Picos de Europa photography vacations

The Picos de Europa are Spain for the purists. The ‘peaks of Europe’, the last sight of home that many sailors would have as they embarked on voyages to the Americas. They form the backbone of Spain’s first national park: barbed limestone peaks spearing up out of meadows and ancient forest where bears and wolves prowl. Traditional ways of life such as cheese, honey and cider-making, and religious processions, flourish in some market towns and coastal fishing villages here, while other communities lie abandoned, lost to time. A Celtic heritage dating back to the Iron Age persists along the rugged Asturian coastline.

Forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, the Picos de Europa run between the Pyrenees to the east and Galicia to the west. It is a working landscape. Old trails lead between pastures and dairy farms, cattle graze somnolently in meadows, farmers scythe their fields. The wilder reaches of the mountains see fewer visitors, however, and will entrance landscape photographers. Cantabrian chamois scramble confidently over the scree defying steep drops into river gorges, morning mists drift away to reveal stunning viewpoints over rock massifs and ravines, and in the folds of deep forest stags can be heard bellowing to threaten away rival males. And if you’re there in the autumn, outside the main tourist season, it can feel as though you have this primeval scenery almost entirely to yourself.

Other days may take you along the photogenic Costa Verde, with its striking rock architecture, sandy bays and terraced fishing villages, where boats bob gently in the harbours and the colourful cottages appear almost stacked on top of each other. Tazones is bound to be a stand-out, wonderfully picturesque with its steep cobbled streets and brightly painted houses with wooden galleries. It’s also a popular place to stop for dinner, boasting a number of superb seafood restaurants. The market town of Potes is a lovely place to wander with a camera too, its old town a beguiling maze of medieval alleyways.

As you roam around the Asturias and León provinces you might pause among attractive but sadly abandoned villages set along the steep sides of the Beyos Gorge. Then heading upwards, Los Lagos are a series of high lakes framed against limestone peaks that are reflected beautifully in the still waters at sunrise. You may also take a heart-pounding cable car ride up into the central massif for spectacular panoramas across the mountain range.

Small group photography tours to the Picos de Europa operate in the autumn, with numbers capped at around 10 people. This means that you can stay in independent, often family-run accommodations that don’t have the space to accept coach groups. It also means that across nine days or so every member of the group will have plenty of time to get any support they need from the expert photography tutor who will also act as tour leader.

Operators will provide a list of essential and recommended equipment before travel – more kit gives you more options of course. Given the season you’ll want wet weather clothing, but mountain climates can be so changeable that you can’t rule out a week of warm sunshine either. Itineraries are kept flexible, to take advantage of on-the-ground conditions, and you can expect early starts and late finishes when the light is good. You’ll head out in all weathers, and it’s well worth it because the Picos de Europa landscapes look dramatic against dark, foreboding skies.

In the evenings groups come together to review each day’s efforts, so bringing along a laptop with editing software is strongly advised. These feedback sessions are positive and supportive, and can lead to rapid progress over the course of your vacation through the acquisition of practical advice from your tutor. It’s important to remember that these vacations are just as suitable for complete beginners as they are for more experienced photographers – whether you’re wielding a DSLR or just a smartphone.

“We’ve used the hotels here for years”, says Geraldine Westrupp of the accommodations favoured by Wild Photography Vacations. “They’re small family places, and they serve fabulous local food. Not only are the hotels scenically placed, but the villagers are always happy to be photographed too because they know our groups offer economic benefits to these communities.” One example of that is that your picnic lunches will be sourced on a daily basis from local shops and markets, which are also an opportunity for a spot of portrait photography. And if you’re a dairy devotee, then get ready to be happy – the cheeses of the Picos de Europa region are famed around Spain.

Trips typically run in October, when the peak summer season crowds have died down to a trickle. As well as visiting areas that are less frequented by tourists, this out-of-season travel makes a welcome financial contribution. You can expect it to be damp and chilly at this time of year, but the solitude, and the reds and golds in the foliage, make it easier to tolerate the rain. Patches of warm sunshine are far from rare too. You’ll be training your lens on this dramatic scenery whatever the weather, because sometimes all it takes is one short break in the clouds, a sudden ray of sunshine, and you’ve got a sensational image.