chefmaison

July 5, 2018

On our second day, still feelings soar from the day before, we chose this walk, thinking it would be rather flat. Correction: walks are never flat in the moutains. This walk leads you through forests of beech and oak on both banks of the Deva river. In these forests bears still roam, although the chance of meeting one is close to nil.

The trail is marked in counterclockwise direction starting in Espinama. The walk starts from Espinama. There is a panel with the route on it, on the left side of the road when coming from Potes. Here you walk down to the river Deva, where the walk starts just after crossing the bridge over the river Deva. After passing the bridge you can choose to take the road to the right that first passes through Pido, or you can take a shorter route to the left. The shortcuts isn’t used much because it was still overgrown when we took it. It follows the river for a short while, and then turns right an starts to climb.

When you come to a divide take the road that goes right an continues to climb further up. Here you can also choose to take the route to the left, that goes straight and is an easygoing route that follows the banks of the river Deva straight to Las Ilces. This shortens the walk with one hour. When you come to another divide keep left.

You pass large antennas and just behind the antennas this road joins the PR PNPE 27 that comes from Pido. You take a left here (T-intersection). Here you come on the Pierga route that connects Fuente De with Cosgaya.

The road continues to go up, but then flattens out. You walk through the Atlantic forest where wild bear still roam.

There must be a lot of deer too, because we find a lot of deer prints on the track. We even hear them flee at one point. The forest is very lush, and it shelters from the sun.

Just before Las Ilces the river Penalba comes down from the snow covered peaks in a beautiful waterfall. Then the road divides again, and you take the left road going down to Las Ilces. The GR 202 continues further to the right. The road goes down quite steeply. You cross the river Deva in the valley. Here you also meet the shorter path on your right along the river Peda.

Las Ilces a sleepy little farmers town, with beautiful old wooden granaries. At the entrance of the village apostel Santiago stands who is patron of Spain and of this little village. Above the town is a small church with a magnificent view where we ate our picnic.

Then the walk goes back up through the forest. Later is goes back down towards Espinama. The walk is said to take 4 hours, we did it in 5 hours. Better check for thicks afterward, we had several. We had a drink at a little bar, La Tarabilla in Espinama, and tried the local specialty: cider. Very refreshing after a strenuous walk.