Summits to Seas

Reluctantly I left the Picos behind with plenty to do on a return visit - a final climb up to Covadonga Lakes passing the beautiful church reaffirmed what a superb area this has been and indeed the final departure through the Desfiladeros de Los Beyos was a fitting climax with tiny Soto de Sajambre's access through a tight tunnel adding a final flourish.




There : bet that woke you up -  a random image from the past!



Anticipating something of an anticlimax I was soon somewhat in awe of the rest of the Cordillera Cantabria as I descended in to a lonely high mountain landscape of remote villages, isolated farms and endless snow capped craggy summits. Travelling as I was east to west involved numerous tortuous climbs to cols around 4000', as the valleys generally run north to south but the van seemed to take it all in its stride and I made good progress. Reluctant to get stranded if it snowed I found a low level spot to spend the night and was pleased  I had as the little drizzle that fell would certainly have put a thin layer of ice on the remote top roads that would be unlikely to see the attention of gritters any time soon.
Another vias verde - the Senda De Oso - passed a large bear sanctuary whose occupants are normally hibernating at this time of year in observation pens alongside the 40,000 square metre compound. However the mild weather had woken them from their slumbers and one was idly mooching around in the paddock - an impressive sight. Rather too good a lunch saw me wobbling back the last two hours before a quiet night was spent in the village square of  San Martin.
Crossing more dramatic scenery with tiny hamlets and farms clinging precariously to the steep rocky landscape took me across to the Navia Valley and a descent to the coast from where a quick blast along the motorway had me in Galicia where the Roncadoira lighthouse  provided another memorable wild pitch with numerous small boats out in the bay and a few larger vessels riding at anchor.
Following the coast round included a series of beautiful beaches, rocky headlands, sublime views and a lonely cemetery containing the graves of British sailors lost with the sinking of  HMS Serpent in November 1890 off the treacherous Costa De Morte . 
A suitably dramatic burst of squally weather marked my arrival at Cape Fisterra after which I  turned up at a small campsite near Muros. Although supposed to be open all year it seems deserted but I have pitched up as the wifi and water are on although the hook ups and showers are not. Thus the genny is purring away quietly as after quite a few nights 'off grid' my leisure battery needs a top up - it isn't dark here until 6pm but similarly doesn't get light until well after 8am so keeping amused takes a fair old toll on its capacity. DVD's have been watched, local TV, news and weather forecasts consulted and the blog, diary and photos edited regularly - these tasks combined with the planning of routes and activities plus all the usual domestic paraphernalia fill the evenings whilst I still have a day once every week or so to do laundry and just rest a little - something I have had to adapt to over the last year or so.
Anyway piccies acqui and locations acqui tambien - Portugal beckons mid week - now that really will be a linguistic challenge.......