Picos de Europa to the Coast

Tour Type:

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

Activity Level & Terrain

This walking tour is graded Easy-Moderate. Walks are between 4-7 hours and there is an ascent/descent of between 250m to 600m each day. We have chosen some of the easier walks in the Picos so that anybody with a relatively good level of fitness should be able to enjoy this tour. However, as you are in a mountainous area you should expect some rocky terrain which can become slippy when wet and there will be some steep drop-offs. There are two more difficult walks. One is the Cares gorge walk which is 25km long in total and involves a fair bit of ascent (600m). However, it is possible to return from part way and not do the full walk and all of the ascent is near the start of the walk. As this walk also involves walking alongside a steep drop for most of the way, we provide an option for anybody with vertigo issues to travel with their luggage to Arenas de Cabrales and do an optional loop walk from there instead. And on Day 3, you have the option to take a de-tour to the summit of Horcados Rojos. If you choose to take this de-tour, this day would be graded more as strenous rather than Moderate. 

Navigation

The routes on this trip are generally way-marked but can be unclear at times so you will need to follow the route notes and maps provided. You will also 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.

• 5 Nights in 2* mountain hotels
• 2 Nights in a small rural hotel
• 7 Breakfasts
• 4 Dinners
• Luggage transfers on days 3, 5 and 6
• Transfers as mentioned in itinerary
• Detailed route notes, maps and pre-departure information pack
• GPX tracks
• 24/7 emergency telephone support

• Travel insurance (required)
• Travel to Unquera and from Nueva de Llanes
• Dinners on days 5-7
• Cable car on Day 4
• Lunches, drinks and snacks

• Additional nights before, during or after the walk
• Cheese factory visit and tasting session (arranged and payable locally)

When To Go

This holiday is available to start any day of the week between the beginning of May and end of October, subject to availability.

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!  We also recommend checking daily weather forecasts whilst you are out there and taking care when crossing streams which may fill up during the spring and autumn.

Getting to the Start

From Bilbao Airport - Take a bus or taxi (Approx 25€) to the centre of Bilbao. From Bilbao bus station take a bus to Unquera (2.5 to 3hrs). From Unquera an included transfer will take you to Tama.

From Santander Airport - Take a bus or taxi to the centre of Santander (15mins). From Santander bus station take the bus to Unquera (1hr 20mins). From Unquera an included transfer will take you to Tama.

Airlines flying to Bilbao include Easyjet and Vueling from the UK, and you can fly via European hubs with airlines such as KLM, Lufthansa, and Air France.

For Santander, fly from the UK with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Vueling. Or you can also fly with Iberia or British Airways

Getting from the End

Take one of the regular buses to nearby Llanes (20 min). From here there are regular buses to Santander (2hrs), Asturias (3hrs) or Bilbao Airports (4h15).

Luggage 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.

General Information

The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes.

Equipment

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, 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.