Pigüeña Valley Trail (Somiedo) | Hiking Asturias | PR-AS 14.1 |

This trail in Asturias is a shorter alternative to the hike we did last week (La Peral to Villar de Vildas or PR-AS-014). It starts in Villar de Vildas (Somiedo), which is the village where we ended PR-AS-014. This hike gives you the chance to visit two brañas: Braña de la Pornacal and Braña los Cuartos. As I mentioned before, a braña is a set of huts, locally known as teitos and used by the sheppards when bringing the cattle to grace up in the mountains. The first braña, Pornacal, with 34 teitos, is the biggest one in Somiedo. Los Cuartos is much smaller but older. An additional highlight of this trail in Asturias is the Corralón waterfall. It can be seen in the distance from the trail, but we had extra time and went to have a more close look at it.

Concerning the hike in itself, it is 4.3 miles long (one way) and reasonably easy to walk. The route is pretty much uphill up to the end, located in Braña los Cuartos (4616 feet). The elevation gain is 2156 feet and is not too demanding. Pornacal is a pretty place to have a rest and, if time is right, enjoy the food you brought with you in the backpack. Shortly after leaving Pornacal, there is a fountain, although with very little flow when I passed it. After passing this fountain, 4 miles into the hike, you will see a waterfall in the distance. Its name is Corralón waterfall and you will have to leave the trail if you wish to take a closer look.

As a side note, I found another dog who likes hiking. It joined me shortly after leaving Villar de Vildas behind and did not leave me until the end of the trail, in the way back. If you remember, I had a similar situation happening to me when hiking the Cornón Peak trail (PR-AS-010). Its company made the hike even more enjoyable!

I would recommend this trail if you wish to visit one of the better known braña de Somiedo but you want to avoid hiking a very long distance. In fact, you could possibly walk the first 2.2 miles of the trail, arrive to Braña de Pornacal and spend the day there before going back. You could follow it further and visit the waterfall (4 miles) or even go all the way and end in Braña los Cuartos (4.3 miles). The trail is that flexible.

Hope this useful to you and the video encourages you to start hiking. Of course it would be even better if you feel encouraged to come to Asturias and do some of the trails I introduced in these series of videos!

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