Portugal / Spain Trip 39: La Población and Barcena Pie de Concha.

Friday 16th and Saturday 17th May 2025

We are making our way gradually towards Santander and the ferry port, not leaving far to drive, but still enjoying the journey and places en-route.

La Población:

On our way to La Población, we stopped alongside a reservoir and looked back towards the Picos mountains, where we had been previously.

With the amount of recent rain, it is not surprising that the water levels are high:

The dam appears to be dual purpose, with water used for consumption and for generating hydro-electric power:

La Población is a small village on the edge of another large reservoir. Our pitch was on another free motorhome parking area with services, which overlooks the water:

We explored the area and walked across the nearer of two bridges, to visit the Ornithological visitor centre, where a really nice young woman explained the purpose of the centre.

In the grounds of the centre, there is an old laundry building and a couple of ponds:

We spent a really peaceful night and in the morning, there was a heavy mist which reminded us that we were still around 1,000 metres above sea level. There was not a breath of wind. As it cleared, there were some nice reflections:

Whilst at the ornithological centre, the young woman gave us details of where wild orchids are to be found, on a marked path further along the reservoir, so before leaving the area, we took a walk near the village of Bustamante and sure enough, we found some beautiful orchids:

There were also some, what appeared to be wild, ponies around:

It was a lovely walk with some fine views:

Barcena Pie de Concha:

Barcena Pie de Concha is where we are parked-up for the night. Another free motorhome parking area, with services.

It is a small and picturesque village and many of the older properties seem to be in the process of being renovated. There are some gorgeous houses, many of which have been beautifully decorated:

…and also some which are in dire need of TLC, …but they do have character in bucket-loads:

The church is very pretty:

Sadly, what stone carvings there were, were very well weathered.

The village has its own railway station and there is a regular electrified service. Like in Portugal, the trains here run on a broader gauge than in the UK:

That is about it for this trip. Tomorrow we head for Santander and the ferry back to Portsmouth. I plan to do a summary / review sometime next week when we are back at home, but for now, See u Later and TTFN.