Torre de los Horcados Rojos

Overview

The Torre de Horcados Rojos is the most popular ascension from the Cable of Fuente Dé and for this reason it's probably the peak most climbed of all the Picos de Europa range. It's not a great peak, the nearby Pico Tesorero (2570m) and Peña Vieja (2619m), peaks as well frequented from the Cable, they're most impressive. The reason of the popularity it's an easier route than the peaks of the area, a simple walk-up, and the marvelous view of the Picu Urriellu / Naranjo de Bulnes (2519m), the most beautiful peak of the range. The route is very good signalled with paint to the Collado de Horcados Rojos (2343m) and it's easy to walk the path to the summit. In a range with a lot of rock-climbs, a lot of stones, a lot of difficult peaks,… a peak with a route of walk-up it's really a miracle to all the people who love the landscape of the range and they aren't mountaineers. For the mountaineers this peak is a perfect combination with the climb of the near Pico Tesorero or even the longer Peña Vieja, but it exists important climbs as well in the south face for the rock-climbers (M.D.inf., V+).

Why the name Torre (tower)?... really it's a curiosity but as well a theme of controversies. It's one of the first question for the people who visit the range and use the maps, it's a little strange for they. The mountains of Picos de Europa range have generally five main possible denominations: Torre (Tower), Pico (Peak ), Peña (Rock), Tiro (Shot) and Aguja (Needle/Aiguille). It exists as well another names as Cueto, Pica,.. but in only a few of peaks. According with the majority of authors of books of the area the tradition of the people put the name and some cartographers as Guillermo Schulz and Casiano del Prado registered the first maps in 1855 according with the popular denomination of the peaks. The opinions are confuses in some names still nowadays as Peña Santa de Castilla / Torre Santa de Castilla.
The rules about the names (not official, tradition):
-Torre: a mountain with the summit levelled. Some examples : Torre Cerredo, Torre del Llambrión, Torre Blanca.
-Pico: a sharp mountain. Some examples: Pico Tesorero, Picu Urriellu (Picu is the denomination in Asturias of the word Pico).
-Peña: not sharp and not levelled, rocky rounded. Some examples: Peña Vieja, Peña Castil. Really it's very similar to Pico.
-Tiro or Tiros: generally the chosen places to serve of trigger for the hunt in the old times before be prohibited in the nature reserve. Some examples: Tiros Navarros, Tiro Llago.
-Aguja: it's easy to know why, like others parts of the world they're little sharp peaks in another big peak and for this reason don't appear in the list of mountains of the range. Some examples: Aguja de la Canalona, Aguja Bustamante.

But not all the peaks seem a Pico or a Torre and all its faces... it's complicated. The better option is the respect of the old denomination of the people of the area.

The south classic rock-climb: the impressive south face have a spectacular rock climb of M.D.inf (V+), with first climb by Ángel Landa, José María Régil and Pedro Udaondo in 1958. The first winter climb of this way was in 1962 by Pedro Udaondo and Alfredo Urones.

Getting There

-From the West: from Oviedo across Cangas de Onís to Covadonga.
-From the East: from Bilbao and France across Santander to Unquera.

From there we'll take the N621 to south through Panes, up to La Hermida Gorge to arrive to Potes turning to the west to cable car at Fuente Dé (good signaled in the roads).

-From the South: the best approach is from León via Riaño to Valdeón across Puerto de san Glorio.

Red Tape

The Horcados Rojos is in the national park of Picos de Europa with rules about wildlife, camping...

Schedule of cable of Fuente Dé:
-Spring-Summer: 9:00 to 20:00
-Autumm-Winter: 10:00 to 18:00 (change in october or the last days of september)
Be carefull with this, the change it's not always the same day each year. It's necessary to search the information the previous days in the tourism's offices.

Camping

The free camping it's prohibited in the national park, but the bivouac is possible.
- Vivac de Cabaña Verónica. Very little hut at 2325m not keeped in a little metallic tower of a gunboat for 6 places. No water. No light. Radio for emergency.

-Many hotels in the area of the village of Potes, a few of hotels as well in Fuente Dé.

-Parador Nacional de Fuente Dé: too expensive perhaps for mountaineers but if you can pay it ... you have a great privileged place to be lodged near of the cable of Fuente Dé.

External Links

• Wikipedia: information in spanish about Picos de Europa.
  
• Mendikat information in spanish about the peak.
  
• mendikat-track: the track for gps.
  

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Images

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