MOUNTAIN WALKS IN REDES NATURAL PARK

The meeting place for the group will be in Oviedo, the capital of the Principality of Asturias. A friendly and comfortable sized city, where one can visit the extraordinary architectural gems of the Asturian Pre-Romanesque era, which are World Heritage sites.

There are numerous museums and the historical quarter, known as ‘el Antiguo’ (The Old) whose lanes and alleys, monuments & churches make for wonderful walking. The Gothic Cathedral is quite spectacular, and an obligatory visit while walking the Camino de Santiago.

From here we travel to Redes Natural Park, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Redes is a unique natural environment, with contrasts which we can observe on any of the hikes we take. We walk through beautiful pastures, forests, mountains and valleys. A world of water, with brooks, streams, rivers and waterfalls, gorges and lakes.

Redes is a reserve where it is still possible to spend a day without seeing anyone else, where the silence and peacefulness is overwhelming. Possibly one of the few places in Asturias where the clichéd concept of sustainable tourism rings true.

Due to its diverse vegetation the park has more fauna than most other regions within Asturias. These range from the Brown bear, Chamois deer, Roe deer, otters and pheasants, among others.

The villages in and around Redes conserve the traditional Asturian rural architecture, with their ‘horreos’ (raised granaries and storage barns) and washing houses. Life is lived to the rhythm of the different seasons, and their permutations.

From here we spend our days visiting and walking Redes’ more spectacular hikes of varying grades.