- Somiedo Asturias Centre
- Distance: 7,8 kms
- Difficulty: Short
- Code: PR13
- Altitude: 796 m
- Unevenness: 237 m
- On foot: 2 h.
- Start point: La Malva Recreational Area
- Tour type: Circular
- Layout of the route: Download kml, Download gpx
PR13
It is surprising that on the road to Somiedo, without going very far, we have a route like this one that allows us to lose ourselves among the Cantabrian holm oak woods that grow on the almost bare rock in this territory of chamois, deer and bears.
Above the La Malva hydroelectric power station, the first in Asturias, we find its arboretum, where different species coexist. A little further on, there is an open cave in the limestone, all within a forest that varies depending on whether it is on bare limestone or on small streams of water in the watercourses.
Every now and then there is a viewpoint overlooking the valley of the river Pigüeña, observatories from where we can see the gap that opens up towards the valley of Saliencia and in front of us the mountains that separate Somiedo from Teverga.
If we look up at the sky, choughs, kestrels, peregrine falcons or golden eagles are not uncommon here. The braña de Castro above the village is one of those bucolic mountain places. We can retrace our steps or go down to the village and return carefully by road or bus.
La Malva Recreational Area 7.8 km
This circular route, located in the heart of the Somiedo Natural Park, starts in the recreational area of La Malva, which we reach by taking the AS-227 road that leads to Pola de Somiedo; once we have passed the La Malva hydroelectric power station, we reach the recreational area of the same name, where we can leave our car parked.
The route starts on a path that comes out on our right after a few metres, approximately 100 metres, between forest masses with a great variety of tree species that are described on the panels that we will find. This path, which climbs moderately, will take us to the upper part of the La Malva gorge, from where we can enjoy beautiful views of the mountains and valleys.
After walking for about 3 kilometres, we reach the Campizos hut, surrounded by pastures and still with some stone huts. A kilometre and a half further on, we reach the village of El Castro, where we can take the opportunity to rest or have something to eat.
Once we have visited the village, we leave it and walk along the AS-227 road, which is about 500 metres away; we continue along it for another 2 kilometres until we reach the La Malva reservoir. We must be very careful, as this is a winding area with hardly any hard shoulder.
At kilometre 6.5, we finally reach the La Malva hydroelectric power station, located next to the forested area of the same name, which once supplied electricity to a large part of Asturias and which last year celebrated its first centenary.
From here we have two options: either turn left and climb up through the forest area, which has a wide variety of species, or continue along the path for another kilometre. In both cases we will arrive back at the recreational area, the end point of our route.
This circular route, located in the heart of the Somiedo Natural Park, starts in the recreational area of La Malva, which we reach by taking the AS-227 road that leads to Pola de Somiedo; once we have passed the La Malva hydroelectric power station, we reach the recreational area of the same name, where we can leave our car parked.
The route starts on a path that comes out on our right after a few metres, approximately 100 metres, between forest masses with a great variety of tree species that are described on the panels that we will find. This path, which climbs moderately, will take us to the upper part of the La Malva gorge, from where we can enjoy beautiful views of the mountains and valleys.
After walking for about 3 kilometres, we reach the Campizos hut, surrounded by pastures and still with some stone huts. A kilometre and a half further on, we reach the village of El Castro, where we can take the opportunity to rest or have something to eat.
Once we have visited the village, we leave it and walk along the AS-227 road, which is about 500 metres away; we continue along it for another 2 kilometres until we reach the La Malva reservoir. We must be very careful, as this is a winding area with hardly any hard shoulder.
At kilometre 6.5, we finally reach the La Malva hydroelectric power station, located next to the forested area of the same name, which once supplied electricity to a large part of Asturias and which last year celebrated its first centenary.
From here we have two options: either turn left and climb up through the forest area, which has a wide variety of species, or continue along the path for another kilometre. In both cases we will arrive back at the recreational area, the end point of our route.