Guidebook to 38 walks and 4 short treks of 3-4 days in the stunning Picos de Europa mountains of northern Spain. The walking routes are between 8 and 24 km in length and are graded by difficulty, ranging from easy valley walks to difficult ascents of the high peaks. The walks cover the areas of Cangas de Onís, Cabrales, Liébana, Valdeón and Sajambre.
Alongside detailed route descriptions and 1:50k mapping, there is plenty of information on potential bases, manned refuges, local transport and facilities along the routes. There are also background notes on the area's rich geology, plants and wildlife.
Spain's first national park, the Picos de Europa feature striking karst landscapes of jagged peaks and deeply incised gorges. However, there are also beech woods and picturesque alpine lakes, and the diverse landscapes support a wide variety of plants, wildlife and birdlife. The walks showcase many of the region's highlights, including its high peaks, the Covadonga lakes and the breathtaking Cares Gorge. The landscape of the Picos is widely considered the jewel in Spain’s mountainous crown.
CONTENTS
Map key
Overview map
Preface
Route summary table
Introduction
Location and geography
Geology
Climate and weather
Plants and flowers
Wildlife
The National Park
Getting there
Getting around
Language and money
Where to stay
When to visit
What to take
Maps
GPS in the Picos
Roads, tracks and paths
Safety
Emergencies
Using this guide
Cangas de Onís
Walk 1 La Cruz de Priena
Walk 2 La Majada de Belbín
Walk 3 La Buferrera and Los Lagos
Walk 4 Covadonga from Los Lagos
Walk 5 Ario and El Jultayu
Walk 6 El Mirador de Ordiales
Walk 7 Tour of the Torre de Santa María
Walk 8 Torre les Travieses
Walk 9 La Jocica and La Senda del Arcediano
Cabrales
Walk 10 Pueblos de Cabrales
Walk 11 Cabeza de Juanrobre
Walk 12 El Cuetón
Walk 13 Monte Camba
Walk 14 Vao los Llobos
Walk 15 Pico de San Carlos
Walk 16 Pica el Jierru
Walk 17 Colláu Cambureru
Walk 18 Cabrones and Urriellu
Liébana
Walk 19 Pueblos de Liébana
Walk 20 Pico Jano
Walk 21 Vega de Liordes
Walk 22 Alto la Padierna
Walk 23 El Cable and La Jenduda
Walk 24 Peña Vieja
Walk 25 Los Puertos de Áliva
Walk 26 Peña Oviedo
Valdeón
Walk 27 Pico Cebolleda
Walk 28 La Torre Salinas
Walk 29 Collado Jermoso
Walk 30 El Valle del Arenal
Walk 31 Pueblos de Valdeón
Walk 32 La Travesona
Walk 33 The Cares Gorge
Sajambre
Walk 34 Pica Beza
Walk 35 Vega Huerta
Walk 36 Pico Jario
Walk 37 Pueblos de Sajambre
Walk 38 Sajambre es Bosque
Trekking
Trek 1 Tour of the Western Massif
Trek 2 Tour of the Central Massif
Trek 3 Tour of the Eastern Massif
Trek 4 Ruta de la Reconquista – GR 202
Appendix A Useful contacts and website addresses
Appendix B Glossary
Appendix C Huts of the Picos de Europa
Maps
When I wrote the 1989 Cicerone guide to Walks and Climbs in the Picos de Europa, mapping was a real problem. Thankfully this is no longer true and excellent paper and digital maps now cover the range. At the time of writing, and based on my own experience as a regular user, the best maps are:
Paper maps
Editorial Alpina, Picos de Europa Parque Nacional, 1:25,000
www.editorialalpina.com/en
An almost obligatory purchase, this excellent map is already in its second edition. The level of detail and accuracy is outstanding, and the two maps, one for the Eastern and Central massifs and a second for the Western, come in a simple wallet with data for contacting mountain refuges and selected hostels in the valleys. To a very large extent, the place names and the heights used in this guidebook coincide with those given on the Alpina maps.
Adrados Ediciones, Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa, Mapa topográfica excursionista con la reseña de los itinerrarios de Pequeño y Gran Recorrido (PR y GR) 1:50,000
An excellent publication covering the whole of the national park and a number of areas beyond in a single map that shows all the national park waymarked footpaths, both long-distance (GR) and short distance (PR). It also shows a number of local government waymarked footpaths that fall within the scope of this guidebook. The map is the perfect complement to the Alpina 1:25,000 maps, although the 1:50,000 scale has limitations for walking in the high Picos. Purchase in shops once in the Picos or try online from specialists such as Cordee or Stanfords.
Digital maps
Bob Boulan, Picos de Europa
http://boulan.blogspot.com (and go to Adquirir el mapa)
The best digital map of the Picos and, at 6€ per download, almost a freebie. A vector topographic map that was started in 2004 for personal use and has undergone multiple improvements since then. The map can be downloaded to a desktop computer via Garmin Base Camp, or used on a handheld Garmin GPS device. In the preparation of the GPX files that accompany this guide, I regularly used the Boulan map in order to verify distances and heights in edited GPX files.