Day 1

From Brno to Vega Huerta

The journey starts super early. Getting up at 1am to catch the train to airport is hard, but worth a full day in Spain. Our goal - Lagos de Covadonga, two lakes up in the mountains of Picos de Europa (from where the trek starts), are 250km west from Bilbao. Better than waiting for trains and buses we get a shared car at the airport. The journey can begin.

We go along the coast on the highway first, but decide to head inland already at Unquerra instead of Ribadesella. We want to see the canyon of Rio Cares, which splits the Picos de Europa massive into two parts. Its a good twisty road surrounded by cliffs, with a beautiful river below, lush vegetation everywhere. Simply amazing.

Soon it starts to rain and the nights sleep we missed starts to show. Short stop with a nap is necessary before we drive further, searching for a village/town with a supermarket and ATM. The rain makes us a bit grumpy, but Cangas de Onis, the major township below mountains, makes us smile again. It has a compact, lively city center and majestic bridge (build by Romans) over a river Sella. Good vibes abound.

By six thirty in the afternoon we park in Covadonga under the watch of cathedral spires build from a red stone. This place is special on a first sight. Luckily we get the tickets for the last bus to the lakes. We repack fast and get into the bus. The drizzle and fog is permeating everything, but the excitement cannot be dampened now. Today we will sleep in the mountains!

As it happens, we are the only tourists heading to the lakes so late. The driver looks skeptical and grumpy, but drives safely through the foggy and magical steep road with many twists and turns. Even more, he makes us a great service by dropping us at the start of the trail instead of driving us to the lakes bus stop. Off we go.

As always, once we get outside of the bus, the weather is not as bad as it looked from the inside. Following the four-wheel track, most views are hidden in the fog, still we see some shepherd houses, and cows keep popping in and out of the fog. There are even some bulls, but they look peaceful. We march on.

Eventually, the four-wheel track ends in a grassy parking lot, where some other people are packing their bags. Natural park starts here, so it is on foot from here on for everybody. The fog gets more intense and stones slippery, so when we find the first suitable grassy patch we decide to camp for the night. There is an inviting spot for a tent behind bushes where we unpack our tent and cook a diner. Pasta mixed with fried onions and bell pepper fortified by tuna insalatissime is delicious. We sleep like stones.