Trackbacks

  1. […] of the bear as they are known. (And yes, they do actually have some bears there.) It’s a great spot for family days out, has some world class sports climbing and some great places for overnight van camping. So […]

  2. […] that we are, this weekend we packed the van and headed off to……drum roll please…..Teverga! Ah, but there is more to this valley than may have met the eye of my blog readers thus far. […]

  3. […] his waist. A perfectly Asturian test of strength concocted for the annual climbers’ meet at Teverga. (The ladies’ version was sans cider. Such a shame I wasn’t there to compete. […]

  4. […] that we are, this weekend we packed the van and headed off to……drum roll please…..Teverga! Ah, but there is more to this valley than may have met the eye of my blog readers thus far. […]

  5. […] of the bear as they are known. (And yes, they do actually have some bears there.) It’s a great spot for family days out, has some world class sports climbing and some great places for overnight van camping. So […]

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