Easy hiking with kids in Oviedo: Pista Finlandesa / Monte Narranco

Asturias, the Natural Paradise, has plentiful hiking options. Serious hiking. But we do light toddler pace hiking, and for that, I don't want to travel an hour (Infiesto, you will have to wait) so we are exploring whatever is available nearby! Our first hike was, of course, Monte Naranco!

Oviedo sits at the foothill of Monte Naranco, a small mountain of just over 600m of altitude, which can be seen from almost every street in the city. However far we venture out, Monte Naranco is always "right there!"

La Pista Finlandesa (The Finnish Point) trail is one of the closest to the city center. Located in the Ciudad Naranco neighborhood, the trailhead about a 15 min walk from the train station, all uphill of course! But you could also take a bus.

The trail is paved, but there's plenty of room to roam off-road for both children and dogs with drops, climbs, crab apple trees, lots and lots of all kinds of trees and vegetation actually, which I am endlessly fascinated with having moved from a very different climate.

Immediately after the first curve you get a beautiful view of the city, and we haven't even started climbing!

The little valley inside the curve has picnic tables, mountain biking trails and ramps, lots of trees and usually some happy dogs who were let off the leash.

Google Maps will have you believe that this walk takes almost exactly an hour. But if you are like us and just have to smell every flower, throw every fallen crab apple, study bugs and pick up stick, plan to spend a lot more time. In August, the mountain is full of wild blackberries and we snacked all the way.

We didn't exactly follow the actual hiking path, instead just following the kids. We ended up taking shortcuts and moved in the general upwards direction.

Part of the trail goes by private properties which also provide ample opportunities for observing flowers and fun new-to-us trees and plants and animals. For example, we saw some kiwis growing! But also goats and very pretty cows.

Eventually the trail takes you to the churches of Santa Maria del Naranco and San Miguel de Lillo - pre-Roman monuments. Some planning is required to go inside as they only open for a couple hours in the morning, and there are always plenty of tourists around.

We just had a picnic people watching near San Miguel de Lillo and headed down.

But first, we followed the sound of running water! There is a small fountain in the bushes behind this church, and a trail leading there. Technically not a fountain, because the water is running to it through a creek, but kids drank from it before I could stop anyone, so there's that.

Going downhill from San Miguel de Lillo inevitably deposits you in the closest parking lot (recommended for those driving to see the monuments) and there's also a bus stop in case you are done walking. We just continued down to our place in Ciudad Naranco. Fin!