If you have walked in the Picos de Europa, you have probably heard a helicopter crossing the massif. Behind that noise are teams that train all year round to get someone off a wall or a slope with no way out. Last week they trained at the most emblematic spot in the area: the Naranjo de Bulnes, the Picu Urriellu.
What happened at the Urriellu
On 6 and 9 October, 31 specialists from the GREIM — the Guardia Civil's Mountain Rescue and Intervention Groups — based in Cangas de Onís, Mieres, Potes, Sabero and Puebla de Trives trained at the Urriellu alongside the air units from Oviedo and León. It was reported by El Fielato on 10 October (in Spanish).
The aim was to improve coordination in mountain rescues and joint work on big walls. The exercises included:
- Descending, climbing and abseiling by several routes to the foot of the wall.
- Lowering specialists from the helicopter by winch and with the “Lezard” system.
- Rescues on the wall without air support, for cases where the helicopter cannot fly.
- Pilot practice for dropping off and picking up teams with the winch.
The weather decides in training too
The weather forced a change of plan. On the first day the training moved to a quarry near the Mirador de El Fito. On the second, the teams flew from near the Mirador Pedro Udaondo, in Asiego (Cabrales), to the Urriellu, and the programme was cut short because of the weather. They worked on the south and east faces; the west face was ruled out because conditions were not suitable.
It is a good lesson for anyone walking here: if the professionals change the plan when the weather does not cooperate, so can you.
Why it matters if you are visiting
According to the report, the Cangas de Onís area sees a high number of call-outs, many of them resolved with air support. For a visitor, that reads two ways. The good one: there is a trained, professional team in the area. The practical one: a mountain rescue is always the last resort, and it almost always begins with something that could have been foreseen.
What you can do
You do not need to climb a wall to do things right. The habits that help most are simple, and we have gathered them in our guide to safety in the Picos de Europa in autumn:
- Check the mountain forecast, not the village one.
- Set a turn-back time and stick to it: it gets dark early in autumn.
- Tell someone your route and your expected return time.
- Choose the route for whoever in the group is finding it hardest.
- If there is an accident or you get lost, call 112.
And if what you want is to see the Naranjo without needing a wall, the Camarmeña viewpoint is a short walk from the village, or you can plan a long day up to the Vega de Urriellu. There are more options in our hiking routes from Cabrales.
From El Ardinal
From El Ardinal, in Arenas de Cabrales, you have easy access to Poncebos, Bulnes and Sotres. If you plan your getaway ahead, checking the forecast and setting a good turn-back time, autumn in the Picos is one of the best times of the year.
Source for the training facts: El Fielato y El Nora, 10 October 2026 (in Spanish).
