Hike from Pelúgano to Ojo de Buey (Peña Mea) and back

At the border of the regions Aller and Laviana, in the south of Asturias, we made one of our most fantastic hikes in Asturias thus far. When you drive south to the border with Leon to the ski stations Fuentes de Invierno (Asturias) and San Isidro (Leon), you'll pass the entrance to this wonderful route in the village of Levinco.

Right before the bar 'Meson La Panoya', where you can eat a pincho and also buy some for the way, you drive up a curvy road to the hamlet of Pelúgano. The best is to park at the church, since that's where the official route starts, and it already saves you some climbing. And that's handy because in total you need to climb 630 meters (or more!) today.

The first part of the route follows a broad path, ascending continuously for about 450 meters, and fully in the sun. Then, you start a very steep ascend, following a very narrow curvy path until (finally :)! you see the famous 'Ojo de Buey' on your left, at a height of 1300 meters. It's an impressive circular hole in the rock with a diameter of 20 meters, formed by the erosion of the limestone.

We decided to take a break here and then walk back since we took our daughter of 1.5 years on our back, which was challenging enough, especially the steep way down.

However, many people continue and climb the Pena Mea (1557), from which I assume the views are even more spectacular! But we were already very happy with the amazing view over the surrounding Asturian mountain ranges.

In summer and on sunny days, it can be quite busy, but we did the route in September on a Saturday, and even though there were quite some people, it was fine. Moreover, since a large part of the route was fully in the sun, it's better to do it in spring and autumn, with a bonus of wonderful colors in the latter season!