The Lakes of Covadonga

Enol and La Ercina sit twelve kilometres of hairpins above the Covadonga sanctuary, in open grazing land where the grass runs straight into the water and there is not a tree in sight. La Ercina is the shallower and more photogenic of the two: the path along its north shore keeps the peaks in the background and the cows, which are entirely used to people, walk through half the frames.

The light is a mountain light. Cloud sits in the bowl on many mornings and burns off between eleven and one, and the hour before that clearing — grey water, green grass, cloud on the ridge — is often better than the blue-sky version. Late afternoon puts the sun behind the Picos and the lakes go flat, so a session here is usually late morning to mid-afternoon.

The Mirador de la Reina, on the road up, gives the wide view over the valley and is a two-minute stop rather than a walk. Between the two lakes, the old Buferrera mine workings add rusted metal and dark rock if a session wants a harder texture.

The road closes to private cars in summer, at Easter and on busy weekends, when a paid shuttle runs from Cangas de Onís and the Covadonga car parks. Dates change every year — check them before fixing a time. It is a thousand metres higher than the coast and noticeably colder and windier; bring a layer whatever the forecast says.