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Self Guided Walking Holiday in Spain -
Hiking the High Peaks Tour

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Greenery with flowers with the Picos in the background
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This unescorted walking holiday in Spain has been designed to explore the amazing variety of landscapes on the north side of the Picos mountains. It starts and finishes at the Hotel Picos de Europa in Arenas de Cabrales and you also stay in the village of Sotres, right in the heart of the National Park.

Walking holiday suitable for all ages

The daily walks allow you to take in some marvellous scenery including the awe inspiring Cares Gorge, enjoy a wide variety of flora and fauna, and the simple beauty of tiny mountain villages. The planned routes are suitable for all age groups, always along footpaths or mountain tracks and never on roads.

Each walk lasts around 4 to 6 hours and a packed lunch is provided every day. In the evening you are served a well-earned dinner, and in the morning a good breakfast awaits you before setting off.

About the walk

Please note: Walks are for level 2 or 3 ability (suitable for anyone who is physically fit) with an average total ascent or descent of 550 or 750m; except for the highest walk on day 6 when you ascend a total of 1100m up to the mountain hut!

Walking holiday itinerary

Hiking the high peaks 7 night itinerary

Commencing on Monday or Thursday between 5 May and 30 October 2008
Day 1 Drive to Arenas where you stay for the first 3 and last nights of the trip. Our representative will meet with you before dinner to explain all you need to know about your walks for the next 6 days.
Day 2 Your first day is spent walking beside the dramatic Cares Gorge along a narrow pathway carved out of limestone (22k return or shorter if you prefer).
Day 3 Enjoy a walk from Arenas via Nava (5½hrs) or Vanu (4hrs) through meadows and woods with an opportunity to spot birds of prey, see interesting flora and fauna and enjoy excellent views of the Picos.
Day 4 After a short transfer, you walk (4hrs) from Tielve through pastures and a fairytale landscape of old beech woods, reaching a pass at 1240m (magnificent views of the Picu Urriellu and Central Massif) before continuing down to your hotel in Sotres, one of the highest villages in the Picos de Europa.
Day 5 Today you can do a circular walk (4 to 5½hrs) through a moonlike landscape of barren peaks in the Eastern Massif, a former industrial mining area, or opt for a 2hr stroll along 4x4 tracks.
Day 6 Choose between 3 walks of varying degrees of difficulty: ascend to the mountain refuge (1970m) at Vega de Urriellu (6hrs); explore the wooded Capercaille route (4½hrs); or take a longer (7hrs) but easier hike along 4x4 tracks through the glacier valley of Aliva.
Day 7 Leave the hotel and green meadows of Sotres to walk to Pandebano Col, and then continue along an old cobbled footpath to Bulnes (a village that cannot be accessed by car!). From here you descend by funicular railway or on foot via the Texu gorge to Poncebos and pick up the transfer to your hotel in Arenas.

Other Options available with this walking holiday

If you prefer to leave your car at home, a return taxi transfer can be arranged between Santander ferry port and your hotel in Arenas de Cabrales at a cost of €176 for up to 4 people, or €210 for 5-8 passengers – payable on arrival in Spain. Whether you take a car or not, your luggage is transported for you between the two hotels during the holiday, and should you require assistance at any time you can contact our representatives.

Prices for the Hiking the high peaks walking holiday

Full board
Tour Date Of Stay		 7 Nights
Twin		 7 Nights
Twin		 Single Triple
23/5 - 28/9 £798 £984 £666 £1323
5/5-22/5 & 29/9-30/10 £698 £984 £666 £1323

Inclusive Pricing

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Prices in black are per person in a party of 2 based on date of stay and include:

  • Full board in a twin room for 7 nights
  • Return sailing to Spain for a standard car plus a 4 berth inside cabin each way
  • Full information pack & services of representative on arrival at first hotel

Extra Rooms

Prices in blue are for the tour per room (not per person) and can be added to any of our holidays.

Spain peak sailing supplements* each way from 18/7 to 30/8

7 Nights and over £103
*Supplements are per car and do not apply to departures on these dates: 21/7, 24/7, 28/7, 31/7, 17/8, 20/8, 24/8 & 27/8.

Other Options

To calculate other party sizes, to sail via France or to mix and match any of our holidays please call 0870 5 561 600.

Please read our inclusive pricing guide.