Good morning everyone. It’s now 7:30 Tuesday morning and there wasn’t enough coverage here last night to send a post. This morning I have ‘one bar’ but it’s not enough to upload any photos. So I’m going to try to upload text only. If I get a better signal later I’ll try to get the photos up. So here goes….

It didn’t work…

Hi all. It’s now Tuesday evening and to get coverage I’ve had to climb somewhat higher. I still can’t upload photos but here at least is the story of Monday. I’ll try to add the photos another time. The story of the previous attempts to get this blog out are below:

That didn’t work either

Hi all (yet again). It’s now nearly 11pm and I’m in a darkened room at the night 3 sleeps, Refugio Vega de Ario (also, somewhat oddly, known as the Refugio Marqués de Villaciciosa). Now with a slightly sunburned head and surrounded by the sound of slumber at various pitches, whilst we enjoyed a super dinner and a couple of very cold beers I’ve been unable to track down enough ‘G’ to get the Day 2 blog out. At tomorrow’s sleeps I’ll try again as I should have a good connection from there. In the meantime I’ll put the photos back in the draft. I live in hope.

With increasing frustration, that still didn’t work 🤨

It’s now Day 3 (Wednesday) late afternoon and I’ve sped ahead of the others to try and get through. Now I have some decent coverage I hope very much that you’ve stuck around in the hope of following my traverse of the Picos de Europa. This is my blog from 2 days ago. Phew!!!!

Hi everyone. It’s Monday evening in the Picos de Europa. I’ve just had a great dinner at the Reggio Vegarradondo. A fish paella with pasta rather than rice, pork with tomato and chorizo sauce and a dessert of biscuit in custard with cinnamon sprinkles served in a paper cup. The cook may call it something else (in Spanish) but that’s what is was in English and jolly tasty it was to. A sterling job was done in the tiny kitchen, producing the food while serving thirsty walkers beer, coffee and hot chocolate. We’re not the only group here, hence the orders for coffee and hot chocolate 🤣

But first things first. I have no coverage here so can’t resort to google for research and fact checking so I’m blogging blind and hoping that the signal will return and you will see this soon. Meanwhile I’ll return to the story with only the gentle and oddly reassuring sound of cowbells from the doorway of our hut.

We left the hotel at about 9 this morning. After a hearty breakfast, according to Rosanna the best we’ll have all week, we were minibussed to our starting point, beside Lake Enol. Please forgive me if that’s not the right name but, as mentioned, I have no access to google -I’ll correct it tomorrow. From there we made our way steadily uphill under the watchful eye of beautifully docile caramel coloured cows. There broad horns offering no to threat but serving only to adorn their serene countenances. It is docile creatures such these that are guarding our hut right now.

Steadily gaining height the loosely pebbled path flanked by grassy banks gave way to tracks at a more precipitous angle and we were saddened to see now abandoned homesteads. The mood picked up when following an excited call of ‘bird of prey’ a vulture swooped by. Sadly I have no photo of this spectacle. Continuing upwards on limestone rocky paths we reached our lunch stop. Sadly, until now we had been walking in cloud. The immediate views of caramel coloured cattle and their surrounds sadly didn’t quite live up to expectations but the sun was trying to burn through. We decided to have a bite to eat here then strike for the summit of one of the highest peaks in the park in the hope that we could climb through the cloud to emerge in glorious sunshine. And so it transpired…

After this early lunch of ham and pasta salad, bread and charcuterie and cheese, a nectarine and various snack bars and crackers we made our way up increasingly steep grey limestone paths. At least it was dry and very grippy.

As we approached the summit we were treated to a small herd of chamois, known locally as rebeccors, appearing on the ridgeline ahead of us. These normally timid and secretive little creatures were apparently enjoying watching us, watching them, watching us.

But after a while we needed to resume our climb to the summit as the weather was closing in. The angle increased dramatically and it was clear I wasn’t as fit as I had been the last time I did this kind of thing. But we all made it and bathed in warm sunshine on top of the world. This part of it at least. At 2026m Pico Cotalba might not be that high but bathing in warm sunshine with an extensive cloud inversion below more than made up for that.

The view from the summit was worth every laboured step and drop of sweat. We were on top of a cloud inversion and could see peak after peak swimming in a sea of cloud.

All to soon we had to head back to the refuge to clean up, pack for tomorrow and have some dinner. Sadly the cloud gathered again and the last hour home was in cold and wet mist, but we were pleased to have seen the view from the top. After an hour or so a fairly damp and tired group we to be seen trying to choose which bed to claim. Top bunks were popular until it was realised there were no ladders on which to ascend. It’s now after 11pm and several weary travellers are gently snoring while I write. What fun. I’ll join them as soon as I’ve had a drink of water and put this post in the queue to be sent as soon as I get some ‘g’

See you tomorrow, hopefully for some more sunny tales 😀