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Top photo is the lived in year long village of Canuedo. Historically, the villagers of Caunedo would move their entire lives up to Mumián for the summer months (the area where I'm hiking now).
Caunedo (also written as **Caunéu**) is a small, high-mountain village in the heart of the [Somiedo Natural Park]. At an altitude of about 1,000 meters (3280 feet) , it serves as a gateway to some of the most emblematic landscapes in the Cantabrian Mountains.
tone and Tile: Most of the houses in the village itself are made of local limestone with red-tiled roofs.
Hórreos and Paneras: You will see several traditional raised granaries used for storing corn and charcuterie away from moisture and rodents.
The Lavadero: Near the center of the village, there is a well-preserved communal laundry fountain, once the social heart of the town.
Bottom photo has interesting traits; particularly number four.
1. The "Green Carpets"
Notice how the green is much more intense and "manicured" than the surrounding wild forest. This is because these fields are actively managed. They are usually walled off with dry-stone boundaries (muros de piedra seca) to keep livestock out during the growing season so the grass can be harvested for winter hay.
2. Genetic Diversity
These aren't just "grass"; they are incredibly biodiverse. Because they are rarely treated with chemicals, a single square meter can contain dozens of species of wildflowers and herbs, which is why the honey and milk from this region have such a distinct flavor.
3. Seasonal "Alzada"
What you are looking at is part of the transhumance system.
The Valley Meadows: These lower fields (closer to Caunedo) provide the hay that keeps the cows alive during the snowy winter.
The High Pastures: While you see these meadows here, the animals are likely currently higher up at the Braña de Mumián or La Peral, enjoying the wild summer grass before they are brought back down to these "prados" in late autumn.
4. Human-Made Landscape
Without the local farmers, these patches would disappear within a few years. In the humid Asturian climate, the Beech and Hazel forests you walked through earlier are always trying to "reclaim" the land. The fact that these pastures are so clear is a testament to the hard work of the local community maintaining the slopes.
Caunedo (also written as **Caunéu**) is a small, high-mountain village in the heart of the [Somiedo Natural Park]. At an altitude of about 1,000 meters (3280 feet) , it serves as a gateway to some of the most emblematic landscapes in the Cantabrian Mountains.
tone and Tile: Most of the houses in the village itself are made of local limestone with red-tiled roofs.
Hórreos and Paneras: You will see several traditional raised granaries used for storing corn and charcuterie away from moisture and rodents.
The Lavadero: Near the center of the village, there is a well-preserved communal laundry fountain, once the social heart of the town.
Bottom photo has interesting traits; particularly number four.
1. The "Green Carpets"
Notice how the green is much more intense and "manicured" than the surrounding wild forest. This is because these fields are actively managed. They are usually walled off with dry-stone boundaries (muros de piedra seca) to keep livestock out during the growing season so the grass can be harvested for winter hay.
2. Genetic Diversity
These aren't just "grass"; they are incredibly biodiverse. Because they are rarely treated with chemicals, a single square meter can contain dozens of species of wildflowers and herbs, which is why the honey and milk from this region have such a distinct flavor.
3. Seasonal "Alzada"
What you are looking at is part of the transhumance system.
The Valley Meadows: These lower fields (closer to Caunedo) provide the hay that keeps the cows alive during the snowy winter.
The High Pastures: While you see these meadows here, the animals are likely currently higher up at the Braña de Mumián or La Peral, enjoying the wild summer grass before they are brought back down to these "prados" in late autumn.
4. Human-Made Landscape
Without the local farmers, these patches would disappear within a few years. In the humid Asturian climate, the Beech and Hazel forests you walked through earlier are always trying to "reclaim" the land. The fact that these pastures are so clear is a testament to the hard work of the local community maintaining the slopes.