Naranjo de Bulnes viewpoints: Pozo de la Oración and Asiegu

The Naranjo de Bulnes, the Picu Urriellu, is Cabrales's mountain, but from the valley floor you almost never see it: the slopes hide it. To see it without walking there are two roadside viewpoints, with parking and panels naming each peak of the central massif. They are the ten-minute stop that justifies leaving Arenas on a clear morning.

The Pozo de la Oración

It is near Poo de Cabrales, beside the road, and is the classic viewpoint: on a clear day, the Urriellu appears at the end of the valley with its orange limestone wall, surrounded by other peaks of the Urrieles. The panels at the car park help you name them. It is the photo that illustrates half the guides to Asturias, and it costs nothing.

Asiegu and the Pedro Udaondo viewpoint

From Carreña, the capital of the council, the road climbs to Asiegu, named Pueblo Ejemplar de Asturias (Exemplary Village of Asturias) in 2019. In the village is the Pedro Udaondo viewpoint, also with panels, with another view of the Urriellu and its surroundings. The climb itself already has views over Carreña. If you want to go on, the Tebrandi summer pasture, on the slopes of the Sierra del Cuera, a few kilometres away, gives another panorama of the Picos.

When to go

Early in the morning or as evening falls, with a clear sky: fog and low cloud hide the peak on many days, in summer too. Look at the summit from Arenas before you set out; if you cannot see it, leave the viewpoints for another day. Inside the National Park there are two other faces of the Urriellu, from Camarmeña, above Poncebos, and from the Bulnes viewpoint, reached by the funicular.