Climate
The climate of Asturias and Cantabria, as with the rest of coastal north-west Spain, is more varied than that of southern parts of the country. The big advantage of this being that summers are generally warm with considerable sunshine and are very climbable, unlike most of southern Spain. There can be some rain too, however this is much less prevalent than in previous decades and the climate is now much drier.
Winters are coldish but rarely unbearable and as a green, mountainous region there is rain and snow. Once again, this is much less than in past years, and in the last decade the majority of sectors have been climbable into January. The bonus is that in winter when the sun does shine there is usually genuine warmth. Spring is the least predictable season, it can be perfect or a bit rainy, and tufa sectors can stay damp until May.
In summer there is enough heat to mean climbing in the direct sun is a no-no, but there are a lot of shaded crags and morning and evenings are often perfect. Due to the number and variety of venues there is nearly always somewhere to climb in Asturias or Cantabria and there are many venues which will be climbable all year round – choosing the shady hours in the summer and taking the sun in the winter. In general, areas with tufas suffer most in the winter through seepage but many of the wall climbing venues remain accessible and climbable. We will rate venues for their seasonal capabilities in their introduction.
León must be viewed separately and has an entirely different climate with very little rain all year round. With very cold winters and strikingly hot summers, spring and autumn provide ideal conditions. The lack of rain ensures fewer seepage problems and most crags remain dry all year round. Be aware that many crags here are around 1000m above sea level and the sun is fierce even though it may not seem it – and doubly so in León – so strong suncream and hats are pretty much standard for the summer.
Transport and travel
Transport links to these regions are excellent with very good links from major European countries:
Air – Santander or Asturias airports are easy to get to from major European destinations. From the UK Easyjet fly to Asturias from Stansted and there are also flights starting in 2016 from Gatwick and Heathrow as well. Ryanair fly to Santander from Stansted & Edinburgh. Bilbao airport is a bit further for central Asturias but is perfectly acceptable for La Hermida. Easyjet fly to Bilbao from Stansted and from Manchester.
Boat – Santander and Gijón are both major ports with car ferry links. Brittany Ferries cross from Portsmouth and Plymouth in the UK to Santander all year round. They also go to Bilbao from Portsmouth. LD Lines go to Gijón from Poole in Dorset and from St Nazaire in France.
Roads – The A8 motorway heading west from France is quiet, fast and only has a small toll section. From the south of Spain the A67 comes to Santander while the A66 crosses León to arrive in Oviedo.
Accommodation
There are plenty of places to stay in the areas covered by Roca Verde, with lots of campsites, refugios, guesthouses and hotels. There’s a quick overview of the options here and more details for each locality at the start of each chapter. One thing to note is that the Spanish tourist season is short and sharp with July and August being very busy and accommodation and campsite places can be scarce – book ahead.
Campsites: Generally high standard, and many offer bungalows or cabins too. However, the season for campsites is not generally year-round and it’s well worth checking in advance.
Refugios: These are generally compact and climber oriented – often dormitory style they’ll offer places to cook and serve meals. Generally good value and close to climbing.
Hotels and hostels: there are plenty of hotels to choose from and as everywhere they can be cheap and cheerful to downright pricey. Off-season you can find good prices in most of the tourist spots.
Casa Rural: Essentially the same as French Gites, these are fully equipped houses to rent. They can be for two people upwards and come in a variety of standards and prices. This can be a good solution for a group.
Where to stay: While Asturias is not that big and travel is relatively simple, there is still a good hour or more to travel between the east and west of the region so it’s worth picking your accomodation based on the region which is most attractive to you.
Geography and Wildlife
Strictly speaking the area in the book is almost all covered by the blanket term of the Cordillera Cantábrica. This is a mountain range which runs parallel to the coast and stretches from the Basque country in the east as far as Galicia in the west. The basis for the geology of these mountains is karst limestone with all the cliffs described in this book being limestone of one sort or another. As a ‘young’ mountain range the Cordillera Cantábrica has a dramatic look to it, with steep slopes and spiky peaks making a sharp divide between ‘Green Spain’ to the north, and the dry central plateau. The Cantabrian mountain range includes such important protected areas as the Picos de Europa National Park, which is one of several parks included in UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The wildlife here can be as dramatic as the landscape, with Griffon vultures and several eagle species. Egyptian vultures list amongst the summer visitors. Common buzzards are abundant while there’s also a good chance of seeing eagle owls, capercaillies, woodpeckers, jays and wallcreepers. Of the mammalian species found in these jagged limestone peaks, the most symbolic is the endemic sub species of chamois the Rebeco. Brown bears still cross the Picos occasionally on their passage between the enclaves in the Cordillera Cantábrica and even grey wolves continue to roam in search of prey including red and roe deer. Other noteworthy species found include wildcats, eurasian badgers, genet, plenty of wild boar and various bats.
Access and Etiquette
The inclusion of any crag in the guidebook does not mean there is a right of access and, as always, all access is subject to behaviour of climbers: behave well and access should remain as it is; behave badly and it jeopardizes access for everyone.
Some simple rules are: Be polite to locals, access to crags is often through private land and it takes a moment to create a bad impression and a lifetime to create a good one. Be especially careful if there is a farm or animals, please do not block gates and always park responsibly – an extra few minutes walk never killed anyone! Dog owners need to be especially vigilant. Don’t leave litter at the crag. Even biodegradable materials can take an age to decompose so it’s best to simply ‘pack out’ everything. The most common errors are to think that cigarette butts and tape somehow magically disappear…they don’t!
For personal necessities please try to ‘go’ as far from the crag as possible and please try to bury any waste material and toilet paper. Please remember that your dog can be a pest to others so always bring a lead. Don’t let your dog mess on the paths or under the crag. If it does, clean it up! Either bury it or pack it out.
Advice
It’s worth taking note of various things while visiting the area, especially if you’re coming with kids. In spring and summertime there can be quite a lot of ticks in the longer grass and ferns on the approaches to some of the crags. No ticks in the region carry tick-borne encephalitis, but do a tick check at the end of the day, removing with tweezers and disinfecting. Ticks are more prevalent in Asturias than León. In spring and autumn, snakes are commonly found near water sources – the local species can include vipers, so be wary. Next to vipers, goats may seem comparatively harmless but beware, they present their own danger by dislodging stones and causing rockfalls. Mastines are large dogs that guard livestock and (more commonly in León than Asturias) can be freely roaming the crags. Fierce-looking and often very loud, they generally mind their own business. Dog owners will need to be more wary as likelihood of a confrontation is increased.
For those with motorhomes it is worth reiterating that this is a very mountainous region and quite a few of the crags are in places that will be difficult to access, so be aware choices may be limited.
Thanks
As ever, with any guidebook the biggest thanks go out to the people who have equipped the routes that are included in this book. I hope that I have done justice to your routes, your visions and your areas. I will do my best to make sure the maximum possible is returned to those who have done the equipping to help them carry on with their work – and once this book is published I will pick up my drill and join them. Many thanks go to everyone who has helped with the production of this book and especially those who have helped to check the text and helped with contributions. Special thanks to everyone who appears in the book in photos and for helping me with photoshoots.
In this edition I’d also especially like to thank Javier López, José Romero, Rúben Darío, Miguel Herranz, Raúl Marcos, Ignacio Mulero, Manu Aller and Victor Sanchez Martinez for routes updates. For their photos: Manuel González González, Ignacio Sandoval Burón, Mario Santos Fotografía, Luis Canal y Juan Carlos Mariño. I’d like to thank my partner Mary more than anyone for her immense patience throughout the last three and a half years and for her help with lots of work on the book. I’d also like to thank Dan for his time and essential help with proofing the English text. And a big thanks to Jack for allowing us to drag him to crags far too often! For the Spanish text there are many people to thank, including Pablo Bles and most especially Ana Duque, however, many other people have contributed too, so thanks to all.
Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who we’ve met and who has climbed with me, Mary and Jack in Asturias and the rest of Spain and showed us so much kindness and allowed us to share our dream with them. Special thanks to Jairo and Talo. Fuerte a muerte!! #muymotivau