Here’s a quick review in pictures of family camping at Los Picos de Europa (the peaks of Europe) called Camping La Viorna in Cantabria, Spain during the first week of our second family camping road trip one cool pre-Covid 19 summer. If you need more info, text follows at the end of the pictures below. Enjoy!
We got caught up in the rain and could not make it to our planned destination and ended up at La Viorna camping site.
It still rained, but we decided to brave it and show the kids that we can be real campers and set up the tent in the pouring rain.
Yeah man! Yes we can and yes we did–wet and shivering as skinny puppies–but we did it!
La Viorna camping site was very well run. The staff was relaxed and helpful. They spoke multiple foreign languages and would answer all of your questions.
Since it is in the mountains, the pitch areas are elevated enabling the campers to wake up to beautiful mountain views.
There is a kiddie pool (Kaj loved it), very small playground and another play area with billiards and table football. One is never too young to learn to play billiards. Kaj and Karol really enjoyed playing their version of it.
La Viorna is located near a charming town of Potes–worth a stop for coffee or “orujo”–some kind of firewater (aguardente) or clear liquor common in northern Spain that can have an alcohol level of up to 50 percent!
Look for a **** souvenir store with a Polish lady named Ewa (pronounced Eva) working there. She will let you taste all kinds of good stuff before you purchase anything. Poles really are everywhere!
In the area there are many attractions that could keep you busy for a couple of weeks.
We only had one-and-half day so we hit the two places that seemed very unique to us.
NOTE: In case you’re wondering. . . NO, we have not received any form of compensation or freebies or anything at all for reviewing or mentioning this or any others on our blog. We do it for the fun of it and it is helpful to you and others.
What we like about this campground?
Terraced camping layout–that’s the one thing that we liked about Camping La Viorna near the peaks of Europe (Los Picos de Europa) in northern Spain.
The terraced layout, where a row of pitches are on a higher and/or lower ground than the others, gives panoramic perspectives of the mountains and of the camping site, especially looking over the swimming pools.
What we don’t like about this camping site?
What about what we did not like about Camping La Viorna? If there is one thing that we need to put into this category, it’s the. . . small pitches. And with the terraced layout, we needed to be even more watchful, in case the kids gets closer to the edge of our pitch (although we are not really that higher up from the next row of pitches down below). Still…
And there’s also the inconvenience of being quite close to your camping neighbors. Without privacy hedges betweeen pitches, we were just too close to our neighbors for comfort.
PRICE
How much? €34.95 euros (including tax) for a family of 4 (2 kids–1 under 5), 3-person tent with electricity at the beginning of the high summer season (first week of July).
Breakdown: €12.59 per night for a pitch that is big enough for a 3-person tent, a car, and then some! €4.89 for an adult, €4.40 for children between 2 and 12 years old. €3.74 electricity.
PLAY area & Swimming Pool
Playgrounds are always a nice family friendly addition that our children appreciates . . . what child wouldn’t?!? Here, there’s one very small climbing structure with a slide and a separate smaller outdoor area where kids can play billiard and other table sports games.
Pools? Here, there were two: a decent-sized one for adults and older kids and a smaller one for young children up to 6 years old with well-maintained grass lawn and fence enclosure.
Need to wear swim with a hair/head cover a “gorro” (the ones we are wearing in the photos =, if you don’t know what that is exactly. It may be a Spanish law thingy to wear one.
This pool was quite cold, especially when we stayed there under gray clouds and rain.
PITCH
How’s the pitch? This place is not big. And management seemed to have maximized the use of the hilly area by putting campervan plots and tent pitches next to each other, generally in between trees.
Pitches seemed to have lost their grass covering from over-use. But there was NO problem sinking tent pegs.
NO privacy bushes in between pitches/plots. In fact, you can be a soft-conversation distance from your next door neighbors.
SHADE
Sufficient shade from full-grown trees in between plots/pitches and all over the camping site. The terraced layout of the camping site gave additional shade as well.
This is especially helpful when camping in the summer or when you arrive in pouring rain and you’d have to set-up the tent, like we did. You’re in northern Spain after all!
Privacy hedges
Almost none, for the most part.
ACCESSibility
Not hard to find. You would be able to easily see the entrance to this camping site from the main road.
Once you pull into the entrance, go straight until you get to the reception/restaurant with small outdoor dining area in front of you.
SANITARY FACILITIES
Modernized shower with enough room to maneuver and a bench so you can get dressed in private. NO problem with drainage and hot water.
Small but modernized bathroom/WC facilities with toilet paper. Showers on one side and the other “S” across the hall from it..
We did NOT see a FAMILY WC/bathroom–which is a unique feature at some camping sites.
DINE or DRINKS
The bar/restaurant with small outdoor seating area is next to the reception and across from the playground.
WI-FI
Not sure. Internet didn’t really work for us in the mountains.
others
We did NOT see fridge, freezer or microwave or a kitchen. BUT, it is not usual for camping sites to have these extra benefits.
TIPs for Camping La Viorna
To be able to use the swimming pools, make sure to bring swimming caps/headgear (you know, those little things you put over your head to make sure your hair does NOT get into the pool, and if you have it on too tight, your eyes start to squint like a drunken runaway monkey. . .) Yup, you need it here.
In fact, it would do you good to bring them with you when camping in Spain (maybe even France too) to save you money, just in case the camping site that you ended up in has a pool. They can be a stickler about. But, hey, it’s the law, apparently.
what to do near CAMPING La Viorna
So, what to see or do nearby?
Potes–less than 2 kilometers (or 3-minute drive) away is a charming town with a medieval atmosphere of steps and alleyways that was founded by the Romans for its strategic significance where four valleys and two rivers meet. . . or something like that.
If you dine at this town, make sure you get the Potes chickpea stew called “Cocido Lebaniego“. And if you want consumable souvenirs (i.e. food) check out the various cheeses, honey and Orujo–a type of brandy that is made from wine grown in the valley… or come for the Festival de Orujo in November.
Peaks of Europe National Park (Parque Nacional Los Picos de Europa)–is about 15 minutes (14 kilometers) away. Plus a bit of a walk to get to the cable car that will take you some 1,823 meters high in just 4 minutes.
They say, these mountain peaks were the first sign of Europe that people travelling on ships from America would see. Check out our review in pictures!
Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liebana–Historic mountain monastery & pilgrimage site, housing what is said to be part of Christ’s cross (Source: Wikipedia).
This was a welcome surprise for us that we just had to spend more time when we popped in. Big open space outside for picnic! It’s only a kilometer away from the camping site.
Notes About Los Picos de Europa
As the story goes, in the old days, when people used to cross the Atlantic by ship, Los Picos de Europa were the first things they saw from afar, before reaching the Old Continent.
This highest spot in Spain is nature’s masterpiece.
Located in the north of the country in the Province of Cantabria, it is wild, not too touristy and so picturesque that you could just sit and enjoy the panoramic views for hours on end (unless you have kids of course and you don’t want them to fall off that cliff).
Lots of fantastic hiking and mountain biking opportunities, again, not for us due to the kids (…it is the “official” excuse, the unofficial is that we are just not quite fit enough).
Be mindful though if you drive there. The serpentine roads do get very narrow and with a huge truck in front of you and Speedy-Gonzalez cars in the back, you’ll just have to play that chill-out music into your music player and just let go.
Keep safe! It also does rain sometimes in the mountains! Yeah!?!
Teleforica de Fuente De Cantabria
Haven’t I mentioned already that I am not fit enough to be climbing mountains? : )
For people like me they invented cable cars that bring you close to the peak of a mountain without having to sweat a drop. Highly recommended.
The views from up there are breathtaking! Lots of hiking paths if you wish to climb even higher and touch the snow–yes, snow, even in the summer (possibly they are remnants of some glacier taht is slowly dwindling away)!
You can also choose to trek with your kiddos on the easier routes. This was a very memorable trip for us.
If you want to test your muscles, you may want to go down on foot. Initially, we thought we could do it. But 14 kilometers of wild mountain paths knocked some sense into our heads.
So we decided to catch the cable car down instead. Los Picos de Europa is definitely an attractive destination, not only for the trekkers and hiking lovers, but also for the just-mountain-view-and-cable-car-lovers. Its proximity to the Cantabrian Sea is definitely a plus.
Next Stop
Onwards, northwards. . . to The Gugenheim Museum in Bilbao and. . . of course, more family camping ; )
Last Stop
Review in pictures of Family Camping Pico Verde near Leon, Spain (Days 3-4).
Review in pictures of Camping Las Cañadas in Cáceres, in the town known for hot springs and Roman-built baths–Baños de Montemayor.
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