San Emeterio lighthouse, near the Pindal cave
With the bare woods, sometimes even snow, and the humidity in the air that envelops everything at this time of year. Asturias , in winter, there are paths to walk...
LAKE VALLEY ROUTE, SOMIEDO NATURAL PARK
When there is snow, this short and easy route offers majestic views of the Somiedo Natural Park, and a safe opportunity to practice snowshoeing. The linear route, which starts from the lake valley village and continues to Lago del Valle, where it goes around the starting point, it runs along 12 kilometers (round trip) in which the landscape offers unique opportunities to discover the geological features of the area as well as flora and fauna.
Of course, it is worth reserving some time to contemplate the teitos that dot the southwest of Asturias and that they are one of the most representative prints of this area. considerate ethnographic jewels , the teitos are cabins with a vegetal roof, normally with a broom floor plan and masonry walls, which associations such as Teito Natural Roof They fight to preserve.
Teito in the Somiedo Natural Park
Although this is bear land, it is very unlikely to meet them . The path is practically straight and is well signposted and the ascent is easy, even in snow.
CLIFFS OF PIMIANGO, EASTERN ASTURIAN
In winter, perhaps because everything is quieter, it seems that the Cantabrian roars with more force a. For this reason, it is worth venturing to discover on foot the cliffs of Pimiango, in the east of Asturias . The viewpoints between the sea and the mountains, such as the the picu , are interspersed with wonders such as the Cave of El Pindal , a long gallery (approximately 600 meters, but only the first 300 are visited) and with a wide mouth, located at the mouth of the cares river , which houses Paleolithic cave paintings and is UNESCO World Heritage since 2008.
Cliffs of Pimiango
The route allows you to enjoy the San Emeterio cliffs , imposing limestone rock walls with thousands of cavities, in addition to the ancient oak forest of the same name, the largest in the region in the coastal area and impressive panoramic views of the Asturian eastern coast. Likewise, flanked by oaks and eucalyptus , on the path you can also discover the ruins of the church of Santa María de Tina and the adjoining monastic buildings , a place that has the magic of places whose glory days are far behind.
The Camino del Norte to Santiago passes very close to the old Romanesque monastery , an opportunity to join the Camino, albeit briefly, in this Xacobeo year so unusually little traveled due to the pandemic. And if we look up, we may even see birds of prey like hawks.
WATER ROUTE IN TARAMUNDI, A WALK THROUGH THE WEST
This circular route that starts from Taramundi, the region considered the cradle of rural tourism in Spain , runs along 15 kilometers , so on short winter days you have to get up early because it usually takes between seven and eight hours to walk it . Located in a land that has managed to maintain ancestral traditions to this day and whose forests radiate more magic the more passed through water , the route also allows discovering the ingenuity of the ancient inhabitants, who used water to move from the mill, to the whetstone, through the mallet and the forge, as well as the first electricity that arrived in Taramundi.
You Teixois
Before beginning the circular route in the village of Os Esquios , which has a great tradition in the craft of knives, you can enjoy the Salgueira River waterfall . Then the route continues on direction to As Veigas , a tiny postcard village to forget about the world. From there it proceeds to You Teixois , where all those hydraulic devices from another time await in their natural state, inventions that highlight how to take advantage of the force of nature to help them at work, as is the case of the fuller , and improve the quality of life, such as electricity. The Os Teixóis ethnographic complex is protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest.
ROUTE OF THE FOCES OF THE PENDÓN RIVER, LA CIDER REGION
In the council of Nava, in the heart of the Cider Region , is this circular route where you can enjoy the smell of wet ground for almost the entire route. Departing from Fuensanta , the route runs between impressive gorges, and offers views of the Sierra del Sueve and the mountains of Nava, as well as the Palacio de la Ferrería where the legend says he was born Jimena Díaz, the one who was the wife of Cid Campeador . Likewise, the route also enters a forest covered with moss, in which the rumbling of the Pendón river is constant and in which the trees - especially ancient chestnut trees, bare at this time of year - seem to have lived several lives.
The route (10 kilometers in total and of medium difficulty) eventually opens up into a pastoral area where you can see beautiful huts, many still in use, and offers panoramic views that encompass the councils of Nava, Sariego and Siero . During the tour it is worth keeping an eye on the steeper slopes, with luck, you can always spot some deer.
You Teixois
ALBA ROUTE, REDES NATURAL PARK
One of the most emblematic routes of the Redes Natural Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001 , the Dawn Route it is also one of the most popular in Asturias. This circular route starts from Soto de Agues, a beautiful postcard town, and runs along a track on the banks of the Alba or Llaímo river , so the murmur of the water is a constant along the path of just over 14 kilometers . The landscape narrows as you go, giving way to imposing vertical limestone walls, which makes the sensation of crossing a valley more and more present.
Dawn Route
The path, which begins between chestnut and small oak groves, continues flanked by beech, yew, whitebeam and lime trees. . During approximately the last kilometer and a half, the route is no longer concreted and the waterfalls are increasingly pronounced and more spectacular. We will know that we have reached the end because a bridge connects the path with the Cruz de los Ríos , and there the landscape opens up again, turning into meadows that merge with the Llaímo beech forests.
The difficulty is low , so it is an accessible and recommended route to go with children.