Description

We are delighted to offer you an exclusive opportunity to join Patrick Barkham & share a butterfly watching holiday in the wonderful setting of the Picos de Europa in northern Spain!

The Picos is at the core of The Cantabrian Mountain range, which stretches along the north coast of Spain for about 300 kilometres. It is one of the most beautiful and beguiling parts of the whole region.

Our base for the week in the Liébana Valley is a high quality and charming mountain hotel, built in the traditional stone-and-timber style, typical of the area. It is set in its own gardens and with a pool for guests to enjoy – the perfect place to relax in after a day in the field.

The town of Potes is close. The town sits at the convergence of two rivers of Liébana. It is one of the most attractive towns in Cantabria & the old town, a historical monument, is a fascinating maze of alleys and streets with a medieval atmosphere.

The Fuente Dé cable car is also only a few miles away from the hotel. It will take us up to the El Cable lookout point with spectacular views from a height of 1847 meters.

Over 150 butterfly species reside among the spectacular and rugged range of limestone mountains. Our daily excursions from the attractive and unspoilt village which is our base, will take in a variety of habitats and scenery, including flower rich meadows fizzing with a range of fritillaries and other goodies, woodlands and sunlit glades and then up into the mountains themselves for alpine treasures, hidden among rocky pastures and limestone pavement!

We won’t be rushing around to a build tick list on this holiday and we want to slow down and focus on the ecology of the butterflies, as well as on simply enjoying being in beautiful and wildlife rich locations.  That said, we should still see a very good number of different butterfly species – 100 were recorded on our previous visits in 2019 and 2022. These included stars such as the Apollo and Gavarnie Blue, Bog Fritillary, dusky large blue, Camberwell Beauty, Chapman’s Ringlet and Large Chequered Skipper.

This promises to be a very popular tour – we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment!