Euro-related...hiking in Spain?

[Crank]

The missus and me leave for Spain in a few days. We're going backpacking...(not the hostel to hostel type, but the camping in the backcountry type). We'll pick up guide books when we get to yurp, but what do y'all know about Spain? The pyrenees is the obvious place to hike, but it's a 400km chain of mountains and I'm not too sure where to start. There's also the Picos de Europa and the Sierra Nevada. We'd like to spend 10 days to 2 weeks in the backcountry and the remaining couple of weeks will be spent indulging in tapas and siestas.

I searched and found this sweet thread on the country, bike-related: http://bb.nsmb.com/showthread.php?t=...ighlight=spain

If you know nothing about Spain, feel free to use this space to talk smack about Sooke.

[PUNKY]

1. learn spanish
2. ??????
3. profit

[L. Ron Hubbard]

You'd better do the Caminito del Rey!

[Adam West]

Originally Posted by L. Ron Hubbard

You'd better do the Caminito del Rey!

yea.
i was trying to remember wtf it was called.
looks nuts for sure

[Crank]

ah yeah, I'd totally forgotten about that "trail". Looks intense.

[shoredad]

You could do part of the Way of St. James
Seems very interesting. People do it for several reasons: pilgrimage, challenge, etc

here is the different routes:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_...escriptions%29


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James

[HIBuLlitT]

I never did any real hiking in Spain, but I've heard of good things about the mountains
south of and around Ibiza and San Sebastian. I'd think the Sierra Nevada would
be uber hot with very little tree cover.

Then you'd be close to San Sebastian (Donostia) which is a very cool place to hang
out indeed. Or you could head a bit more west to Santander. Pamplona is just a
short drive south, and you could make a quick trip to France if you feel like.
Of course a trip to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim and the museum of Bilbao.
A trip to Gernika to see the heart of Basque culture.

I've spent many summers all over Spain as a kid visiting my family and I still love
the north the best. It has a really laid back attitude without the whole euro-tourist
trap feeling like Barcelona or Ibiza.

I spent three weeks last time I was there with my wife (her first) and it wasn't
even close to enough time. Learn a little Spanish and bring a smile, it will get
you a long way.

[Crank]

Good stuff HiBullit. Are you saying the Sierra Nevada would still be hot at that elevation and at that time of year (late Sept.)? I do like the idea of hiking around San Sebastian, it at least gives me a region of the pyrenees to hone in on, with some apparently cool little cities within easy access. Plus, I've never been that interested in being anywhere remotely close to the Euro-hordes on the southern and eastern coasts. Hablo un poquito espanol so we'll see how it goes.

@shoredad. The Camino de Santiago is something we seriously considered. The idea of hiking through villages along the northern part of the country holds a lot of appeal. Ultimately though, I wasn't sure how I would feel about walking along roads and mellow trails every day. In my state of ADHD, even the valley bottom trails in Banff and Jasper get to be a bit dull after a couple of hours. Of course, the culture and the people you would meet along the way would more than make up for the mellow trail that I'd be following.

[HIBuLlitT]

I'm sure it'll get cold at night but I remember September having both hot and
cold. Kind of like here but not as cold (but the mtns would probably be really cold
when it's cold). Good news is rain shouldn't be an issue.