Floyd's Travels and Thoughts on Life: Hiking in the Picos de Europa

In June 2015 I went hiking in the Picos de Europa, the highest part of the Cantabrian Mountains which run right across the north of Spain. These mountains contain some of the world's richest unspoiled calcareous grasslands, resplendent with wild flowers un-tinged by any 20th century agro chemicals. High peaks are interspersed with deep beech, oak, and chestnut forested valleys, where centuries old farming methods are still practiced by people living in lovely villages. The area has been designated one of great natural beauty. The tour was organized by Adventureline, a company owned by Martin and Laine Hunt that is based in Cornwall, England. Our group of 8 hikers from England, Australia and the USA stayed at Casa Gustavo in the small village of Aliezo, a short walk from the larger village of Potes. Each day we travelled to a different area of the Picos for an all-day hike, and then returned to the Casa for a full course meal cooked by an excellent chef. There were 8 days of hiking for the group, but I missed the first hike thanks to flight delays by Delta airlines. When I landed in Bilbao, Spain on a flight from London Heathrow one day late, I spent nearly another day travelling by local buses to find the hiking group in Potes. The hikes often involved strenuous climbing, but we were always rewarded with views of spectacular mountain scenery. We visited some pretty villages and walked through meadows with many alpine flowers, including a diverse variety of blooming orchids. On two of the hikes we travelled to the cable car at Fuente De. On one hike we took the cable car up, explored the high peaks and snow fields, then returned down by the cable car; on the second hike we took the cable car up, then hiked back down. On another day we hiked to the peak of Mt. Coriscao, and on another day we hiked through the Cares Gorge - a breathtakingly deep gorge with a footpath hewn from its rocky sides.