Picos de Europa

[Barti Ddu]

Looking for advice. We hope to be touring the Picos in a couple of days time. (Currently just west of Santander).

We'd like to go up the cable car and day-hike from the Fuente De; and also hike through some (or all) of the Cares Gorge.

What are the roads, parking, and overnighting opportunities like?

Alternatively, any better places to stop and day-hike in the area.

Many thanks.

 

[Two on Tour]

Over to the East from where you are, there are a couple of places we enjoyed watching vultures soaring of your into that sort of thing.

We were driving along through the Canyon del Lenza with a sheer drop on our left when we looked out of the passenger window to see a vulture gliding at the same level as us just 10 feet away.
We pulled over at this spot and spent a magical afternoon watching them soaring around the canyon and the rocks above us.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@42.2975429,-2.4214999,231m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=0


The other great place with magnificent views is at the top of the escarpment at De Pancorbo a Orduna where you can watch the vultures and other birds of prey flying with the paragliders in the evening sun. We overnighted in the carpark at the top of the escarpment. Loved driving the 180% hairpins up to the top of the escarpment.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...8m2!3d42.964463!4d-3.0230386?hl=en&authuser=0

 

[theapples]

We did our first trip to Spain in October 2014. We visited Fuente De and went up in the cable car and then spent the night in the cable car car park with no no problems. We had previously stayed at Camping La Viorna near Potes. We had no trouble driving to Fuente De in our 6.74 mt Motorhome

 

[MattR]

Looking for advice. We hope to be touring the Picos in a couple of days time. (Currently just west of Santander).

We'd like to go up the cable car and day-hike from the Fuente De; and also hike through some (or all) of the Cares Gorge.

What are the roads, parking, and overnighting opportunities like?

Alternatively, any better places to stop and day-hike in the area.

Many thanks.

Roads and parking were fine when we were there around 5 yrs ago. I don't know about campsites at this time of year.

See if you can get access to the web cam at Fuente De... It isn't worth going up there if it isn't clear IMHO but be aware, conditions change. We took the risk and were advised that the sun could clear the mist / fog but were disappointed when we got there and the fog didn't lift. We saw very little due to the fog

Fuente Dé - Cantur

cantur.com

 

[f6c]

As you exit Panes just on the left there is a big car park/aires on the left. The road into Potes is getting better by the year. The campsite just outside Potes closes 1 November, but phone first. Potes is a lovely old Town

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[bigtree]

There is a good Aire at Posada de Valdeon which is a couple of miles up the road from Cain where you start the walk of the Cares gorge, there is a taxi that will take you there and back.

 

[bigtree]

Fuente De has a large car park plus a campsite, I rode up on my motorbike but it looked like vans were staying in the car park.

 

[Barti Ddu]

Thanks all for the really helpful replies, and superb photos.

bigtree - can you remember the cost of the taxi to the start of the Cares Gorge from the aire??

 

[Lenny HB]

A couple of links to parts of a couple of my threads where we did some of the Picos.

Lenny's Heading for Portugal - Maybe

Brilliant thread Lenny, please keep it coming, you’re giving me more confidence to try aires, we’ve stuck to C&MC so far but we are fledglings. Thanks for sharing your experience.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Lenny's on the road to Portugal

Oy you lot of you want to discuss prison camps, speed limits & Macron bog off and do it on your own thread not my travel thread.

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[bigtree]

Thanks all for the really helpful replies, and superb photos.

bigtree - can you remember the cost of the taxi to the start of the Cares Gorge from the aire??

We didn’t use it, went down on the bike.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[davidbaldam]

There is a good Aire at Posada de Valdeon which is a couple of miles up the road from Cain where you start the walk of the Cares gorge, there is a taxi that will take you there and back.

We walk there and back, it’s quite a hike but doable if your fit. Taxi a few years ago was about 30 Euro, not sure if that’s one way or return.

 

[bigtree]

We walk there and back, it’s quite a hike but doable if your fit. Taxi a few years ago was about 30 Euro, not sure if that’s one way or return.

Trev’s taxi.

 

[grasscutter]

We visited Funta De a couple of years ago in Early October. Get there early as the parking for motorhomes was in the top of the car park and filled up quickly. Maybe different now.
We wild camped near Potes and drove up early.
We took the cable car up and walked down ( about 12km).
Stunning walk.

 

[DBK]

Check the weather forecast. Saturday looks as if it might be clear.

 

[Barti Ddu]

Thanks again for the further replies.

I've just found the following app on the Google play store (free with ads) with scalable maps right upto a scale equivalent to UK OS maps.

Covers whole of Spain. Useful for planning walks.

Spain Topo Maps - Apps on Google Play

Topographic Maps of Spain. Complete coverage at scale 1:25.000. GPS Navigation.

play.google.com

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Barti Ddu]

Having a great few of days in the Picos. Stayed overnight in the carpark directly by the cable car in Fuente De before taking it up the following morning. Joined by another 4 or 5 vans.

Also overnighted in the parking area a mile above Poncebos as suggested by Lenny HB before hiking the Cares Gorge to Cain and back - a spectacular 16 mile round trip.

Thanks again for all the advice and suggestions.