Spain’s Costa Verde – Mountains, Villages and Coastal Colours

Highlights include…

• Cares Gorge
• Magnificent coastal scenery and fishing villages
• Cobbled streets and Roman bridges
• Soft morning mists with superb light
• Gorgeous Autumn colours (October)
• Superb flower meadows (May)
• Traditional local hotels & food
• Abandoned villages of Los Beyos, Ponga
• Cable car into the mountains
• Los Lagos, spectacular high mountain lakes
• Cheap flights from UK
• Spend time with like minded people
• Image development tuition including Lightroom

“Many thanks Geraldine and Martin for running such an incredible trip in a simply stunning area of the country. The number of wonderful locations you took us to make it a ‘must visit’ for landscape photographers… have to mention the food and wine, it was sublime”

Julian Jackson Sept. 2011

Some of Julian’s images from this trip

General Summary

A gentle and relaxed photography holiday exploring the magnificent Picos de Europa, it’s villages and forests and the nearby coastal scenery of the Costa Verde. An ideal opportunity to learn how to get the very best images out of your digital camera including Lightroom and Photoshop tuition. There are two departures in 2012, Early Summer to catch the many gorgeous alpine meadows bursting with flowers and October to take advantage of the lovely Autumn colours. Photographers who come here for the first time are totally amazed that such a remarkable place is not thronging with tourists. Soaring to nearly 9,000 feet and towering over the Atlantic coast of Northern Spain, this bizarre lunar landscape is enhanced by soft, morning mists with shifting light rising out of high pastures and is far removed from the dry and overpopulated southern ‘costas’. Little-known outside of Spain, the area remains an enigma with isolated villages where men scythe the flower meadows and wear clogs, old forests are intact, a wild rugged coastline with a strong Celtic culture; a truly magical photographic destination strongly reminiscent of Tolkien’s ‘hobbit land’!
A sense of adventure and your photographic antenna are all that is needed to thoroughly enjoy this holiday which offers a fine opportunity to create a superb porfolio of images from this diverse and highly photogenic area. The holiday is suitable for all levels and partners of photographers will be welcomed.

Brief Itinerary

For full details download the PDF dossier

Day 1

There will be a transfer in the afternoon from Santander airport to our family run hotel in the traditional mountain village Espinama, the Liebana valley.
Hotel Espinama (D)

Day 2

Early morning sunrise in the mountains followed by local village photography.
A late afternoon cable car ride up into the peaks with dazzling views of the whole area a superb sunset location.
Hotel Espinama (B,L,D)

Day 3

An early sunrise followed by locations in the surrounding area including Potes a traditional market town with cobbled streets and the pre Romanesque church of Piasca with very beautiful stone carvings
After lunch a leisurely drive through Castilla de Leon south of the Picos de Europa punctuated by stops to photograph the many special places en route. Our hotel is well situated at the start of the phenomenal Cares Gorge.
Hotel Cain (B,L,D)

Day 4

The Cares Gorge with it’s deep ravines, exotic plant life, dizzying cliffs, ever-changing light, turquoise pools and improbable rock scenery.
Hotel Cain (B,L,D,)

Day 5

To Cangas de Onis via colourful mountain lake at Riano and the abandoned villages of Los Beyos.
Hotel Soto de Onis (B,L,D)

Day 6

An early morning drive for sunrise at Los Lagos, beautiful high lakes in the Western Massif of the Picos de Europa. After breakfast through the mountains on a funicular railway to the medieval village of Bulnes and a fine roman bridge. Early evening drive to
the Costa Verde
Hotel Fishing Village (B,L,D)

Day 7

Exploration of the lovely and dramatic scenery of the Costa Verde with it’s quaint fishing villages.
Hotel Fishing Village (B,L,D)

Day 8

We will continue with our exploration of the Costa Verde by rising early morning for the sunrise. After lunch we transfer to Asturias’s Oviedo airport for our homeward flight.

An individually tailored extension can be arranged, please ask for details

What’s included

• 7 nights small family run hotels based on twin share. Single supplement 150 pounds
• 7 breakfast, 5 lunches, 7 dinner
• Wine with dinner
• All in country transport
• Guide
• Photographic tutor
• Lightroom or Photoshop tuition
• Transfer from Santander Airport on Day 1 and to Asturias airport on Day 8
• Funicular railway
• Cable car

What’s not included

• International flights
• Alcoholic beverages other than wine with meals
• Snacks and beverages other than with meals
• Travel Insurance

Complete itinerary and full details

This page is only a brief summary. A complete itinerary and full details can be found in our PDF dossier. It is important that you read the full day-to-day description and further information for this holiday before making your booking.

Booking this holiday

As an incentive for people who would like to book a group holiday, we are offering one totally free place for each 8 people booked. The free place can be used as a perk for the organisor, or maybe spread the reduction to benefit the whole group or to donate the savings to a worthy cause – this is entirely up to you.

To book contact us by email, phone 00354 5888939 or download a booking form.

We totally oppose the use of recreational off road vehicles in the Picos de Europa

Vehicles such as quad bikes and motor bikes are becoming increasingly popular in our peaceful mountains, they pollute the environment with noise and fumes, they plough up often fragile land… please think twice before choosing to travel this way. We will only use local agents who do not have any involvement in providing quad biking activities, for example Alfredo Gago UIAGM guide from Guia Trek Ojedo, Cantabria who offers many exciting activities such as Canyoning, Canoeing, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering and Trekking.