A liner walk from Fuente Dé up to the Bustantivo sheepfold and back in the Picos de Europa National Park in Spain

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Walking in the
Picos de Europa
National Park

A Fuente Dé Walk
(Majada de Bustantivo)

Distance Approx.

Ascent Approx.

A circular walk from
Fuente Dé up to
the Bustantivo stock pens.

12 km

600 m

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The hut is made of concrete blocks, clad on the outside with stones to give the appearance of being a stone hut. The hut is unlocked and looking inside we see there is a tiny, glassless window in one wall, a concrete platform (bed?) on the left and a brick fireplace on the fight. Logs and a builder's hard hat litter the floor. There is graffiti on the walls and everything is filthy with a thick coating of animal manure. There is a water trough outside but it would still take a bucket, a stiff broom, a shovel and a full day of hard work to clean the place up enough to spend the night there. I suppose the farmer could drive up with a generator and a pressure hose but it would still be a big job.

Majada de Bustantivo - Picos de Europa - Spain

In total contrast to the vision which greets us inside, is the vision that greets us outside. We can see 360 degrees, all the way around. The area is surrounded by soft, undulating hills covered with grass, with the Picos de Europe forming a magnificent backdrop. We are now just over half way into the walk.

Some of us may choose to turn back here but there is another option. We can make the walk a little longer and more rewarding if we carry on past the hut, up the path as it bend sharply to the left. After a bit we come to a metal gate (1670 m) which is open, so we leave it open, and we start going downhill into a lovely, lush, open meadow full of cattle and a really beautiful, although lame, palomino mare.

Cow at the Arroyo de Somo - Picos de Europa - Spain

The path goes down to a small stream (1540 m) where cows are drinking. This is the Arroyo de Somo, or to give it its full name, El Arroyo de Agua del Somo. Later this will flow into the Rio Cantiján. When we have finished wandering around and enjoying the sheer delight of this beautify peaceful valley, we return the way we came, back to the Bustantivo drovers' hut and pen.

Going past the hut and the pen, we take the right hand path we noted on our arrival, going down through another beech wood with Old Man's Beard lichens hanging from the branches. We stop to watch a bullfinch searching in the leaf litter for tasty morsels.

Just keep descending down. Suddenly familiar limestone walls appear above the trees on our left, reminding us yet again of walking the Vega de Liordes and the Remoña Pass which lie beyond, just a couple of weeks before.

The ground here is full of these lovely, delicate little flowers. If anyone knows what they are can you please let me know.

There is a stream down in the valley. This is the Rio Cantiján again. First we come to a small bridge over the river (1420 m) and then notice a small waterfall.

Tiny bridge over the Rio Cantiján river - Picos de Europa - Spain

The terrain here is much more open. You can see for miles, and what you see is truly out of this world. Pyrenean eryngo grows everywhere although now, in late August, they are loosing their vivid blue colour.

We pass a modern stone hut, and as we round a corner we meet a heard of grazing cattle, still with their calves, mostly little baby bulls. They are so lucky they are not black, destined to be tortured to death by a bunch of sickos. Fortunately I have seen very little evidence of that sort of thing here. There are occasional bull fights in Potes but it does not seem to be a big thing round these parts, mercifully. Of course they are beef cattle, not pets, so they will have short lives but when the end does come it will be quick and clean.

Cows and calves - Picos de Europa - Spain

Spanish horses graze - Picos de Europa - Spain

And before we know it we are back at the junction where we turned right earlier. Now we turn right, heading downhill towards Fuente Dé. We notice that the fence by the cattle grid has been mended, in a rough sort of way. Lots of animals still have to be returned to their own side though. A spotted flycatcher and a robin make a pleasant ending to a happy day.

Before closing let me just mention briefly that there is another version of this walk, where you ignore the "path to Bustantivo" waypoint, go over the cattle grid, going via the Horcada de Valcava pass (1790 m), and the Barranco de las Duernas (1540 m), and rejoin our route by the gates to the Arroyo de Somo. I have never done this route but from what I understand it is about twice as long as the one I describe here.

More great Picos de Europa walks >>>

Great Books and Maps !

Walking in Spain (general)
		Navigating with a GPS by Pete Hawkins

		Navigation Techniques and Skills for Walkers by Pete Hawkins

		Outdoor Guide to Using Your GPS by Steve Featherstone

		Hiking in Spain by Stuart Butler

		Walking in Spain by Miles Roddis

		On Foot in Spain. A Walk From the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean ... Illustrated by Original Sketches by John S. Campion

		Cycle Touring in Spain: 8 Detailed Cycle Tours Harry Dowdell

Walking in the Picos de Europa
		Walks and Climbs in the Picos De Europa by Robin Walker

		Northern Spain: 10 Circular Walks Around the Picos De Europa by Peter Ward, Trish Myers, and Terence Keogh

		Picos De Europa: Car Tours and Walks (Landscapes) by Teresa Farino

		Trekking and Climbing in Northern Spain by Jim Thomson, Ilja Schroder, Jim Thompson, and Victor Saunders

Wildlife books and field guides
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		Birds of the Western Palearctic: A Photographic Guide by Hadoram Shirihai and Lars Svensson

		The Advanced Bird Guide: ID of Every Plumage of Every Western Palearctic Species by Nils Van Duivendijk

		Handbook of the Birds of Europe, Middle East & North Africa, The Birds of the Western Palearctic: A Nine Volume Set by the late Stanley Cramp

		DVD-rom: Birds of Western Palearctic (PC/Mac) Mac OS X, Windows 2000 / XP / Vista

		Where to Watch Birds in Northern and Eastern Spain by Ernest Garcia and Michael Rebane

		Where to Watch Birds in Southern and Western Spain: Andalucia, Extremadura and Gibraltar by Ernest Garcia and Andrew Paterson

		Birdwatching on Spain's Southern Coast: Costa Del Sol, Costa De La Luz, Almeria, Donana and Some Inland Sites by John R. Butler

		A Birdwatching Guide to Southern Spain by Malcolm Palmer and John Busby

		Wildlife Travel Map of Spain

		The Golden Eagle by Jeff Watson and Keith Brockie

		Golden Eagle: Sovereign of the Skies by Charles Preston and Gary Leppart

		The Golden Eagle (Shire natural history) by Jeff Watson and John Love

		The Sparrowhawk (Shire Natural History) by Ian Newton

		Other Shire Natural History guides

		Barn Owls: Predator-Prey Relationships and Conservation by Iain R. Taylor

		Collins Birds of Prey by Benny Gensbol and Walter Thiede

		The Pocket Guide to the Birds of Prey of Britain and Europe by Peter Hayman and Rob Hume

		Understanding the Bird of Prey by Nick Fox

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