Most Inspirational Moment
Loved the Cares Gorge hike! It was stunning!
Thoughts on Group Leader
He was very knowledgeable and kind
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be comfortable with long distances uphill on steep terrain.
Reviews
Your Words – We tell it like it is! Holiday Reviews by previous Exodus travellers
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Reviews
Wonderful Tour!
Amazing tour! Such a stunning part of Spain! The views from the hikes were incredible but the hiking was very challenging! I thought I was in good shape until we started these hikes and quite a bit of it was steep terrain, which was difficult. I trained prior to the tour but definitely not 3-4 hours uphill at one time. Some of us stayed back at the hotel a couple of days since it was difficult, which also worked out well to relax a little. Just be prepared and know it’s quite challenging. Weather at the end of April/early May was perfect for hiking. Nice cool weather in the morning and rain late in the afternoon. Having snow on the mountains also made it even more beautiful. I loved the hotel and the views from the hotel. We had a great tour guide and wonderful group of people from several countries. It was a very well organized tour.
Walking the Picos
Walking here was beautiful. The food for breakfast and the 4 course dinners were delicious and memorable. The hotel staff were kind, friendly and always with a smile. They were always willing to help.
Most Inspirational Moment
The gorge walk. It may be the most beautiful place I have been!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Luis was an excellent leader. He was very attentive and encouraging to all. He is personable and has a thorough knowledge of the area flora, fauna, and history. He went out of his way to make us feel at home in his country. Laura stood in well the day Luis had to be away. She was very helpful to me.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Change seating during meals! We got to know our group well with this practice.
Picos de Europa
Great walking in stunning scenery in good weather with a very nice group ; what more fun could there be.
Most Inspirational Moment
Looking back down the gorge
Thoughts on Group Leader
Absolutely first rate. A few more stops for slightly longer to enable older members to catch breath would be helpful on the more strenuous bits. Charming and knowledgeable.
Advice for Potential Travellers
For those less fit or just older I think some of the walks were slightly underrated. A 14 mile trip up a mountain valley is not my idea of a grade 3. However I well appreciate the huge difficulty of grading to suit a very disparate customer base.
A fabulous mountain adventure
I went with limited expectations, and had only seen a few Google photos and some YouTube videos. I knew it would rugged and mountainous, and quite probably wet. The forecast was 7 days rain, and we had a wet welcome. However, Uriel, the local sun god, smiled on us and we had a mostly dry week with some pretty wet moments. The walking is spectacular. There is predictably a lot of going up and coming down, and a fair bit requires poles and some attention as toy where you place them. It is green, and rugged rock. We were tested in terms of what we could do but I was lucky and we had a group of 7 who were pretty similar in our capabilities. Louis the guide is local, knowledgeable, professional and friendly, an absolute star. The hotel was basic but provided all our needs, lots of hot water, a drying room and excellent food. The views from your door are amazing.
Most Inspirational Moment
I simply can’t pick one, each day provided a new peak. The Carres gorge is pretty amazing
Thoughts on Group Leader
Louis was excellent, see above
Advice for Potential Travellers
You need poles, sensible walking gear, multiple layers ( at the worst point, at the peak of one mountain I had 5 on, but needed to strip them as we descended.) Be prepared for all weathers. Personally, I’d take a hydration bladder.
A very enjoyable week walking the Picos
A very enjoyable trip. The Hotel Torrecerrado is a pleasant hotel just a few minutes walk from Arenas De Cabrales. The rooms were basic but comfortable, there is a well stocked bar with a terrace that offers incredible views of the mountains. The staff are friendly and helpful. The evening meals were of exceptional quality, I really wasn’t expecting food to be so good. Lewis our guide was super friendly and took us on some very enjoyable walks. The Picos area is huge, we only scratched the surface of what’s on offer. Honestly, I had never even heard of the Picos de Europa before seeing it on the Exodus website, it’s an absolute gem that offers huge potential.
Most Inspirational Moment
Our guide showed us round his family home, a renovated farm building in an abandoned village, that was really special and unexpected.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Lewis is a really nice chap. He is hugely knowledgeable about the area, not just the walking trails but also the history, flora and fauna. He's also a very considerate and safe guide who ensured we had an enjoyable time. 10/10 for Lewis!
Advice for Potential Travellers
We were lucky with the weather, sun all week (end September). However the area is prone to rain so bring suitable gear. The walking was tougher than I had expected, some member of the group struggled a bit.
Fabulous Trip!
One of the best Exodus holidays I have been on! The hotel was excellent, with the best view ever, very friendly and helpful owners and staff, and the food was the best I’ve ever had on any of your trips! Our guide Luis was an exceptional young man, with the most amazing knowledge of the area, historically, geographically and flora and fauna-wise! He is a gem and Exodus should keep him as a treasure in their chest! The scenery in the Picos way surpassed my expectations, and the Cares Gorge walk, although 7.5miles each way is one of the wonders of the World and well worth it!
Most Inspirational Moment
Summiting 2 of the 3 peaks that we were led up by Luis, felt very proud! The 3rd one on the last day I did get to within 75 metres pf the top but then vertigo prevented me from going any further. Luis was very supportive throughout and was pleased that we knew our limitations.
Thoughts on Group Leader
As I have said previously, he was THE BEST!!
Advice for Potential Travellers
You need to be quite fit for this trip, and walking poles are really needed for some of the steeper ascents and descents. Do not worry if you are a mild vertigo sufferer as it is really only the last peak on the last day that will really challenge you, and Luis always provides a nice comfortable area in a col to wait while the braver ones attempt the climb.
Exactly that
Better than walking in the Dolomites. Great variety and three climates in one mid-May week including snow. Hotel Torrecerredo is an ideal walkers hotel, clean, easy going, relaxed and good varied menu.
Most Inspirational Moment
Visiting our guide Luis's home and sampling local cider and wine.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Luis the leader was terrific, friendly, patient but confident at all times. Full of knowledge about the plants and local area.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Some of the walks graded moderate although straight forward and easy would be rated strenuous in UK.
Picos de Europa,Spain
Lovely week walking in the Picos with our great guide Luis.Very friendly family run hotel.Great food.
Most Inspirational Moment
The second day,warm and sunny with fantastic views from a summit for miles around
Thoughts on Group Leader
Great leader,young,very enthusiastic,extremely knowledgeable about nature- all the flowers,trees,birds etc .Very unassuming and mature for his age
Advice for Potential Travellers
Even in early may take warm coat,gloves,hat etc as one day in the mountains it was almost a blizzard and 3 degrees
Beautiful Picos
A great trip – fantastic scenery and a great little village with an even better hotel. Wonderful guide and ten fantastic walking partners made this trip quite memorable. Several days of rain tampered the mood but that’s what walking is all about.
Most Inspirational Moment
The last day was perfect. Weather was amazing following three days of rain. Climbed two peaks - Mancandiu and San Carlos - with breathtaking views. Just great walking with a fabulous group and leader.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nacho (Ignacio) was wonderful. Great sense of humor and very organized. A pleasure to walk with and I always felt like he had things in control.
Advice for Potential Travellers
I did the level 5 departure, and having done several of these, I felt this one to be less strenuous. I felt like these were level 3 walks with some extra mileage added. Although the scenery was fabulous, only on the last day did it feel like it was challenging due to some exposure and scrambling. If you're going for the scenery and to see the Picos, by all means do it. If you're specifically looking for some challenging walking, other level 5 trips may be more appropriate.
Spectacular Picos de Europa- 11th - 18th June 2022
Based in Arenas de Cabrales, known as the gateway to the Picos de Europa, a group of 15 explored the region which offered a varied terrain through forests, shepherds paths, green valleys, a gorge, river paths as well as being among limestone peaks. There was beautiful wild flowers such as orchids and blue thistle as well as wildlife where we spotted griffon vultures, chamois, brightly coloured butterflies as well as cows with their bells clanging around their necks.
The Hotel Torrecerredo was our base for all our days walking. It’s a small family run hotel with staff that went above and beyond to make our stay a welcoming and memorable one. The restaurant served delicious traditional 4-course meals and the bar stocked all our post walk requirements at very affordable prices.
Five minutes from the hotel is the village Arena de Cabrales. This is a picturesque village which offers many bars and restaurants offering tasty meals and a few souvenir and outdoor shops as well as local produce shops selling their famous Cabrales cheese.
Most Inspirational Moment
Walking the 12km Cares Gorge. This engineered path, built in the 1940's, is part of a hydroelectric scheme. It wasn't too crowded and you could walk on your own taking in the surrounding peaks that rise over two thousand metres above the path. I was lucky enough to film two vultures flying quite low. At Cains, the village where we had lunch, rather than walking back 12km along the gorge some of us booked an off road jeep that would explore hard to reach places and return us back late to our hotel - shaken but not stirred.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Nacho was our leader. He was very patient and informative. He was passionate about the culture, flora and fauna of the region and imparted his knowledge in an enthusiastic way. He also had a good sense of humour. The temperatures on some of days reached 38 degree, which was unprecedented even for North Spain, so Nacho had to alter the itinerary to make the walking more bearable. One day he started walking an hour earlier and another day incorporated a forest and river walk where we had opportunities of cooling down in the river pools.