Picos of Perfection

© Alf Alderson

The 'Peaks of Europe' is quite a grandiose title to apply to what is a relatively modest mountain range, but it's not a case of the wild limestone massifs of the Picos de Europa bigging themselves up – the name relates to the fact that in days gone by the shadowy blue-green peaks would be the first sighting of Europe for sailors heading from the west across the wild waters of the Atlantic.

The view from the summit of Santa Ana  © Alf Alderson
The view from the summit of Santa Ana
© Alf Alderson

And to be fair, the 'Picos' are not that modest in size – they do in fact make up the biggest limestone mountain range in Europe as well as being the only maritime range on the continent, the latter ensuring plentiful precipitation year-round.

This means that beneath the rugged crags and mountains you'll find deep, verdant pastures, valleys and gorges which provide a startling contrast with the dry and arid uplands, where any rain that falls quickly sinks beneath the fissured surface of the limestone into some of Europe's deepest cave systems.

A rare splash of colour amongst the baked limestone  © Alf Alderson
A rare splash of colour amongst the baked limestone
© Alf Alderson

You'll also find some of the finest and least-known walking country in Europe – and, if you base yourself at Fuente Dé, there's very easy access to it. For here lies one of the Picos' few concessions to modern technology – the range's only cable car (despite ample winter snows there are no ski resorts, but ski tourers who are happy to go both up as well as down the mountains under their own steam will find plenty of opportunities for adventure).

I'd driven here in my campervan in late summer to discover that officialdom in these parts is so relaxed that it's nigh on horizontal – I was allowed to stay in the car park beneath the cable car for several days for free, using this as a base to make forays into the hills using said cable car to access the higher peaks.

Rebecos looking relaxed  © Alf Alderson
Rebecos looking relaxed
© Alf Alderson

The 'Picos' make up the biggest limestone mountain range in Europe. They're also the only maritime range on the continent...

This is, of course cheating since it allows you to make the 2,000-foot slog from the valley and up into the mountains in a matter of minutes, and without breaking sweat (although in my defence I did also complete two steep ascents from the valley on foot as well during my stay...).

Using the cable car also has the advantage not just of allowing you to save your energy for higher level walking, but, if you hop aboard for the first ride of the morning, you virtually get the mountains to yourself – well, for a little while at least.

So it was that I emerged into the hazy blue light of a September morning from the top station of the télépherique, the moon still visible in a powder blue sky that promised much in the way of warmth later in the day and, quite probably, the development of thunderstorms by late afternoon – another good reason for an early start.

My modest ambition was an ascent of the east summit of the 2601m Picos de Santa Ana. There were three reasons I'd chosen this dramatic looking mountain top for the day's hike – first the views, which on a clear day stretch south past endless folds and ridges of mountains, whilst to the north you may sometimes see as far as the Bay of Biscay; secondly for the relative drama of the route, which towards the summit involves some minor scrambling as opposed to mere walking, and offers vertiginous drop-offs as a reward for getting your hands dirty; and finally because Santa Ana is not as popular as the nearby peak of Peña Vieja (2613m), so there'd be more chance of getting it to myself.

You'll also find some of the finest and least-known walking country in Europe – and, if you base yourself at Fuente Dé, there's very easy access to it...

Indeed, as the cable car station fell away behind me and the other hikers I'd ascended with made off on their chosen routes I found myself walking along an easy dirt track virtually alone through morning shadows and into the heart of the Picos' Central Massif, gigantic limestone towers soaring above me in every direction.

Many of these tracks were developed by miners in the mid-1800s, working the mountains' lead and zinc deposits, and some of the trails they constructed are almost as impressive as the scenery around them – the day before I'd ascended the 29 hairpins from Fuente Dé to the lovely alpine pastures at Vega Liordes, and as I toiled my way upwards for over a thousand feet I marvelled at the engineering skills that had been required to build any kind of access up this steep and rocky slope, not to mention the sheer bloody toil for both man and beast that must have been involved in extracting and transporting the metal ores from the mines at the top of the trail, the workings of which can still be seen.

However, today's walk - so far - was no more than an amble, and as the sun poked above the peaks to the east and warmed my back I reckoned I'd have the whole thing cracked in a couple of hours. Until I came to the ascent of the Canal de la Canalona, that is...

Here an ever-narrowing gully of limestone blocks and boulders is bisected by a steep footpath where the footing is loose and scrabbly, whilst the heat from the sun seemed to reflect back off the towering limestone walls above, and it wasn't long before my breathing became laboured, my legs became achy and my brow became sweaty.

Heading down from the summit of Santa Ana  © Alf Alderson
Heading down from the summit of Santa Ana
© Alf Alderson

Emerging from the gully I can now walk, and then scramble, across an easily angled, open rock face, with expansive views opening out across the entire Central Massif of the Picos...

Still, there was plenty to look at on my regular breathers, including marvellous views across to 2642-metre Torre del Llambrion, the second highest summit in the Picos de Europa, which even as late as September holds a small snowfield. It was at one time thought to be the highest mountain in the range, and it was only after the first ascent in 1856 by Casiano de Prado that measurements by the peak's conqueror revealed that he was actually six metres lower than the nearby peak of Torre de Cerrado, just to the north. Imagine the disappointment...

I, however, am not disappointed as I gain height beneath the monstrous rock walls of the Picos de Santa Ana and their neighbour Torre de los Horcados Rojos, which have been leering down on me ever since leaving the cable car station an hour or so earlier. The switchbacks in the upper gully twist and turn like an irritated snake before I eventually emerge at the Collado de la Canalona, the col from which I'll head north to my chosen summit and a complete change of environment.

Emerging from the confined walls of the gully I can now walk, and then scramble, across an easily angled, open rock face, with expansive views opening out across the entire Central Massif of the Picos. I don't take too much time to enjoy them right now, because I want to wait and savour that experience on the summit whilst I regain my breath and relax in the sun.

The stiff ascent doesn't last long and soon enough I'm standing proud on the east summit of Santa Ana, one more in the list of several thousand hikers to have got themselves up here since the mountain was first climbed in 1892, but no less pleased with my achievement for having followed in the footsteps of countless others.

There's a reasonably well worn path to the summit, but once there I have the whole mountain top to myself...

And you'd never know thousands of pairs of boots have stomped across Santa Ana's summit. Sure, there's a reasonably well worn path to the summit, but once there I have the whole mountain top to myself. Earlier in the week I'd clambered to the summit of Pico de la Padiorno to the southwest (and which I could see a few kilometres away) where my only company had been two rebecos, small russet coloured deer that make these high mountains their home, but I didn't even have any of the native wildlife to share the view with on top of Santa Ana.

The views across the stark, dry limestone uplands are impressive, even though it's too hazy to see all the way to the coast and its warm enough up here to bask in the heat of the late morning sun indefinitely. Which is fine by me, because it's not often you get what appears to be an entire mountain range to yourself – well, not unless you head for the Picos de Europa...

Late summer thunderstorm approaching Fuente De  © Alf Alderson
Late summer thunderstorm approaching Fuente De
© Alf Alderson

More Info

When to Go

Late summer is a good period as the sun isn't so intense and what 'crowds' there are will be pretty minimal. Early summer is also a good time to visit although you may encounter substantial snow patches at higher elevations, especially after a hard winter.

How to Get There

Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.com) Plymouth – Santander service offers quick and easy access to the Picos de Europa, which are just a couple of hours drive from the ferry port. A car is pretty vital if you want to make the most of the region.

Guidebooks and Route Information

The best guide book for both walkers and climbers is Picos de Europa Walks and Climbs by Robin Walker (Cicerone; £12). Maps are poor compared to the UK's Ordnance Survey maps, but the best is the 1:25,000 Macizo Central de los Picos de Europa by Miguel A Adrados.

Where do I stay?

The obvious choice for the walking described above is the (Hotel Rio Deva) a large and comfortable parador located beside the cable car station at Fuente Dé and surrounded by woodlands and alpine meadows.

If you have a camper van you can stay for free like me in the large car park beside the cable car station although there are no facilities or access to water; campers have a lovely shaded campsite set amongst woodland at Fuente Dé in the form of Camping El Redondo (www.elredondopicosdeeuropa.com)

What's the food like?

Traditional Cantabrian cuisine isn't all cheese and dairy based as is so often the case in mountain regions. Dishes to look out for include cocido lebaniego, a local stew; ensalada de gallo de corral – free range chicken salad; solomillo al queso de Tresviso' - sirloin steak with Tresviso cheese (v good!); and lomos de venado con salsa de arándanos - venison with blueberry sauce, another very tasty offering.

Gear and Supplies

You'll need to drive about 3km southeast to the villages of Pido and Espinama for supplies
What else is there apart from the walking?

The Picos' limestone crags offer some excellent rock climbing (see the Cicerone guide mentioned above for routes), and there are some good mountain bike routes above Fuente Dé on old mining tracks.


Alf Alderson

Alf Alderson is an award-winning freelance journalist and photographer based in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales. He specialises in ski, surf and mountain sports journalism and writes for a wide range of publications and websites in Britain, Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia. He is also the author of various guidebooks and is gear review editor at OE magazine.

More about Alf on his website.



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