Puntos de Interés
Information
Redes Natural Park
The Camín Real del Sellón (GR-102) is an ancient route that begins on the border with Castilla y León and ends in the interior of Asturias. The landscape along this route consists of meadows and mountains which are pale in winter, turn emerald green in summer, and change vibrantly in autumn.
The journey begins at Puerto de Tarna, next to the source of the Nalón River, and ends in Infiesto where it meets other long-distance trails. It then passes through the valleys of the Nalón and Piloña rivers, some beautiful peaks including the Sellón and the northern slopes of the Facéu, and the picturesque villages of Arnicio, Tozu, Omedal, and Espinaréu.
The Roman legions reportedly blazed this trail, which can be seen in the cobblestone stretches near Tozu and Facéu peak, which were part of an ancient Roman road. It started in Tarna and ended near the coast of Colunga. In fact, there are versions of the Camín del Sellón that extend to an intermediate point between Colunga and Villaviciosa. This old road is another example of civil engineering being reused, a common practice in Asturias, as the roads were an important transit route to other regions.
There are several interesting sights along the road that have fallen into disuse and are now in a state of ruin. One of them is a malatería near Moñu. This was a hospital where leprosy patients were treated. A reference to this hospital dates back to 1289.
There are also the ruins of a trading post at the height of Arnicio that had a certain notoriety, called the Venta de Friero or as it was formerly known as Our Lady of Friero. There are references to this trading post from 1385-1386.
Finally, there is an important building along the way which is the Our Lady of Sellón Chapel, near the village of Moro. When this route was used in the past, there were many pilgrimages. People from neighbouring towns would come to celebrate at this site. Today the ruins remain where hikers pass by.
It should be noted that the beginning of the route to Tozu goes through the Redes Natural Park. It takes you through dense forests of ashes, chestnuts, oaks, and other trees that provide a great deal of shade. It is a very pleasant route worth exploring