The Cares Gorge walk is probably the best-known path in Spain. It runs 12 km one way (24 km return) through a vertical gorge that the Cares river has carved over millennia deep into the limestone of the Picos de Europa, linking Poncebos in Asturias with Caín in León.
The path was opened in the early twentieth century to maintain the hydroelectric channel that still operates today. It runs almost level, halfway up the gorge wall, with sections cut into the rock, short tunnels and bridges over the river. The difficulty isn’t the climb, of which there is barely any, but the distance and the exposure to the drop on some stretches.
A few tips: set off early (especially in July and August), carry enough water, as the only spring is at Caín, and wear footwear with a firm sole. The usual starting point is Poncebos, 30 minutes from Alles.
