Access to Lagos: Dates and times

Various folds and glaciations have shaped a tortuous landscape modelled by ice and the effect of water on limestone, forming a grandiose mountain karst. The three main massifs of this natural wonder are limited by deep valleys and gorges, formed by the erosive passage of the sharp tongues of ice of the glaciers and the force of the waters of the rivers that, even today, continue to shape the stone to their liking, dissolving the limestone.

The Picos de Europa Biosphere Reserve and National Park of the same name was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 2003 and is made up of the municipalities of Amieva, Cabrales, Cangas de Onís, Onís and Peñamellera Baja. There is a small area in the municipality of Peñamellera Alta that is also part of the National Park , although not part of the Biosphere Reserve, because the extension of the National Park was made after the declaration of the Biosphere Reserve.

The rivers Dobra, a tributary of the Sella, and Deva flank the mountains to the west and east of the range, with the Cares and its tributary the Duje distributing the park into its three massifs.

In the Central Massif we find the highest peaks of the Cantabrian Mountains in the steep Urrieles, where the most emblematic landmark of the Picos de Europa rises: the immense beauty of the Picu Urriellu or Naranjo de Bulnes. Its 2,519 metres of complicated orography have not prevented human settlement, and the village of Bulnes is famous. Until 2001, it was only accessible by a narrow and steep path in the mountain. Since then, access has become easier thanks to the funicular railway that crosses the mountain from the village of Poncebos.

To the east of the Urrieles is the eastern massif, the Ándara, the smallest with a more gentle profile, whose highest peak is at Morra de Lechugales at an altitude of 2,400 metres. The westernmost of the three massifs is the Picos del Cornión, near the Royal Site of Covadonga, a religious pilgrimage destination for thousands of people every year. There, the lakes Enol and Ercina reflect the lofty mountains where the legendary history of Asturias was born.

In the cave of Covadonga itself you can enjoy the omnipresent trace of the karstic process of the Picos, in the photographic emergence of the Orandi river, under the image of the Virgin. Between the Urrieles and the Cornión, separating the Central and Western massifs from south to north, flows the river Cares, whose crystal-clear waters lash its entire course. Of the beautiful peaks of the Western massif, La Peña Santa de Castilla, at 2,596 metres, stands out. On its way we find the Ordiales Viewpoint, where a drop of almost 1,000 metres falls down to the valley, impressing all who visit it.

In the Picos de Europa National Park all types of pets must be properly controlled by their owner (on a leash), except for herd guardians and guide dogs, as the National Park is a special hunting area and, given the abundance of livestock at certain times of the year, any disturbance to them must be avoided.

Plant life

Large rocky areas, practically bare of vegetation, are the dominant feature of the landscape of the Picos de Europa, especially above 1,500 metres. At lower altitudes, scrub and pasture alternate with the remains of woodland vegetation. In the area of forest potential, the dominant forest types are beech, oak, mixed and holm oak forests. The lime trees offer their medicinal flowers to the inhabitants of Cain and varieties of flowers born in extreme conditions sow the hidden paths of the summits with colours.

The characteristics of the Picos de Europa correspond to those of a high mountain climate, with temperatures ranging from around 8°C in the mid-mountains to below 0°C on the summits, where rainfall increases and there is a high level of snowfall, mainly in winter.

Wildlife

A great variety of different landscapes are combined in this area, giving shelter to a peculiar animal kingdom of singular importance in the Iberian Peninsula as a whole.

It is common to see golden eagles flying over the mountains; vultures and Egyptian vultures nesting on the steep walls of the mountains; capercaillies in the forest areas, or mallards fishing in the lakes of Covadonga, together with the coots of the Ercina and the choughs that find food in the shade of the visitors.

As you go into the rocky crags of the high mountains it is easy to come across the tousled chamois that in spring change their fur to a deep reddish-brown. Roe deer, emblematic animals of these forests, coexist with partridges and wild boars.

The rivers that flow through the Picos de Europa vibrate with the unruly presence of otters, trout, salmon, Alpine newts and the Seoane viper.

In the numerous limestone caves, there are large populations of bats and it is easy to spot a large number of owls in the abandoned flocks waiting for nightfall to come out to hunt.