Spain Guide
Cantabria and Asturias
The Picos de Europa
The PICOS DE EUROPA may not be the highest mountains in Spain, but they're the favourite of many walkers, trekkers and climbers. Declared a national park in its entirety in 1995, the range is a miniature masterpiece: a mere 40km across in either direction, shoehorned in between three great river gorges, and straddling the provinces of Asturias, León and Cantabria.
Walks in the Picos are amazingly diverse, with trails to suit all levels, from a casual morning's stroll to two- or three-day treks. The most spectacular and popular routes are along the twelve-kilometre Cares Gorge – which you can take in whole or part – and around the high peaks reached from the cable car at Fuente Dé and the subterranean funicular railway at Poncebos. Take care if you go off the marked trails: the Picos can pose extreme challenges, with unstable weather and treacherous, unforgiving terrain.
Wildlife is also a major attraction. In the Cares Gorge, you may well see griffon vultures, black redstarts and ravens, though birdwatchers keep a special eye out for the red-winged, butterfly-like flight of the diminutive wallcreeper. Goats abound, with some unbelievably inaccessible high mountain pastures. Wolves are easy to imagine in the grey boulders of the passes, but bears are very seldom spotted.
You can approach – and leave – the Picos along half a dozen roads: from León, to the south; from Santander and the coast, to the north and northeast; and from Oviedo and Cangas de Onis, to the northwest. Public transport serves much of the park, but services are generally infrequent, even in summer.
The most striking thing about the northern flanks of the Picos de Europa is just how near the mountains are to the sea. There's spectacular scenery to be enjoyed barely a dozen kilometres inland from resorts such as Ribadasella and Llanes. The AS 114 highway runs parallel to the coast, providing easy access to the mountain fastnesses to the south.