An indented coastline
In the north-west of the country, Galicia spreads its 1,716 km of coastline along the Atlantic Ocean, facing the Americas. Its sumptuous coastline is characterised by its rías, arms of the sea that run inland, sculpting its shores between jagged cliffs, beaches with peaceful waters and wild islands. There are three types of river: the high rivers, the medium rivers and the low rivers (baixas), defined according to their respective positions at Cape Finisterre, the westernmost point of Galicia. From Baiona to Finisterre, the Baixas are the most extensive of these and are divided into four estuaries: the Ría de Muros and Noía, in the province of A Coruña, and those of Arousa, Pontevedra and Vigo, in the province of Pontevedra. To the north of Finisterre, the median rivers include the rivers of the Costa de la Muerte, as well as those of A Coruña and Ferrol. Unlike the low-lying rivers, the ocean here only rises slightly in the estuaries, forming smaller inland indentations. To the north of the Gulf of Artabro, the rías altas extend from Cedeira, in the province of A Coruña, to Foz, in the province of Lugo. They offer steep coasts and pristine wooded cliffs, softened by beautiful stretches of sand. Further east, the Ribadeo and Foz rías are smaller, with a much gentler coastline. In Asturias, the coastline borders the Cantabrian Sea for almost 350 kilometres, dotted with fishing villages, white sandy beaches and sheer cliffs. Its contrasting landscapes offer breathtaking panoramas, especially in the east where the Picos de Europa, sometimes green, sometimes snow-covered, give the impression of diving into the blue waters of the ocean. Continuing the Asturias to the east, Cantabria has 200 km of coastline, also along the Cantabrian Sea. From its steep cliffs to its biologically rich rivers, passing through its large bays and beautiful coves, the Cantabrian coastline offers a diverse and beautiful landscape.
Mountainous regions
Extending from the Pyrenees through the Basque Country, the Cantabrian mountain range crosses Cantabria, the south of Asturias, the province of Leon and the east of Galicia for more than 300 km. These steep mountains form a long natural barrier parallel to the sea, protecting the inland areas from the sea winds. Straddling Asturias, Castilla y León and Cantabria, the Picos de Europa is the highest mountain range in this chain, reaching a height of 2,648 m at Torre de Cerredo, on the northern border of the Castilla y León region. 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 massifs with different limestones. In the west, the vast Cornión massif is bounded by the valleys of the rivers Sella and Cares. Its highest point is Peña Santa de Castilla, in the province of León, at 2,596 m. However, it is in the central massif, also called the Urrielles, that we find the highest peaks of the Picos de Europa and the most hostile landscapes. In addition to the Torre de Cerredo, we should mention the Peña Vieja, in Cantabria, which rises to 2,615 m, and the emblematic Naranjo de Bulnes, also known as the Picu Urriellu, which reaches 2,519 m in Asturias. The latter is characterised 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 2,400 metres, in the Morra de Lechugales, straddling Asturias and Cantabria. In 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 crosses the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. This granite mountain range, shaped by glacial erosion, is a succession of sharp peaks, gorges, cirques and lagoons. It culminates at the Almanzor peak, at 2,591 m altitude.
Fabulous caves
From the Altamira cave to that of El Soplao, in Cantabria, via the Tito Bustillo cave in Asturias and the Palomera cave in Castilla y León, these regions of northern Spain 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, located near Santillana del Mar, is undoubtedly the most famous of them. Although it is relatively small, about 270 m long, it contains one of the most beautiful pictorial ensembles of prehistoric times, with drawings of bison, horses, wild boars and deer, among others. Near San Vicente de la Barquera, the Soploa cave is a natural wonder. Of great geological value, it contains magnificent limestone concretions, such as stalactites, stalagmites and helicites, over a length of 14 km. In addition to these famous natural enclaves, Cantabria has other beautiful underground cavities, which have also been declared World Heritage Sites. These include the Hornos de la Peña cave, located south of Torrelavega, the El Pendo cave, near Santander, and the Chufín cave, located in the Nansa river valley. Asturias also has five Unesco World Heritage caves, which offer beautiful underground discoveries. In the village of Ribadesella, at the mouth of the river Sella, the cave of Tito Bustillo is the most important of the region, it contains more than a hundred prehistoric representations on 700 m. In the east of Asturias, dug over time into the cliffs of Cape San Emeterio, the cave of El Pindal is located in a beautiful natural environment. The interior, a 600 m long gallery of which 300 m can be visited, reveals beautiful cave paintings from the Paleolithic period, with horses and bison as the main motifs. Inland, the caves of La Peña de Candamo, in the village of San Román, La Covaciella and Llonín, near the Picos de Europa National Park, are also worth mentioning. Castilla y León also has some beautiful examples of natural formations, with some underground galleries hidden in its territory. In the north of the province of Burgos, the Ojo Guareña caves form one of the most important karst complexes in the world, with more than 100 km of galleries. They are the result of the erosion of the rivers Trema and Guareña, and have a total of around 400 cavities, covering an area of 18 km². Also worth mentioning in the Sierra de Gredos are the Águila caves, which are about 3 million years old and contain 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 surprising landscapes made up of gorges, lakes, cirques and valleys. In the Picos de Europa National Park there are four deep gorges carved by mountain rivers. The most important one is the Hermida gorge, carved by the river Deva. Running for 21 km between Liébana and the Cantabrian coast, these gorges are the longest in Spain. Their rocky walls, almost vertical, can reach up to 600 m high! Also worth mentioning are the Los Beyos gorge, in Cangas de Onis, through which the Sella river flows, the Garganta Divina, formed by the Carres river, and the La India gorges, where the Duje river flows. To the west of the Picos de Europa, the Cornión mountain range contains some superb bodies of water, the Enol and Ercina lakes, better known as the Covadonga lakes, due to their proximity to the town (about 10 km). They are of glacial origin and are located at an altitude of over 1,100 metres. In the south of Castilla y León, the Sierra de Gredos contains 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 about 33 hectares, this glacial cirque is the most important of the entire central system. In its lowest area, it contains 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 centre of the Iberian Peninsula, the Central Meseta is a high plateau surrounded by mountains that covers almost half of Spain's surface. In addition to the many regions it crosses, it extends over a large part of Castilla y León, called 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 when grain fields, vineyards and green plains follow one another. There are also some 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 the main rivers of northern Spain, which flows through Castilla y León for almost 600 km from east to west. Its many tributaries drain this arid land through 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 mountains of Palencia, flows into the Duero, northwest of Valladolid. At its mouth, its flow is greater than that of the Duero.
