An indented coastline
In the northwest of the country, Galicia stretches its 1,716 km of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, facing the Americas. Its sumptuous coastline is characterized by rias, inlets of the sea that plunge inland, sculpting its shores between jagged cliffs, peaceful beaches and wild islands. There are three rias: rias altas, rias medias and rias bajas (baixas), defined according to their respective positions at Cape Finisterre, Galicia's most westerly point. From Baiona to Finisterre, the rias bajas are the most extensive of these, divided into four estuaries: the rias of Muros and Noía, in the province of A Coruña, and those of Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo, in the province of Pontevedra. North of Finisterre, the rias medias encompass the rias of the Costa de la Muerte, as well as those of A Coruña and Ferrol. Unlike the rias bajas, here the ocean rises only slightly in the estuaries, forming smaller inland indentations. North of the Gulf of Artabro, the rias altas stretch from Cedeira, in the province of La Coruña, to Foz, in the province of Lugo. They offer steep coastlines and pristine wooded cliffs, softened by beautiful stretches of sand. Further east, the Ribadeo and Foz rias are smaller, with a much gentler coastline. The Asturias coastline stretches for almost 350 kilometers along the Cantabrian Sea, dotted with fishing villages, white sandy beaches and sheer cliffs. Its contrasting landscapes offer breathtaking panoramas, particularly to the east, where the sometimes green, sometimes snow-capped Picos de Europa give the impression of plunging into the blue waters of the ocean. Following on from Asturias to the east, Cantabria rolls out its 200 km of coastline, also along the Cantabrian Sea. From sheer cliffs to biologically rich rias, large bays and beautiful coves, the Cantabrian coastline offers a diverse and beautiful landscape.
Mountainous regions
An extension of the Pyrenees through the Basque Country, the Cantabrian mountain range runs for over 300 km through Cantabria, southern Asturias, the province of León and eastern Galicia. These steep mountains form a long natural barrier parallel to the sea, protecting inland areas from sea winds. Straddling Asturias, Castilla y León and Cantabria, Picos de Europa is the highest peak in the range, reaching 2,648 m at Torre de Cerredo, on the northern border of Castilla y León. This mountain range takes its name from the fact that it was the first land visible to sailors crossing the Atlantic from the west. It is made up of three different limestone massifs. To the west, the vast Cornión massif is bounded by the valleys of the Sella and Cares rivers. It peaks at 2,596 m at Peña Santa de Castilla, in the province of León. However, it is in the central massif, also known as the Urrielles, that we find the highest peaks in Europe and the most hostile landscapes. In addition to Torre de Cerredo, these include Peña Vieja, in Cantabria, which rises to 2,615 m, and the emblematic Naranjo de Bulnes, also known as Picu Urriellu, which rises to 2,519 m in Asturias. The Picu Urriellu is characterized by steep vertical walls that extend 600 m above sea level. Finally, to the east, the Andara massif has a gentler profile, with lower altitudes than the rest of the Picos de Europa. Its highest peak reaches an altitude of 2,400 metres, at Morra de Lechugales, straddling Asturias and Cantabria. To the south of the province of Ávila, in Castilla y León, the Sierra de Gredos belongs to the mountain ranges of the Central System, which runs through the center of the Iberian Peninsula. Shaped by glacial erosion, this granite mountain range is a succession of sharp peaks, gorges, cirques and lagoons. Its highest peak is Almanzor, 2,591 m above sea level.
Fabulous caves
From the Altamira cave to the El Soplao cave in Cantabria, from the Tito Bustillo cave in Asturias to the Palomera cave in Castilla y León, these northern Spanish regions are home to a myriad of underground galleries, rich in stalactites and stalagmites, most of them decorated with cave paintings. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1985, the Altamira cave near Santillana del Mar is undoubtedly the most famous. Although relatively small, at around 270 m in length, it contains one of the finest pictorial ensembles of prehistoric times, with drawings of bison, horses, wild boar and deer, among others. Near San Vicente de la Barquera, the cueva del Soplao is a natural wonder. Of great geological value, it contains 14 km of magnificent limestone concretions, including stalactites, stalagmites and helicites. In addition to these famous natural enclaves, Cantabria boasts other beautiful underground caves, also listed as World Heritage Sites. These include the Hornos de la Peña cave south of Torrelavega, the El Pendo cave near Santander and the cueva del Chufín in the Nansa river valley. With five Unesco World Heritage caves, Asturias also offers a wealth of underground discoveries. In the village of Ribadesella, at the mouth of the River Sella, the Tito Bustillo cave is the most important in the region, containing over 700 m of prehistoric representations. Just east of Asturias, carved out over time in the cliffs of Cape San Emeterio, the El Pindal cave is set in beautiful natural surroundings. The interior, a 600 m long gallery, 300 m of which can be visited, reveals beautiful Paleolithic cave paintings, with horses and bison as the main motifs. Other inland caves include La Peña de Candamo, in the village of San Román, La Covaciella and Llonín, near Picos de Europa National Park. Castilla y León also offers some fine examples of natural formations, with a number of underground galleries hidden throughout its territory. In the north of Burgos province, the Ojo Guareña caves form one of the world's largest karst complexes, with over 100 km of galleries. Created by the erosion of the Trema and Guareña rivers, they comprise a total of some 400 caves, covering an area of 18 km². Also worth mentioning in the Sierra de Gredos are the Águila caves, some 3 million years old, which reveal unique limestone formations of stalactites and stalagmites.
Spectacular gorges, lakes and cirques
From the Cantabrian mountain range to the Sierra de Gredos, the mountains of northern Spain reveal a surprising landscape of gorges, lakes, cirques and valleys. The Picos de Europa National Park boasts four deep gorges carved out by mountain rivers. The most important is the Défilé de la Hermida, carved by the River Deva. Stretching 21 km between Liébana and the Cantabrian coast, these gorges are the longest in Spain. Their almost vertical rock faces can reach heights of up to 600 m! Other gorges include the Los Beyos gorge at Cangas de Onís, through which the Río Sella flows, the Garganta Divina, formed by the Río Carres, and the La India gorge, through which the Río Duje flows. To the west of Picos de Europa, the Cornión massif conceals superb stretches of water between the mountains: the lakes of Enol and Ercina, better known as the Lakes of Covadonga because of their proximity to the town (around 10 km). Of glacial origin, they are located at an altitude of over 1,100 m. In the south of Castilla y León, the Sierra de Gredos is home to a succession of cirques, gorges and lagoons shaped by different ice ages. The best known are the Cirque de Gredos and the Grande de Gredos lake, dominated by the Almanzor peak (2,592 m). Covering an area of around 33 hectares, this glacial cirque is the largest in the entire central system. At its lowest point is the Grande de Gredos lagoon, also of glacial origin, which rises to an altitude of 1,940 m.
The highlands of Castilla y León
Located in the center of the Iberian Peninsula, the Meseta Central is a mountain-ringed plateau that covers almost half of Spain's surface area. In addition to the many regions it crosses, it extends over a large part of Castilla y León, known as the Meseta Norte. Rising to an average altitude of 700 m, these plateaus reveal relatively flat, sometimes undulating landscapes, devoid of forests. However, they offer striking contrasts as grain fields, vineyards and verdant plains follow one another. There are also a few areas that rise above 800 m in altitude, such as the Montes Torozos, northwest of Valladolid, and the Valles de Cerrato, in the province of Palencia. This monotonous territory is also somewhat shaped by the Duero, one of northern Spain's main rivers, which crosses Castilla y León for almost 600 km from east to west. Its many tributaries drain this arid land across much of the region. The most important of these are the Esla in the north and the Adaja in the south. The Pisuerga, born in the Palencia mountains, flows into the Duero northwest of Valladolid. At its mouth, its flow is greater than that of the Duero.
