Picos De Europa: Spain: September 2024

September 2024 saw us in the Picos De Europa, Spain. We had a wonderful small cottage in the village of Lon not far from Potes. The cottage was situated at the top of the village with spectacular views of the mountains and down into the meadows in the valley.  The whole area was stunning. Very much like Austria but without the expense!

The village of Lons was a collection of old and new houses gathered around the village church and bar by a river. Our house for the week would have been very difficult to find if it hadn't been for the very nice owner who met us at the local campsite and lead us through the winding lanes to our house above the village.

The nearby town of Potes provided us with all that we required with supermarkets, excellent restaurants and a great place to start a number of our walks. The walk along the river was charming. Luckily we had arrived outside the main tourist season so all around was quiet and, other than at the cable car, we saw very few other walkers.

The river through Potes

 We did a number of walks and enjoyed a great deal of spectacular landscape. The weather was good with just one day of constant rain, and was great for walking. There was a lot of steep climbs and sharp descents but the great joy was walking through woodlands and meadows. We saw very few people while we walked and really got to enjoy true peace and quiet

Mountain and Meadows: Pico de Europa

Europe's longest unsupported cable car

From the top of the cable car to the hotel and restaurant 

The end of a day's walking was celebrated by us enjoying a bottle of the regions famous cider. This is served from a height into your glass in only a small amount at a time and is very strong indeed but extremely tasty!

The local apple cider, flat,cloudy and very strong

The bird life was good with lots of Griffon Vultures, Booted Eagles and the greatest pleasure was sitting on the terrace with a beer watching two Golden Eagles circle over head. The next morning to top it was a Wryneck in the garden opposite. A new addition to my list was a resident Middle Spotted Woodpecker in the woods in front of the cottage we were staying in.

We had planned to have a short city break in Oviedo before flying back. However due to changes in flights made by Ryanair we had an additional two days to kill. Never wanting to turn down an opportunity we booked into the Parador Hotel at Cangas de Onís.

The Courtyard at the Parador Cangas de Onis

This hotel was once a monastery and many of its features and feel have been kept. This enforced stay gave us the opportunity to explore another part of the Picos and we enjoyed a number of walks into the hills and along the river.

Roman Bridge and cross to commemorate victory over The Moors 

Oviedo proved to be an interesting place to visit and we happened to be there while a celebration of those who travelled to the americas and returned took place. A long parade took place on the Saturday with many floats and pipe bands. The atmosphere was very friendly and it was great to visit the many stalls and try different local delicacies.