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Yet another Picos de Europa trip (guess you have to go)
I am fully aware this is the 100000000th Picos de Europa trip posted to this platform but its for a good reason. Get yourself there immediately
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Day 1 - Poncebos to Refugio Urriellu
We were warned that a Picos trip never goes to plan, and we learnt this lesson 1 minute into our first day when the route we planned to take from Poncebos was closed for maintenance. After talking to the cable car operator we decided to run 10ks along the road to the next possible trail to reach Urellieui Refugio, which left from near Sotres. While this may sound like not the best possible start to a trail run, the road itself was beautiful and pretty free of cars. Its then a pretty spectacular hike up the side of the mountain moving from pastures to scree and rockface. We hit a dense cloud about halfway up, however were treated to a magical clearing around sunset. Refugio Urriellu is well worth a visit whatever route you take. Its a base for climbers out to scale the giant peak it sits beneath and its super old school and comfortable. There are no showers but you can (as always in Spain) opt in for a hearty dinner, drinks and some biscuits for breakfast. The hutkeeper doesn't speak much English but he is very knowledgable about the area.
A few points of admin
You can book Refugio Urriellu here Vega de UrrielluReserva refugioshttps://reservarefugios.com › shelters › vega-de-urriellu . I think it books out in the high season so worth making a reservation. Make sure you bring cash!
The nearest large airport to Picos is Bilbao- about 3 hours drive away. At least in our limited search there isn't really a public transport link so easiest option appears to be to hire a car. There are plenty of places to stay in the villages encircling the national park to stay the night beforehand.
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Refugio Urriellu to Refugio Jermoso
In case we didn't fully appreciate that a trip to Picos never goes to plan, it was reinforced the next day. After speaking to the hutkeeper we were informed the conditions on the top track we intended to take to Refugio Jermoso were "muy mal" and should not be attempted, especially by two city based trail runners with too much fancy equipment. So nothing for it but to head back the way we came and then round the side of the valley and back up. However, like the day before, the trip through the valley was spectacular and this time on a dirt road so not heavily trafficked at all. We eventually popped out after some offroading at the Fuente De cable car. As a warning, between Sotres and Fuente De there were no open refugios (at least in June) so either take a packed lunch or have a few snacks to get you through to the cable car, which has a basic restaurant attached.
From the Fuente De cable there is a trail down to the town, after which you need to start climbing again. However we were a bit jaded from being off the trail for a while, and after peering down what appeared to be a sheer cliff face decided to treat ourselves to a descent in the cable car. After that, the trail heads straight back up what appears to be another sheer cliff face. Its a real slog to the top, however once you are there it is an absolutely spectacular traverse to Refugio Jermoso which is one of the most amazing huts I have ever stayed at. Make sure you are there for the sunset!
A few points of admin
Fuente De might be a good place to stock up on snacks etc if you are running short - there aren't that many spots that would sell things other than a sandwich. There is also a stream at the top of the ascent from Fuente De - would recommend bringing a water filter with you.
Things went a bit haywire for us between Hotel Alivia and the Fuente De cable car, so if you are using the GPX, be aware. We think at Hotel Alivia we could have followed the track round to the right of the hotel and gotten to the cable car that way, so you may want to consider that. On the plus side, our offroading in this section meant we saw (disturbed?) a golden eagle which was pretty cool.
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Refugio Jermosa - Poncebos
On our final day we were actually able to follow our planned route which was novel and exciting. What made it even more exciting was that it felt like there was a 50% chance we would die for the first three kilometres descending from the refugio. For reference, it took us 4 hours.
I joke, but be prepared it is a a bit of a scramble. Its a fully marked and well used path though which I think just goes to show what mountain goats the Spainards are. Once you are down, its a well deserved leaisurely cruise along the valley until you hit the Cares Gorge. This is a super popular walking trail, but we found we were still able to run the whole thing through to Poncebos and back to the car.
We stayed that night in Sotres which is a very cute town, and headed back to Bilboa for our flight the following day.
