Spread across the provinces of Asturias, Cantabria and León, the Picos de Europa National Park is a perfect example of an Atlantic ecosystem. Packed with oak and beech groves, the park takes its name from the impressive rock formations here. It is also home to two of the most emblematic animals to live in Spain: the brown bear and the Iberian wolf… but there is more than that.
This walking holiday is the only time we’ve walked as part of a group (I usually plot the routes myself or we follow notes provided nearly always by InnTravel). I was very pleasantly surprised by the whole experience! We really enjoyed the company and especially our tour hosts and walk leaders Barry and Kate (who, by the way now rune a fantastic hotel in The Lake District – Southview Guest House). The whole holiday was fantastic and by the end of the vacation we were very sad to say goodbye to everyone.
Having walk experienced guides is a great bonus. Their descriptions, local knowledge – even where the best bar to end on 🙂 is invaluable… I wonder why we haven’t done this again?
We arrived in Bilbao (hence the ‘tourists shots’) then, the following day we were transported to the National Park where we began our walking adventure…
Note: The photos in this gallery were taken on my digital SLR camera. They were edited in Photoshop then optimised for web use. I don’t use this process anymore (everything is taken and edited on my iPhone). There is a noticeable difference in quality between these and later galleries. They are best viewed on a smartphone.
