Nava

Start in the town centre

Nava is the administrative centre of a rural municipality between the cider country of central-eastern Asturias and the slopes of Sierra de Peñamayor. The core is compact enough to explore on foot, with the Town Hall, Church of San Bartolomé, cider bars and older cider presses forming the useful first circuit.

Saturday is market day. It is a good time to see the town in regular use rather than treating it solely as a tasting stop.

The Cider Museum

The Cider Museum of Asturias, on Plaza Príncipe de Asturias, is Nava’s essential visit. Its interactive displays follow cider from apple growing and harvest through pressing, fermentation, bottling and drinking. The exhibition also puts the drink in its social setting: the chigre cider bar, music, bagpipes and tonada song.

Useful details:

• The museum is accessible for visitors with disabilities.
• Summer hours run from 15 June to 15 September; Monday is closed.
• Winter hours are Tuesday–Sunday, with Monday closed; the museum also closes for one week of maintenance in November.
• Last admission is 30 minutes before closing. Opening times and tariffs vary by season.

Cider, properly understood

Nava sits in the Comarca de la Sidra, where orchards, cider presses known as llagares, cider bars and communal meals called espichas are parts of the same local culture. Use the museum first, then order natural cider in town with food rather than treating it as a quick drink.

The traditional pour is escanciado: cider is poured from height into the rim of the glass to aerate it. A small serving is called a culín and is normally drunk promptly. In a cider bar, ask for sidra natural if that is what you want; it differs from sweet, sparkling or table cider.

Short excursions from Nava

Sierra de Peñamayor rises south of town. The route towards Piloñeta leads up toward its meadows, but the final stretch is steep and is better approached with a car and suitable footwear.

For a defined walk, the Les Foces del Río Pendón route begins near Huentesanta, under 4 km from Nava via the NA-1. The 10-km route takes roughly three and a half hours. Nearby, the 14th-century Palacio-Casa Fuerte de la Ferrería is privately owned, so view it from outside.

Getting there

Nava lies on the N-634 and on the narrow-gauge rail corridor between Oviedo and Bilbao. Roads AS-250 and AS-251 connect the town with Villaviciosa and Bimenes respectively. A car gives the most flexibility for orchards, Peñamayor and the Pendón gorge; keep the town centre itself for walking.