Braña de Sousas Route

Route Description

The route to Braña de Sousas is a journey to the origins. Although it starts from the same town as the popular route to Lago del Valle (Valle de Lago), this path seeks the tranquility of a side valley, less traveled but equally spectacular.

The path starts in the La Caleya neighborhood, crossing the river and progressively gaining altitude. As we climb, we leave behind the harvested meadows to enter a more austere mountain landscape, dominated by heather and gentians.

The final surprise is capital: a textbook glacial cirque, closed in a semicircle by peaks like Altu’l Muñón. And at the bottom of this natural bowl, the Braña de Sousas. Here we will not see the classic broom teitos, but corros: circular stone constructions with a false dome, covered with “tapinos” (earth and grass).

These structures, grouped in pairs (one for the shepherd and another for the young cattle), have an ancestral air reminiscent of Celtic forts. It is, without a doubt, the most archaic and suggestive ethnographic complex in the park.

💡 Practical Tips

• Water: There are no reliable sources on the way up, load in the town.
• Wind: The glacial cirque channels the air, it is usually cool even in summer.
• Conservation: The rings are delicate. Observe them without climbing the walls or damaging the plant cover.
• Views: If you have the strength left, go up to the lateral moraine to have a panoramic view of the entire braña.

📸 Key Points

• The circular architecture of the corros, blended with green.
• The perfect “amphitheater” shape of the glacial circus.
• The contrast between this dry valley and the neighboring Lake Valley.
• Tranquility: it is easy to be alone in this corner of Somiedo.