Pienzu (1,160 m) from Casa Julia. Sierra del Sueve (Asturias).
Circular route of ascent to the Pienzu (1.160m) from Casa Julia. Ascent through the peaks Babú (930m), Sellón (1.028m) and Cuetu les Duernes (1.060m) and down the pass of Beluenzu, the Bustaco and the Biescona beech forest.
Just 5.2 km in a straight line separate the 1,160-metre-high Pienzu peak from Espasa beach, in eastern Asturias. You will not find any other higher mountain, closer to the sea, on the entire Cantabrian coast.
El Pienzu is the highest peak in the Sierra del Sueve.one of the most important coastal mountain ranges off the eastern coast of Asturias (near Colunga), together with others such as Las Pandas, La Escapa, La Cubeta and Cuera.
With an elongated profile, it extends individually over 15 km with a SW-NE orientation. To the north, the streams flow directly into the Cantabrian Sea; to the south, they feed the Sella basin. Its orographic isolation is such that Pienzu is the 50th most prominent mountain on the Iberian Peninsula. (The 100 most prominent summits of the Iberian PeninsulaJosé Martinez Hernandez, Editorial Desnivel) in spite of its modest altitude and the Sellona neighbouring peak, which we will also climb on this excursion, is the closest 1,000-metre mountain to the coast of the Iberian Peninsula.
As you can imagine, the Sueve mountain range is an exceptional viewpoint of the coast, but also of the Picos de Europa and countless mountains of the Asturian interior.
The most common route to climb Pienzu is the one that starts from the Fito viewpointA fairly flat route in its first half up to the Bustaco, very popular with trail enthusiasts.
El Fito, a mountain pass that is not usually missing in the Vuelta a España.
El Fito, also called Mirador del Fito or Collado de la Cruz de Llames (because of a very close pass), is a very well known mountain pass to all cycling enthusiasts because of the many times it has been climbed in the Vuelta a España. Like the Pienzu, despite its modest altitude (578 m), it is climbed practically from sea level in 7 kilometres at an average gradient of 8%. A first-class pass like a cathedral.
The route we propose here seems to us to be much more interesting than the usual route. In this route, besides being circular and much more solitary than the Fito route, you will crown several peaks that offer fabulous views of the sea and the Picos de Europa, and you will descend through the beech forest of La Biescona, a botanical jewel that looks like something out of a fairy tale.
The Biescona beech forest is an impressive beech forest, considered to be the closest to the sea (4 km) and at the lowest altitude (250-300 metres) of all the beech forests in Spain, which makes it a unique place from an ecological point of view.
Its name comes from the word "viesca", an Asturian term used to refer to a forest that is usually thick or undergrowth. The Biescona beech forest, with its undergrowth covered by a carpet of ferns, seems to fit the definition well.
The asturcones are a breed of horses native to Asturias and León that was on the verge of disappearing, as when recovery plans began in the late 1980s, there were only a few purebred specimens left in the Sueve mountain range. Today, the Asturcones continue to live in a semi-wild state in the Sueve mountain range and other nearby areas, and have become a cultural symbol of Asturias. They are recognisable by their small size and generally dark colour.
See in Google Maps.
The start of this excursion is at Casa Julia, at kilometre 14.2 on the AS-260 road that connects Colunga with Arriondas (the road to the Fito viewpoint). The car can be parked right in front of Casa Julia, on a small esplanade next to the road.
Technical specifications:
Distance: 11.7 km.
Cumulative difference in altitude: +/- 1.060 m.
Timetable: about 4 hours 15 minutes. Running time non-stop: 5h00min.
Water: Throughout the stage we will find several water troughs for livestock. In some of them it is possible to lift the metal cover and get water. In addition, at the beginning of the route you will pass a water tank with a tap and the fountain at the Beluenzu pass. The fountain in the Bustaco sheepfold was dry when we did the route.
Difficulty: route without any technical difficulties. The biggest challenge is overcoming the 1,060 metres of height difference and not losing the path during the first stretch to Pico Babú. Although there is no path at the top, this is not a problem.
Recommended equipment for the summer: light boots or trekking shoes, walking sticks, GPS (optional), canteensome food, sun protection, sunglasses…
Itinerary:
(0h00min; 0,0 km) Casa Julia (197 m). Once here, take the path that leaves Casa Julia on the right, which in 5 minutes will take you to a water tank where you can get water. Continue along this same path uphill for about 150 metres, keeping an eye out for a...
(0h08min; 0,6 km) path (237 m) which appears on the right hand side and which at the beginning could be mistaken for a cattle trail (from the front it would be the path we will use for the return).
The path crosses to the other side of the valley and zigzags up the slope in front of you. You will soon see below a large esplanade removed by some machinery (July 2024) where the Toya iron mine, active between approximately 1920 and 1935, was formerly exploited. At the beginning of the ascent, it is practically impossible to leave the path due to the vegetation, but as we ascend, some cattle trails will appear that could confuse us. In this section we must be very careful not to end up among brambles and if the path closes, we must go back in search of the correct path.
Thus, we will reach a kind of shoulder in a place that appears on the maps under the name of...
(1h00min; 2,5 km) La Cobaniella (677 m)We change to the northern slope. The path crosses a small copse at the bottom before turning left and reaching an area of meadows where we find a pylon. From here the path disappears and we will have to find our own way to go up where we think best, which is no problem at all.
(1h30min; 3,4 km) Pico Babú or los Foyos (930 m).
The route continues along the edge of the ridge to the Sellón.
(1h50min; 4.2 km) Sellón (1,028 m)The mountain of a thousand metres closest to the sea on the Iberian Peninsula.
The ridge widens, we leave the ridge and continue looking for the most comfortable terrain towards the...
(2h00min; 4,7 km) Cuetu les Duernes (1.060 m), crowned by several antennas. The next one is Pienzu, to which we also head cross-country in search of the most comfortable terrain.
(2h25min; 5.8 km) Pienzu (1,160 m). A rusty cross adorned with lightning rods and cables, an obsolete geodesic vertex and a metal hut adorn the summit. The views, needless to say, are exceptional, like those we have enjoyed along the entire route so far.
To descend, we will follow a marked zigzagging path to the south until we reach a pylon just below the Beluenzu pass, which we will not go over.
The path turns to the left following the valley of the Corteguera stream and after crossing it, it becomes a path.
(3h05min; 8,1 km) Collado - El Bustaco (651 m).
We leave the path that goes down to Cofiñu to the right and continue straight on for about 200 metres along the track that leads to the Fito viewpoint. On the left hand side there is a marked path that we follow to the start of the route, through the marvellous beech forest of La Biescona, which is the closest to the sea (4 km) and at the lowest altitude (250-300 metres) of any in Spain.
(3h55min; 11,1 km) junction outward / return (237 m). We passed the water tank again and soon after we arrived at the...
(4h15min; 11,7 km) Casa Julia (197 m).
