Picos de Europa Grand Tour

The Picos de Europa Grand Tour is one of the most breathtaking driving circuits in all of Spain, weaving through a landscape that has been shaped by millennia of glacial carving, pastoral tradition, and the sheer drama of limestone massifs rising from the Cantabrian coast. The range itself takes its name — "Peaks of Europe" — from sailors who, returning from the Americas, spotted these dramatic summits as their first sign of the Old World. The national park, Spain's oldest, was established in 1918, and the land within it has changed little since. Small stone villages cling to valley floors, cowbells echo off canyon walls, and the air carries the distinct mineral coolness of high mountain rock even in summer. The route begins in Cangas de Onís, a charming town still dominated by its medieval Romanesque bridge, and it loops through three massifs — the Western (El Cornión), Central (Los Urrieles), and Eastern (Ándara) — before arriving in the ancient market town of Potes.

The undisputed highlight of the western leg is the climb to the Lakes of Covadonga (Lagos de Covadonga). These two glacial lakes — Enol and Ercina — sit at around 1,100 metres and are reached by a narrow, steep road that is closed to vehicles during peak season (July–August), when a mandatory shuttle bus replaces private cars. Outside these months, driving up yourself is an experience in pure mountain pilgrimage. The road is genuinely steep and narrow, and for a VW T3 it demands patient, cool-headed driving in low gears on the way up and careful, steady braking on the descent. The reward is a plateau of astonishing green beauty, with the lakes reflecting limestone peaks and brown Asturian cows grazing beside the shore. Nearby, the Sanctuary of Covadonga is a place of deep historical significance — here in 722 AD, Pelayo and his Visigothic warriors won the battle that is traditionally considered the beginning of the Reconquista, the eight-century Christian effort to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula.

The central section of the route dips into one of Spain's most dramatic gorges: the Desfiladero de la Hermida, carved by the Deva River over millions of years through sheer limestone walls that tower hundreds of metres on both sides. The N-621 threads through this gorge with barely enough room for two vehicles in places, tunnelling through overhangs and hugging the riverbank. Driving it in a T3 is an act of pure van pilgrimage — the narrow width of the old air-cooled Volkswagen proves to be an unlikely asset here. At the southern end of the gorge, the village of La Hermida has a 10th-century Mozarabic church, Romanesque and earthy, that feels hewn from the canyon walls themselves. From here the route continues south toward the end point of Potes, a lively small town packed with cider bars and Cantabrian cheese shops. Just beyond Potes, the road climbs to the cable car at Fuente Dé, where a dramatic gondola hauls passengers straight up a 800-metre limestone cliff face to a high plateau with some of the best walking in the Picos.

For VW T3 drivers, this route demands real respect. The steep roads, combined with the T3's modest power output (typically 50–70hp depending on the engine), mean you should budget extra time, drive in low gears on the climbs, and monitor your water temperature carefully. Pull over at every vista — and there are dozens — to let the engine breathe. Campervans are well-served by the area: there are good campgrounds near Cangas de Onís, at Lago Enol, and around Potes, several of which have motorhome service points. Avoid July and August if possible; May/June and September/October deliver the same spectacular scenery with far less traffic, cooler temperatures ideal for a naturally-aspirated air-cooled engine, and the chance to experience the route at its most atmospheric.