The Rioseco reservoir in Sobrescobio is for walking: Turismo Asturias describes paths, a pedestrian walkway, a balcony viewpoint and a birdwatching spot at the head, though no official website gives a distance or time. You get there on the AS-17. The free Casa del Agua is in the village. Boating and swimming are not allowed.
The Rioseco reservoir is the smaller of the two on the upper Nalón, the lower one, right by the village that is the capital of Sobrescobio. Nobody boats or swims in it, and that is exactly why it is a place to walk slowly along the shore, watch birds and drop into the Casa del Agua. What walks there are around it, what is known about each one and how to get there.
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A reservoir to enjoy from the shore
Rusecu/Rioseco is the capital of Sobrescobio, a municipality that lies entirely within the Redes Natural Park and was named Exemplary Village of Asturias in 2009, according to Turismo Asturias. The village sits on the shore of the reservoir that bears its name.
Rioseco works as a pair with Tanes, upstream. Between them is a hydroelectric power station with reversible turbines: according to the 1979 BOE resolution that set its conditions, they can send water back from the Rioseco lower reservoir to Tanes, and in dry spells the water authority can fix the minimum volume Rioseco must keep for the consortium that supplies water to central Asturias.
That use explains the rules. Decree 7/2020 of the Principality excluded the Rioseco reservoir from boating because of how it is operated and its water regime, and banned swimming in it, as in Tanes. Turismo Asturias sums it up: boating is completely prohibited on its waters. The reservoir is also a game refuge. What you can do on the water at Tanes is covered in the guide to the Tanes reservoir.
The shoreline walk
The most searched question is how long it takes to walk round the reservoir, and the honest answer is that no official website gives a distance or a time for a route around Rioseco. What Turismo Asturias describes is a setting laid out for strolling: paths, a pedestrian walkway, a balcony viewpoint, rest areas and a sensory park designed for children. At the head of the reservoir there is a spot for watching waterbirds.
So the plan is simple and family-friendly, as Turismo Asturias presents it: walk the path, stop at the balcony viewpoint and go to the head of the reservoir to watch birds. It is not a mountain route.
The Campiellos viewpoint, on the other side
Above the reservoir, in Campiellos, starts the Camín del Rebollal, an almost flat path through chestnut and oak that ends at a viewpoint over the valley; it is described in detail in the guide to easy walks in Redes.
The Torrexón de Villamoréi
Turismo Asturias lists the Torrexón de Villamoréi among the charming spots of Sobrescobio, alongside the reservoir itself. It is what remains of the old castle of Villamorey, a protected ruin on a small rocky hill overlooking the Rioseco reservoir, according to Wikipedia. From Rioseco you reach Villamorey on the SC-2 road, which crosses the reservoir, and from the village the PR AS-177 path leads to the Torrexón in about 2.5 kilometres, according to the same encyclopaedia. It is the way to see the reservoir from above.
The Casa del Agua
In Rioseco itself is the Casa del Agua de Sobrescobio, a centre about the history of water use and its influence on the nature of the municipality and the Redes Natural Park. It opened in 2002, according to Wikipedia, and holds part of the contents of the Spanish pavilion at the Expo de Zaragoza 2008, devoted to water, plus audiovisuals and interactive displays about rivers.
The most curious things are outside the building: a water mill for grinding flour and a mazapilas, a water-powered device used in the pastures to scare off wild boar, bears and wolves so they would not harm crops or livestock.
Entry is free. Turismo Asturias gives opening hours, until 30 September, of 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 18:30, and warns that hours change with the season; outside the summer, call 985 652 132 first. Checked in October 2026.
Fishing at Rioseco
The fishing rules for the 2026 season close the left bank of the Rioseco reservoir until 15 June, from the mouth of the river Alba to the dam wall. Below the dam begins the El Condado preserve. For more on fishing, see the Tanes guide.
Getting there
Rioseco is on the AS-17, which enters Sobrescobio from Laviana and passes the dam before reaching the village. By bus, Sobrescobio council publishes the timetable of the Laviana–Tarna line, and the guide to the Gijón–Laviana train explains the connection from the station. The Ruta del Alba starts in Soto de Agues and has its own guides: how long it takes and which easy walks there are and the Ruta del Alba with children.
Checked
Checked in October 2026 against the Turismo Asturias pages for the Rioseco reservoir, the Casa del Agua de Sobrescobio and the municipality of Sobrescobio, Decree 7/2020 of the Principality of Asturias (BOPA, 16 March 2020), the fishing rules for the 2026 season (BOPA, 30 October 2025), the 1979 BOE resolution on the Tanes power station, the Sobrescobio council website and Wikipedia for the Casa del Agua, Villamorey and the Torrexón.
Quick questions
Can you go boating or swimming in the Rioseco reservoir?
No. Decree 7/2020 excludes Rioseco from boating and bans swimming; boating, without engines, is only allowed on Tanes.
What are the opening hours of the Casa del Agua in Rioseco?
Turismo Asturias gives, until 30 September, 10:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 18:30, with free entry; outside the summer it is best to call first.
How can you see the Rioseco reservoir from above?
By walking up to the Torrexón de Villamoréi, the ruin of the old castle above the reservoir, on the PR AS-177 from Villamorey, about 2.5 kilometres according to Wikipedia.