Ruta del Cares, the most popular in northern Spain

There are people who love being outdoors, enjoying the sun and nature, and I applaud them very much. This is our home and the best way to educate the new generations in its care is precisely, to know it, walk it, observe it and admire it. And the Hiking is perfect, that's why today our theme is Cares Route.

Hiking does not require great skills, it is not exhausting if one does not want to and it is perfect to appreciate the world around us at every step. The north of Spain it has beautiful landscapes, mountain peaks that blend into the skies, and here is the Ruta del Cares, a popular trail between canyons.

The Route of the Cares

As we said the Ruta del Cares it is a popular trail, well known in the north of Spain, which cross the Picos de Europa between León and Asturias. The so-called Picos de Europa are mountains that are part of the Cantabrian mountain range and that, although they are not very extensive, abound in geographical accidents due to their proximity to the sea. It is then a limestone formation that passes through León, Cantabria and Asturias, with heights that sometimes exceed 2500 meters!

Returning to the route, it is an artificial path that men opened to early XNUMXth century to maintain the supply channel of the Camarmeña-Poncebos hydroelectric plant. This canal was built between 1916 and 1921 and it was expanded in the middle of the century with great difficulty due to the characteristics of the terrain. Every day there were explosions with dynamite and that claimed the lives of several workers.

The excavated path runs through eleven kilometers through the Divine Throat of Cares. The Cares is a short mountain river, a tributary of the Deva river, which in turn flows into the Cantabrian Sea. Its throat is something spectacular and this is where the Ruta del Cares runs, crossing caves and bridges. Although the river travels through a gorge much longer than the road, this part that is done on foot is what we call "the Cares route" and it goes through a high place above the riverbed itself.

As we said above, many hiking routes do not require super powers and this is one of them. Its level of difficulty is moderate, so anyone can practically walk it. The Picos de Europa National Park It is, thus, visited by around two million people every year who come to appreciate the variety and beauty of the passages in the area.

Between eleven and twelve kilometers is what you have to walk and that can take between four hours one way and double if it goes back and forth. That is, you can easily do it in one day. Comfortable shoes, food, water, a hat and a lot of desire to walk is all it takes to unite the towns of Caín, in León, and Poncebos, in Asturias, at both ends. Or vice versa.

It is a route in which dogs, leashed, are allowed. Not so bicycles because on certain dates there are many people and, for example, in tunnels it can be dangerous and annoying. The route it's free and free but there are tours organized with specialist guides that you can take advantage of.

The Ruta del Cares can also be done in winter because if you enter from Poncebos here there is almost never snow due to the low altitude. Of course, if you enter through Caín it is no longer so easy because if it snows it is impossible. Conclution: It is preferable that you do not go in winter. 

Guided tours from Poncebos usually depart between 8 and 9 in the morning. What beautiful landscapes do you see around here? Well you go through the gorge of the beautiful, with very vertical channels and walls, the Panderrueda viewpoint, Posada de Valdeón and Cordiñanes, in the Valdeón Valley, the Mount Corona from where you can see the Choco of the Wolves (an old stockade that was built to hunt these animals), and at the end of the road you will already reach Cain.

From Caín then the Ruta del Cares is carried out in the opposite direction. You pass through the dam and the path enters the Gorge through the water conduction tunnels. You pass the Trascámara bridge, you cross to the other bank of the river and you begin to climb, entering the most closed area of ​​the path and for that very reason more spectacular. The Bolín Bridge, the journey continues through The Armors and the Párvulas, you go through a couple of old buildings and reach 200 meters of altitude in The Collados.

Here one has the option of taking another path to Camarmeña from where you can see the Naranjo de Bulnes. Maybe it is worth it if you are not tired, because this is the only point in the entire Garganta del Cares from where it is visible. If not, you pass through the Puente de la Jaya and at the end you reach the Poncebos Bridge.

Some clarifications are worthwhile: El Naranjo is a calcareous peak that was formed in the Paleozoic era, the Viewpoint of the Well of Prayer It is a beautiful viewpoint designed by the architect Julián Delgado Úbeda; El Chorco de los Lobos is an increasingly narrow stockade that ends in a moat and has guard posts where neighbors hid and shot wolves that, in the past, were a threat to neighbors and livestock.

We already said that it's a nice route. It costs a little to start, when leaving Poncebos and for two kilometers, which is when it is gaining height, but it is not so much and once the route is overcome it is undoubtedly pleasant. It is one and a half meters wide since it was designed so that a car could pass. Yes indeed, there are no protections on the slope side so you have to be careful. You will see that there are many tunnels, always bring water and a hat, especially in summer.

So, when doing the Ruta del Cares you should only think about the date, what you will take and from what point you will start to travel it. And to enjoy!


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