Next August we’re going to stay with our friends that live in the Basque Country near Bilbao for two weeks. Going with the whole family so any several day overnight backpacking trips aren’t in the cards for this one. That being said, I’m planning to fit in one overnight with my friend and possibly my son (if he’s up to it) and a few day hikes here and there.
For the single overnight I’m leaning heavily towards venturing into the Picos de Europa. The relief looks pretty steep from the IGN maps I’ve looked at thus far and the limestone peaks in that range look interesting and a bit of a departure from the granite peaks in the Sierra that I’m used to. The Picos also look pretty compact and It’s a relatively short drive from where they live as well. Possibly going to let the wives and daughters stay in Santander at our friends in-laws summer place while we boys are out playing.
For the day hikes, I know we’re going to be doing a little high pointing – tagging Aitxuri, Gorbeia, and whatever else my friend plans out for us.
Any suggestions of routes in the Picos de Europa to check out or good day hikes within say 200k of Bilbao?
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