There are certain people who, for one reason or another are part of the legend, either because of their special situation, for the beauty of its landscape or the history of their exploits. Bulnes and converge in highlighting these factors and perhaps some more.

Located at the bottom of a small hollow in the Central Massif of Picos de Europe, including beech, oak and Tilos, lies this small village of stone houses, on the edge of the river which gives its name and surrounded by impressive rocks of limestone which is flanked by the four cardinal points.

But if something has an international reputation for the people, beyond the beauty of its surroundings, and has also covered by a halo of mysticism and epic, has been its strategic location as a starting point and base camp for an ascent the summit of the legendary and imposing Spanish climbing the Picu Urriellu or «Naranjo de Bulnes».

But nevertheless to be an enclave of Bulnes history and traditions, having found remains that suggest a first occupation as a watchtower in Roman times, and with a long tradition as a center of grazing and subsequent development of the famous Cabrales cheese .

Today, although the town remains isolated by road, experiencing the great jump with the new access has opened up its tourism attractions, opening bars, houses and souvenir shops. Hopefully this new era of progress keep intact the charm of Bulnes. We recommend, whenever the weather allows it (better not in winter), access to the village on foot, along the path that runs the canal Teixu because just four miles and the ramp from the 200 meters in altitude of a Poncebos Bulnes 650, is not unreasonable for anyone in good health. In this way we enjoy the majestic scenery and save us the cost of 18 euros round trip on the funicular.

Once in Bulnes, the village is divided into two districts, «the Villa» or Bulnes Bottom, and ‘The Castle’ or Bulnes overhead. There are a couple of houses where food can refuel energy to undertake one of the many mountain routes that leave from nearby. One of them, which brings us up to 1200 meters from the beautiful setting of the Collado of Pandébano, shows some nice views of the Picu Urriellu, just moments after leaving the village and always following the left bank of the river, which forms there a small waterfall. Another possibility is to ascend to the base of the Urriellu, where there is a shelter for mountaineers. This requires better physical shape and can take about four hours to go up there and more or less the same time decreased again until Bulnes.

The possibilities are many and the spectacle of the peaks of the Picos de Europe will not leave anyone indifferent to visit Bulnes and around all year round: from the white snows of winter refulgir the red and ocher tones of autumn, passing by the green of a spring thaw where the water is spilled by SIMAS and waterfalls to quiet summer sun, one that affects the large mass of limestone to give Urriello a orange that has become his most famous nickname: the Naranjo de Bulnes.

How to get there?
Whether you come via Oviedo-Cangas of Onís, as we do from Santander, we must take the AS-114 until Arenas de Cabrales, and from there take the detour that leads to Poncebos. Once the power plant in this town, we found the parking lot above the station of the Funicular de Bulnes. To make the ascent on foot, must continue beyond a few meters, almost to the start of the Ruta del Cares, one of the most beautiful landscapes of eastern Asturias, where we will take a deviation to the left is in the direction of Bulnes.