Walking Down from Bulnes to Poncebos

Tuesday 3rd June 2014

While most of the group members went down by the funicular train - 4 of us, John, Malcom, Robert and I decided to walk the trail down from Bulnes to Poncebos. It took longer than Vero estimated - probably because we walked quite slowly actually. The trail was at least one metre wide. Only at some stretches was it really tightly skirting a steep mountain wall with a deep gorge below. We took almost 3 hours to reach down instead of the estimated 2 Vero told us. Many parts were steep downhill and uphill climb. By the time we finished I was really tired and fatigued and was quite happy to treat myself to a bottle of chilled beer.

These mountains are of limestones and over millions of years have been carved and shaped by glaciers. It is most beautiful during sunset and the rays of the sun gives it the orange hue which gives it the commonly called name of Naranjo de Bulnes ( Orange of Bulnes) Before the construction of the funicular train - the trail we walked down was the way the villagers of Bulnes go and and come up from and to their village. General Franco made his prisoner-of-war work on widening these trails to enable hydro-electric dams to be built along the river.