Hiking trail in northern Spain has all the elements of a sublime tableau
The Picos de Europa mountain range offers a picture-perfect trek for hikers that carries the echoes of the nation’s history
Hiking in the Los Picos de Europa national park. Photo: Simon Dubreuil
From the dormitory window of our mountain hut the breaking dawn is a symphony of colour – pumpkin, saffron and pale purple – blazing in the eastern sky. As the sun slowly emerges, it unfurls a salmon pink carpet across the limestone. That’s when I see it for the first time.
Looming behind our hut is Naranjo de Bulnes, a smooth, vertical wall of rock that rises defiantly to more than 500 metres. Naranjo de Bulnes isn’t the highest peak in these mountains, but it is the most recognisable.
Join the Irish Independent WhatsApp channel
Stay up to date with all the latest news