This is one of a collection of roundtour routes starting and ending at the biker friendly Hotel Ayre Alfonso II in the popular city of Oviedo. Oviedo is one of Spain's historical treasure troves, home to several UNESCO World Heritage sites that hail from the Kingdom of Asturias. At the heart of the city is the medieval old town where you can find most of these landmarks. Oviedo is a great base to tour the mountains and the Asturian coast.
A short route of about 150km, but what it lacks in distance is sure made up for by the roads and scenery and the beautiful setting for lunch.
Leaving Oviedo on the N-634 you are soon away from the hustle and bustle of city life and into the rural landscape.
The landscapes in Asturias are like no others in Spain and truly deserve exploring!
Travelling to the north, the route uses very small roads, some not more than farm tracks but all are surfaced and all offer you adventure as you head for the area known as: The Costa Verde, or Green Coast of Asturias. After crossing the River Nalón for the second time, (incidentally, you'll cross over this mighty river a further four times) you follow the river's path to Santoseso where you turn off and begin to climb up to 300m with great views of the empty river valley to your right. A very sharp left turn takes you onto a narrow road that only a handful of tourists will have used. It's the AS-316 and it will take you through the true countryside of Asturias on the way to the coast.
The third crossing of the River Nalón is just 3 km from where it enters the sea at San Esteban. This route takes you to a great viewpoint called Mirador del Espíritu Santo. The viewpoint receives this name from the Hermitage that can be found here. This viewpoint offers panoramic views of the rugged coast from where you can see the lighthouse at Cudillero, the mouth of the Nalón River and the nearby town of San Juan de La Arena.
Costa Verde is a literal treasure trove of hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Here, at the southern end of the Bay of Biscay, the Cantabrian Sea collides in spectacular fashion with mainland Spain to create an incredible diversity of stunning coastal landscapes. Anyone who travels to Asturias falls in love with its places, its people and with the feeling of having had a completely unique trip. There are several viewpoints to stop at and admire the beautiful coastline before reaching Cudillero.

Lunch stop at Cudillero.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that idyllic fishing villages like Cudillero no longer existed in Spain: Most seaside towns this picturesque have become tourist-heavy resorts with souvenir shops on every corner. Not for this small port, who have managed to keep their maritime spirit real. Upon arriving in this village, dozens of colourful houses on the hillside seem to be falling into the port like a waterfall. This is Cudillero, one of the most beautiful villages in Spain and has been compared to those on the Amalfi coast. The coastal atmosphere is evident with the images of fish drying on the doors of houses, the smell of the ozone, the beautiful light. At its centre is the Plaza de la Marina where you can choose to have lunch from the many restaurants.
The ancient narrow streets offer various paths that provide an abundance of great views to the sea. A bunch of historic buildings give an insight to the local cultural heritage: Gothic 16th century’s church, chapel of Humilladero, the lighthouse and fishermen taverns are the most popular attractions here. If you are wondering about the history behind the Crayola-coloured town, it’s quite simple: each family painted their home and boat the same colour so they would be easily recognisable from the sea. You will probably see curadillo hanging from the windows, a local speciality of sun-dried shark that used to be considered poor-man’s food but has since become a hallmark of Cudillero cuisine.

After lunch, it's a mixture of nature and man-made structures that the route passes by. First are the twin viaducts of the A-8 and N-622 roads. The way that these roads float across the Astaurian countryside on huge concrete pillars is like a scene from a Sci-Fi movie. The juxtaposition of mankind and mother nature is beautiful in its own right. The Concha de Artedo Viaduct is the highest bridge on Spain’s A8 Autovía del Cantábrico at 109m. Skirting along the coastline of Asturias, the A8 is one of Spain’s most beautiful highways with spectacular views of the Cantabrian Sea.
Not far from here the road begins to climb again, back into the mountains. The road becomes narrower and there are no less than 9 hairpin bends that will transport you what feels like the top of the world.
The Cudillero wind farm is situated on a mountain ridge and offers you breathtaking 360° views, back towards the coast and the surrounding countryside. The wind farm is actually called Baos Y Pumar wind farm and has a total of 36 turbines each capable of producing 850kw of energy using their 52m blades. There are other wind farms nearby all making use of the high ground giving this area a surreal feel. This is also the highest point of the route at 720m and what goes up must come down. The next 8km take you back down on the narrow SL-13 with 4 tight hairpin bends (I said it was adventurous :) )
When you make it back down to 'normal' roads again, the ride back to Oviedo is enjoyable as it travels through the beautiful countryside of Asturias.
Enjoy