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Asturias and Cantabria trip advice / suggestions (Read 2306 times)

KeithScarlett

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I’m thinking about heading to Asturias late September with my partner but don’t know the area at all and could use some guidance…

I haven’t got a guidebook yet but from what I can see there’s 2 main options i.e. east (Desfiladero de La Hermida) or west (Valles de Trubia).

We’d like the following :)

• peace and quiet wherever we stay with good views, ideally surrounded by hills and / or trees
• a spread of grades*
• good walking
• wolves

The wolves bit is my dream – I picked up the refugio copy of Roca Verde guide when I was in Chulilla ages ago and read that there are wolves in the region. If there’s any way of increasing the likelihood of hearing wolves I would love it!

*Ideally a combination of 7b+ to 8a stamina stuff and 5s to 6c vertical or gently overhanging stuff. If that means say one crag in the morning and another in the afternoon that would work fine providing it’s straightforward enough to get between them.

And how’s the sun / temperature late September? Some lying around in the sun or hanging out at the beach would be great.

Any suggestions on where to stay, good accommodation (camping and renting somewhere are both options) crags to visit and good information sources would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

andy popp

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Richie Patterson runs Casa Quiros - https://casaquiros.co.uk

I would imagine that if he doesn't have availability he would have suggestions, and a general wealth of local knowledge

jwi

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I really rate Desfiladero de La Hermida which is brilliant for 7b+ to 8a stamina stuff. I did not like Valles de Trubia at all. YMMV.

The weather is a lot more varied than in other parts of Spain. It can be hot and dry with a southern wind and cold and (very) humid with northern wind.

KeithScarlett

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Richie Patterson runs Casa Quiros - https://casaquiros.co.uk

I would imagine that if he doesn't have availability he would have suggestions, and a general wealth of local knowledge

I had a look at Casa Quiros but it's booked; I'll get in touch with Richie and see what he reckons  :thumbsup:

KeithScarlett

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I really rate Desfiladero de La Hermida which is brilliant for 7b+ to 8a stamina stuff. I did not like Valles de Trubia at all. YMMV.

The weather is a lot more varied than in other parts of Spain. It can be hot and dry with a southern wind and cold and (very) humid with northern wind.
Good knowledge, thanks  :) It doesn't sound as lovely in terms of weather as I was hoping for though  :-\ What was it about the Valles de Trubia that didn't appeal?

tomrainbow

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I'm curious too Jonas...

I've just returned from there and had a few days climbing (with family) but not enough to really sample enough in either location. I felt La Hermida was quite claustrophobic as a place to be although Rumenes is a great crag (didn't go to any others) whereas Teverga was much more pleasant but the climbing looked to be more old school with lots of grey and vertical rock. But there's so much there that I am sure you will find gems in whatever style is your preference. Also had a morning at Poo de Cabrales crag but again, not enough time to give a fair assessment...

T_B

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I went to a few places 10 years ago (last wk in August) when the weather was dodgy in the Picos. We didn’t have a very good guidebook. Araotz has a pretty impressive sector (Korea) for harder 7s and 8s. Classic steep Spanish tufa endurance. But I can easily imagine it being wet after a lot of rain and it’s apparently too humid in summer. Late September likely optimum. I didn’t think much of Teverga. We had a day at a crag called Cuevas that had an impressive wall with half a dozen 7s - easy 8s as good as anything I’ve done in Spain. No-one else there and possibly in the middle of nowhere!
« Last Edit: August 23, 2022, 01:02:43 pm by T_B »

jwi

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Taverga is not great for stamina 7b+ to 8a in my opinion, or for vertical techy 6c-7bs. The place is huge, so I am sure there are many gems, but I climbed a bunch of routes in this range, chosen on random from the guidebook + looks and they were all unpleasant. The next day we went looking for techy long vertical routes around 7a. They were also unpleasant. So unpleasant that we fled the area and went to Hermida instead. We have gone back to Hermida several times since, and I have never gone back to Taverga.

Maybe there were too many climbers around, bad connies, we were particularly unlucky in our choices (which were nevertheless inspired by the guidebook), but it would take a lot of convincing in order for us to go back. I would not take my–or anyone else's word–as the gospel, so get more opinions

We had a day at a crag called Cuevas that had an impressive wall with half a dozen 7s - easy 8s as good as anything I’ve done in Spain. No-one else there and possibly in the middle of nowhere!

Cueva what. Cueva just means cave, and half of the crags in Hermida are caves, so the bit after Cueva is pretty important... ;)

SA Chris

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Cuevas Rancheros?

Or was that lunch?

T_B

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jwi

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There you go, much to my surprise there is a village called Cuevas in Cantabria. I learn something new everyday. I am not sure I learn something useful every day.

duncan

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I have only been to La Hermida. Thought Rumenes was excellent. Late September should be good there judging by the temperatures in August.

KeithScarlett

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Hmm, I had a look at the UKC routes database for the first 4 crags mentioned in Richie's article

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/into_the_valleys_-_in_the_shadow_of_the_picos-8501

If the databases are accurate then there would be 'nothing' for my partner or at least nothing that's worth travelling for.

If La Hermida offers the region's best climbing and the crags mentioned in the article the highest quality and most choice then I think it's maybe not the place for us to go. Perhaps Briancon, somewhere else I have never been but really want to visit, is worth investigating?

Thanks all for the replies  :thumbsup:

Duncan campbell

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Keith, my girlfriend (Flo you may know her from the Diamond) au paired in cantabria so will ask her what she thinks. If you are down the diamond on sat you could also ask her yourself  :)

petejh

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I've had two trips to Asturias/Cantabria. Once to Valle de Trubia (Teverga etc.) in 2017 and then Hermida in 2020. I thought both were excellent and I'll definitely be returning. I haven't climbed around Briancon but struggle to think you'd find anything 'better' there, just different perhaps. There are certainly plenty of low grade crags in the area, just need to research the guidebook - which I can drop round to you over the weekend - to get a picture in your mind of what's there. The UKC logbook coverage looks to be pretty patchy for both Teverga area and Hermida and I think it doesn't give an accurate reflection of what's actually there - from what I can tell the area doesn't get a lot of brit visitors compared to the usual honeypots in Spain and France. Most stuff was unpolished except for the popular 5s and 6s next to the 'Senda del Orso' ('path of the bear') in Teverga.


For Hermida I was in my van in the large car park just outside the village of Panes at the north end of the gorge. So can't comment on accom. Panes seems nice enough, nothing special but not bad. Arenas de Cabrales perhaps a good option.

Between Hermida and Teverga it's a toss-up which I'd return to. I thought both were great places for a holiday, perhaps Hermida is the more 'conventionally' good hardcore climbing venue as in lots of good steep crags with tufas. Teverga definitely has a lot of good climbing (Planata X for one looks brilliant) and I though lots of charm. Hermida is better for the coast, it being around 30mins away. The coastline in Asturias has to be experienced, words don't do justice to how gorgeous it is. We swam here and it was perhaps the nicest beach I've ever been to, but you can look on google map and pick from 50 jaw-droppingly beautiful coves to go exploring and swimming in. If you go to Asturias you have to see the coast!

I thought the food in the whole area was fantastic and not expensive - lots of local meats, wild boar and game stews etc. Seafood is obviously amazing. The local fresh cider is tasty, refreshing and addictive. The general feel is extremely scenic unhurried agricultural backwater with bears, wild boars, old wooden houses on stilts and not lots of tourists (or anyone) except for Hermida.


There's far too much variety of climbing in Asturias/Cantabria to boil down either Teverga or Hermida into a few sentences - better to get your head in the guidebook and see for yourself where takes your fancy. Those two areas are only very small part of the region. I think I'm taken with the area so much because it's quiet and a bit off the beaten path, and it feels a little more exploratory and discovering places for yourself rather than following the herd. The guide showcases the region well and there really does appear to be a lifetime of exploring to do - for e.g. the Lyon 'desert' crags across the other side of the Picos.
The scenery is really lovely, with the limestone massif of the Picos as a backdrop and lots of green low down due to the climate, and with the coastline being so close. Some crags we visited were meh, some were good, some were brilliant, but in general the guidebook is good and accurate and can be relied on to steer you to good places. 

Best thing about both areas is I don't think we met a single brit there on either trip, and not many other climbers :)

For Valle de Trubia (Teverga)  we stayed in Bar Aguja Sobia in Entrago, a little hamlet at the crossroads right next to the closest crags at Teverga. Would defo recommend as a good place to stay. The trip was very much exploring the area seeing new places each day and I was climbing with my then girlfriend who was climbing low 6s so crag choice had to reflect this. More 'holiday climbing' than 'climbing holiday' if that makes sense. It seemed a great place for a laid-back holiday with this sort of approach - not focussed on projecting anything or revisiting crags more than once.
Crags visited:
Teverga crags: Entrecampos, Esplanda, La Cabra Muerta, Pared Negra, Electrico, Marabio, Sobrevill (Muro Techo & Vivac a bit polished), I think the plum crags here are probably 'Planata X' and others around Gradura, which we didn't visit.
Santa Maria - locals venue, lovely hamlet below for after climbing drink.
Quiros - ended up on some 5/6 warm-ups and then a nails 7-something slab, not a good experience but there's tons of different walls there. Teverga seemed a better area on my first impression.
Cuevas del Mar - beach crag, not worth it just for the climbing. The beach/cove is lovely but there are many others that are nicer and quieter.
The 'senda del orso' (path of the bear) runs through the mountains right past Teverga, good for a walking day. Plenty of swimming options in the gorge.

In Hermida I was passing through and stopped off to climb a route on the Naranjo Bulnes. After the Bulnes we spent 2-3 days sport climbing in the gorge. Very impressive place with tons of good climbing, I didn't get to visit many of the obviously great crags - too many to mention but they're all in the guide and look amazing. Crags visited: Rumenes, Urdon, Sector Clonico.
Rumenes is impressive, the other two are local venues. As someone else said Hermida gorge could feel claustrophobic in the holiday season as it's narrow and touristy.  But in late Sept I imagine it would be nice and quiet. We were there during a lockdown window in summer 2020 and thankfully it was empty.  There are also good options just outside the gorge to the west - Poo de Cabrales looks ace. I think Arenas de Cabrale might make a good base for a holiday as it's close enough to the Hermida gorge while the nearby crags in that east/west valley have good climbing too including good low grade stuff I think.
Nice swimming holes all over the place in Hermida. Perhaps the best is a geothermal spring that emerges into the river underneath the bridge opposite the hotel 'Balniero'. You can get down to it easily from the road. It's very warm, lovely after a day's climbing.
« Last Edit: August 27, 2022, 07:09:25 pm by petejh »

RocaVerde

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I've been on with Keith already, and I think he's going to La Hermida area but I would like to post a link here to my new rental property in Teverga. Not really sure how this works being old and dumb but hopefully this link will show our 5 person flat, with superfast WiFi, in Teverga just a few minutes from 1000 routes.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/627918634324309094?adults=2&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2022-09-18&check_out=2022-09-23&federated_search_id=d89f4dca-0285-4449-8556-ec3d15c21c43&source_impression_id=p3_1662481718_5lS3iXbeka6syuV4

RocaVerde

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Hi JWI, I have to reply to this as I can’t understand how you can say either of those things as both those things are exactly what Teverga is great for. And I know I will be accused of being biased but I will give some examples.
So to start with; on Pared Negra and Bovedas alone (two sectors out of nearly 40 and three minutes apart) there are around 35 routes between 7b and 8a+ nearly all over 25 metres long and many 35m long, gently overhanging and featuring varied climbing - many with tufas.  Did you do Chambao 7b+, 35m, Sabrina, 7c, 35m (recently described by Graham Swift Uk climber as ‘one of the best 7c I have ever done’), Malasombra, 7c, 37m, Nani, 7c, 35m, De swing, 8a, 30m, Manumission, 8a+, 37m - all stunning 3* stamina routes.  And as a comparison I am pretty sure that Terradets – always given as an example of a world class venue for people in the high 7’s and low 8’s - has less routes of these grades (and more polished and less varied) than this bit of Teverga. I could also ask did you go to the cave of El Covachon where there are 14 routes between 7a+ and 8a+ in a row and nearly all 25m long mostly 8a and all incredible 3* pumpy testpieces? Did you go to Entecampos and do Nirvana, 7c, 37m? Or Muro Techo and do any of the 25+ metre wall climbs there, like Escorpion, 7c+, 25m, El pequeno Nicolas, 7b+ 33m?
And certainly when I had James Pearson, or Steve McClure here a couple of years ago or Gaz Parry or the Ibbertson family a few weeks ago all were very impressed with the climbing at these sectors. And to be honest I would struggle to think of a route between 7b+ and 8a that I would not recommend - nevermind being unpleasant! That's partly why there are no stars in the guide - there are so few bad routes!
Then in the 6c-7b wall climbing grades there is a stack of stuff too: for example between Entecampos and Esplanada (again just a couple of minutes apart and again just two sectors out or nearly 40) there are around 35 routes between 6c and 7b between 15 and 35 metres long (most are 25m or longer) and again nearly all really good. Did you do Xiblu 7a+, 37m, El Ultimo flote, 7a+ 25m, Waikiki beach, 7a, 41m, La Willy, 6c, 25m, Hiroshima, 7a, 25m? And I could go on and on…
And I don’t mean to sound too harsh as I can accept maybe you had a bad trip, but to dismiss Teverga, with nearly 1000 routes (and with about another 500 in the vicinity), and an absolute ton in the style and grades you highlight seems very peculiar and disingenuous. And to say that every route you did was unpleasant (not that you didn’t like them, but unpleasant) also seems really bizarre. And if you say that I cannot believe you did a single route that I have mentioned, which are in my opinion having climbed all over the place, some of the best stamina testpieces you will ever do…

And for anyone else to see the style of some of the places you can see James Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini at El Covachon and Bovedas in Teverga and on a 40m stamina route at Quiros: http://bit.ly/RocaVerdeRoadTrip_2
And if you want an example of nearby 7a, fingery wall climbing on perfect grey limestone here's Asterix a 27m mega-classic, at Quiros, 15 mins from Teverga, (not got any footage of classic mid grade routes at Teverga).
And here's a drone fly-by of this terrible crag  ;D http://bit.ly/TevergaDrone

Anyway I'll leave it there save to say that if you are looking for amazing climbing (and no polish and no people outside the 10 weeks of summer) then Teverga is perfect. Autumn (up until Dec) is probably the best time - and my new flat is ready https://bit.ly/RocaVerdeApartment

Taverga is not great for stamina 7b+ to 8a in my opinion, or for vertical techy 6c-7bs. The place is huge, so I am sure there are many gems, but I climbed a bunch of routes in this range, chosen on random from the guidebook + looks and they were all unpleasant. The next day we went looking for techy long vertical routes around 7a. They were also unpleasant. So unpleasant that we fled the area and went to Hermida instead. We have gone back to Hermida several times since, and I have never gone back to Taverga.

Maybe there were too many climbers around, bad connies, we were particularly unlucky in our choices (which were nevertheless inspired by the guidebook), but it would take a lot of convincing in order for us to go back. I would not take my–or anyone else's word–as the gospel, so get more opinions

We had a day at a crag called Cuevas that had an impressive wall with half a dozen 7s - easy 8s as good as anything I’ve done in Spain. No-one else there and possibly in the middle of nowhere!

Cueva what. Cueva just means cave, and half of the crags in Hermida are caves, so the bit after Cueva is pretty important... ;)

 

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