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 The Picos de Europa was originally conceived as a showcase for the wildlife of these mountains (after many years of selfishly having wanted to keep this corner of Spain a secret!)
From vultures scanning the skies to tiny butterflies skimming the pastures, from large carnivores such as bears and wolves still roaming the land to the diminutive Pyrenean desman still foraging in the mountain streams, the wonderful biodiversity found in and around Spain's oldest National Park will be shared on these pages. Having lived in the Picos since 1991 I have seen many changes in the name of "progress", and have come to believe that the best way forward for conservation is through education. How can habitat and species be preserved if nobody knows or cares about them?
Although EU funds are helping the Picos de Europa National Park carry out studies such as the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of the mountains, the installment of weather stations, and 4x4 vehicle access has been restricted in the park and some wildlife-senstive zones, there is still a worryingly popular growth of unsustainable activities such as "adventure tourism" quad bike trips in the surrounding areas. My grain of sand in an effort to combat this insenstive, brutally noisy tourism was to create Picos Holiday Rentals alongside the nature pages, to promote the natural beauty of the Picos and at the same time encourage a more sustainable nature tourism. The less well-known Cantabrian mountains to the south of the Picos de Europa, with their own wild beauty reminiscent of the English Lake District or the Scottish Cairngorms, deserve to be more widely known and enjoyed. Suffering rural depopulation, the remaining inhabitants of these mountains could benefit immensely from walkers for most of the year instead of pinning their hopes on unsustainable white elephants like ski resort projects (see below). In time I hope to have more holiday properties from the Cantabrian mountains on these pages.
Having always been an enthusiastic nature lover with an interest in all our planet's wildlife and relishing the feeling of peace that being in wild places brings me,  I was incensed by the plans afoot to build another ski resort in the Cantabrian mountains, San Glorio, and created the petition Save Spanish Bears! I have subsequently read a great deal and learned about the biology and ecology of these brown bears, information which will also be found on this website. News on these and other animal species found in and around the Picos will be translated from the Spanish as a free service and posted in the relevant sections like a blog. I am a member of several Spanish conservation organisations, including SEO/Birdlife, Fapas (Fund for the Protection of Wild Animals) and the Fundación Oso Pardo (Brown Bear Foundation), and have written on the Cantabrian brown bear for the Wolves and Humans Foundation, Wildside Holidays and the Olive Press newspaper. Thanks to Nick Lloyd of IberiaNature and members of the forum I have not only been tolerated but actively encouraged to continue my interest in Spain's bears.
I was first introduced to the orchids of the Picos de Europa by my friend Teresa Farino, since when I have been discovering other botanical delights, from the spring-flowering hay meadows to gentian-strewn high alpine habitats. One of my personal ambitions is to record for myself all the orchid species growing here. Hmmm. My findings will be posted on the wild flower pages.
The Picos de Europa is also the obvious place for my husband's business, Picos Rock & Snow, to appear with its environmentally-friendly activities of guided ski touring, snowshoeing and walking in small groups.
As you navigate your way around this website I hope you find the resources it contains interesting and useful!
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