Wednesday 7th May 2025.
We are staying here tonight in Riano on a free aire that overlooks the reservoir , we have been here before in August 2018 on an extremely hot day we drove through, the waters were a deep blue and we commented we would like to come back one day and now we have.
There were 2 routes here from last nights stop, one on a normal road, it was shorter in distance but would take at least 4 and a half hours, or via the motorway with a small toll section, around Leon and then north, taking 2 and a half hours, the latter won. The motorway was empty and the last 25 miles of our journey on a country road snaking up into the mountains we were in a convoy of one vehicle, us.
Riano town is located on the River Elsa in the Cantabrian Mountains near the foothills of the Picos de Europa and is 3,650 ft above sea level, and you can certainly feel the difference especially with regard to the temperature.
A dam and reservoir (Embalse de Riano) was created in the 1980’s for flood control and generation of hydro electric power. The original village and six others in the region had to be relocated to New Riano as a replacement. The old Riano is underneath the new bridge.
On our evening walk we came across this covered arena. It has been built to house La Luche Leonese, Leonese wrestling, specific to this region and takes place in a “corro” a circle 12-18m in diameter with traditionally a grass surface. Contestants wrestle bare footed in short trousers and shirt with a leather belt that can be gripped by the opponent.
So a day without any castles or other historical buildings in a town of approximately 40 years of age, what a change😊
taraabit 