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Potes, Picos de Europa, IWIC8 10.6.-18.6. 2018

Missing a bus for Santander was an opportunity to explore Bilbao.

Contemporary architecture with contemporary trees.

Casilda Iturrizar Park.

Traditional basque beret.

Atlantic coast of Cantabria.

The destination was Potes, a town in Cantabrian Mountains.

As seen from Tolibes viewpoint.

Thirsty cork oak.

Eighth International Workshop on Ice Caves took place in Liebana Study Center.

An old church converted into a museum.

A very common topic were cryogenic calcite crystals.

Morning sessions were followed by afternoon excursions. Asturian litoral karst close to Pimiango.

At the viewpoint.

Daniel is trying to explain geological characteristics of the area.

Several terraces can be found on the coast.

A short walk through Buelna Village.

Karst spring ...

... soon followed by a ponor cave soon afterwards.

Inside the cave.

Cobijeru beach, which is directly connected to the sea through series of arches.

Cobijeru Cave was the next one that we visited.

After few meters of of crawling ...

The cave gets more spacious. Daniel is showing accumulations of sandstone brought by sinking stream.

Where the cave meets sea.

High humidity and a mist.

Waves flooding the cave.

Flowstone and anastomosis.

Cobijeru arch nearby.

A challenging walk over sharp karrens and rills.

The coast with steep limestone cliffs.

Bull and Bulat.

Playa de El Molín, which is fed by the sea through karst aquifer.

Yuri and Jeffrey

Gabi, Tanguy and Zoltan.

Returning back to the village.

Slow but scenic drive through Deva River Gorge.

A cave close to La Hermida that was used by human since ancient times.

A waterfall on tufa.

A morning in Potes.

The conference venue.

An evening in Potes. Plaza Capitan Palacios.

Narrow streets and traditional architecture.

A typical yard.

River Quiviesa.

And ducks by the river.

Evening atmosphere of Potes with San Cayetano bridge.

The Tower "Torre del Infantado" on the left was built in 15th century and now hosts a city council.

A cave excursion followed next day. Building at the entrance to Soplao Cave in the Sierra de Arnero.

The area was also used for galena mining.

Entering the mine/cave system through upper gallery.

Luis Jordá Bordehore is giving instructions for moving through the mine.

Walking through flooded shaft ...

... walking bended under the low ceiling.

And avoiding the VLC media player.

Entering a vertical passage that leads to the Soplao Cave.

The sphalerite was not mined from the supporting column.

Entering the cave.

Attractive speleothems.

Many helectites

Soon afterwards the battery went dead so there are no photos from the nicest parts :(

I was impressed by the flag on Tnaguy's drum.

View from Soplao ... on some other day.

Descending back to La Hermida.

A portable office with a view.

Walter Maggi is closing the workshop and inviting to Mount Olympus in two years.

The next field trip was to the the Picos de Europa National Park. Taking the cable car at Fuente De.

At the upper cable car station.

Panorama of the central part of the park. From Enrique's finger to the right: Peña Remoña, Pico dela Padiorna and Torre Altaiz.

Peña Olvidada (2496 m).

Flysch on the mountain pass.

Entering the Puertos de Áliva, which is a part of the central Picos de Europa.

With a plenty of meadows.

On a terminal moraine from one of the latest glaciations.

Still a lot of snow which usually melts my the end of the May.

Las Manforas mine with tailings around it.

They blasted a piece of the mountain for fun.

Gentiana flowers.

King's hunter residence.

Áliva mountain hut or maybe a hotel.

Endless lateral moraines and meadows.

Møøøøøøøøøø.

Well visible glacier trimline on the opposite slope.

The area serves as summer pastureland for all the farmers in the valley.

A stream sinks in the middle of of the depression.

Continuing to Espinama on foot.

Entrance (exit in our case) to the pasture.

A village that was occupied only during the summertime when the cattle was in the mountains.

Some houses are now used as cabins.

A whole-day excursion next day. A short stop north of Áliva.

There is a Peña Castil Ice Cave somewhere up there in the mountains. The entrance was very likely closed by the abundant snow so didn't go there.

Another village occupied only during the summer.

Folds with natural shelters.

The area is especially known for goat cheese.

That is matured inside karst caves or abandoned mines as this one.

The excursion participants.

Could be an Omphalodes.

An angry guard dog.

Déjà vu from Velebit: https://bit.ly/2miNrRW

Starting a hike to Bulnes from Collado Pandebano.

Transport of goods to La Terenosa mountain hut still goes over mule backs.

Slightly worse visibility on this day.

Alpine meadows are here overgrown by Asphodelus albus.

Passing by more abandoned villages.

But not Bulnes. When the village was about to be abandoned when the authorities decided to devote it to tourism to keep the inhabitants.

Oh deer! These are the only vehicles here. There is no road connection.

Narrow streets.

Enrique is showing the traditional way of serving cider.

Entrance to a metro station.

Tourists that are not in such a good shape take the metro.

Others hiked for about an hour.

The path goes along a very steep gorge.

Taking again the Fuente De cable car next day.

Escaping the cloudy valley.

The cable car station.

The water level in Lloroza Lakes is still high due to snow melt.

Heading towards Altaiz Ice Cave with the local cavers.

The cave is under the Torre Altaiz after which it was named.

An old mine tailing with "patterned ground".

We had to cross many snow patches.

Manuel is explaining what we can see.

Hoyo Sin Terra karst depression surrounded by Aguja La Canalona (2519 m), Peña Vieja (2619 m) and Peña Olvidada (2496 m).

Well karstified area.

Tanguy, the Migovec Cave System explorer.

There was very little hope, but in the end, the cave was accessible through a squeeze between snow and the rock.

Already outside.

Trying to catch the last cable car.

And returning back to reality.