Asturias, Cantabria and Leon, (the areas covered in Roca Verde) are areas covered in limestone walls of all shapes and sizes and host to a fantastic selection of accessible sport-climbing venues. Well bolted and cared for by a committed local climbing population these are fantastic areas for all-year-round climbing.
Checkout the page Where is Roca Verde for a PDF map of the area.
Check out the page Flights and Access 2023 to see the best way of getting here.
Undiscovered by most this is an area that’s recommended by everyone who goes. Steve McClure said ‘Roca Verde, very impressed, so much variety, so much beuaty, I’ll be back’ – see Steve climbing in Roca Verde here. James Pearson added that ‘We did not expect to find such high qualirty in an ‘unknown’ destination. We had a great trip.’ See James and Caro climbing here.
Dave Pickford, editor of Climb Magazine UK describes the area as ‘quite possibly Europe’s best kept climbing secret’ while Miles Gibson who was road tripping across Spain a couple of years ago said the area had ‘Great climbing, tons of rock, good weather, and a friendly vibe. I went to Spain for 3 months and the best route I did was at Teverga (Asturias)’
Roca Verde contains over 80 selected crags that contain over 275 distinct sectors and over 4500 routes (as well as 600 more routes to download via our QR codes)!
Importantly, it includes the information the locals know; how to choose the right venue for sun or shade, summer or winter and for whatever grade you climb – it’s in English and Spanish.
Buy the book here
Check out some free topos here.
Check out our La Hermida guide here
Below is a brief overview, region by region, of the areas we cover in our new guidebook.
Asturias – Divided into four parts there are great crags across the region and plenty of styles to go at:
Centro – Closest to the capital, Oviedo, and mainly smaller single sector venues but also includes the very popular and larger crag of Otura and the newer sectors of Rioseco.
Valles del Trubia – Contains the major venues of Teverga and Quiros, both amazing venues each with a multitude of sectors and hundreds of routes.
Nalon Valley and Aller – Contains very popular steeper crags like Cueva Boyu and Rioseco as well as the the more all-round venue of Pelugano and the impressive Cuevas.
Oriente – Almost all in the shadow of the Picos there’s the jewel of Poo de Cabrales with its fantastic tufa routes as well as a wealth of smaller venues that are well worth a visit.
Desfiladero de La Hermida – The steep-sided Desfiladero de La Hermida, forms the border between Asturias and Cantabria. Running south to north it’s the major thoroughfare into the heart of the Picos. Rugged and still relatively untapped, there are quite a few high quality sport-climbing venues, perhaps the best of them being the gem of the tufa-strewn Rumenes. The Roca Verde guide contains the highlights of this region but there are a bunch more crags which appear in my other guidebook El Desfiladero de La Hermida – which you can buy here
León – The climbing here, although over the mountains is all very close to Asturias as the crow flies and can be reached in less than an hour from many parts of Asturias. Again, all limestone, the similarities end there as the Leonese climate is that of the desert, dry and hot during the day and cold at night. Thus the classic venue of Valdehuesa or the newer crags at Hoces Free offer a very reliable alternative when there’s rain in Asturias.
