Why visit Asturias?

Three years now since we bought our house up above Espinaredo, one of the most beautiful villages in Pilona, Asturias and not even a hint of regret in fact, the only difficulty we encounter is when we have to leave. It is April at the time of writing and we have just returned from a two week stay. It should have been ten days but an Icelandic volcano had other ideas. Actually, although at the moment we are over £600 poorer from our cross-country, predominantly train based,voyage, it did us a favour as we have now experienced an alternative method of travel to our sanctuary other than flying, and jolly pleasant it would be too under different circumstances I am sure. Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Hendaye, cross the border to San Sebastian, which looks like a charming town albeit from a brief encounter, then hire a car and drive up to Pilona, about 3-4 hours but an absolutely lovely drive, except maybe for circling Bilbao, which in sharp contrast to San Sebastian looks pretty horrible?

We try to get over here as much as is economically viable, all times of year, for as long as possible and something occurs to me more each time we make a trip. Asturias provides a truly stimulating experience during any season , sure it can be wet and wild sometimes but that only means the seascapes and coastal walks are even more dramatic. It can get pretty cold, particularly in the mountains but this will normally mean snow and scenes that would make most Christmas card manufacturers green with envy.

The autumn is nothing less than spectacular with landscape colours to die for, the harvest and fiestas often accompanied by warm sunny days and atmospheric misty mornings. In spring the countryside awakens in spectacular fashion covering the hills with primroses and tiny alpine flowers. Lambs, foals and calves are to be seen everywhere.It is a wonderful thing to experience the changing seasons again, I have no idea if it is reality or my perception of it, but seems to me that seasonal change is totally absent from my life in the UK these days.Either it is wet or dry, warm or cold, much more than that goes pretty unnoticed, oh except that as soon as it gets warm an entire army of style averse physically challenged men and women treat the rest of us to unrestricted views of their unclad,often tattooed and mostly voluminous bodies. Despite these incentives, Asturias rarely seems to have visitors at any time other than July and August.

Situated in the centre of Northern Spain's 'Costa Verde' between Galicia and Cantabria, Asturias has thus far been pretty much ignored by the hordes of holiday makers swarming south in search of the conventional two weeks of sunstroke, sangria and sandblasting offered by some other resorts. Long may this continue, Asturias is not for everyone, it might even rain! However, for those who value clean air, beautiful natural surroundings, sparkling rivers, a coastline to rival any on the planet and a genuine unique atmosphere, this may be the place for you. The Asturian climate whilst a good bit warmer than the UK, does involve rain. Hence the spectacular green countryside, sparkling rivers and wealth of flora and fauna. 

The Principado de Asturias sits on the Atlantic coast and occupies 10,000sq km or 3,900 square miles. It is part of what is refered to as the 'costa verde'  with Cantabria and the Basque country (Santander, Bilbao) to the east. Galicia (Santiago de Compostela, Pontevedra ) to the west. Asturias covers a section of the Camino de Santiago or the pilgrims route.