Caravia Baja – Coast, Hiking Trails and Cultural Heritage

Caravia Baja can be explored through its coast, hiking trails and archaeological remains. Arenal de Morís, the trails to Picu Castro and Pico La Forquita, and the route between Arenal de Morís and La Griega each offer different perspectives on the beach, landscape, history and geology.

Coast

Arenal de Morís is an 800-metre-long beach with fine, ochre-coloured sand in Caravia. The beach has paid parking, toilets, showers and foot-washing facilities, a picnic area and a lifeguard service. There are also opportunities for rock fishing and underwater fishing; one section of the beach is frequently used for surfing.

Hiking and landscape

The route between Arenal de Morís and La Griega partly follows the GR-204, the Way of St James and the PR-AS 134. It combines natural, historical and geological heritage and offers impressive views of the eastern Asturian coast. When planning your day, you can compare the routes by landscape theme and the stated distance.

The route to Pico La Forquita passes through native forests and reaches a summit with impressive views of the Cantabrian Sea and the Sierra del Sueve. The Ruta Picu Castro begins at the tourist information office in Prado and leads to Picu Castro, passing the remains of the hill forts and former fluorite mines; it is 2.3 kilometres long in total. From Caravia, the Sierra del Sueve is considered a landscape with a diverse flora and fauna that attracts tourists and researchers.

The wider overview of the area also includes Caravia. When staying in a holiday apartment in Caravia Baja, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies on the respective offer pages. When planning your trip, you can match this information with the focuses on beaches, hiking, archaeology and architectural heritage.

Archaeology

The prehistoric Iron Age settlement of Picu’l Castru, also known as Castro de Caravia, near Prado was inhabited between the 4th or 3rd century and the 1st century BC. Castro de Caravia was excavated by Aurelio del Llano in 1917–18; iron objects, bronze jewellery and decorated pottery were recovered. The Estela de Duesos is an uninscribed archaeological stele featuring motifs of interlacing, concentric circles and swastikas.

Architectural heritage

The Ruta de Indianos is a hiking trail through Duesos, Duyos, Carrales and Valle. Along it, you can see Indianos’ buildings and vernacular buildings featuring coats of arms and heraldic design elements. The route leads to El Valle, where you can visit the Ermita de Santa Bárbara, the patron saint of miners.

The Capilla de la Casona de El Francu in Duesos is a single-nave family chapel with a covered brick porch supported by two fluted columns with Doric capitals and a bell gable decorated with a stone cross. It forms part of an 18th-century rural palace complex. The church of Santiago de Caravia in Carrales dates from the 17th century.

Casa de los Hermanos Prieto is an example of Indianos’ architecture in Caravia. The Indianos’ buildings referred to in this context are privately owned and cannot be visited.

For the broader travel overview: Caravia.