The Picos de Europa are a long way from St Malo in France. When we finished our cycling trip, we had a morning free in St Malo before catching the train to Rennes. We spent it wandering through the cobbled streets of this walled city and leaving the walls to walk across the low tide causeway to the islet of Le Grand Bé - with its impressive views back over St Malo.

Then, we caught the train to Rennes to catch up on washing and other chores before picking up our rental car the next morning. All aboard the rental car, we headed south on an 8-hour trip down the French autoroute system - smooth driving apart from a 20km, hour-long, bottleneck on the outskirts of Bordeaux caused by a truck catching fire, and a heavy thunderstorm as we crossed the border into Spain. It was a tiring drive, but we reached Getaria in Basque country for a 2-night break.

We had planned to stay at Getaria for a bit of nostalgia, as we had visited it 30 years ago when I was working in this part of the world. It looked the same - a charming old central village with cobbled streets on the edge of a fishing port with a pair of golden sand beaches, one protected and one on the far side with a big surf. This is because Getaria once comprised a sandstone islet at the end of a rocky promontory. First joined by a narrow causeway, now a breakwater and fishing port infrastructure link mainland and islet, protecting the eastern shore and leaving the western shore exposed to the Atlantic swells.

We relaxed by doing a short walk through the cobbled streets, along the sea-wall and up to the summit of the islet, with its grand views over the Basque Country hinterland. The day was finished with a delicious meal of "pescados a la plancha" fresh off the boat and a fine basque white wine.

The Basque countryside near Getaria

The next day we pushed on along the Spanish autopista, before heading inland on minor roads up an increasingly narrow valley system to reach Arenas de Cabrales. Arenas was the place where we would finish our 5-day walk in the Picos de Europa and we would leave the car in the big central carpark there while we did it.

At 2 pm, our taxi arrived to take us to the village of Espinama, where we start the walk. The drive was a great experience, first heading up the narrow winding gorge into these rugged mountains, then climbing up above the tree-line on a narrow 4WD track into their heartland.

The sky was blue, clouds hung about the rocky tops, cattle, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys grazed in the flower-speckled meadows and golden eagles soared above. Cresting the high pass, we then wound our way down to the narrow, dark green-forested valley of Espinama and our accommodation in this small mountain village. Thanks, Pedro, for showing us your mountains.

The trip across the Picos had been an unexpected surprise, made even better by the fact it was done in perfect weather conditions. We would walk this way in a few days time, but the weather forecast by Meteo España was "nuboso con lluvias" for the next six days. It was looking like our run of good weather was finally over. At least now, we will have seen the Picos at their best (and perhaps as well at their worst).

I'm sitting in our comfortable room in Espinama, listening to the peals of thunder rolling across the Picos de Europa. It's late in the day and the storms have just arrived. In fact, the weather pattern seems to have stalled and we had a good day for walking today. That was the good news - the bad news was that the cable car from Fuente De to the sheer rock-walled heights of the Picos had broken down 4 days ago and would take 3 weeks to repair. The plan for today had always been to catch the cable car and then continue the climb up to the rocky tops of these mountains - to explore the roof of the Picos. To walk up would have involved a climb of 1500m, the same descent and 20 km of walking. Those days have gone and it was time for Plan B.

Plan B involved setting out from Fuente De in the opposite direction to walk through the forested slopes of Monte del Carbon in the eastern massif of the Picos - a switch from the dramatic scenery of the summits to the postcard-pretty scenery of the valleys.

After taking the opportunity to look directly up 800m to the magnificent rock walls that back Fuente De, we turned and headed into the forest on a narrow dirt road. It was pleasant and peaceful walking with the forest birds singing and a variety of wildflowers showing off their blooms along the way.

The short up section soon turned to a down, as we turned off onto another track that headed towards the village of Pido. Openings in the forest and patches of farmland provided a range of different panoramic aspects of the massive rock face on opposite side of the valley. On our side, we had an occasional glimpse of the forest-clad slopes of the eastern Picos, topped with a few rocky knobs, but paled by the walls of the central Picos.

On reaching Pido, with its red terracotta rooves stretched out below, we climbed steadily into the lovely beech forest of Monte del Carbon, following a dirt road that meandered around the spurs and gullies. Eventually, it started to descend reaching a deep side valley, the Arroyo de la Penalba. Here, the fair Nello spotted a short cut - a foot-track leading directly down a spur instead of the long dirt road around the arroyo.

The track brought us steeply and quickly down to The Rio Deva and the village of Los Ilces. Here we noticed a sign with yellow shells indicating that we were now on a connector of the Camino de Santiago. There were also two other signs - one pointing across the river back to Espinama in two hours and the other pointing this side of the river to Espinama in one hour.

The beech forest of Monte del Carbon

We opted for the latter and, after retracing our steps back up a few hundred metres, headed off down this new path, which contoured the beech covered slope high above the Rio Deva. The air had been saturated with humidity in the shelter of the forest and, by the time we reached the red-rooved houses of Espinama, we were dripping.

It had been a very peaceful and pleasant walk with some great views of the rocky peaks. Nonetheless, there was still a slight twinge of wistfulness each time I looked up at those dramatic karst summits of the Picos. As the song by the Rolling Stones goes ... "you can't always get what you want".

It was time to farewell Espinama and start our crossing of the central Picos .... one big climb, one long descent and a small climb at the end. The big thunderstorm yesterday evening seems to have cleared the air a bit ... cloud and sun shared the sky and wisps of mist floated above the valley. It looked like another nice walking day in these beautiful mountains.

Peña Remoña from the north (I think)

Leaving our posada, we started the climb out of the Deva Valley on a 4WD track surfaced with roughened concrete to give vehicles traction. This gives an indication of the steepness of the climb, an average of 14% incline with some pinches of 20% for the first three kilometres.

It was a long, paced effort, up through the beech forest, past the red-tile rooves of the Invernales de Ilguedri, towered over by the rock dome of Pico de Valdecoro. Invernales are the mid-level pastures where stock are over-wintered.

By the time we left the forest and reached the Portillas de Boqueron, the stone-walled gate-way (or cattle grid) to the National Park, we were saturated with perspiration. It was time for a break.

Heading on, the climb became less steep as we followed a now gravel 4WD track to pass through the narrow valley of the Rio Nevandi upstream and into the majadas (high meadows) ... meadows surrounded by the magnificent peaks of the Picos. We were entering the Corazon de los Picos ... the heartland of these mountains.

The tinkling of cowbells floated up from the herds grazing in the lush green valleys, some donkeys lazed on the roadside verge as we passed, tan and black-woolled sheep rested in the sunshine on grassy slopes splashed with the yellow of buttercups. There were even a few horses to add to the bucolic scene ... the high meadows of the Picos provide summer-grazing for large numbers of domestic animals and have done so for time immemorial. We were also sharing the road with the occasional mountain bikers and 4WD vehicles, the latter mostly coming or going from Refugio Aliva, high above us.

High country sheep

Reaching a junction, we turned to climb a bit more steeply, up towards the brooding profile of Peña Olvidada and Peña Vega, towering 800m above. Refugio Aliva lay below their limestone cliffs, perched like an eyrie above the valley.

It was the high point of our walk and an excellent place for a cup of coffee or two, watching dark clouds billow above the tops. Our 800m climb was over and the long descent was about to begin.

The sun had returned and a cool, drying wind had sprung up, as we wandered down the narrow ridge separating the Nevandi and Duje Valleys to rejoin the main 4WD track. Having left the refugio behind, there were now far fewer compañeros, apart from the cows and calves grazing contentedly alongside the gravel track. Above, an eagle soared majestically.

Minas de los Mantoras - abandoned tin mines

Ahead, mist billowed up out of the Duje Valley, but gradually dissipated as we approached. The descent continued on the rocky track and, as the valley narrowed we found ourselves following the Rio Duje, as it tumbled down from the heights.

Descending into the Duje Valley

Cascades on the Duje River

The valley widened into an area of flattish meadow land, as we reached the abandoned settlement of Las Vegas de Sotres. Some goat-herding is still done here - a source for the famous blue goat cheese of the Picos. We left the old buildings with their stone walls and red terracotta tiles and continued our way down towards the village of Sotres.

When Sotres came into sight, it was perched high on a hillside ahead - clearly our descent was over and a short, but sharp climb after we rejoined the main road brought us into town and the very comfortable Hotel Pena Castil, where we would stay for the next two nights.

The walk today can only be described as superb. To say that the Picos are ruggedly beautiful underscores the visual impact that these limestone massifs, shaped and dissected by the weather and glaciation, have. It is not just the rocky peaks and ridges, but the high meadows that lie between them and the animals that graze there that give the Picos their character. Today, we saw all of this.

When we woke this morning and looked out the window, the town of Sotres was enveloped in fog - it did not look like a good day for seeing more of the amazing landscapes of the Picos. By mid-morning the fog had lifted above the town, but still hid the hillsides and mountains around.

Waves of mist rolled in as we did a short stroll around this town with its stone-walled buildings, some rendered in different pastel shades to give a touch of colour, and then had a cup of coffee. However, at 11.30am the mists started to rise and the odd patch of blue sky appeared - it was time to move on today's loop walk in a very different part of the Picos.

We turned quickly off the main street and climbed up and out of the town on to the grassy slopes of Cuetu Cima, the hill to the south, before heading eastwards across the flank of the slope on a track lined with wildflowers of every hue. Below us, the pastel shaded houses of Sotres spread out in front of the deep Duje Valley and the mist-shrouded peaks opposite.

Passing through a patch of beech forest, we continued to climb the pastures of a rounded hill, the cloud layer not far above our heads. At a saddle, straddled by the stone cabins of abandoned invernales, we crossed to the far side and joined a foot-track. It was nice to be walking on a natural surface and not a road. The track led us into a very different landscape - a broad valley covered in bright green bracken and darker heath, but one where karst outcrops and sinkholes combined to create a mysterious surrounds.

The descent of the Caniba Valley continued in a more northerly direction on a track that was both rocky and muddy, as it passed through beech groves and large swathes of bracken fern. Finally, it burst out from this more gentle landscape to reach the slopes above the Duje Valley and be confronted once again by the jagged limestone walls across the valley - we were back amongst the dramatic landscapes of the Picos and an outcrop of rock in the bracken was a good place for a late lunch while admiring it and the clouds that still hung around the higher peaks.

We then meandered our way upwards for a while along an eroded track to be greeted by a herd of cattle as we reached the top of a spur. This was another high pasture and ahead lay the old red-roofed stone cabins of the livestock-herders of years gone by, once again framed by the sculpted rock walls of the mountains - all postcard picture country.

Cottages beneath Alto El Valle (1392m)

A very steep concrete road connected this settlement with the village of Tielves below and it was our route down - with sections of over 20% incline and short, sharp hairpin bends, it made for interesting walking.

On the descent to Tielve

The setting of Tielve

After a short break at Tielves for a cold drink at the cafe-bar, we had a slightly anticlimactic walk along the sealed road back to Sotres, following the Duje River. However, it was a quiet road with only the babbling of the river in the deep valley below accompanying us. Fortunately, after a couple of kilometres, we left the road to continue the climb up towards Sotres on an old footpath, cut into the steep rocky slopes and scree of the valley wall.

High above the Duje Valley

It was a good way to finish the walk, with impressive views both up and down the Rio Duje valley, although it left us saturated in perspiration once again.

Finally, we crested the track to reach the top end of Sotres, before wandering down its picturesque streets and past the cheese factory to our hotel, where a cold celebratory beer awaited. It had been another fascinating day of walking, despite the late start and, having passed the cheese factory, we decided to sample its produce for dinner that night with a platter of the five different regional cheeses. The Picos are famous for their blue goat cheese and, having tasted it, we decided its reputation is well earned.

No fog this morning, just high cloud as we set off from Sotres to complete our crossing of the central massif of the Picos. We had an easy walk down the sealed road from Sotres, before leaving it to reach the abandoned stone cabins of Invernales de Cabad on the Rio Duje. A steep shortcut between the cabins saved us some road-walking and we quickly picked up the gravel road that wound its way up through the beech forest to a broad high meadow, the Majada de Robles.

The sound of tinkling cow-bells and their wearers greeted us as we climbed up the pasture covered saddle on a grassy track. The saddle provided a broad vista of this high meadow and its surrounding rocky mountains. We had reached Collada de Pandebanos, home of one of the regional cheeses of the Picos.

To the south, the majestic rock tower of Picu Urriellu, the iconic peak of these mountains, was starting to appear behind the frontal rock wall. As we traversed the pasture lands on a rutted track, more and more of the towering limestone peak appeared ... it really is a dominant feature.

The track now began to descend, passing scattered ruins of cabins and entering a grove of beech trees. The big descent had begun in earnest on an ancient track that had been lined with an uneven jumble of stones, but was also slick with mud from the recent thunderstorms. It was the start of a 500m descent over 3 kilometres - steep, rocky, uneven and muddy. Our pace slowed down as we were obliged to negotiate each step carefully - a fall here would not be forgiven.

Despite it being a difficult descent, we passed some pretty sections of the Rieja Helguera, as it cascaded down our descent gully. We also made a short side-trip to a lookout, from which we could peer up into the rocky wall to our south and admire Picu Urriellu one last time.

It was a relief to finally walk into the village of Bulnes, dwarfed by the rock spires that surround it. Spotting a spare table at a cafe next to a babbling brook, we decided to stop there for lunch and a coffee before continuing the big descent ... we still had another 400m to go.

Crossing the Rieja Teja below Bulnes

The first bit was a nice gravel road heading towards the entrance of the Teja Gorge, but, as we strolled down it the first peal of thunder rolled across the peaks and thick dark clouds drifted in from the west.

The entry to the Teja Gorge

The road ended and a stony path led us deeper and lower into the gorge. For centuries, this rough path was the only access to Bulnes ... the new tunnel and funicular rail has changed that, making it accessible to visitors from below, but there is still no road access. Walking down the gorge was spectacular, at times next to the tumbling waters of the Rieja Teja, at times high above on the precipitous gorge walls, as the scene constantly changed.

The peals of thunder fizzled into a few drops of rain and the sun even burst through on occasion, as we negotiated the final two sets of steep zig-zags to reach the junction with the Cares Gorge. That would be our adventure for tomorrow. We crossed the lucid green waters of the Rio Cares on an old stone bridge and climbed up to a sealed road. From here it was a steady walk along the river's high edge to reach our accommodation for the night, the Hostal Poncebos. It had been one of the bigger and more difficult descents that we have done, but the incredible mountain and gorge scenery compensated for aching legs and feet.

To make us feel even better, 30 minutes after we arrived, as we were enjoying an ice-cold beer, a second thunderstorm arrived and drenched the landscape. It is one of life's simple pleasures to watch the rain fall from comfortable shelter. For the last four days, we have avoided the forecast heavy rains. Could it possibly last one day more?

Poncebos lies at the junction of three gorge systems carved by rivers flowing out of the Picos mountains - the Duje, the Tejo and the Cares. When we arrived and were transferred to Espinama to start our walking trip, we drove up the Duje and said "wow!". Yesterday, we walked down the Tejo to complete our crossing of the central massif and said " wow and double wow!!"'. Today, we will walk up and down the Cares Gorge - is it going to be a triple wow? The expectations of this gorge are high.

From a sample of two, my hypothesis on Picos weather is that, if you have a thunderstorm one day, you will wake up to fog and mist the next morning. Such was the case as we set out to walk into the Cares Gorge - the upper half of the walls were filled with a dense mist. The Cares Gorge and return is a long walk, over 24 km, and when you are book-ended by late Spanish breakfasts (starting at 8.30am) and early pick-ups (4pm) for moving on by taxi to our final destination of Arenas de Cabrales, you know that you won't be able to walk the full length. Still we got away shortly after 9am and set ourselves a fixed time for the turnaround point.

We quickly strolled down the road to the start of the Ruta de Cares, a stony path created for workmen building a canal system into the sheer walls of the gorge to power a hydroelectric plant at Poncebos. We headed up the walking track at a steady pace, winding around the lower gorge walls to gain 300m. On reaching the ruins of some old buildings with views up and down the gorge, the reason for the climb became apparent - a sheer cliff plunged from the heights to the river below.

Strange rock formations

The climb continued to an even higher spot, almost into the mists, with now impressive views of the interior of the gorge. the vastness of this gorge is difficult to describe and photos will have to suffice.

Above us, in the mists, buzzards circled about the rocky spires (perhaps waiting for a walker to mis-step and tumble into the gorge).

From the high point we descended to the level of the canal-builders' track, an amazing piece of work, at times supported by stone walls, at times carved into the sheer rock face, a couple of hundred metres above the river. Apart from an abundance of fellow senderistos, we frequently met up with the goats that call this precipitous landscape home. One even followed the fair Nello, determined to lick the salty sweat off her legs ... such is how friendships are formed in the Cares Gorge.

The path from hereon remained relatively flat as it followed a contour that was not restricted by vertical walls - carved overhanging sections with sheer drops and dripping with water from above, and a series of short tunnels led us on. We were now following the hydroelectric canal, partly exposed with its swift flowing clear green water and partly surging through long tunnels in the rock. This must have taken an immense effort to build.

The gorge was now narrowing to create a more intimate landscape than the dramatic views of earlier on, and the river was not so far below, as it tumbled its way down, but time was running out. At the 10km mark, we declared a stop and sat down for our lunch, next to the canal and high above the green tree-lined course of the river, with limestone cliffs soaring up into the mists.

Then it was time to retrace our footsteps, admiring how a change of direction can add a new perspective to the dramatic beauty of this gorge. By the time we reached the ruins above the final descent, a cold wind had picked up and the mists were descending into the gorge.

We quickly headed down the stony path to reach the carpark. Here, I convinced the fair Nello to make a short detour up a gravel road just above the river for a view of the gorge from within. It provided an interesting view, but was soon blocked by a slide of scree.

As we headed back, the rain that had been threatening arrived and we unfurled umbrellas to walk the last few hundred metres down the road to Hostal Poncebos for a nice hot cup of cafe con leche. We had been incredibly lucky with weather as the rain set in for the rest of the afternoon - for all the forecasts of potential rain and storms over the last five days, this was the only time we got a bit wet.

The 4pm taxi duly arrived to take us to Cabrales and be reunited with our car. As for the Cares Gorge, it can be summed up in three words ... "wow, wow and wow!!!".