Picos & the Pyrenees

6 days · 4 driving roads · 125 miles of them · best May–October

Take the overnight boat across Biscay and wake up on the right side of France. The Hermida gorge cuts through the Picos de Europa, the Beyos gorge follows it, then east along the Pyrenean axis over the Coll del Cantó and the Aubisque's cliff-cut balcony road.

Getting there

⛴ Portsmouth – Santander — Brittany Ferries, about 26 h, several/week. Check sailings.

Worth knowing: The Santander boat is the whole point — two nights at sea instead of two days on French motorways, and you arrive rested. Book months ahead for summer, it sells out. The Aubisque is closed by snow into late spring.

The roads, in order

1. Picos de Europa — La Hermida Gorge N-621 · Panes → Fuente Dé · 33 mi · 1 h
2. Desfiladero de los Beyos N-625 · Cangas de Onís → Riaño · 40 mi · 1 h 20 min
3. Pyrenees Axis — Coll del Cantó N-260 · Sort → La Seu d'Urgell · 33 mi · 1 h
4. Col d'Aubisque D918 · Laruns → Argelès-Gazost · 19 mi · 50 min ⚠ Closed roughly Nov–May; the Soulor–Aubisque ledge is vertigo country ⛽ Total station, Laruns · 🍽️ Les Crêtes Blanches · 📷 Col d'Aubisque · 📷 Cirque du Litor

Drive it

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