Oceño - Cabeza Vigueras

Monday 26th April was "Fray Isidoro de Sevilla Day", a holiday at our centre, so I headed off to Oceño in Asturias for my first decent walk since getting tendinitis last summer.

My original idea was to go down the Rubó gorge to Trescares and get a taxi back up to Oceño, but the bar was closed, it being a Monday, so as I wouldn't be able to get the phone number for a taxi - and they'd have to come from Arenas anyway - I decided to start and finish in Oceño.


There had been constant fog all the way from Bezana, and I didn't get above it till about 800 mts, as you can see from the photos:








Once I got above the cloud level though, there were blue skies and good views. Here you can see the Braña de Carraspión


From the collado de Carraspión there would have been a great view of the collado de Galavín if the cloud coming up from the valley hadn't been about to hide it from view. Up to the left is Cabeza Vigueras, which I first went up last year, accessing Galavín from San Esteban, near the Hermida Gorge


From the Collada Cumpliceres there's a stunning view of the Naranjo de Bulnes, which my crappy camera can't do justice to, and the valley immediately below:








This is the same valley, but from the Collada Llamea, just opposite Galavín

You get to Collado Galavín walking round the head of the Rubó gorge.


The surroundings were very different to what I saw in February 2009, with the melting snow forming a waterfall:



Then up to the top of Cabeza Vigueras, which has views of Peña Sagra

the Macizo Oriental

and the Macizo Central


There's a "belén" at the summit. This view is of the valley leading down from Trespandiu, which I walked up later on:

the summit of Cabeza Vigueras from just below


I decided to go back via a different route, going down the upper part of the Rubó Gorge and then forking off to the left, up to Trespandiu. This is the head of the gorge, with collado Galavín behind


I kept to the left side; this is the view looking down the gorge


and back up to where it starts


This strange-looking rock marks the point where you leave the course of the riverbed and head to the left


A little further on, looking back up the valley


Back in Trespandiu, looking towards Cabeza Vigueras


and finally a picture of the village of Oceño

Altogether, it took about seven hours, and was a good walk, worthy of a first blog, I think.