Peaks: Bulnes and Sotres

Sotres holds the official record for the highest inhabited village in Asturias: 1,050 metres above sea level, nestled in a hollow of the Central Massif of the Picos de Europa, surrounded by limestone peaks rising to over 2,500 metres. The feeling on arrival is that of stepping into a world of its own: the air is noticeably colder, the mountains encircle the village in a perfect circle, and the stone houses seem to huddle against the wind. Its 100 winter residents make their living mainly from cheese — the famous Cabrales cheese is matured in caves hewn into the vertical walls of the massif at an altitude of 1,200 m —, from mountain tourism and from the few local cows that still remain.

The road leading up to Sotres, the AS-264, is one of the most spectacular and technically challenging routes in the entire Cantabrian mountain range. It is just 12 km from Arenas de Cabrales but climbs more than 800 m through an extremely narrow gorge, with tight bends and natural vantage points overlooking the Garganta del Cares — probably the most impressive river canyon on the mainland of the Iberian Peninsula. The tarmac is in reasonable condition, but the carriageway is narrow and encounters with oncoming traffic require precise manoeuvring. It is not a road for beginners, but for an experienced motorcyclist it is a minor masterpiece.

Before reaching Sotres, it’s worth stopping off at Poncebos, where the famous Cares walkway begins: a 12-kilometre walkway carved into the vertical wall of the canyon, one of the most spectacular mountain routes in Europe. Obviously, it’s not a trail you can ride a motorbike along, but if you leave your motorbike in Poncebos and walk even just two kilometres along the walkway, you’ll have a visual experience you’ll find hard to forget. And it is right in Poncebos that you’ll find the Bulnes funicular, which takes just seven minutes to reach the village of Bulnes – the only village in Asturias, until 25 years ago, that could not be reached by vehicle and could only be accessed by walking along a steep, three-hour trail. Bulnes lies right at the foot of the Naranjo de Bulnes (Picu Urriellu), the iconic peak of the Picos.

Picu Urriellu is more than just a mountain: it is a symbol of Asturian culture. Its 500-metre-high vertical walls of pure limestone are one of the most legendary challenges in Spanish mountaineering, and the first ascent of the peak (in 1904, by local hunter Pedro Pidal and the chamois herder Gregorio Pérez) marked the beginning of Spanish mountaineering. On clear days, from Sotres you can clearly see the unmistakable silhouette of the Naranjo – reddish-orange due to the iron oxide in its limestone – rising from the valley floor like a natural cathedral.

Motorcycling tip: this route is physically demanding — the concentration of technical bends over just a few kilometres takes its toll — and the weather can be unpredictable: fog can roll in within fifteen minutes and reduce visibility to five metres. Setting off early is essential. Fill up with petrol in Cabrales (Arenas) before heading up, as there’s nothing further along the route. For lunch, in Sotres there’s the legendary Bar Casa Cipriano, a mountain inn where they serve chickpea stew with Cabrales cheese — yes, with melted blue cheese on top — to shepherds and mountaineers. It’s one of those places where the food is traditional and unpretentious, and where you feel part of the real rural Asturias. And a word of warning: in the depths of winter, the AS-264 can be closed due to snow for weeks on end; always check the road conditions before setting off.