What to do Paredes Valley
It is located at the southwestern tip of the council of Valdés, bordering with the municipality of Tineo. It has an average altitude of 200 m.
The Paredes valley is the result of the erosion made by the river Esva through the centuries, its terraces can be seen as the Las hoces del Esva which are declared as natural monument. Its terrain protects it from the cold north winds and opens up it to the South, which has a favourable microclimate for crops of vegetables and fruit. It is famous for its orange groves.
In different parts of the valley have come hand axes that may be categorized in the Acheulean culture, 100,000 years BC, and has also found a Asturiense spike. Maybe some of the caves that we have, has been settled, especially Valduvieco cave on a meander of the river, an ideal place to practice hunting and fishing, their staple diet along with herbs, seeds and roots.
In this valley, there were at least three forts, which have not yet been excavated or studied.
It still stands a menhir in Ovienes, as a memorial to those buried in the mound near the chapel of Santiago. In the chapel was discovered in the last restoration of a funerary stele, presumably a tombstone of a war chief, as it represents a male torso and head with a dagger in his hand on his chest. In the village of La Vega is preserved one dolmen, Restiello.
The Romans exploited the gold mines of Navelgas a few kilometres at southeast from the valley. They carrying the gold through our valley to Trevías and then embarking on the port of Luarca. There are some remnants of paved roads, possibly Roman roads.
In the nearby village of Merás was found a Roman tombstone belonging to a Roman patrician. According to Schulz, in our valley, between Bustiello and Ovienes, was a gold mine operated by the system of "trench".
There are other channels ruins. According to Schulz smelters should be attested by the slag.
There are religious relics from the Middle Ages: The Parish Church of San Pedro, Romanesque and later transformed. And the shrines, particularly that of Santiago on the mound Ovienes, Castreños’ sacred place because of it was their cemetery.
For the oral tradition we know that in the valley became a branch of the Camino de Santiago from the coast that would join to the Tineo and Pola de Alllande branch through Naraval - Navelgas - Bárcena. Some of our roads have the name "Carril del Franés" and "Camino del Frances."
