The Picos de Europa

The Picos de Europa, a name that appeals!

In the north of Spain, dominating the Gulf of Lion and the Costa Verde, rise the Picos de Europa, a high but small scale, culminating at 2648m at the Torre de Cerredo.

They call themselves that because they used to be the first visible land on the horizon for seamen who were sailing at sight.

Arriving from the west on the Atlantic, returning from whaling, tuna or cod from Newfoundland, they could see this formidable coastal massif that guided them to the ports of Cantabria.

The Ebro, the most powerful of the rivers of Spain, more than 900km long, takes its source there to throw itself in the Mediterranean, in Catalonia, by an immense delta which advances deeply at sea and irrigates paddy fields.

Several peaks exceed 2500m, deep gorges and impressive parades cross the Picos de Europa.

Breeding territory – there is a « Spanish roquefort » – hunting reserve, a mining area, it is also an important tourist site with the Parade of Hermida, the longest in Spain, which leads to a circus grandiose the Fuente Dé, with a cable car that leads 750m higher to 1834m.

Beautiful villages, like Potes, enjoying a Mediterranean climate with lush vegetation, as well as renowned gastronomy, add to the attractions of this region.

And the sea is close by with the beautiful sandy beaches of the Costa Verde, wild coast, cut by deep rias and isolated coves, of incredible beauty with the intense green of nature allied to the blue of the sea.

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