Picos de Europa, Northern Spain
High peaks, sheer deep gorges, forests,
moorland and spectacular montane wildlife
Treks
Fuenta De
We travelled up into the mountains on the cable car
(1450m in less than 4 mins). About two thirds up, you can
see the "Lagos", a lake that is unusual because of its
location and there is another lake higher up. We stopped
at the top station, ‘Mirador de la Reina’ for stunning views
of the mountains and valleys. There was much snow at
the top so trekking was limited. We watched a large herd
of the chamois antelopes for some time before eating
our picnic lunch whilst admiring the views.
Alevia
We trekked from the charming village of Alevia around
the Pico Cabrios, and across the ridge with stunning
views of the long coastline. We passed by several old
settlements and a very interesting old mine.
Cares Gorge
From Puente Poncebos, we walked 9 miles on the top
path through the gorge - the full route is 7.5 miles / 3
hours each way. It’s an awesome walk on a dramatic old
hydro-electric maintenance track carved into the cliff-
faces, high above the river. The deep gorge, a mile deep
in places splits the stunning, jagged limestone mountain
range (2km in places). Unmissable if you are in the area!
(Return buses run in the summer period if you just want
to walk one way.)
The path was built as a service access for a hydroelectric
project which takes water from a small dam in Cain and
then follows a canal for some 12km, before plunging
approximately 300m into the turbines of the
hydroelectricity plant at Puente Poncebos. Constructed
during the 1930s without the use of any mechanical aid,
it's an incredible feat of engineering for its time. Until
recently, the route was walked almost daily by engineers,
to inspect the canal for any damage or leaks, although
these days this task is performed electronically.
Sotres
After enjoying a coffee in one of the small quaint cafes in
the small village of Sotres, we trekked 5 miles to the
charming hamlet of Tielve. We briefly passed through
open pastures and beech woods before starting our
ascent to reach the little road at the foothills of La
Caballar (1230m).
We then entered completely different countryside with
open pastureland, cattle, beech woods and little
mountain streams. Then we walked on a meandering
trail generally downwards, passing by many invernales
(animal winter shelters). We reached the large cattle-
farming settlement at Majada de Valfrio and a steep
footpath took us to Tielve, where we enjoyed a refreshing
drink with the locals in the pub before returning to
Sotres.
We drove from Sotres over the ridge, where we were met
with a wall of snow on the side of the road, and down the
valley to the little village of Tresviso, situated the end of
the road.
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