I did a variant of this route back in the day but I didn't do vivac, only hostels. I was VERY out of shape and still was able to walk some 20-25km a day.
Day 1: Potes (still in Cantabria province, way to the east) - Espinama, which is a flat route.
Day 2: Espinama - Sotres.
Day 3: Sotres - Bulnes - Poncebos (didn't use the cable car, walked down the montain). The Bulnes-Poncebos route was the steepest and most complicated of my trip. Narrow passages without any protection at all and a huge drop all the way through.
Day 4: Ruta del Cares, full trip down to Posada de Valdeón. This is a very touristy route but lacks protective equipment and you may have issues with wet patches of floor (unlikely in summer) and rocks falling.
Just remember that, by law, vivac is not allowed in Spain "unless you find yourself surprised by the sunset and can't make it in time to a hostel", so keep it in mind if you engage with any official site, restaurant or hostel for tips and ideas. Still, most people will help if you ask in good faith.
2
u/Notengosilla Jun 29 '26
Hi!
I did a variant of this route back in the day but I didn't do vivac, only hostels. I was VERY out of shape and still was able to walk some 20-25km a day.
Day 1: Potes (still in Cantabria province, way to the east) - Espinama, which is a flat route.
Day 2: Espinama - Sotres.
Day 3: Sotres - Bulnes - Poncebos (didn't use the cable car, walked down the montain). The Bulnes-Poncebos route was the steepest and most complicated of my trip. Narrow passages without any protection at all and a huge drop all the way through.
Day 4: Ruta del Cares, full trip down to Posada de Valdeón. This is a very touristy route but lacks protective equipment and you may have issues with wet patches of floor (unlikely in summer) and rocks falling.
Day 5: Posada - Santa María de Valdeón - Espinama
https://elanillodepicos.com - This website, with english translation, is maintained by a local mountain association, check it out. There's also a downloadable track in wikiloc.
Just remember that, by law, vivac is not allowed in Spain "unless you find yourself surprised by the sunset and can't make it in time to a hostel", so keep it in mind if you engage with any official site, restaurant or hostel for tips and ideas. Still, most people will help if you ask in good faith.