We visited the Picos de Europa in July, 2001 on our way from Portugal to France. We had noticed the area from the north coast on our way west, but it was quite hot at the time and we decided not to travel inland. This time through, we were between storms so the weather was cooler and more inviting inland. 

The Picos de Europa lie at the northern edge of Spain and start only 20 kilometers from the coast. Three limestone massives form the heart of the Picos: Macizo Andara (2444m), Macizo El Cornion (2596m) and Macizo Los Urrieles (2648m). The Picos de Europa is a national park and attracts walkers from all over Europe. 

We approached the Picos from the south, coming from Leon. The main highway, N621 is in good condition and has lots of twisties for the cyclist to enjoy, if you can take your eyes off the scenery. We found the views so spectacular that we rode at an easy cadence, enjoying both the road and the views. Most of the way in the road follows the river, wending its way through the canyons and valleys. As you approach Riaño, the reservoir (right) comes into full view. This is a huge lake with the stunning Picos all around. The boats pictured at anchor were the only motor craft we saw and there was no evidence of a boat ramp or dock. This would be a perfect place for house boating!

The road continues to climb until you reach the summit, Puerto de San Glorio at 1609 meters. At this point you can pull out to the right and get a fantastic view to the north, or take the dirt road to the left that takes you up a bit higher where you can see in almost 360 degrees. The view at left is looking west. There were lots of clouds, but luckily no rain!

A short walk up from where you park is another viewpoint, with a carving of a bear. Below Verna is sitting with the bear, enjoying the views.

From the summit, it is all downhill, twisting and turning down the steep slope. At the time we were there, there were no guard rails in place. At the edge of the road were a few stone markers, then steep mountainside. Not a place to take any chances! Further down we saw evidence of guard rails being installed.

As we dropped elevation, the green fields and trees became more abundant and we passed through several tiny villages. Soon we came to Potes, a fairly good-sized town that caters to the tourists and hikers visiting the area. From here, we took the road up to Fuente De, a small village at the end of the road. As we approached, it was obvious why the road ended - the valley ends in a huge semicircular wall of towering stone (below)! There are a couple of hotels in the village, in the valley below the stone wall. There is also a cable car that takes visitors to the top of the wall, where you can get spectacular views of the Picos (below). This picture is a panorama looking west at the left to northeast at the right. Below is a view looking west (right) to southwest (left), with a bit more detail. The peak at the right side of the picture is the same as the one on the left side of the picture above. On the way down from the top, we got a picture of the valley below. The line in the top middle of the picture (right) is the cable that the car is going down. The building with the gray roof in the valley is the hotel we stayed at. We should have taken the GPS with us so we could get an altitude reading at the top. Regardless, it was a long way up. The last portion of the cable at the top is almost vertical, so the initial drop coming off the mountain is quite breathtaking.

Coming out of the Picos heading toward the coast, the road continues on its downward journey, winding its way through green valleys and rocky gorges, all equally as beautiful as the road coming in from the south. It only took about an hour to get from Fuente De to the coast highway, making the area easily accessible to all.

If you find typographical errors or have any other problems when looking at the site please contact the Webmaster describing the problem and the page involved.