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27-07-2013 Villablino – Oviedo 157 km
An early breakfast since today I'll cover one of the longer distances. Even so I do take the time for an extra shower; it's such a nice one here! Nobody out of bed before I leave the house. I have some difficulty orienting myself to find the right way out of Villablino; it's cloudy! A dog-walking man helps me out.
After 3 km, in the village Caboalles de Abajo (at 1025 m, I learn at home) the climb to the Puerto de Leitariegos (1525 m) starts, which means a climb of 10 km at 5% on average - on the day itself I'm not that good informed and just see what's coming.
With a few hairpin bends the road climbs along the slope of a mountain, the views are open, but not too colourful, probably also because it's a gray morning. It's drizzling every now and then. The estación de esquí at the top is just ugly. I don't want a coffee break there (and also, I've only
done 15 km so far).
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Way up to Puerto Leitariegos
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Quite a way up yet
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Way down from . . . .
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. . . . Puerto Leitariegos
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I descend into a long, straight, green valley, and into the rain, so I'm happy when I see a bar. I have a (strong!) coffee (and decline the innkeeper's offer to add a shot of liquor). The innkeeper expects that the sky will soon clear, and his forecast turns out absolutely right.
I keep on my rain jacket to keep warm, while the sky opens up more and more. Nice! It's a long, long descent, with only a short interruption
for a millefeuille in a busy panedería/restaurante in busy Cangas del Narcea. I make 'haste' in order to have time for one or two 'sidesteps' from the AS-15. The valley of the Río Narcea is nice, but it would be nicer if there were less traffic. In two stages I get rid of two layers of clothes. With some 65 km on my odomoter (some 5 km less than I have actually covered - especially at high speeds it sometimes stops registering) I have a stop at a junction with one possible alternative routes, near a bridge over the Embalse de la Barca. I have a drink and a sandwich in a bus shelter - not that I need shelter for anything, but there I can sit on a bench - and decide to indeed try this sidestep.
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AS-15 between Cangas de N. and Oviedo
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My view during a short lunch break
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Start of beautiful sidestep
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Very beautiful indeed!
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The views down . . . .
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. . . . get more and more impressive /font>
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IMPRESSIVISIMO
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After a tunnel
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. . . .another landscape . . . .
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. . . . and a last impressive view to the north
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Lucky decision! A tiny road, first a short even stretch till a medieval village (Tuña) from where I can see the road meandering upwards. For how long I have no idea - there's one indication of altitude, 740 m, some 20 km further (and later I see that 'lunch break' was as low as 200 m). The views back/down, to the embalse for instance, are nice, and become right down spectacular later, with an almost vertical view down to the lake and the AS-15. Gee, Spain, I love it!! Follows a descent to the village Boinas, and then another uphill section. Eventually I reach the highest point, Alto de las Astacas, and the descent that follows is STEEP! Which is a pity, since it makes it harder to look around.
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Second ride up . . . . .
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. . . . and down
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Interesting mountains
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. . . . and down, down, down
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Some 500 m lower I reach the AS-227, coming from the Parque de Sumiedo. During the last part of the descent I could see the road going up on the other side of the valley, it looks as attractive as the AS-311 I'm coming from, but I resist the temptation (it also looks quite as hard), and freewheel to the north, back to the Río Narcea. It has become warm again! And I am becoming tired! However, I want to postpone the next break until I'm within 40 km from Oviedo. So I skip three or four bars and then when I'm within the required distance for a long while no bar appears. So I leave the busy road for a shortcut via Dóriga. Here I get off for a coffee on an enclosed terrace - and it's okay if I eat my own bocadillo. After that I perceive a huge production of saliva when I see a plate with patatas bravas pass by. I succumb (and afterwards get overcharged, I guess).
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Expensive patatas bravas
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View from my room in Oviedo
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Cheap wine (not for me!)
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The road goes up quite a bit more than I had expected, even against an 'arrow' on my map, I'm 'rewarded' by a col sign (Alto de Cabruñana, 375 m ;-), and from then on it's just counting down to Oviedo. The busy road goes right through busy Grado, yuck!, and it's by far not the flat road I had expected. The weather is changing too, and during the last 10 km rain and dry moments alternate (as do going up and going down). At home I have found the address of a youth hostel in Oviedo, which I omitted to write down, and my daughter couldn't find any information on the internet. I remember it should be at the university campus in the western part - and I'm coming from the west, so why not give it a try. It was nice in the hostel in Villamanín, wasn't it! It's definitely raining now, and when I start asking, a man (another one walking his dog) thinks vaguely to know something and gives some vague directions. Right when I'm at the point of giving up, reporting this to an older couple at a bus stop, they point and say: "está por allí, a cien metros". I'm cold and tired, but my mood rises. The hostel looks like one of the university buildings, looks quite deserted too, and I have difficulty finding the entrance.
I wonder, will I be the only guest like in Besande? To my surprise (and annoyance) the girl at the reception has disappointing news: it's fully booked this weekend. When I go down the staircase outside I feel colder and more tired, and my mood has sunk quite a bit as well. But then I'm called back inside: the girl has looked at the wrong date (how is this possible for some working as a receptionist?), there still is one room available. That's great news. As this seems to be an area with few restaurants around, and as I'm cold and tired (didn't I already say so?) I decide to have dinner in the hostel as well. I meet a young chap - I guess around twenty years old - from England, who is travelling around by train(s), and it's nice to have someone to talk to while eating. The meal is basic, but okay (it's gourmet compared to my experience in Pamplona).
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