Lakes of Covadonga

Another excursion with the same company. When I turned up at the same meeting point as the day before I recognised the guide. Haven't seen you for ages, I joshed her. There was a second guide, speaking English, as the group was large.

Our first destination was the lakes. It is to the south east of Gijon and almost due south of Ribadesella, which is why I tried to take the tour from there, but there were not sufficient numbers for the end of season.

Our bus was parked at Lagos - Parking Buferrera. We walked up a footpath to this vantage point where we could barely see the ocean in the distance. Look carefully near the centre of the photo.

Here I'm looking back on the ascending path. You can see the parking lot at the far left.

Here's a wider view.

We arrived at the Centro de Visitantes Pedro Pidal where there are some displays including a replica of a room in a mountain hut. It's named after the person who advocated for and caused the creation of the Picos de Europa National Park in 1918. Apparently he was quite the adventurer and had a colourful life; read his biography.

And here you see where I'm standing, at the end of a loop in the ascent.

Our first stop was this, Mina de Buferrera. Yes, people didn't come here just for the scenery, they mined iron and manganese here until 1972.

We walked through the abandoned mine. The sculpture depicts a miner. 

At this point you might be asking how come I've made another trip to the Picos de Europa National Park, wasn't I there a week ago? The park is quite extensive and takes in parts of, going clockwise, Cantabria, Castille and León, and Asturias. I'm now in the western part of the Park.

The deposit is within limestone.

The path goes upwards. It's worthwhile diversion from the main path.

Looking back at the limestone rocks.

This is the upper lake, Lago de Ercina.

A couple of locals.

A well-insulated resident.

Another view of the lake at the end of the meadow.

There is a restaurant with a view of the lake that has a car park. It's the terminus of this road up to the lake.

However we had a loftier goal than that so we continue ascending.

And here we are, at Mirador de Entrelagos, looking down on the larger lower Lago Enol. The two lakes are glacial in origin.

This is the ridge we were standing on.

Our guide told us we had free time to wander and to be back at the parking lot by a certain time. 

A wide view.

I reckon one cannot view too much of such fabulous scenery so here's another view.

Zooming in on Lago Enol with the prosumer camera.

Trying to fit in the lake, distant ocean, and the ridge.

Locals I saw on the way down.

I wasn't that close, I used the prosumer camera's zoom.

A local from another tribe. It was just next to the path.

But back to the scenery, here is Lago Enol at water level. Crystal clear water but sedimentary bottom.

Taking it all in.

The scene behind me for the previous panorama. The road up to the mirador is on the right. You can see a restaurant on the rise.

I returned to the parking lot and relaxed until it was time to reboard the bus for the next segment of the tour.