Cabrales, municipality (concejo) in Asturias, Spain
Cabrales is a council in Asturias, Spain, with steep mountains, green valleys, and rocky cliffs spread across roughly 238 square kilometers. The administrative area includes about 18 small villages, with Carreña serving as the main town and hub for local activities.
Cabrales has been home to people since ancient times, with cave paintings showing early settlement, and later the Romans controlled the region for mining and trade routes. Medieval stone bridges and houses from several centuries ago still stand today, reflecting a tradition of mountain life that has continued through the ages.
The name Cabrales comes from the region's long tradition of sheep herding and cheese making that shaped daily life here. Visitors can watch shepherds working in the fields and see how cheese is still produced in local caves, keeping alive a way of life that has defined the area for generations.
Access to Cabrales is through the main AS-114 road from Cangas de Onís, with regular bus services that run more frequently in summer. Visitors can find local markets on Saturdays in Carreña and Thursdays in Arenas, where lodging options include small inns and rural houses for accommodation after exploring the area.
The village of Bulnes was accessible only on foot or by narrow paths carved into the rock until a funicular railway was built in 1960, one of the first of its kind in such a remote mountain area. This cable car made it possible for more people to visit this high mountain community that had been isolated for centuries.
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