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The house

Two hundred years old, and warm by the time you have unpacked

A restored stone barn at the edge of a farming hamlet, rented as a whole house for up to four people.

The house

Casa Llenín began as a sheep barn. Two hundred years on, extended by generations of the same family, it is a house of thick stone at the base, painted walls above and a wooden balcony facing the valley, in the way of this corner of Asturias.

Llenín itself has twenty inhabitants, one cattle farmer and a couple of shepherds. You will hear bells in the fields through the day. Mornings are birdsong. The busiest traffic is a tractor and three cows.

Inside, the walls are whitewashed stone and the roof is open timber. A masonry stove sits at the centre of the living room. Light it early, feed it little, and it holds the house warm long after the fire has gone out. The kitchen has six gas burners and enough pans for whatever you carried home from the Sunday market.

There is a terrace for every hour. Breakfast on the balcony, facing east. Lunch by the front door when the sun comes round. A glass of something on the west terrace as the light goes down over the valley.

From the garden you look across forest and meadow to the Picos de Europa. The most prominent summit is Peña Santa, 2,486 metres, and at its foot lie the lakes of Covadonga. Several marked trails pass within minutes of the door, so a good walk needs no car at all.

In late summer the orchard is yours to pick: mulberries, walnuts, chestnuts, and more blackberries than one household can deal with. The cider apples are best left for cider.

What is included

  • Sleeps up to four

    Two double bedrooms and a sofa bed

  • Masonry wood stove

    Firewood included, stacked behind the house

  • Cook’s kitchen

    Six-burner gas hob, two ovens, dishwasher

  • Three terraces

    East, south and west: one for every hour

  • Garden and orchard

    Apple, walnut, mulberry, chestnut, medlar

  • Charcoal barbecue

    Charcoal provided

  • Wi-Fi

    Throughout the house

  • Smart TV

    Streaming services, no broadcast channels

  • Washer and dryer

    Plus a chest freezer in the shed

  • All linen provided

    Bed, bath and kitchen linen, soap

  • Rain shower

    Hairdryer in the bathroom

  • Maps and guidebooks

    Walking maps of the valley on the shelf

  • Parking

    Beside the house or on the lane below

Room by room

Living room
Whitewashed stone, a deep sofa, a dining table for five and the tegelkachel: a masonry stove that stores the heat of a small fire and releases it for hours. Narrow double doors open to the wooden balcony.
Kitchen
A six-burner gas hob, two electric ovens, dishwasher, fridge, kettle, toaster, blender and juicer. Oil, salt and the basics are in the cupboard.
Mezzanine bedroom
A double bed just below the great wooden roof, open to the living room, with roof windows above. On a clear night you lie there and watch the stars. Guests mention it more than anything else.
Ground-floor bedroom
A quiet double room with a view straight out to the peaks of the Picos de Europa.
Bathroom
Shower with a rain head and a hand shower, basin and toilet. Soap, shower gel and a hairdryer are provided.
Outside
Terraces to the east, south and west, the orchard beyond the fence, a shed with the washing machine, dryer, chest freezer, barbecue and garden furniture, and the woodshed behind the house.

Good to know before you book

This is a working village in the hills, and we would rather you knew that now.

  • You need a car

    Buses reach Cangas de Onís, but not Llenín, and not the places you have come to see.

  • The last stretch is narrow

    A village lane and a short steep ramp. We send photo directions for the final two kilometres.

  • It is properly dark

    There is no street lighting in Llenín. Wonderful for stars; bring a torch for late arrivals.

  • Mind your head upstairs

    The roof slopes low over parts of the mezzanine.

Getting here

Asturias airport (OVD)
1 h 20 · 108 km
Santander airport (SDR)
about 1 h 45 · 155 km
Bilbao airport (BIO)
about 2 h 45 · 255 km
Ferry from the UK
Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander or Bilbao

Prices and availability

The price depends on the season and the length of your stay. Send your dates and Petra replies with the exact figure. Booking direct means no platform fees on top.

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House rules

A short list. The house has stood here for two hundred years and we would like it to manage another two hundred.

  • No smoking indoors. The terraces are yours, and there is an ashtray by the front door.
  • Quiet after 22:00. Sound carries a long way in the valley, and the neighbours farm early.
  • Close the gates behind you. Livestock walk the lane.
  • The house drains to a septic tank, so no bleach or chlorine. The right cleaning products are under the sink.
  • Charcoal barbecue only, on the terrace, and never in dry or windy conditions.

Ready to come?

Tell us your dates and how many you are. Petra answers every enquiry herself, and booking direct means no platform fees.

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