La Espina

La Espina is a locality in the municipality of Salas, in Asturias, situated at an elevated position on the Camino Primitivo route west of Salas. The name means the thorn or the spine, possibly referring to a thorny scrub plant that dominated the hillside terrain or to the sharp ridge profile of the local geography.

The elevated position on the mountain approach gives La Espina commanding views over the western Asturian interior, with broad valley systems and forested ridges stretching toward the Galician border. The terrain here is more open and exposed than the enclosed valleys below, with heather, gorse, and occasional chestnut groves on the higher slopes.