Los Picos De Europa - September 2018

Years ago, as we sheltered from a thunderstorm in the Spanish Pyrenees, a fellow walker told us about the Picos De Europa. She said it was a paradise. So the seed was sown and last week we went – it was well worth the wait!

  

We approached the Picos from the city of Leon, where we had spent a couple of nights in an old monastery  Leon is on the Camino de Santiago pilgrim route. For me, the cathedral and pantheon were the highlights. The Gothic cathedral was built when the city had a population of only 5,000.  The ancient stained glass windows have retained their intense colours and cast an atmospheric glow over the interior.

From Leon, the Picos was a two hour scenic drive away. We stayed in comfort and luxury (very different to our normal mountain retreats) at Hotel Eigon in the village of Posada de Valdeon. The village sits in the centre of the valley hemmed in by mountains and feels very remote. On our first day we did a beautiful hike to the via ferrata – one look at the bridge suspended over a long drop, told us it wasn’t for us so we decided to save that experience for another day (or maybe never!) 

In the evening we ate at Casa Begona – a family run, inexpensive place with rustic food, eclectic decor and a very entertaining waiter.

The next day we walked the famous Cares Gorge, said to be one of the best hikes in the whole of Spain. The 22km walk (there and back) runs between Cain and Poncebos with a total ascent of 400m (100m there, 300m back).  It divides the central and western massifs, opening a pass between the high mountains. Starting from the village of Cain I wondered what all the fuss was about but as the path continued, wending its way through tunnels and limestone arches, we eventually emerged to a view of limestone crags against a cerulean sky and it was paradise. It is the combination of gorge walking and mountain walking that makes it special. 

Although the path is broad there is no protection at the edge from a drop of several hundred metres, but I have a good head for heights and never felt scared. The bad weather held off too, although we were a lot faster on our return journey as storm clouds threatened!

A long way down!

Sadly our third day in the Picos was stormy so we were forced to sample a carajillo or two and relax in the comfort of the Hotel Eigon and plan walks for our next visit!