The Picos de Europa rise to over 2,600 metres barely 20 km from the sea — Spain's first national park (1918). The excursion climbs to the Sanctuary of Covadonga, cradle of the Reconquista, and the glacial Lakes of Covadonga, Enol and Ercina, set in high alpine pasture.
This is the land of Cabrales, the intense blue cheese cured in mountain caves.
