Route of the Brañas Teverganas

The Ruta de las Brañas Teverganas is one of the most complete and extensive trails in the council of Teverga, also crossing part of the neighbouring municipality of Somiedo. This circular route offers hikers a deep immersion in the high mountain landscape of Asturias, with spectacular views at the foot of the Sierra de los Bígaros, traditional brañas with well-preserved popular architecture and stretches of Atlantic forests. It is a demanding route in terms of distance and gradient, but it is a rewarding route for those who complete it.

The route begins in the village of Barriu, taking a dirt track that climbs gently through a leafy forest of oak, beech and birch trees. A little more than a kilometre further on, you reach the Carroceda hut, with its first stone cabins and green roofs of broom and broom and broom and broom and broom. From here, the path continues to gain height until it reaches the Fonfría hut, one of the largest in Teverga, with numerous well-preserved huts and a spring where you can get water.

The ascent continues to the Collado de La Magdalena, the point of connection with the Camín Real de la Mesa, an ancient Roman road that served as a passage between the plateau and the centre of Asturias. Along this historic route, the route continues towards one of the most picturesque stops: the La Mesa hut, with its curious stone-roofed corridors and several huts with teito (small roofs). Nearby, there is another fountain where you can take a break.

After leaving the Camín Real, the path heads towards the Collado de L'Aguil, and shortly after, to the hut of the same name, where the stone constructions are already roofed with tiles, showing another variant of the rural heritage. The descent begins here, which becomes steeper among the pines, heather and oak groves, until you reach the small but charming hut of Las Segadas.

From this point, the most technical part of the route begins: the Pasu Malu, a narrow stretch where the path runs alongside a stream that is crossed by a stone staircase carved into the rock, which is generally wet and slippery. Caution is essential here, but the passage adds a touch of adventure to the route.

Once past Pasu Malu, you reach Fonte las Cruces and shortly after Torce, where the route connects with the road that returns to Barriu, thus completing a circular route that highlights the livestock farming way of life, the history of traditional communications and the unique landscapes of the Asturian mountains.