Llanes - Definition and Overview

Llanes coast near Cue Llanes (the Concejo de Llanes) is an administrative district of the province of Asturias, in northern Spain. Stretching for about 30km along the coast at the extreme east of the province, Llanes is bounded to the south by the high ridge of the limestone Sierra del Cuera, which rises to over 1,100m. The region is part of the Costa Verde (Green Coast) of Spain, which is known for its spectacular coastal scenery, beaches, and mountains. Llanes lies to the north of the Picos de Europa, a mountain range whose geology is almost entirely of limestone karst. Most of the inhabitants of the district live on the coastal plain, on which the largest town is Llanes itself, with a population of about 4,000 out of the total for the district of about 13,000. The folklore, food, and fiestas of the region are famous for their colour and history. Statistics Area   260 km2  Population (2003)   13032 Location   N 43°25'   W 4°45'   (town of Llanes)

The town of Llanes

Llanes Casino

Llanes is a traditional fishing port, with an active harbour and many notable monuments and traditions; one plaque commemorates the 65 sailors from Llanes who sailed on the three ships it fitted out for the Spanish Armada in 1588. Parts of the surviving town walls date to 1206.

Today, Llanes is still an active fishing port, with its economy boosted by tourism (mostly by visitors from the rest of Spain) in the summer. The town has a good selection of traditional shops and restaurants, both in and around the town, and the zona de copas is lively at night in summer. Three beaches and a spectacular cliff-top walk, the Paseo de San Pedro, add to the coastal atmosphere.

The landmark old Theatre, part of a bridge over the river, was pulled down a few years ago, but an exploration of the back streets of the town is always worthwhile.

Near Llanes is the village of Porrúa (http://www.geo.ya.com/elcollauporrua/porruaing.htm), noted for its Ethnographical Museum.

The mountains

La Yosa de Viango

From all of the district of Llanes the view to the south is dominated by the limestone mountain wall. Many visitors, however, do not realize that the ridge forming the wall shields the view of the higher Sierra del Cuera above; between the two there are hidden valleys, draining into cave systems. The largest of these valleys is La Yosa de Viango. Unlike the heights of the Picos de Europa further to the south, these valleys are green and pastoral.

From 6–22 September 1937, 5,000 men of the Republican forces held off over 33,000 Nationalists, in this area, in an epic resistance which became known as the Battle of El Mazuco. Today, only the melodious sound of cowbells disturbs the peace of the valleys.

The caves

Flowstone in Cueva Bolado

The district contains numerous caves, including a site of archaeological interest at Nueva, and the Cueva Bolado (Herrería) near La Pereda which also contains ancient art as well as open passages.

There are also several significant 'wild' cave systems, including

• the Boluga–Caldueñín system, under El Mazuco
• the Rales system
• El Cuevón de Pruneda, near Purón.

These systems were first systematically explored by speleologists from the Oxford University Cave Club (OUCC) and from Speleogroup.

External links

• Guide to Llanes (http://homepages.tesco.net/~john.kearney/llanes.htm)
• OUCC (http://www.oucc.org.uk/expeditions/expeditions-spain.htm)
• Speleogroup (http://www.speleogroup.org/)

in Spanish:

• llanes.as (http://www.llanes.as/)
• LLANESNET Portal sobre Llanes y sus gentes (http://www.llanesnet.com/)
• Guia de playas de Llanes (http://www.llanes.as/guia/pla/index.htm)
• Alojamiento, dormir en Llanes (http://www.llanesnet.com/establecimientos/dormir/)
• Ayuntamiento de Llanes (http://www.ayuntamientodellanes.com/)
• Alojamiento rural La Montaña Mágica (http://www.lamontanamagica.com/)
• The Battle of El Mazuco (http://es.geocities.com/paisajes_guerrilla/mazuco.html)

Municipalities of Asturias

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