The Turia Valley () is a small valley on the western border of the

Cantabrian Mountains The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range () are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain. They stretch for over 300 km (180 miles) across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the Galician Massif ...

in the northwest of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

which is close to beaches and is divided by two

autonomous communities The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Spa ...

Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

and Galicia. It consists of an area of 90 km², 3,910 inhabitants and is 200 m above sea level. The two main towns are

A Pontenova A Pontenova is a municipality in the province of Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca of A Mariña Oriental. It has a population of 3199 (Spanish 2003 Census) and an area of 136 km². A Pontenova ...

(Galicia) and Taramundi (Asturias).

Geography

The Turia Valley is a range of small mountains, ancient oak forests and rivers. It is dotted with small stoned hamlets and villages and is only 25 minutes from the sea and remote beaches. The climate in the region is pleasant throughout the year. As with the rest of northern Spain (or the Green Spain), the climate is more variable than the southern parts of Spain and is characterised by an Atlantic climate. The average temperature in summer is usually around 26 °C. The average temperature in winter is 8 °C (12 °C in the day and 4 °C at night). The Turía River (250 m altitude) gives its name to the valley. The Turia Valley is surrounded by hills and mountains, including, Sierra de Piedafita (900 m), Sierra de Ouroso (1033 m), Sierras de Dendin (900 m), Sierra de Teixedais (900 m) and Sierra de Eirua (700 m). The patrimony of the Valley has more than 60 religious buildings and places of worship, such as the church of San Martin de Tarimundi founded in the 18th century or the Santuario de Santa María de Conforto founded in the 16th century.

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

The Turia Valley is part of the

Eo River The Eo is a river, long, in northwestern Spain. Its estuary forms the boundary between the regions of Galicia and Asturias. The river is known for its salmon fishing. In the western Cantabrian mountains the river forms the axis of one of Astur ...

, Oscos and Buron lands

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

. A Biosphere Reserve is an international conservation designation given by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

under its Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB). The

World Network of Biosphere Reserves The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas, known as biosphere or nature reserves, which are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage susta ...

is the collection of all 531 biosphere reserves in 105 countries (as of May, 2008). Biosphere reserves are created to promote and demonstrate a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere. The area included in the Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 158,883 hectares of which 215 km² belong to the area of the Turia Valley. Agriculture, fish farming and tourism are the principal areas of growth for the region. Although there has been a fall in the primary sector in recent years and an increase in the service sectors as

rural tourism Rural tourism is a form of tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism, emphasizing sustainable practices and community involvement. Many villages can facilitate tourism because of the ho ...

, agriculture still remains the largest economic activity of local economy. The 14 councils which are part of the below Reserve in Asturias and Galicia register a total of 11,408 jobs. The average income in the area is close to the average regional and national figure. Micro businesses and family run businesses are very characteristic of the region. Construction, commerce, hotels and rural tourism also account for a high percentage of local business. Rural tourism is now a growing activity in all the Reserve, at present there are about 170 establishments catered for rural tourism.

Location

The Turia Valley is located on the western border of the

in the northwest of Spain and is divided by two counties: Asturias and Galicia (43°33' North and 6°42' West). The valley has two principal towns,

(Galicia) and Taramundi (Asturias). The nearest city is

Ribadeo Ribadeo is a municipality in the Spanish province of Lugo in Galicia. It has a population of 10,023 ( INE, 2011) and an area of . It is the capital of the A Mariña Oriental comarca. Geography The municipality of Ribadeo has approximately t ...

(Galicia) and the nearest city is

Lugo Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...

(Galicia) where all services, including hospitals, can be found. * The Turia Valley is 28 km from Ribadeo and the closest beaches are a 25 minute drive away. * Ribadeo is 95 km from Asturias International Airport (45 minutes when the new road is ready) * Ribadeo is 130 km from Gijon and

Oviedo Oviedo () or Uviéu (Asturian language, Asturian: ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains th ...

(1 hour) * Ribadeo is 305 km from Santander port with ferries to

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

every week (3:10 hours) * The Turia Valley is 190 km from the closest ski resort in the

Picos de Europa Picos is a municipality in the state of Piauí in the Northeast region of Brazil. Picos is the state's third-largest city, located in the south-central region of Piauí and is the most economically developed city in the region. The city's fin ...

(2:20 hours) * The Turia Valley is 54 km from Lugo (45 minutes) and 180 km from

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...

(2:10 hours)

References

Infoasturias.com
Electronic tourism brochure edited by the Asturias Council Tourism Department.
Taramundi official website

External links

www.turiavalley.com
{{coord missing, Spain Valleys of Spain Landforms of Asturias Landforms of Galicia (Spain)