Peña de los Cuatro Jueces is in the parish of Candanal, at an altitude of 662 metres. This is where the municipalities of Villaviciosa, Gijón, Siero and Sariego meet. This boundary point gives the landscape a clear geographical reference and brings together several of the area’s themes: trails through woodland, views towards Gijón and a tradition renewed each year.
Landscape and trails
The trail to Peña de los Cuatro Jueces passes through a pine and eucalyptus forest. From a viewpoint, the view is towards Gijón. Every spring, a festival is held on the hill, renewing the traditional gathering of the four municipalities. The tradition was revived in 1983. If you want to time your stay to coincide with the festival, check the dates in advance.
Further afield, Cueva del Llovíu lies between Puente Arroes and Peón, on the Río España. It is the largest known cave in the region’s Jurassic limestone and has been designated a partial nature reserve. The protected area’s representative fauna includes protected bats and beetles. The cave is therefore notable for its geological features and nature conservation; this should not be taken as an indication that the animals can be observed.
Cultural heritage in Candanal
The Church of Santa María de Candanal, in the hamlet of Manzaneo, is a 19th-century building in a vernacular style. It was burned down during the Spanish Civil War and later rebuilt. At the Chapel of Les Portielles, the focus is on different architectural features: it has a square floor plan and a ribbed vault, and traces of polychromy have been preserved. The area’s cultural themes thus range from a turbulent building history to specific architectural details.
The area’s community life is also connected with culture and local knowledge. In 2023, the three parishes of Arroes, Pion and Candanal were jointly awarded the “Exemplary Village of Asturias” prize. Their communities are working with CTIC Ruraltech to digitise photographs, videos, eyewitness accounts and texts about local culture and agricultural knowledge. In the Pión and Candanal valley, apple orchards complement livestock farming and support the operation of three major cider houses.
Trail profile and transport
The Mills Route along the Río España differs from the woodland section to Peña in its trail profile: it is of low difficulty, has no major changes in elevation and runs mostly along paved paths. Local trail conditions can change; check them before setting out. The mills along the route are privately owned, and none is open to the public. Do not plan to visit the mills, and check access conditions before visiting.
For travel, the stop name “Colláu - Candanal” is a specific point of reference: the official route list assigns it to Collado for both route 024-040 and route 076-028. Timetable details may change, so check the information before travelling. This makes it possible to combine the landscape and cultural themes with realistic planning, without assuming that the trails, festival date and stops are all part of a single itinerary.
Discover more destinations: San Miguel, Puelles, Cazanes, Amandi, Bedriñana, Torretejera, Cabranes, Cazamular.
Return to the main travel overview: Villaviciosa.
