El Club · Bulnes

The Naranjo de Bulnes viewpoint is located in the high part of Bulnes, in front of the Picu Urriellu, and offers one of the most direct and recognizable views of the central massif of Picos de Europa. From this point you can see the valley of the river Bulnes, the two districts of the village and the great limestone wall of the Naranjo, a mass of rock with a vertical profile closely linked to Asturian mountaineering. The exact location in Bulnes and the access by a short and steep path coincide with the description of local and informative guides about the place. The interest of the viewpoint lies in the visual relationship between the village, embedded in the mountain, and the most emblematic peak of the area. The panoramic view makes it possible to clearly read the abrupt relief of the surroundings, the valley and the monumentality of Urriellu, whose silhouette dominates the entire horizon. Some local references describe it as a viewpoint officially inaugurated in 2009 and equipped with a wooden railing. There is no specific protection figure for the viewpoint, but the surroundings belong to Cabrales and the Picos de Europa area, one of the best-known mountain landscapes in the north of the peninsula. The best visit is usually early in the morning or late afternoon, when the side light best marks the rocky face of the Naranjo; on clear days in spring, autumn and early summer visibility is usually cleaner.

The viewpoint from the neighborhood of the Castle is a small panoramic viewpoint located in Bulnes, in the council of Cabrales, within the high mountain environment of the Picos de Europa. Due to its location in the high part of the village, it works as a natural balcony over the hamlet and the valley of the river Bulnes, with a short but steep slope access on foot. In this area, Bulnes sits on a narrow valley floor, surrounded by large limestone walls typical of the central Asturian massif. What can be seen from here is, above all, the relationship between the two districts of Bulnes, the traditional layout of the village and the vertical landscape that surrounds it. The interest of the point is in the amplitude of the view and in the reading of the territory: it allows us to understand why Bulnes is an isolated village adapted to a very abrupt mountain environment. From this environment you also get a close perspective of the emblematic landscape of the area, associated with the Picu Urriellu or Naranjo de Bulnes, although the sources place the best observation of that summit outside the village itself. Its relevance is mainly scenic and touristic: it is part of the experience of visiting Bulnes, one of the most unique enclaves of Asturias due to its pedestrian or funicular access and its preservation of architecture and traditional layout. There is no specific protection figure for this viewpoint, but it belongs to an area of great environmental value within the National Park of Picos de Europa. It is a recommended point for visitors looking for a short, direct and very representative view of the village and its mountain environment.

Short walk that runs through the traditional quarter of Bulnes between the neighborhood of the Villa and the neighborhood of the Castle, in the council of Cabrales, within the National Park of the Picos de Europa. It is a short urban-rural itinerary, linked to the historical structure of a mountain village without road access, where the cobbled streets and the passages between houses preserve the old layout of the village. The interest of the walk lies in the layout of the farmhouse and the views over the valley of the river Bulnes, in an abrupt environment of limestone and mountainous relief typical of the Picos de Europa. The tour allows to appreciate the popular stone architecture, the slope of the settlement and the direct relationship between housing, roads and landscape, a set especially representative of traditional high mountain life. Its relevance is mainly scenic and ethnographic: it shows how Bulnes was historically organized before the arrival of the funicular railway and the current tourist frequentation. Being in a protected area of the first order, the walk is integrated in a context of great environmental and cultural value, much visited by walkers and hikers looking for a short walk in one of the most unique villages of Asturias.

Short walk from the funicular station to the neighborhood of La Villa, in Bulnes, council of Cabrales, within the environment of the Picos de Europa. This is a very short pedestrian itinerary of urban-rural character, useful as an access link between the arrival to the village and one of its traditional nuclei, located a short distance from the funicular station and linked to the historical structure of the settlement. The main interest of the route is in the village itself: mountain hamlet, narrow streets and traditional stone architecture in an isolated enclave, without direct road access. The village concentrates part of the most characteristic environment of Bulnes and allows us to recognize the human adaptation to an abrupt environment, with a strong presence of limestone relief, the high mountain landscape and the river as background elements. The visit is interesting because it places the hiker in the heart of a well-known enclave of Asturian nature tourism, associated with access by funicular and hiking in the central massif of the Picos de Europa. Its value is above all scenic and ethnographic: a small route that helps to understand the organization of the village and its relationship with the historical isolation of the valley. There is no specific protection for this walk as an independent resource; its relevance derives from the whole of Bulnes and its protected mountain environment, often mentioned in guidebooks for excursions in Asturias.

The Cares Route is a well known mountain trail in the National Park of Picos de Europa, in the Asturian section accessible from Bulnes and Poncebos. It is a linear route of about 20 km round trip according to the record of the Club of the Most Beautiful Villages of Spain, associated with the great gorge carved by the Cares River and a landscape of gorges, meadows and limestone walls of strong verticality. The most characteristic feature of the route is the fit between rock and river, with continuous views over the canyon and passages carved into the hillside. The trail is highly appreciated for its scenic value and for offering a relatively accessible mountain experience in a high Atlantic mountain environment, where the abrupt relief and limestone geology are the main protagonists. Its interest is also historical and territorial: the route links the Bulnes environment with the Poncebos-Caín axis, in an area where hiking coexists with very isolated rural villages and with strong access constraints. Different guidebooks describe it as one of the most emblematic excursions in the Picos de Europa and one of the most visited in the north of the peninsula. For Bulnes, the Cares Route reinforces its role as an entry point to a protected landscape with a great hiking reputation. Its value is not in an isolated monument, but in the combination of trail, relief and gorge, which explains why it is still among the most sought-after routes to visit Cabrales and the heart of the Picos de Europa.

Rutas de alta montaña desde Bulnes is a hiking resource that starts in this village in the council of Cabrales, in the heart of the Picos de Europa, in Asturias. The best known itinerary is the ascent along the Canal del Texu from Poncebos to Bulnes, an old cobbled road of about 4 km in each direction, with a gradient of about 400 to 500 meters and steep sections. The route is of interest for its scenic and mountain value: it runs along the Tejo river and crosses a high limestone mountain environment, steep and very steep, with views over the central massif of the Picos de Europa. From Bulnes you can also access other mountain walks to Amuesa, Sotres, Pandebano or the Vega de Urriellu refuge, which makes the village a classic starting point for hikers and mountaineers. Its touristic relevance is linked to the historical isolation of Bulnes, to which there is no road, and to the preservation of the traditional path that linked the village with Poncebos before the opening of the funicular. The route is part of the experience of visiting the village itself and is one of the most authentic ways of getting to know this enclave of the Picos de Europa National Park.

Short circular trail in Bulnes, in the council of Cabrales, within the environment of the Picos de Europa. It is a pedestrian route linked to the traditional access between the Castle district and the funicular, in a steep mountain landscape, wedged between rocky slopes and the valley of the Bulnes river. Due to its position and layout, it is one of the simplest routes connecting the village internally, although the environment is still clearly mountainous. The main interest of the itinerary lies in its landscape and ethnographic value: it allows us to recognize the dispersed structure of Bulnes, with its stone neighborhoods, and to understand how mobility was articulated before the arrival of the funicular railway. The surroundings combine popular architecture, cobblestone path and views over a high mountain territory very characteristic of the center of the Picos de Europa. Bulnes is known for being an isolated village, without direct road access, which has reinforced its image as a mountain enclave linked to hiking and the Poncebos funicular. The route is of interest both for its practical function and for its value as a small interpretative walk in a place of strong rural and landscape identity.

The Vega de Urriellu is a high mountain meadow located in the central massif of the Picos de Europa, in the surroundings of Bulnes (Cabrales, Asturias), at an altitude of 1,960 meters. It is a large grassy landing wedged under large limestone walls, in a landscape of mountainous origin and limestone rock heavily shaped by erosion, with a strong alpine character and a traditional use linked to grazing and mountaineering. It is closely associated with the Picu Urriellu or Naranjo de Bulnes, one of the most recognizable landmarks of the Asturian mountains. The main interest of the place is scenic and sporting: from the valley you get one of the closest and most complete views of the Urriellu, besides being a point of stay and support for mountain routes in the National Park of the Picos de Europa. In the area there is a mountain refuge with a capacity for 96 people, which reinforces its role as a base for treks and ascents in this high mountain sector. Due to its location in the heart of a protected area of great ecological value, the Vega de Urriellu is part of an environment subject to special conservation. Its cultural and mountaineering relevance is remarkable, as it appears recurrently in hiking guides and references and is linked to one of the best-known scenic symbols of Asturias.