Picos – Day 3
Cabeza de la Mesa (Peña de Main)
14 June 2016
Distance: 17km
Ascent/descent: 1095/1435 m
Total time: 9h50′
“It’s a steep track”, said Álvaro. “There’s a good place for a stop after an hour. Go at your own pace!” He was right – it was steep, and we climbed about 350m in 50 minutes. The track ended in a meadow with a water trough which made a convenient seat for photos.
Álvaro explained the next section, uphill of course and through “the forest”. He exhorted us to stay close together, single file on the narrow path, as there were sections where the foliage was so thick you wouldn’t be able to see someone just a couple of metres away. I admit I was sceptical, but he was right. Although there was indeed a path, the next half hour was more like bushwhacking. A machete would have been handy until the trees began to thin out, but I expect they’re prohibited in the National Park.
Finally clear of the trees and into the sunshine, the last part of the climb was over typical limestone terrain – irregular and eroded karst mingled with short grass and low-growing alpines. A large yellow patch showed where snow had been lying until the week before.
The simmit is a plateau not a peak, with plenty of space to move around, find a seat, have lunch, take photos. The highlight of the view is the iconic limestone pillar El Naranjo de Bulnes which is a magnet for climbers. But why ‘Naranjo’ (Orange)? Let’s be honest – it doesn’t look like one. Wikipedia suggests an explanation.
There was still a lot of walking left in the day. First a three-tier descent into a farming valley, passing a small snow field, then a gentle climb to the Col Pandebano. All this time the weather had been warm and sunny, but the risk of rain was increasing. It started on the next section when we joined an ancient Roman path leading to Bulnes village. The path was everything a Roman road isn’t – steep, twisting, narrow, made out of rough limestone blocks which quickly became treacherously slippery in the wet. Each at his or her own pace we inched our way down for over an hour, thankfully without mishap, until we arrived at Bulnes and crossed a bridge into the village.
Bulnes has four bars, but only one was open to take our beer orders as the group gradually reassembled and the rain came on more heavily..
There is no road to Bulnes, so no minibus pick-up. Until 2001 the only way for people and goods to get to the village was on foot or by mule up a track from Poncebos, 420m below. But that year saw the opening of a funicular railway, 2.2km long and built entirely in a tunnel through the hillside. The journey takes 8 minutes, and residents travel free.
Exodus clients, on the other hand, can take it as a short-cut for €17*. As the last of the group arrived at the bar Álvaro announced that the last train would leave in 5 minutes, adding that most Exodus clients chose to walk down the track. Some crisps appeared on a plate, and despite the rain 16 out of 16 decided to walk.
* June 2016 price.
This Viewranger track lost GPS connection towards the end of the walk. The track from Bulnes to the Poncebos road stays close to the river in the gorge.