Trekking in Cantabria to the Pico de Europa is a wonderful experience. Phones do not take and you can sleep in a shelter without wifi and connection, away from the world. Here is our trekking experience in Cantabria.
La Cantabria is a small patch of land located in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Those who know travel know that Cantabria is famous mainly for one thing: the sea. Santander is the capital of the surfers of all of Europe with its megagalactic waves and its white beach. Few people know, however, that it is a region that also offers so much for mountain lovers. A few kilometers from the Atlantic coast there is a small little village perched on the mountains: it is Picos De Europa.
Picos de Europa
Picos de Europa is a small village perched along the Cantabrian mountain range: the name was given to him because the peaks of this mountain range were the first things visible to those who were arriving to Europe by ship. How to blame him if you consider that its fourteen mountains exceed 2600 meters in height? During the blogtour in Cantabria I had the opportunity to admire the enchanted landscapes of the Spanish National Park of Picos de Europa: soft colors and silent landscapes repeated themselves before my eyes like the paintings of a nostalgic nineteenth century. This national park covers 65000 hectares and includes a fraction of the territory bounded by the Autonomous Community of Cantabria, Asturias, Castile and Leon and the Province of Leon.
Story at the Picos de Europa Natural Park
I had read in the program that we were going to Picos de Europa and that it was in the mountains but I didn't think it was this kind of mountain; let me explain: there are no mountains and mountains, because mountains are simply mountains but I did not think that close to June I would find myself sleeping with two woolen blankets and with the heating on. And then I didn't expect that to go up the mountain we had to take the funivia that for someone who travels afraid of flying is not the best. Although I wasn't prepared to have such an experience, I really enjoyed spending time there in Picos de Europa.
I liked it because I took the cable car: it may seem paradoxical but the adrenaline flowing down my back, poised between the fear and happiness that every trip gives me, (poised between life and death is it too exaggerated? ) gave me the charge to appreciate that landscape above and below me, suspended between the mountains and the sky as if you were on a slow motion plane.
I liked Picos because we were completely out of this world and we were for more than 16 hours: eating without looking at the phone, going to sleep without fiddling with the tablet or stopping to take a picture of the landscape without immediately sharing it with millions of people was a way to appreciate the sense of downtime and silence: I took a hot bath before going to sleep and I listened to the sounds of the mountain before going to bed.
I also enjoyed staying in this sort of cabin in the middle of nowhere if not the mountains: we stayed at the Refugio Hotel di Aliva which is a three-star, simple and spartan structure, ideal for those who come to visit this place. I liked it for its simplicity of the hearty breakfast and dinner, as if I had been catapulted into a family album.
Finally, I liked visiting Picos because in the morning, after a long sleep and a hearty breakfast, we took a long walk: we walked the Camino de Fuente De a Espinama, a simple path without gradients that can also be traveled by children. We were not alone: in fact, in addition to other visitors and trekking experts, we met many flocks of sheep, but also cows and bulls.
Useful Information
If my story intrigued you, below you will find some useful information:
- The ticket to access the cable car costs 15,50 €.
- Before going up to Picos de Europa, remember that you will be out of this world for quite a while: warn friends and relatives that you may not be reachable, avoiding possible heart attacks.
- At the end of the Camino de Espinama there is a small bar with Wi-Fi where you can get a good clara.
- Il Way of Espinama it's a simple path but sneakers are indispensable.
