Northern Spain TRAVEL
León fell away behind us as the N-625 weaved up into the Picos de Europa. By the time we reached Cistierna, the adventure had really started, with mountains rising around us, the road winding higher alongside the Ria Elsa, all the way to Riaño, where we made our first stop. The aire here overlooks the Embalse de Riaño, a truly tranquil spot.
In 1987, the Riaño valley was flooded, drowning seven villages, including Old Riaño, which now lies under the long bridge beside town. New Riaño is largely a summer resort for the Spanish, but a few shops and bars were open in late April.
The mist drifting across the water the following morning was ethereal and we spent a day meandering beside the water and enjoying the view from “seat no 10” claiming to be the seat with the “best view in León”. It was certainly spectacular, overlooking the most perfect mirror images of mountains above.
Once the mist had risen the following morning, we set off towards Potes, passing tiny hamlets, small fields with ponies and cows and clumps of wild narcissi. Snowy peaks came into view and, at 1,609m, we reached the Puerto de San Glorio with a large car park and a magnificent vista.
There followed a very long descent
