Route of the Alba

Latitude: 43.2030487 Length: -5.4634666
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The most beautiful stretch of the Alba Route comes when the path passes through the Llaímo gorge , a mountain range that also boasts a significant beech forest, habitat for deer, roe deer, chamois, wild boar, wolves, and capercaillies. The river fauna is equally impressive in this area: otters, dippers, trout…

How many kilometers is the Ruta del Alba?

This short route, the PR-AS 62, is about 7,1 km long.

Where is the Ruta del Alba?

It lies within the boundaries of the Redes Natural Park , declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2001; one of the richest forest areas in the Principality. The Alba Route or the Llaímo Gorge are two names for one of the most fashionable gorges in Asturias; one that stands out among the 300 gorges carved by Asturian rivers as they flow through the mountains.

How long does it take to do the Ruta del Alba?

The route is an out-and-back hike along the same path. In the end, we will have spent four hours of our valuable time on a very healthy exercise for our senses. The route we propose is an easy, level path with minimal elevation gain, suitable for the whole family.

Ruta del Alba: how to get there

To reach the starting point, we must go to the village of Soto de Agües , where we can also visit the Water Museum—water will be one of the main features of our hike. We begin walking near a washing place . From there, a wide forest track leads us into the valley. The route is well-marked. After about a kilometer, we pass a trout farm . Further on, we'll see the remains of the loading dock for the Carmen iron mine . A little further along, in the Brañas de La Vega meadows, the track ends, and we continue along a narrower path that runs parallel to the torrential river and enters the gorge . From here begins the most spectacular section, hemmed in by vertical rock walls, with dozens of waterfalls of varying sizes, tunnels, and overhangs. The gorge then widens, and the path crosses a bridge over the river , perhaps the most spectacular point of the route, offering a breathtaking display of water and rock. Guidebooks recommend tackling this route in spring, summer, and especially autumn, due to the vibrant colors of the vegetation. Hiking it during the rainy season is also highly recommended. The waterfalls and pools take on a whole new dimension. During the spring thaw, water reigns supreme, rushing down in cascades and causing the erosion that ultimately shaped the gorge.

Above us, on the steep walls of Mount Llaímo, defying gravity, we see hanging beech trees with twisted trunks and long roots, growing directly from the rock. On either side of the path, scattered specimens of beech, yew, buckthorn, whitebeam, linden, and willow grow as best they can in fissures and ledges. Lichens and moss also abound, carpeting the rocks and completing the verdant picture of the landscape.

Along the way, the path crosses two small, semicircular bridges built of limestone, their arches resting on the walls of the gorge: La Pontona, first, and then the La Resquiebra bridge. After crossing the river twice, you reach La Cruz de los Ríos , where, next to two ancient trees, there is a small shelter marking the end of the route. The landscape suddenly opens up to a meadow dominated by the lush beech forests of Llaímo and the heights of El Retriñón (1.862 m), the point where the municipalities of Aller, Caso, and Sobrescobio meet.

The route, which can be completed in just over two hours , must be retraced to return to the starting point: Soto de Agües.

Books "More Asturian Addicts" and "Mountain Routes and the Roads of Asturias"

If you want to know first-hand hiking routes through Asturias, we recommend you buy these two books: the book "More Asturadictos", written by Ana Paz Paredes, journalist and writer, specialist in rural issues of all kinds, gastronomy and tourist routes in the region; Y the book «Routes through the mountains and the roads of Asturias» by Ángel Fernández Ortega, with 31 routes, crossings and ascents.