Spanish steps: family hiking in the Picos de Europa

The Picos de Europa range – which is inland from the Spain’s Atlantic coast – is in that select category of travel destinations where school summer holidays are actually the optimum time to visit. The weather on Spain’s “green coast” can change fast and it is important to have rain gear at the ready, and so August, the driest month of the year, represents the best time to try a trek.

In the Picos de Europa national park it’s possible to stay overnight in refuges – but there’s little need, as almost all trails can be enjoyed as day walks. The mountain range is small, just 40km by 20km, though roads are so winding that driving a circuit round it takes a full day.

Even in high summer the roads and trails were surprisingly quiet. Only the main resort town of the area, Potes, felt busy. Compared with the Alps or the Lake District, this area seems to have stayed beneath hikers’ radar. This may be down to association: northern Europeans associate Spain with heat, beaches and Moorish architecture, not craggy, Atlantic mountains.

The Picos are well looked after and all the trails are well-marked with signposts or painted markers on trees and rocks. On the few occasions when you may need to check directions people are always helpful – and the area is definitely family-friendly.

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