Pete and Caroline Stevens Somiedo National Park Western Cantabrian Mountains, Northwest Spain

Pete and Caroline Stevens Somiedo National Park Western Cantabrian Mountains, Northwest Spain 06 July - 26 July 2020 Plus short section on Sierra de La Culebra and on the Western Picos de Europa 26 July - 03 August 2020 This was not a well planned trip but a reaction to being restricted under Covid lockdown measures for some months and an opportunity arising to take the ferry from Plymouth to Santander in Northern Spain. The crossing was booked then we found a house to rent for 20 days. We stayed in a modernised stone cottage standing above the tiny Cantabrian village of Urria that is about an hour's walk down to the small town of Pola de Somiedo. Rough pasture and scrub of the hillside rose above us with cliffs beyond and we overlooked the valleys meadows and pasture below, with more distant views of the dramatic wooded mountain sides to their high pastures and screes. we took the overnight Brittanny ferries trip from Plymouth to Santander crossing the western channel and the Bay of Biscay. This is a trip that can be of great excitement, especially late in this month and through August. Though we were a little early we did at least manage several small groups of Manx shearwater and at least two Cory's shearwater plus a Sun fish just beyond Plymouth Sound. We arrived late on the 6th of July and due to a small problem with our old BMW were without a vehicle for the ten days following the 7th. All wildlife seen in that period was from the property or on walks out from there. When our car was retrieved we took journeys to the hills above Pola, to Peurto de Somiedo south of Pola and to the next valley: Valle de Saliencia. We awoke late to a brilliant morning and from our bedroom window spied a distant Chamoix standing on what would ever be known as Chamoix point. After coffee, orange juice and a shower we sought the fresh mountain air quickly to be met by two Egyptian vultures patrolling the sky above 'our village'. Soon Griffon vultures were leaving the cliffs towering above us and blackcaps were still singing in these Spanish lands. Rising up with the vultures on the far side of the valley was a young golden eagle. We knew then that we had made the right choice. Eventually we walked down to the car and took it into Pola to get provisions in. The rest of the day lazing around. That night we set up a moth trap, see moth list below. The next day we drove to Pola again. Too late for the Panaderia we went to the garage filled up with fuel and the realised that the mechanic was not there nor would he be "It was complicated he is ill". Then provisions from the 'cheese shop' and the local tiny supermercado: Gulliarmo's. We drove back to Urria and up through the difficult, narrow, winding concrete road to the house. Arriving I rang the RAC and we waited. Eventually a call came " are they with you yet"? As the first and only thunderstorm in our Spanish trip - and that was 'all mouth and no trousers', barely worth putting a coat on for we drove into town behind the pick-up truck. We then had a drink in Casa Mino and got a taxi back up to Urria. Walking up from the entrance to Urria we met Basilio and Maria, two summer residents of the village. They spoke no English but with our small amount of Spanish and some nods and shakes we conversed. It appeared that each day, bar most weekends, they descended to Pola for coffee at around one then again about six. They had understood our predicament and asked if we would like to join them? We determined to do just that the following day. The day's end was spent sitting outside in the peaceful cool. In our mechanically imposed quarantine now we looked at maps for routes to escape. Below the drive was a steep bank down to a track some 15 metres below. We decided that would be the first walk in the direction of Valle de Lagos. Binoculars and cameras at the ready we walked to the end of our steep drive, turned left and we were on the track. Stonecrops, pinks, bladder campion, knapweed, rockrose, common mallow and Spanish bellflower adorned the track-sides. Iberian marbled white, pearly heath and ringlet butterflies zoomed around in the rising heat of the morning. The tinkling song of serin serenaded our walk. Described as a walk, our walks are actually stops punctuated by short strolls. There was an abundance of flowering plants, many making good photographs, at least potentially. There were butterflies to frustrate us and there were birds both near and far to point binoculars at or to attempt to photograph. Our outward journey of not much more than a mile had taken us two and a half hours. On the way we had seen both common and honey buzzards, a family of red-backed shrikes, tree pipit and several small groups of mistle thrush. The 'chack' of stonechat followed us along with similarly toneless call of whitethroat. There were many young birds along our walk. To add to the beauty of the area fragrance surrounded us: marjoram, large thyme, roses and restharrow. Plus the heady aroma of freshly cut hay. Near the end of the track, through the wire and rustic post gate held up by its loop of twine to another post, we came across a smart looking house where the track was clean and smooth and dropped to the Valle de Lagos road. Here we turned back and headed home in the increasing heat of the day. A cirl bunting called a few times on the way back but was not to be seen. Back at the house shade on the seating area and a few beers was the main priority for the rest of the day - soon evening was upon us. As the cool descended the griffon vultures returned to their roost and a small group of red-billed chough echoed calls around the cliffs. A lovely end to our day. The tenth of July was a lazy day. We arose late, took our coffee and orange juice outside watching 'our' Egyptian vultures. We watched rural life in the village below where the hay cut was under way. There was a mixture of the traditional - scythes and rakes, with more modern hand guided power scythes (powered reciprocal mowers) and a couple of small tractors. In one rough field with a large ruined building stood a lone white donkey. The only donkey in the village! Approaching one o'clock we walked down the steep narrow road past a well tended terrace and a tiny brook, that ran past and through a community water trough, down to Basilio and Maria's house. Basilio was just getting his small four wheel drive out of the yard and we smiled broadly and pretended to thumb a lift. 'Masked up' we all climbed in and off for coffee we went. We had missed the daily, bar Sunday, "white pan man", as we called the bread delivery chap who blared his horn continuously for half a minute each day around ten. So we went to the Panaderia in town for our daily bread today. Coffee was taken at a small bar, restaurant and hotel next to the shallow fast flowing Riu Somiedu. Caroline was keen to try the local cider (sidre) so we opted today for cider not coffee. The waitress was soon retrieving a bottle from the crate placed in the river and then we were being taught the correct way to pour, from a height and onto a tilted glass so inserting as much air into the cider as possible. It worked and the cider was good but much seemed to find its way onto the floor. Was this a crafty way of encouraging one to drink more cider? By two o'clock we were on our way back to Urria for lunch. It was cheese and delicious bread washed down with a beer for us. Then, as it was slightly overcast and cool afternoon we decided to walk up the road to Valle de Lagos. Only just over a mile and a half, though uphill it was easy going and not a busy road. In a wooded area we saw a couple of Bonelli's warblers and a great spotted woodpecker. There was black redstart in the village and we could hear chough calling from the mist shrouded cliffs. The beers outside Casa Cobrana were most welcome then we were ready for the walk home - mainly downhill. Today we decided to walk through Urria and along a rising lane towards the ridge. Another narrow lane with abundance of flowers at its walled edge. Either side were haymeadows, some already cut and baled. A very few pyramidal orchids could be picked out and one large and mostly 'gone over' lizard orchid in the edge of a meadow. Occasional shade from a lane-side tree aided our way as the day got hotter. At one short stop an Iberian green woodpecker flew across below us. As we approached the ridge sturdy violet German Lilies were appearing in the meadows and there were numbers of butterflies. In a stand of hazel coal tit and long-tailed tits ranged and as the land opened up again there was a family of linnets. We stopped at a covered water channel where there was some shade and ate our bread and cheese lunch, before heading to the end of the track.

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