Day 6 * Hike in Sotres

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Morning: Sotres, Picos de Europa * Evening: Sotres, Picos de Europa

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In the morning, we start our 14-kilometer circular hike from the idyllic but very abandoned village of Sotres to Tielve. High above the road, with a view of the impressive valley, the path is rocky and narrow.

Tielve is even smaller and more deserted than Sotres, but the old washing house is well preserved and very beautiful. Now it goes uphill steeply. Drizzle and sunshine alternate.

Lunch break in 'Majada de Valfrio'. Dream view of the valley. About a dozen abandoned stone houses, an old village or alpine pastures? In 'Majada de Tabaos', the path is suddenly blocked. We climb over the improvised fence. The door of a house opens. An old man tells us with hand gestures that we are on the right track, heading back to Sortres. He is probably happy to have some company up here in solitude...

And then there's a cow on the path. Huge pointed horns and three calves. Oh... We respectfully keep our distance. Martin explains to her that we would like to pass. Finally, she is convinced and moves her children aside.

We continue steeply uphill on cow trails. The landscape becomes wider, gentler, and greener. The path, on the other hand, gets narrower, thornier, and muddier. Somewhere we must have missed the trail marker. Courageously, we struggle over the hill and finally find the small country road that leads us back to Sortres.

Now it starts to rain and becomes quite uncomfortable. Back at the camper, we treat ourselves to a warm shower. Later, the sun peeks out from between the clouds and warms us up.

In the evening, we take a walk through the village. There is a large cheese factory, a 'Tienda', some hostels, and bars. Almost all doors are locked. Only in two small bars is there some 'life'. We stroll on and enjoy the smell of mountains, cows, and oven fire.