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Picos de Europa Archive |
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Picos de Europa Archive |
This is Andy McGowan's personal diary of the 2001 trip to the Picos de Europa in northern Spain .....
Sketch map | 2001 outings | Home
The alarm goes off at 5.30am. Time to go to Spain for a week’s exploring in the Picos de Europa! And just enough time to have a coffee and check all the gear before getting over to Giffnock for 6.30 to collect Bob Macdonald. Sunhats, suncream, sunglasses, aftersun .. yes, they’re all there. Gwen is duty driver .. mornings are not her best times, especially early mornings, and we’re going in her brand new car. Hope she gets back home OK.
Everybody arrives at Glasgow Airport without incident around 7.15am to check in for the GO flight to London Stansted. There’s 12 in the group … Ian, Iris, Allan B, Allan H, James, Mark, Willie, David, Miriam, Jean, Bob and me. Some have brought walking poles which surprisingly don’t have to go in the hold, but can be carried as hand baggage! Unusual .. especially since we brought a kitbag to put them all in.
We ascend to Garfunkels for breakfast then descend to the departure lounge as requested to find that the incoming aircraft has been delayed. We hang about with the EasyJet passengers for Amsterdam, whose flight boards bang on time, and we eventually depart about an hour late. It doesn’t really matter, because our flight from Stansted to Bilbao isn’t due to leave until 1pm so it’s reduced the waiting time there.
We have to be bussed from the GO stance at Stansted to the Terminal Building and our bags arrive on the carousel in double quick time. We go immediately to the Bilbao check-in and give them back the bags. We have a coffee or two and a wander round the shops, and the flight is called on time. We’re bussed back up to the stance to find … the flight is delayed due to the incoming aircraft.
However, we’re soon off the ground and the pilot informs us that due to a huge tailwind, we’re flying at 650mph and should land on time at Bilbao … which we do. Again the bags arrive in quick time and we saunter through passport control to find the bus waiting with a placard saying “Andy McGowan” clearly visible through the windscreen. The weather is exceedingly Scottish with squally showers blasting from a very overcast sky. Our driver is very pleasant but speaks no English … a sign of things to come?
The bus is on its way within a few minutes and speculation is rife as to whether the sun will come out tomorrow or whether the whole week will be like this. We pass through a seaside town thronged with Sunday visitors, so it can’t have been like this all day. The driver stops around halfway at a café thronged again with Sunday Spanish, and we enjoy a refreshment while he has a natter with his mates. The bus journey is due to take about 3 hours to our first hotel in Cangas de Ónis, covering about 150 miles, so we’ve still a way to go.
Once off the main road we climb into the mountains, but the rain and overcast skies prevent us seeing what the scenery is really like. Just after 7pm we arrive at the Hotel Avelina and begin the task of booking in and arranging dinner. The owners and the staff are all extremely pleasant, but don’t speak a word of English. Why didn’t I go to Spanish classes? Ah well, just have to do my best. But it turns out later as we sit down to dinner that the barman has a few words of English … particularly “Loch Ness” … and can almost describe the culinary delights we are about to experience.
Asturian beans with chorizo sausage and black pudding served as a thick soup is the starter .. a local speciality apparently. Very tasty too, but not much use for me or Miriam, the group’s vegetarians. I eat the beans and leave the rest. The red wine, or vino tinto as its known, is served straight from the fridge, and very nice it is too. Yes, I’ll have another glass!
Next course is fried meat of some variety with fried eggs as accompaniment. Could Miriam and I have some chips please? The plethora of phrasebooks among the group have obviously not been studied, so I struggle on and we get some fried potatoes. Three eggs later and it’s crème caramel to finish. Mas vino tinto por favor!
The next hurdle is to find out how to get to our start point in the morning at Los Lagos and if the breakfast can be at a time to suit. No problemo … taxis will arrive at 9am after the bambinos have been taken to school, and breakfast will be at 8. Hooray .. we’re on our way! Time for an early night.
Little did we know that the road by the hotel is a very main road … and that the farm opposite has the full range of animal noises right through the night. With the window open for coolness, it turned out to be a restless night.
It doesn’t get light in this part of the world until 7.30am in September, which is a bit of a surprise. On the other hand, it didn’t really get dark last night until 8.30pm. Breakfast consists of 2 slices of bread with butter and jam followed by a fairy cake .. with orange juice and coffee to wash it down. Just what you need for a tough day on the hill!
Weather very overcast again on the mountains, and the taxis duly arrive at 9 .. two lovely modern minibuses, and we divide into two groups of 6. The trip up to Los Lagos at 1100m is spectacular .. a long, winding mountain road passing the famous village of Covadonga where the rebirth of Spain allegedly started in the Moorish days .. and the sun seems to want to crack through.
We arrive and it’s time to pay. How much? 6000 pesetas each taxi or about £48 total cost .. 1000 ptas each or £4 .. the bargain of the century!
Much map reading later we head off on the right route for our first target .. Refugio Marques de Villaviciosa or Refugio Vega de Ario as it’s known locally. It’s about 500m ascent from Lago de la Ercina, but it’s a fair distance and we’ve allowed 3 hours to get there. It’s always difficult at a day’s start point to get the right route, but no problems here. We’re working with 1:25,000 scale maps, which are slightly more difficult to use than the 1:50,000 LandRangers we’re used to at home.
Overcast turns into mist as we ascend .. the first watering point at 1200m at Las Bobias is in complete clag. Our first rest point at 1400m is, guess what, in the clag .. but at about 1500m we break through to glorious sunshine with superb views not only of the local peaks, but also right across to the Central Massif. At the col at 1620m, called Collado el Jito, the local goatherd is having a wee rest and a smoke while his dogs sniff around us for some tourist food. We discuss which of the imposing peaks is our afternoon target, but the map scale and apparent distances mean that we need to take compass bearings to make sure. The handily-placed direction indicator helps a little too.
The midday heat is building up as we descend slightly into the Vega de Ario and across to the Refugio, to find the water spring surrounded by a herd of cows. The goatherd is obviously multi-skilled! They’ve drunk every last drop, and are licking out the pipe .. ah well, there’ll be some in the Refugio, won’t there? I’m afraid not … and the warden turns out to be a right grump!
It’s lunchtime and Miriam manages to order cheese sandwiches all round with drinks for those who want This is after she’s told by the warden that if you’re in Spain, you speak Spanish. And this is NOT a hotel, it’s a refuge .. right? Most of us set off to climb El Jultayu, a fairly accessible 1940m peak close by. Dinner is at 9pm, so there’s plenty of time! Ian, Iris, Miriam and Jean decide to stay and sunbathe.
The route is fairly well-marked, but the going is pretty tough over broken rocks as we cross the hoyo. The views from the top are spectacular, and we continue a little along the ridge to vary the descent route. We’re away over book time for the route, but are back in time to enjoy a few glasses of red wine before dinner.
At 8pm we’re allowed into the accommodation upstairs, but the rucascs must be put in the lockers, right? What do you mean you want blankets? Grump, grump. And more red wine? I’ve none left .. you’ve drunk it all. Yes, I’ve got vino blanco .. can I get on with the dinner now??
Dinner is quite good, and some other travellers turn up to swell the numbers. Off we go to bed for our first night in alpine-style matratzenlager .. “sleeping on a shelf”. It gets very hot, but it’s pretty comfortable.
Breakfast is at 9 .. the usual bread and cake, and we’re ready to go before 10. Just the hurdle of paying the bill to get over! Fortunately, one of the late arrivals last night is a German guy who worked in Glasgow for some time, and speaks both English and Spanish. I ask him to help with the bill, and to explain that we have paid a 25,000 pta deposit. I also ask him to explain that we’re sorry we don’t speak Spanish, but will learn for our next visit. Mr Grump suddenly becomes Mr Nice! It costs us an extra 2000 ptas each for the night, which includes the lunchtime sarnies plus all the wine .. not bad at all. I guess the helicopter will be up today with a new delivery!
Our first target this morning is the long descent of the Canal de Trea down to the Cares Gorge. It’s about 1300m to the gorge and fairly steep in places, but is supposed to be a classic route. The heat is already building as we cross the broken rocks to the entrance of the Canal. We’ll have to find water soon, but there’s a stream marked on the map at around 900m.
A short way into the Canal, but before the first steep part, Ian has a slight fall and hurts his wrist. We reach the stream .. and the water bottles are filled. Certain members remove their boots and stick their feet in the cooling water .. but below where the bottles are being filled! There’s quite a bit of traffic heading up the Canal .. the guidebook says this is not recommended!
As we enter the wooded area near the bottom .. disaster strikes!! I’ve just remembered something. Last night Mr Grump took my passport to hold until the bill was paid in the morning. With all the confusion over deposits and translation back and forward .. he hasn’t given me the passport back, and I forgot to ask for it! Do I go back up 1000m and hope to catch up? Or do I return later? Plenty of time on the rest of today’s route to think about it.
We arrive in the Cares Gorge at Puente Bolin about 1pm. The path is spectacular and it’s thronged with day walkers starting at Cain, the village we’ll be staying in later in the week. The path was built together with an aqueduct around the turn of the last century, which takes water from the Picos all the way to Puente Poncebos to the east. Halfway along, we stop at El Espejismo for a drink or two .. the cans are kept in the fast-flowing water in the aqueduct to keep them cool!
Although mainly level for most of the route at about 300m, the path ascends quite sharply near the end, then descends to the Puente de la Jaya where the day trippers park their cars. We now have to ascend about 400m to the village of Bulnes for tonight’s stay at the Albergue Pena Main.
As we arrive outside the Albergue, a guy from Birmingham hears us speaking English and says, “Have you heard about the Twin Towers in New York?”. We say no, we’ve been walking all day, and he tells us about the first reports he’s seen on CNN at the other bar in the village. Later, James’ wife phones the Albergue and gives us the full up-to-date horror story. The mobiles don’t work in the village and calls have to be made. Fortunately there’s an international call box in the other bar. Of course the conversation now is .. where were you when WW3 started?
The dinner is OK with the usual basic soup/stew, fried meat and eggs, this time with chips, and crème caramel to finish. Once again, the vino tinto is excellent, and the Albergue owner, Mr Fly Guy, lets us in to the accommodation about 10pm. It’s very basic matratzenlager again, and with two other groups staying, it’s not very comfortable .. some of our team find it hard to get some sleep.
Breakfast at 9 again .. they don’t start very early in Spain! A slight variation this morning .. the bread has been fried in oil and is much more filling! Ian and Iris have decided to walk back down to the Cares Gorge and head for Cain. We’re due there tomorrow night, so they’ll try for an extra night at the same hotel that we’ve booked .. a night of luxury to which we’re all looking forward!
Mr Fly Guy tries it on with the bill, and of course has absolutely no English. He’s charged us for the beers which were paid for on the spot .. and for the lad from Birmingham who joined us for dinner. We reach agreement and the bill is paid. In addition to the 25,000 ptas deposit, it costs us another 1000 ptas each. Even better than the first Refugio!
Our target today is the Refugio Vega d’Urriellu at 1950m right in the middle of the Central Massif. Bulnes is at 650m, so we have a 1300m ascent. Also, the direct path is not recommended in the guidebook, so we’re taking a slight diversion to the east by way of Terenosa with the promise of better paths. We should be there in 8 hours.
The weather is magnificent and the early part of the route is in shade as we pass through very lush wooded areas. Higher up we leave the trees and climb through meadows with grazing cattle … the farmer and his daughter have been milking by hand and they’re bringing the churns down the hill by donkey. There’s a natural rest stop and spring at the halfway point at Refugio la Terenosa. It’s at 1300m, and if you want to stay you get the key from the neighbouring farm cottage. We now begin the steeper ascent on the open hillside into the spectacular scenery of the central Picos.
The temperature rises as we get higher. The path zigzags at the steeper parts and the famous Pico Urriello, or Naranjo de Bulnes as it’s known locally, is getting closer. The refuge sits below the Naranjo and is the main base for climbers in this area. We enjoy a beer in the late afternoon sunshine. The staff have some English, and the organisation is much more like the Alpine huts we’ve visited in the past.
By climbing above the hut I manage to get a signal on the mobile and phone Gwen for news of America. It’s hard to understand exactly what’s happened. At home it’s on TV all the time, but up here we’re thinking mountains and don’t have all-day news reports. And how could the worst thing ever happen when I’m away from home … exactly when Gwen needs someone there to talk to? We might catch some TV tomorrow night in Cain.
Dinner is excellent … first pasta of the trip … and the vino tinto superb. A real rioja, with price to match! We blag some blankets from the store in the loft and head for bed. We’re in a dorm with some restless climbers, but it’s reasonably comfortable.
Big day today! We’re heading for the highest Picos peak called Torre de Cerredo. The guide book claims that the summit is only a short 100m scramble from a traverse path we’ll probably be taking. Breakfast was ordered for 7.30am, and in true Alpine style, it’s ready on the dot. We leave before 9am and the temperature is already rising.
The first attack point is the col just northeast of Diente de Urriello, which is reached by a short chimney climb from the hoyo below. We continue on a traverse path below Neveron to the next col, the Hollada Arenera, which is quite windy and exposed. There’s a choice now to get across to Torre de Cerredo … the shortcut path noted on the map is not obvious, so we opt for the longer but supposedly more obvious route. Not so!
We have to cope with a steep gully descent marked at the top with an altitude figure in red paint on a rock. This takes some time to complete, but we’re soon in the hoyo below the Torre and having to make route decisions again. The higher path is the one we need to ascend the peak … the lower one crosses the hoyo towards our next col, called Arenizas Alta. We opt for the higher path still with the ascent in mind, but progress is slow and it’s soon obvious that an ascent is out of the question.
The path is very cleverly constructed .. probably evolved over many years .. and is a pleasure to ascend. The rock is VERY rough .. at least as rough as the gabbro in the Cuillin. The day is wearing on, and at the small col just beyond the Torre, Bob goes down to investigate the route .. at the same time as a cry for help comes from the direction of the rest of the group! James has fallen and become jammed between two lumps of rock, and has made a bit of a mess of upper arms and lower legs. Allan H rescues him. I unearth the first aid kit .. thank goodness I checked it out before we left on this trip.
James is quite shocked and we take some time to clean and tape the wounds while feeding him sugary sweets. We’re now going to descend from here to the hoyo floor, then reascend to Arenizas to continue our route to Cain. I decide to investigate the higher path and catch up with the group later. It takes me to the scary summit of Torre del Oso at 2576m .. and I can’t get down any other way than retrace to the hoyo floor. Ah well such is life.
As I cross into the Jou sin Tierre I see the group well ahead turning the corner into the Hoyo Grande. It’s still a very long way and I guess we’ll be in the Canal de Dobresengos just as it’s getting dark. The going is quite rough on loose scree down to the floor of the Grande, but the walking is pleasant in the evening sunshine. I catch up with the rest as we’re faced with another short gully descent into the Canal. It gets very dark halfway down.
I feel we should continue down using our headtorches, since Ian and Iris are in Cain and will now be quite worried. If the path is obvious, we’ll get down no matter how late. The path is NOT obvious. We retrace slightly to a flattish area and prepare to bivvy out. All spare clothing goes on including waterproofs, and into bivvy bags for those who have them. We’ve been on the hill now for 13 hours and we’re very tired. What’s more, we’ve no water left between us and dehydration may be a problem in the morning. Fortunately there’s a stream marked on the map about 1km further on .. will the map be accurate?
It starts to get light around 7.30 and we start to pack the sacs. The cloud is down and we’re really in the same boat as last night .. can we see the route ahead through the mist? Fortunately it clears slowly as the light improves and we find a watering hole at the start of the stream! The path descends steeply again, then traverses to the head of yet another gully. The village of Cain is directly below and we’ll soon be there.
Unfortunately the gully is very difficult and the descent is slow. We arrive on top of yet another scree slope, and we see Ian and Iris below. After a final difficult scree descent, everyone arrives safely and we head for the hotel. The owner stayed up late with Ian and Iris hoping we would arrive, but everyone eventually went to bed. We were spotted this morning at the top of the last gully, so everyone has breathed a sigh of relief.
We have breakfast and a wash, then settle down in the sunshine for a few restorative refreshments. Later, some do a bit of clothes washing and have a look round the village, while others walk the short section of the Cares Gorge to the Puente Bolin where we joined it on Tuesday.
I ask around the village to find an English speaker, but no-one does. I need to phone the Ario Refugio to see if Senor Grump still has my passport. By a stroke of luck, Miriam discovers that the chef in the next-door hotel does indeed speak a little English! He agrees to phone and find out if I return later.
Meanwhile, we’ve decided that we will return to Cangas tomorrow by taxi and walk up to the Redondo Refugio on Sunday as a day walk on our last day. We’ve booked two nights there but won’t be staying at all. If my passport is still at the Ario, I’ll walk up there on Sunday to collect it.
We spend a reasonably pleasant evening enjoying the vino tinto in the next-door hotel, then back at our own for dinner. The Ario phone is not responding after many tries, so I’ll just need to go up there. They’ve also kindly ordered two taxis for noon tomorrow. Thanks! The TVs have been tuned to CNN all day with constant stories about the “Attack on America” .. it’s most depressing. You certainly don’t need to be familiar with the language to understand graphically what’s been happening over there.
Some play dominos and some continue to enjoy the vino. At 11.30pm the owner calls time and asks that we retire to bed.
After a refreshing sleep in a real bed, and a leisurely breakfast, some of the group explore the village while Willie, James and I walk the Cares Gorge to the Puente Bolin. We return just as the taxis arrive, but the drivers take some time out for a coffee and a smoke. It’s quite a long way round to Cangas and they’ve come from there already this morning.
This hotel had been fully paid before we arrived, and despite all the hassle of not turning up on the correct day, we’re only charged for the dinner last night. Good place to stay if you’re ever in Cain!
We load up for the kamikaze ride of a lifetime. And I’m in the front seat with a close up view! I always thought you took your time on these mountain roads lest other traffic may be heading towards you. Wrong! And it must take its toll on the drivers, because they insisted on stopping at a village halfway for another coffee and smoke. Ah well … gave us time for an ice cream and for the heart rate to slow down.
An hour and a half later we roll up to the Hotel Avelina to find the owners taking the afternoon sunshine. An extra night tonight? No problemo! And you’ll have some lunch as well? The taxis cost us £8 each for the long run .. well worth it!
So we settled in again, then set off to explore Cangas de Onis to buy all the souvenirs and presents to take home. We opted to eat in the hotel again that evening, and choose somewhere else for tomorrow night’s final dinner. I ordered the same taxis to take us up to our original starting point at Los Lagos in the morning for our final day in the Picos.
The taxis arrive bright and early as the heat is rising, and we set off for Los Lagos. James is coming with me up to the Refugio Vega de Ario to collect my passport, and the rest are going up to the Refugio Vegarredondo, where we should have arrived last night. They’ll probably go out to the Mirador Ordiales as was the plan for today … and we’ll meet back at Los Lagos at 5pm, when the taxis will return.
Retracing the route of our initial ascent was quite interesting since the weather was clear and sunny, and we soon arrived at the Refugio. We met two people camping just outside the Refugio who told us the spring was now dry and they had no water. We gave them some of ours and explained that we had trekked all the way back up to collect my passport. Mr Grump was apparently on his siesta, but one of the campers seemed to know him quite well, and roused him from his slumbers.
As soon as he saw my face, he launched into a long diatribe, in Spanish of course, about the whereabouts of the passport. In a nutshell, it was down in Cangas at the Guardia Civil office .. which I had passed three times yesterday! Mr Grump had given the passport to another walker, who we had spoken to the night we stayed, and who was following our route down to the Cares and on to Bulnes. But he came to grief in the Canal de Trea and decided to make his way back up to the Refugio. The next day he descended to Cangas and handed it in to the police. Mr Grump then grabbed his mobile phone, ran up the hill to a point where he could get a signal, and rang the cop shop to tell them I’d be down for it in about five hours time. Ah well, he’s not so bad after all!
So we had a bit of a rest and a cheese sandwich, then started back down. James began to feel exceedingly unwell, but made it back to Los Lagos in good time for the taxis. We had a rare sighting of the Picos 2-headed cow from a distance on the descent.
The other group had had a good day on the other route and also arrived in good time. It’s an ill wind as they say, because the Vegarredondo refuge was not of a high standard, and two nights there would not have been a good idea! They were accompanied on the ascent by two horses who obviously knew where they were going.
After dropping everyone at the Avelina, I asked the taxi driver to take me in to the Guardia Civil, and a now-feeling-a-bit-better James to the town centre to complete his shopping. As I climbed the steps, the policeman came out of the office waving the passport in my direction. Gracias, señor! Meanwhile, Ian and Iris are checking out a restaurant along the road from the hotel for our final meal tonight … we agree to meet in the bar at 8pm.
The meal was really excellent, and the vino tinto superb. A fitting end to our last day in the Picos!
The bus arrives bang on time for the trip to Bilbao. We have a quick whip round to pay for the journey and off we go back into the cloud and rain that we left when we arrived. We hope to have a look round the city centre, then catch the airport bus in good time for the flight check-in. The driver of course knows no English, but brightens up when I mention the Guggenheim Museum .. yes, he’ll drop us there!
It’s a good place for the bus to stop and turn, but we don’t have time to visit this famous landmark. It’s raining quite hard and it’s a bit of a misery carrying all the gear along the city streets. We find the central plaza from where the airport bus leaves, and check the times, then split up to do some shopping. I buy a few presents, have a good look round and catch the 1.30pm, to find Miriam and Jean on the same bus.
Airport and check-in security is tight. All hand baggage is being checked for certain items .. no bottles or Swiss Army knives for instance. Any such items must be placed in the hold baggage. So I wrap up the carry out in the towel and bits of clothing and hope it arrives intact. Check-in takes for ever .. and the incoming aircraft is delayed by quite some time.
But after a tour of the shops, we settle down in the café and board eventually. There’s a bit of time to wait at Stansted on the return, which will now be accordingly shorter. In fact, we just make it on to the Glasgow flight and arrive more or less on time. The duty chauffeurs are waiting and we all depart for home. Goodbye Picos .. I hope to visit again soon!
Andy McGowan
