Countdown to Picos

[Bierzo Baggie]

1. The terrain.
The Picos de Europa is a limestone mountain range whose close proximity to the coast (some 20kms away) signifies huge height gains and peculiar climatic conditions. The highest peaks exceed 2600 metres whilst emblematic villages such as Puente Poncebos lie at a mere 200m above sea level. When moist air from the Atlantic meets the giant limestone walls, authentic oceans of cloud and mist accumulate along the northern face of the range. The southern flanks are influenced by a more continental climate of extreme temperatures and lower rainfall.

Geographically the region is well defined.
The western section is called Cornion.
The central part is Urrieles.
The eastern most massif is Andara.
These mountainous blocks are divided by rivers which wind their tortuous way through mighty canyons the most famous being the Cares.

The travesia integral of the Picos de Europa crosses these three massifs in one day. It starts next to the lakes of Enol, crosses the Cares gorge and finally ends up in the village of Sotres (see map). It doesn’t actually scale any peaks but the height gains are brutal and accumulate more than 5000m of climbing and the same in descent. The total distance to cover varies between 50 and 60 kms.. it depends who you ask. Aside from the physical challenge it is the perfect opportunity to explore, albeit briefly, a mountainous region steeped in history and tradition.
I’ll try and take as long as possible.