Aller is also known as the gate of Asturias because it is what you will first see as you are head north from the plains of Leon in Spain. This is quite an impressive journey, positioned at the border between Leon and Asturias you are welcomed by the magnificent and vibrant beauty of the Mountains which makes quite an impressive picture.
The Central Mountain range offer a wealth of Natural and Protected Spaces, leafy Beech and Oak forests, green mountain pastures, narrow valleys and large meandering rivers.
This natural beauty is juxtaposed with examples of past and present mining activity as Slack-heaps, mine entrances, Headframes, worker’s housing, etc dot the landscape. This is a real cornucopia for those who have an interest in Industrial architecture and landscapes. Mining has moulded Asturias and plays a significant part in her story so it is worth while learning about this history as it will help to understand the local community a bit more.
Aller is home to a wealth of stone monuments, megalithic structures, necropolis and old settlements. The Route of the Silver cross the territory of Aller. The Route of the Silver is Roman in origin and crosses the peninsula from north to south starting in Gijón, Asturias, and finishing in Seville, Andalucía. This was built to facilitate commerce and legion movement. After that, the route was mainly used by shepherds who took their livestock to the greener pastures of Asturias during the summer
The Council of Aller borders with the community of Castilla Leon. Aller is a natural paradise enjoying the impressive mountains of the Principado de Asturias such as the San Isidro pass, Vegarada, Piedrafita and the Via Carisa. The large rivers of this area such as S. Isidro, Negro and Aller are teeming with trout and other fish. The dense forests are home to the wildlife like Deer, Wolves, Foxes, Wild Boar, Otter, Sables, Capercaillies (which is a type of Grouse), and many species of birds.
The main town in Aller is called Moreda. The most important cultural and historic aspects of Aller are the megalithic necropolis of El Padrún in Boo from the 4th century BC, the monolith of “El Moyón de la Corrala” in Pola de El Pino, The Church of San Vicente de Serapio, The Church of San Juan El Real de Llamas and St Felix de El Pino and the Church of St Juan de Rumiera de Satibanez de la Fuente, all considered Artistic and Historic Monuments.
You will find many fine examples of Industrial Mining Heritage throughout the area. Some of the best examples are the “Pit of San Jorge”, “The Pit of San Fernando” and the Hearframes of San Jorge, Santiago and San Antonio.
Aller is the start of many Routes and it is also part of the La Carisa Way which is one of the pre-historic routes that connected Asturias with the rest of the peninsula. It was the first road built and widely used by the Romans to accommodate safe passage for their carriages. You can still see some of the original road preserved as you travel along its route. The Roman camp of La Carisa is located on the Curriel peak and at 1,728metres, it was the highest Roman military camp in Europe and could house up to approx 10,000 men.
The area of Aller is a fantastic place to do any kind of sports and is well set up for trekking, mountaineering, climbing, skiing, snowboarding, fishing, Mountain biking, quad biking, horse riding, spelunking, paragliding, etc.
Two of the most important sporting activities in the area are climbing in Pelugano and Cuevas; and skiing as Aller is home to the Winter Ski Resort of Fuentes de Invierno, the newest and most modern ski station in Asturias.
Aller boasts some stunning natural monuments such as “Foces de El Pino” or the yew tree of Santibañez de la Fuente and beautiful pasturelands like Valencia, La Tabierna, El Gumial, El Rason, Palmial or La Escosura. During months the autumn, the mountains sides echo with the sound of Stags rutting for mates which is an eerie and magnificent experience to behold.
The other main attraction of the area is the local gastronomy offering a traditional Asturian fare based on Stews, Asturias reared beef, fish from the rivers, cheeses and Asturias desserts but the toast of the region is the handmade Rye Bread and the Sweet Bread Pudding called Panchon.
More info: Aller Tourist Office
If you want more information contact Where is Asturias at info@whereisasturias.com
Images supplied by Ayto de Aller, Consorcio Montana Central, RECREA and Turismo Asturias: Arnaud Spani, Camilo Alonso and C. Salvo.
