At 1,442 m above sea level, La Cueta is the highest village in the province of León. The settlement is divided into three separate districts: Quejo, Cacabillo and La Cueta. These names help you find your way, as sights and the hiking trail are associated with specific districts. If you choose La Cueta as your destination, the place names for the church, hermitage and hiking trail will help you understand their locations.
Hiking between the Sil and Peña Orniz
The district of La Cueta is reached via a stone bridge over the Sil River. The Sil also provides the geographical reference for the Las Fuentes del Sil hiking trail: the route starts and ends in the upper district of La Cueta de Babia and climbs through the Sil Valley to the river’s sources on the slopes of Peña Orniz. For planning purposes, you can think of the route as an ascent from the upper district along the Sil Valley to the sources.
The Cordel de Babia de Arriba adds a historical perspective on the landscape to the hiking theme. It was an important livestock drovers’ route, along which migrating herds travelled from the Cañada Real de la Vizana to the mountain pastures of La Cueta and Babia Alta. The Cordel differs in theme from Las Fuentes del Sil: its historical role in livestock droving is the main focus.
Folds in the landscape
A series of folds in the landscape can be seen from the right bank of the river near La Cueta, from the districts of Quejo and Cacabillo, and from a pass near Laguna Grande in Lago de Babia. The viewpoints mentioned are spread across the riverbank, two districts and the pass. This makes it possible to locate the geological feature at several specific places.
Church, houses and traces of history
The parish church of San Mateo stands on a hill in the upper part of La Cueta. Several traditional houses in La Cueta still have a fornu. Together, the church and houses offer different points of interest if you are interested in the village’s built heritage.
In addition to the stone bridge of the same name, some remains of the medieval monastery of Santibáñez have survived; little more than the ground plan of the church is still visible. This limited state of preservation makes Santibáñez a different historical point of reference from the parish church and traditional houses: the focus here is on the remaining traces of the monastery and the discernible church plan.
The hermitage of Cacabillo is one of La Cueta’s sights. The hermitage of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves lies on a hill north of the district of Cacabillo.
Discover more destinations: Prado de la Guzpeña, Borrenes, Robles De Laciana, Posada De Valdeón, Rabanal de Fenar, Valdemora, La Candana De Curueño, San Adrián.
For the wider travel overview: León.
