If you’re looking for a family-friendly destination in Europe, Cantabria is a great fit. We’ve had three road trips in Northern Spain now and it largely remains beautifully unspoiled with spectacular scenery and lots on offer especially for adventurous families like us. We stayed in a 200-year-old cottage in the Liébana area with mountain views and not far from the medieval town of Potes. This provided us with access to the Fuente Dé cable car which is in the heart of the Picos de Europa.
Our route took us along the CA-185 from Potes to Fuente Dé and we were there within about half an hour. Although we knew the glass cable car elevated to around 1,800 metres in four minutes, it was quite something seeing it in situ as there’s a fairly steep ascent to the Picos. Having arrived mid-morning, we did have a bit of a wait (around an hour and a half). It passed quickly once we’d grabbed a bite to eat and there’s enough to keep children occupied. There are two cable cars and a numbered system so it was super efficient once we were in line. I have to admit my stomach was in my throat as we started our ascent but the scenery heading up is quite something.
Unsurprisingly, the views from the top are spectacular, you really do need to catch your breath to take it all in. Several people stayed in the vicinity of the cable car when we arrived but we opted to go for a wander and see what these remarkable peaks had to offer. We expected to see snow-capped mountains but little did we know we’d spot wild horses – no idea how they even got themselves 2,500 feet up!
The Picos de Europa has been a National Park since 1918 and it’s taken over 300 million years for these mountains to take on their current form. Shaped by the El Cornión in the West, Los Urrieles in the Central area and Ándara in the East, the park has the highest limestone formation in Atlantic Europe. The Picos de Europa is also a Site of Community Interest and a Biosphere Reserve.
With its own micro-climate, we could clearly see vultures and eagles circling about the peaks. The Picos de Europa is quite magnificent and certainly somewhere we need to explore some more of on our next visit to Cantabria. While we don’t always head back to places we’ve visited, we have some incredible memories from our time there.
