Barad-dur with a five star bridge


We are heading up the AS-11 - that is Asturias Route 11. We are taking the back roads into Asturias, partly to see the ranging mountains and bendy roads but mainly to see if they have repaired it.  At a point we will switch over to the AS-22.  When we drive up it about 15 years ago it was a smooth and well maintained surface until we got outside of town and then it suddenly turned into one of the worst roads I had ever inched my way up. 





We switch roads at Pianton. It is one of the six parishes of Vegadeo.  In 1026 Count Piiolus, the Castro de Suaron - I know, I’m getting Barad-dur vibes - funded a monastery here.  The settlement mouched along.  Apparently the next thing of note was when a Carlist guerilla group invaded the place in 1836. They got shot the following year.  It has a nice bridge.  Fran says of it ‘Excellent Roman-style bridge that crosses the Suaron River, it is located in the town of Piantón, just over a kilometer and a half from Vegadeo.’  We will go over it.






Across the river Casa Jano offers us a menu https://eligemenu.es/casa-jano  The Asturian cheese board costs 16 euros.  The place has over 1300 reviews and stars 4.3   Hermindo knows what he likes.  Five Stars ‘Good cuts of meat’.  That was four days ago,. The day before that Beni added ‘Everything very rich, good price and very good service. Highly recommended’


Above us, as we head east, is Saint Stephen’s church.  The current church was built between the 16th and 18th centuries, and the oldest part of it seems to be the sacristy (1604). The most notable thing about the temple is the varied set of baroque altarpieces that it houses, two of them from the first half of the 18th century: that of the Virgin of Lourdes (1624) and that of Saint Joseph with the Child (1638). The three remaining altarpieces are from the 18th century.


After that we are starting the long and winding road upwards.  We will pass the Bartolo Bridge recreation area. It is one of those places Asturias does well.  A bit of grass, a clutch of trees, some benches and a river.  Hugo gives four stars.  He notes ‘A small but beautiful Recreational Area, which has a river with areas to take a dip, cool off in the increasingly hot summers.’  Alas ‘It lacks a Children's Park but we have the river to bathe in, which makes up for any Children's park, logically in the summer months, at other times the cold water can leave its mark.’  It does not go out of its way to be friendly to dogs.



Well, after that ‘the only way is up, baby!’

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