Day four: Ruta del Cares

Our last day, Friday, dawned gloomy and damp but ideal for hiking. We decided to brave the hordes and join them to do the famous Ruta del Cares, which runs from Poncebos to Caín. And there were sure to be lots of people for Chris to overtake…!

"Attention! Dangerous route! Extreme precaution!"

The Ruta del Cares is not for the faint hearted: the path hugs the side of the mountain as if it too is afraid of falling down the precipitous, ever-present and unprotected drop on one side. And hiking in one direction is fine; unfortunately, politeness dictates walking near the edge to let other people pass when travelling in the other direction.

A short way into the walk from Poncebos, looking towards Caín. The path cuts into the gorge on the right.

The precipitous drop from the path down into the gorge. Taken about midway, looking back towards Poncebos.

As the route snakes its way through the formidable gorge, a changing and spectacular scenery comes into view. At the Poncebos end it’s all scree and exposed rocky mountainsides, which gradually evolve into a tall, enclosed gorge awash with greenery as you get closer to Caín.

The route in one direction is about 11km; we started off a bit late in the morning (again) and I wasn’t confident whether we’d manage all the way to Caín and back. But we maintained a good pace and, including stopping for lunch at the village, we finished it in about five hours. (‘Faster than predicted’, Chris proudly points out.)

Getting closer to Caín.

The small village of Caín, where the route ends (and our midway point!).

Nearly back in Poncebos and the start of the Ruta del Cares.

That evening, we had only our second good eating experience in Arenas de Cabrales. Laziness dictated that we headed to the restaurant (name to come!), which was just across the road from our hotel (Villa de Cabrales).

We chose the evening equivalent of the menu del día and it was lovely: I chose a leek soup followed by salmon in cider with, I think, creamed (i.e. mashed) potato. The servings didn’t look that large but they were perfect. Pudding was also very good although I can’t remember what it was…

And that took us to the end of our mini-break; a wonderful stay in a beautiful location. Thank you Chris! :-)