grade: start/finish: arenas de cabrales distance: 82 …...queso de cabrales. walking through old...

Self Guided Walking & Cycling Tours—Call +44 (0)141 530 8886 or +1-720-487-9898 (US) macsadventure.com

Breathaking in the crisp, clean air in the Picos de Europa National Park

Authentic Spanish Cultures and customs

Tasting the famous ‘Queso de Cabrales’ with the locals

Journeying through ‘enviroments past’ in the vast glaciated valleys

Stay in charming hotels and guesthouses, hand picked for their food and character

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Distance:

Duration:

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Arenas de Cabrales

82 km

8 Days & 7 Nights

April—October

Website Code: WSpSPE


The Picos de Europa is one of the most impressive mountain ranges in Spain and a

superb environment for walking. This self guided holiday will take you through

jagged limestone mountains providing magnificent scenery and harbouring a rich

variety of flora, fauna and wildlife.

Initially based in the quiet village of Arenas de Cabrales, your first day's walk is a

colourful, rewarding ascent to Nava above the Cares River. Further on the village of

Tielve awaits with neighbouring Valfríu tempting you with their famous ‘Queso de

Cabrales’ - local blue cheese. Through landscapes of heather, beech woods and

flowing streams you arrive in Sotres, the highest of all the villages.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Spain / Arenas de Cabrales Day 2: Circular walk from Arenas 11km Day 3: Walk from Tielve to Sotres—9km. Day 4: Circular Walk to Ándara, Eastern Massif - 12km. Day 5: Ascent to Vega de Urriellu - 18km Day 6: Circular walk to Áliva - 19km Day 7: Walk to Poncebos - 13km Day 8: Onward travel.

What’s Included

7 Nights accommodation in hotels and guesthouses • 7 Breakfasts • 4 Dinners •

Luggage transfers (on days 3 & 7) • Bus tickets from Bilbao or Santander to Urquera •

Transfers from Unquera to Arenas de Cabrales and vice versa • 24/7 emergency

telephone support • Detailed route notes, maps and pre-departure information pack •

GPX tracks and access to our smartphone app.

Is this tour for me?

This trip is best suited to keen walkers who

want to experience the very best of Spain. The

walks are between 4 & 6 hours each day with

varying ascents and descents. They reward

with fabulous views and new discoveries

around every corner.


Day 1

Arrive Spain / Arenas de Cabrales

Santander is the nearest airport (100kms/1hr20) to

Arenas de Cabrales. However, Bilbao is another

option. (230kms/2hr21).

Bus tickets are included from the centre of

Santander (1h20m) or Bilbao (2.5h) to Unqueras

from where an included transfer (45min) will take

you to Arenas de Cabrales.

Arenas de Cabrales is a picturesque village in the

East of Asturias. Visit the Romanesque Santa

Maria de Llas Church or try the regional dish,

Fabada Asturina, a hearty stew made with regional

ingredients.

Overnight: Hotel La Rivera. Your hotel for the first

two nights is the Hotel La Rivera. This cosy,

welcoming hotel is the ideal starting point for your

trek into the Picos de Europa National Park.

Day 2

Circular walk from Arenas

Start your trip with an ascent through seasonal

meadows. You follow mostly stone paths and be

rewarded with outstanding views of the Picos de

Europas and down to the Cares River. A challenging

first day but well worth the effort.

Walk: 11km, 5 hrs, approx 800m ascent, 800m

descent

Overnight: Hotel La Rivera

Day 3

Walk from Tielve to Sotres

After a short 20 min transfer, you walk from Tielve,

one of the most authentic villages of Cabrales onto

Valfríu where you can sample the local blue cheese,

Queso de Cabrales. Walking through old beech

woods and streams you reach an elevation of

1240m , then down to Sotres one of the highest

villages in the Picos de Europas. Sotres is an

agricultural village where they famously mature

Queso de Cabrales in the limestone caves which are

abundant in the local area.


descent

Overnight: Sotres Hotel Tranquil surroundings with

great traditional cuisine. It has spacious and

comfortable bedrooms. In the evening head down to

the restaurant and enjoy some wholesome stew,

freshly prepared from local ingredients or wander to

the local inn and have a chat with the villagers.

Day 4

Circular Walk to Ándara, Eastern Massif

A day of contrasts awaits you. Firstly, a steep ascent

via a disused mining track and rocky paths. You will

be rewarded with impressive views of a limestone

peak before following cattle trails through woods,

heather and pastures back to Sotres. Take time to

explore the moon-like landscape and observe

vultures and eagles soaring high above. Views of

The Bay of Biscay can be seen on clear days.


descent

Overnight: Sotres Hotel

Day 5

Ascent to Vega de Urriellu

A spectacular walk takes you right into the heart of

the Picos de Europas. At the foot of Picu Urriellu

(2,519m) you will be at the Vega de Urriellu a small

refuge hut. The refuge is well stocked with drinks

and snacks which are brought up by horseback each

day from Pandébano. The walk takes you through

meadows up to the Collado Pandebano (1240m)

before a steep ascent to the refuge. Lunar

landscapes will compliment your walk as you

ascend. Truly beautiful!

Walk: 18kms, 6.5 hrs, approx 1100m ascent, 1200

descent


Day 6

Circular walk to Áliva

Inspiring limestone walls of the Central and Eastern

Massifs and a magnificent glacial valley keep you

company as you wind on up to Áliva. Take a rest at

the Refugio de Aliva and sit back and absorb the

surrounding scenery before returning to Sotres.

Walk: 19km, 6.5 hrs, approx 900m ascent, 800m

descent


Day 7

Walk to Poncebos

You start your day descending along an ancient

footpath arriving at Bulnes, an isolated village only

accessible by foot or more recently, funicular

railway. From Bulnes you can take the funicular to

Poncebos or continue on foot to the spectacular

Texu Gorge. You will be picked up in Poncebos and

transferred to Arena de Cabrales.

Alternatively, walk the famous mile-deep Cares

Gorge with the village of Caín at its head.


descent

Overnight: Hotel La Rivera

Day 8

Walk to Poncebos

Check out after breakfast and an included transfer

will take you from Arenas de Cabrales back to

Unqueras and you can again take a bus back to

either Santander or Bilbao Airport.

http://www.hotellarivera.com/


Accommodation

We specifically select your accommodation to

ensure that you enjoy every minute of your

stay. They all offer a warm welcome to walkers,

traditional hospitality and delicious local

food. We aim to give you an authentic

experience and use local family run

accommodations. . More details and links to

the accommodation are detailed on the

itinerary page of our website.

Solo Walkers & Single Rooms

If you require single rooms within your party we

would be happy to accommodate you although

there is a single room supplement payable.

This holiday is available for solo walkers but we

would recommend that you are experienced in

walking and navigating alone. If you are

travelling solo the holiday is slightly more

expensive as some costs are not shared.

Meals

A delicious breakfast is included at the Arenas

de Cabrales and the Sotres Hotel each

morning and 4 dinners whilst at the Sotres

Hotel. The accommodations are happy to

provide a packed lunch - this should be

requested on arrival. Or you can pick up lunch

in the village or stop along the trail. Your route

notes have details for each day.

Baggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred between your

accommodation as per your itinerary. We ask

you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to

20kg per person.

Navigation

You will have access to the Macs Adventure

Smartphone App enabling you to follow the

route using your phone’s GPS so using this

combined with the provided route notes and

maps means you should have no problems

finding your way

Experience & Fitness

This walking tour is graded Moderate. Walks of

4-6 hours and there is an ascent/descent of

between 550m to 1005m. The hike covers

varied terrain following jeep tracks, wide paths,

narrow footpaths and animal trails with some

steep ascents or descents. You will walk on

gravel, loose rock, grass and dirt. When wet,

paths may be muddy and slippery. There are

also a couple of exposed sections which would

not be suitable for anybody who suffers from

vertigo although we can provide options to

avoid these sections. These sections are on

the walks on Days 5 and 7. We recommend

using walking poles for balance on this tour.

Equipment

Your information pack has a detailed

equipment list which includes standard walking

gear such as good walking boots or shoes,

warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with

Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel

insurance which covers you for the activity and

emergency evacuation and hospital care.

Getting to/from Arenas de Cabrales

From Bilbao Airport: Take a shuttle bus from

the airport to the Bilbao Terminus bus station

(runs every 20mins, costs approx 2). From

Bilbao bus station we include bus tickets to

Unquera (2.5 to 3hrs). From Unquera you take

an included taxi transfer to Arenas de Cabrales

(45mins).

From Santander Airport: Take a bus or taxi

to the centre of Santander (15mins). From

Santander bus station we include bus tickets to

Unquera (1hr 20mins). Please note that there

are some direct buses to Unquera from the

airport and if your flight times allow it we will

book that for you. From Unquera take an

included taxi transfer to Arenas de Cabrales

(45 mins).

We will require passport numbers in order to

book your bus tickets for you so please provide

these at the time of booking.Booking info

Availability

This holiday is available to start any day of the

week between the end of April and end of

October. Extension prices will be displayed as

part of the booking process.

Weather & Climate

The weather in this part of Spain is most

comfortable for mountain walking at this time of

year, and whilst sudden mists are common

they usually burn off by mid-day. As with all

mountainous areas and particularly because of

the proximity of the mountains to the coast in

this area, the weather can also change

suddenly and there can be sudden rain-

showers, or even snow at any time of year so

you should be prepared for all weather

conditions with waterproof gear and plenty of

sunscreen!

Price

Please see our website for current prices

Included in the Price

7 Nights accommodation in hotels and

guesthouses • 7 Breakfasts • 4 Dinners •

Luggage transfers (days 3 & 7) • Bus tickets

from Bilbao or Santander to Urquera •

Transfers from Unquera to Arenas de Cabrales

and vice versa • 24/7 emergency telephone

support • Detailed route notes, maps and pre-

departure information pack • GPX tracks and

access to our smartphone app.

Not included in the Price

Travel insurance (required) • Bus from Bilbao

Airport to Centre of Bilbao • Lunches, drinks &

Snacks • Personal expenses such as drinks,

phone calls, tips & Fenicular Railway tickets

Optional Extras

Additional nights before, during or after the

tour • Airport arrival and/or departure transfers

Booking

When you are ready to book you can do so securely

online at www.macsadventure.com or by phone: +44

(0) 141 530 8886 or +1-720-487-9898 (US/Canada).

Financial Protection

Book with Confidence. We are a member of

ABTA which means you have the benefit of

ABTA’s assistance and Code of Conduct. We

provide full financial protection for your money.


Macs Adventure, 2nd Floor, Skypark 5, 45 Finnieston Street, Glasgow G3 8JU Macs Adventure US, 3200 Carbon Place Suite 102, Boulder, CO 80301

grade: start/finish: arenas de cabrales distance: 82 …...queso de cabrales. walking through old...

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