Introduction
The Picos de
Europa provide a magnificent backdrop to the landscape of north west Spain. The
towering mountains, picturesque villages, intriguing histories, bustling
tourist centres and lush countryside offer an excellent opportunity for all
manner of sports, leisure and tourism. With this collection of five walking
routes, which mainly follow marked trails, you will enjoy nature at its best in
this stunning part of Cantabria.
Driving
instructions start from the main town, Potes, and for each walk you are given the
starting point followed by a general description of the route.
You will find other routes in the Picos de Europa in our books, Circular Walks in Cantabria, Discover Cantabria and Explore Cantabria; details are available on the adjacent page.
Walk 1 Potes
to Monasterio Santo Toribio. 5.5 kilometres - easy
Location
The main car park in the centre of Potes, adjacent to the bus station, marks the start of this one way route.
How to
get there and where to park
Potes is located at the junction of the N621 and CA185, some forty kilometres south from the junction with the A8 motorway at Unquera.
The walk
Leave the car park by the main entrance, opposite the Lupa supermarket, cross the road and turn right. Follow the designated path for approximately … kilometres until you reach the sign for Santo Toribio. Here turn left and begin a steady climb uphill, passing a campsite and memorials to pilgrims along the way. Eventually, you arrive at the large car park for the monastery. It is possible to continue beyond the monastery to the chapel, San Miguel, from where you will enjoy spectacular views of the mountains and the surrounding landscape.
Walk 2 Descent
from Fuente Dé. 14 kilometres – generally easy
Location
Fuente Dé is 23 kilometres west of Potes and you start by taking the Cable Car to the upper station from where a well marked track (PR 24) brings you back to the car park opposite the lower Cable Car station.
How to get there and where to park
From Potes, follow signs for Fuente Dé on the CA185 for 23 kilometres. When you reach the end of the road, the cable car is on the left and the car park on the right, alongside the Parador. Crossing the road brings you to the lower Cable Car ticket booth and departure point. There is a clear and helpful map of the route as you leave the upper station.
The walk
Follow the track gently upwards away from the Cable Car.
After approximately one kilometre, the track splits. Take the right-hand track
(PR24) leading to the descent route. After a fairly steep descent, you arrive
at the Hotel Avila. Here, follow the sign for Espinama and continue
the descent, following signs for Fuente Dé. After nearly eight kilometres, you
will pass through a set of gates (Portillas
de Boquejón) and shortly, the
sign for Fuente Dé directs you to the right across a small wooden bridge. This
next section (approx 400 metres) is narrow and twisting and, while not
dangerous, does require good concentration.
You soon join a wider forest track with a further sign to Fuente Dé. The
path now takes you along a woodland track until eventually you are directed to
the right, following a narrow, fenced track. The final section includes some fairly
steep climbs as you approach Fuente Dé, though you soon pass behind the Parador de Fuente Dé and follow a
grassy track back to the car park.
Walk 3 Lamedo – 7.5 kilometres easy
Location
The village Lamedo
is the starting point for this short walk.
How to
get there and where to park
From Potes,
head north on the N621 for two kilometres and when you reach a roundabout at Ojedo, take the CA184 for 5.5 Km and
then turn left on the CA871 to Lamedo. After 8 Km the road ends and there is a
parking bay by the bus-stop. To the right of the bus-stop is a tarmac road
leading into the village. There is also a pylon with a yellow and white
way-maker. The walk starts here.
The Walk
Make your way through the village and, at a fork, bear right following a yellow and white way-marker and soon begin a fairly steep ascent along a ‘Pista Forestal’. Eventually a way-marker directs you left downhill on a grassy track. Follow this track as it makes its way through woods, crossing a number of streams. The path emerges into more open land and you make your way towards the forest track ahead. This track climbs steadily until you reach a cottage. Pass to the left of the cottage and continue along the track, enjoying views of the Cuesta Cabreña. Eventually you are directed right, uphill through the woods, cross a barbed-wire fence and emerge into a clearing. On leaving the woods, head slightly left through large rocks until you reach a substantial track and a sign-post directing you to Lamedo. Here you are at a height of 1380m above sea level. As you cross the cattle grid you will have great views of the valley below and the mountains of the Picos de Europa in the background. Follow the path downhill until another way-marker directs you back into the woods. At an intersection turn left to continue your descent to Lamedo. Follow this track until you reach the village, pass a church and at a junction turn right and then right again by a large green gate to pass under a house and return to the start.
Walk 4 Las Ilces – 7.5 kilometres easy
Location
The walk starts at the village, Espinama, twenty kilometres west of Pots.
How to get there and where to park
From Potes follow signs for Fuente Dé on the CA185 for
approximately 20 kilometres until you reach Espinama. There is plenty of space
to park in the village and on the road just outside. Alongside a restaurant
there is a notice-board describing the walk and a sign directing you to Las Ilces.
The walk
With your back to the bar/restaurant, turn left and follow
the sign towards Las Ilces. The
path goes behind some houses to shortly arrive at a bridge. Cross the bridge
and turn left (there is a longer version of this walk sign-posted to the right
which takes in the nearby village of Pido).
You now follow a hill-side track over an undulating course for about two
kilometres before descending to a sign-post directing you left. This takes you
to the road which needs to be crossed with care. A little
way to the right the road takes you up left to the small village of Las Ilces. Entering the village, keep
left and follow the yellow and white way-marker past the houses. As you leave
the village, following the yellow and white markers, the route again becomes a
mountain track which now leads you steeply through the local woodland for a
little over three kilometres. Eventually you complete a fairly steep descent to
emerge back onto the road in a lay-by from where you turn right and make your
way back to the start through the village of Espinama.
Location
The start of this popular route is Dobárganes, which is signed from the N621, just beyond Vega.
How to
get there and where to park
From Potes, follow the N621 towards Vega. Just beyond, there is a signpost for the village Dobárganes. The road climbs steadily and there is parking on the outskirts of the village.
The walk
Head towards
the village where a sign directs you to Pico Jano on a narrow track. Follow
this until it becomes a stony path that climbs away from the buildings. Stay on
this path until you reach a more substantial track and keep right. At the next
junction, keep left to skirt a small wood and then a grass track leads to a
small reservoir.
Follow the
numbered posts until, when you reach Numbers 17 and 18 you are obliged to pick
your way upwards through the rocks to arrive at a clearing with excellent
views. From here, follow a path to a junction and turn left to ascend to the
peak.
From the
peak, follow the wide track in an easterly direction and bend round to the
right to descend to the valley below. At a junction, keep right and then follow
a narrow track that leads out of the woods. From here, the signs and posts will
lead you back to the village.
No comments:
Post a Comment