Four villages: Mestas de Con - Sirvieilla - San Martín - Beceña (circular)

A pleasant walk with a lot of beautiful views that connects four Asturian villages. It is mainly on little asphalt roads with hardly any traffic. The trail gets a little bit more adventurous after Mestas de Con to avoid walking on the AS 114 main road.

NOTE: there is a lot to say for starting this walk in Mestas de Con. It is easier to reach (also by public transport, there is a bus stop), there are more options to park your car and you would have the longer climb at the beginning and the longer descent at the end. The description is devided into two: the first part from San Martín to Mestas de Con and the second part from Mestas de Con to San Martín.

SAN MARTIN - MESTAS DE CON

The road meanders down into the little village of San Martín (no facilities) where you will soon see the first sign of the GR 109. Part of the trail follows this long distance path. You will go straight through Beceña (no facilities) and make a little detour to visit the beautiful little chapel of Santo Toribio. Nice views and benches on three sides, so pick your place in the sun or shadow. After the chapel the trail will join the little winding asphalt road down into Mestas de Con. There are several restaurants and hotels along the main road, in case you fancy a drink or something to eat.

MESTAS DE CON - SAN MARTIN

NOTE: the next part is not difficult but a little bit adventurous. You'll walk on little tracks in the forest, finding your way past fallen trees and possibly barbed wire, because of goats grazing there. You could instead walk on the AS 114 main road, but this is not so pleasant as cars are driving pretty fast.

Take a close look at the description and the trail, because it is easy to lose track. You'll pass the bridge over the Rio Güeña and turn left on a dirt track. Where the dirt track ends into a meadow you'll go straight ahead past a fence (see photo). The little path in between meadows may be a little overgrown. After that the track goes up into the forest. The path can be a bit muddy at some points, depending on the season and rainfall. Further ahead you will arrive at a Y-section, with one path going down left and one going up right. Take the one on the right. A bit further you'll see a little track on your left along the ruins of a stone wall. Take that track. A few meters further there is another Y-section where you keep right (so you'll leave the wall). The little track meanders a bit longer and ends up at a much wider straight path that goes downhill. At the end of that path you'll reach the AS 114 main road.

Cross the AS 114 (careful) and take the first little asphalt road on the left to Sirvieilla. This is a relaxing little road that you can follow all the way into Sirvieilla. There is a sidrería in the village. In Sirviella you'll see the signs of the GR 109 again, which you can follow. Close to San Martín the GR 109 continues to the left, but there is gravel road sharp right that goes up. If you started in Mestas de Con you have two options here. The trail goes a little higer up to follow a grassy path with wonderful views and a little track through the forest above the village of San Martín. You can also follow the GR 109 signs straight into San Martín.