Trekking in Spain - Picos de Europa and Eclipse

Our trip begins today at Bilbao Airport where we'll meet in the arrivals hall at 12pm. Please note, the latest your flight can arrive is 11:30am. We'll travel as a group to Potes, where we'll spend this evening. We'll travel together as a group to- Sotres where we'll spend most of our time. The highest village in the Picos, Sotres (in Asturias) positions you with the sky at your fingertips and endless stunning walking trails on your doorstep. Situated between the central and eastern massifs, and within the designated Biosphere Reserve, it's an ideal base for exploring the mountains. This week, we'll be staying at Hotel Rural Casa Cipriano, a family-run hotel in the heart of Sotres. The rooms are comfortable with ensuite bathrooms and decorated in a simple style true to the manner of the region with wooden furniture and tiled flooring. Please note, on Day 4, we spend the night at a different hotel in Potes on all but August departures. The hotel also boasts a restaurant, bar and small shop, all run by the family. Refuel with hearty, home-cooked Asturian dishes in the rustic restaurant - the Fabada Asturiana (a smokey bean stew) is a must-try. At the end of a day's walking, the hotel bar beckons you with its cosy atmosphere - grab an Asturian cider or local wine and recoup by the roaring fire or sit out on the terrace and soak up the bustle and charm of local life. Then, in the family shop just next door, pick up locally made treats from souvenirs to cheeses and hams.

We'll head out on our first walk today, taking on the eastern massif of the Picos. A short transfer will drop us at Jito de Escarandi (1,250 metres/4,101 feet above sea level), from where we'll take the trail up to Caseton de Andara (1,725 metres/5,660 feet). As we climb, we'll be treated to stunning views over the Majada Jazuca Valley and the Canal de las Vacas. Even further, you can spot the Cantabrian coast and the San Vicente beach. We'll continue to Collado Tramacondiu (1,850 metres/6,070 feet) and walk around the Macondiu Peak to get to Valdediezma forest, from where we'll return to our starting point and Sotres for the night. Today's 18-kilometre/11.2-mile walk is expected to take around six hours with approximately 700 metres/2,297 feet of ascent and 680 metres/2,231 feet of descent.

We'll start this morning with a short drive to Jito de Escarandi from where we'll start our walk at 1,395 metres/4,577 feet. We'll follow old shepherds' paths down through the Valdediezma beech forest and pastures to Sobra Valley and up to Treviso where we'll stop for a lunch break en route. After lunch, we'll continue down the Balcon de Pilatos to Urdon. This route offers us fantastic view of the Urdon Gorge on a zigzagging path along the mountainside. At Urdon we'll meet out bus to take us back to Sotres. Today's 10-kilometre/6.2-mile walk is expected to take around five hours with 1,150 metres/3,773 feet of descent.

Don't forget your camera - today's walk is packed with unforgettable, picture-perfect vistas. We'll start with a drive to Fuente De, paying a visit to the Santo Toribio de Liebana Monastery on the way. Then, we'll take the cable car up 1,000 metres/3,281 feet to the rugged plateaux of the Picos and soak up the panoramic views over the national park. Continuing our day of stunning landscapes, we'll walk on through alpine meadows down the Aliva glacial valley to Sotres, stopping for a picnic lunch and to see the Las Manforas mines, which have been abandoned since the 1980s. Tonight after dark we head out in the company of local astronomer Rebecca Fernandez to a viewpoint away from the lights of the village to enjoy the stars and constellations of the night sky. Rebecca will have her telescope to allow us to see beyond what is immediately visible to the naked eye and talk to us about what we're seeing. The national park is well known for for its dark skies and limited light pollution, with the Milky Way a prominent feature. Today's 18-kilometre/11.2-mile walk is expected to take around five hours with 100 metres/328 feet of ascent and 1,000 metres/3,281 feet of descent.

After a short bus journey to La Caballar, we'll begin today's trail at 1,100 metres/3,609 feet, walking down to Camba Forest. We'll eventually come upon the old Tobaos and Valfrio shepherd's huts, from where we'll get views of the central massif. Once we've soaked in the stunning vistas, we'll walk onwards to Tielve for a spot of cheese tasting. The Cabrales Cheese de Tielve is one of the tastiest cheeses in the area, with centuries of tradition and a good number of national and international awards behind its fame. The ranchers here maintain the old ways, heading up to the sheepfolds in the summer and getting up early for the first milking. Giving us a real taste for life in rustic northern Spain, you'll spot cows and sheep grazing in the vicinity, roosters and hens scampering in the corrals and goats roaming on the nearby cliffs. After lunch, we'll walk back to our hotel using the old traditional path of Sotres. Our eclipse viewing experience begins with a scenic bus journey around 6:45pm, transporting us to the Collado de la Caballar, situated at an elevation of 1100 metres. From there, a leisurely one-hour hike will lead us to the Pico de la Tabla, a prime vantage point above Sotres. Here, amidst the panorama of the Picos de Europa, we'll have dinner as the sun lowers in the sky. At this time of year sunset is around 9.30pm in the Picos, and we should have an unobstructed view as the eclipse begins on the horizon. The partial phase is due to start around 7.30pm, with totality beginning at around 8.25pm and lasting for two minutes. The partial eclipse will then finish around 8.46pm. Our astronomer Rebecca will be on hand to enhance our understanding and appreciation of this rare event, providing expert commentary and insights throughout the experience. Direct viewing of the sun, even during a partial eclipse, is not recommended so we will be providing eclipse glasses to allow us to safely enjoy the experience. Today's 10-kilometre/6.2-mile walk is expected to take around four and a half hours with 350 metres/1,148 feet of ascent and 400 metres/1,312 feet of descent.

This morning we'll drive down through alpine scenery to Puente Poncebos (218 metres/715 feet), where a medieval packhorse bridge spans the Cares River. This marks the starting point for our walk today through the dramatic gorge of the Garganta del Cares - a cleft over 1,000 metres/3281 feet deep and 12 kilometres/7.5 miles long. In places, the path literally cuts into the cliffs and it's only possible to traverse its entire length with the aid of tunnels and bridges. This is one of the highlights of any visit to northern Spain and is a six-hour round trip on foot. After our walk, we'll head back to Sotres by bus for a well-earned rest. Today's 24-kilometre/14.9-mile walk is expected to take around six hours with 300 metres/984 feet of ascent and descent.

This morning, we'll drive the short distance down to the collection of red-roofed buildings known as Invernales de Cabao and cross the river. Then, ascending along a series of switchbacks, we reach a viewpoint looking back towards Sotres, where the track levels out before ascending more gradually onto a plateau. Here stands the tiny hamlet of Pandebano, where, in AD718, a battle took place between the Visigothic Christians and the remnants of a somewhat depleted Moorish army. Leaving our vehicle, we'll walk up to a 'saddle', where the huge monolith of the Naranjo de Bulnes (Pico Urriellu 2,519 metres/8,265 feet) comes into view. Rearing straight up from the surrounding rockscape, this rust-coloured mountain is the famous iconic image of the Picos. We'll walk up to the base where there is a refuge and the chance to see climbers attempting to scale the improbable sheer face. This evening, we have the option of a farewell dinner (an additional cost of 33 EUR per person). Our hosts will cook up a feast of local dishes for us to try alongside a tasting of local wines and liquors, while we get to grips with the Spanish ritual of 'sobremesa' (literally translating to \\ upon the table') - the tradition of whiling away time after a meal, chatting with a coffee or glass of something stronger in hand Today's 16-kilometre/9.9-mile walk is expected to take around six and a half hours with 800 metres/2,625 feet of ascent and descent.

Departing the mountains this morning after breakfast, we'll drive to Bilbao Airport (BIO) where we'll aim to arrive at 11.30am. This is where the trip ends. The earliest time you should book a flight to depart today is 1.30pm.