Yordas

Overview

This mountain it´s probably the most famous and loved in the Montaña de Riaño area. It is also the mountain of the biggest, most popular and most prestigious mountain club from León: Club de Montaña Yordas.

The mountain stands near the enormous reservoir called Embalse de Riaño, one of the biggest in Spain. It´s not specially tall, hard and impresive, but was for ages the favourite one for people of Riaño and the villages around. Then they used to do to the top from the green valley on the food of the mountain where now the reresvoir is.

Some villages were completely demolish in order to construct this huge "artificial lake". It was a tragedy for many people who lost the land of their families for centuries...
Riaño was then and it is now the most important and biggest village in the area. It was destroyed too, and reconstructed later. The old chuch standing at the outside of the villages was re-constructed, stone by stone, and near the church you can find the bells of the churches of the village the reservoir made destroy, as a monument or just to remember then. There is a not very beautiful square in Riaño with some columns around a circle with the name of the villages on it. The only village in the valley which partially survived was Burón, on the North of Riaño. The lower situated houses were destroyed. Nowadays, it´s clear the survivor houses and the new ones.

Yordas stands quiet, maybe it´s a bit sad for loosing those villages and people arround. Even villages that water was no going to touch were demolish for security reasons. One of then, was partially demolish, only the higher situated buidings weren´t blown down.

So, why is it a good idea to visit the old Yordas? Main reason maybe its views, secondly its history, and third... it´s no so bad!!!
(In fact is one of the prettiest places I know)

View of the peak from Riaño bridge

View of Yordas from Peña Ten

Getting There

Most of the routes to the Yordas peak start around Riaño, the most popular now starts from Lois. I have taken the description from Llerenes peak, because it´s basically the same, I´m a bit lazy... I know, but I have add and remove some lines....

I´ll decribe some car route to get there, public transport could be really complicated.

a) From León:

- N-601 to Mansilla de las Mulas, in the crossroad, left to N-625.

- N-630 to La Robla, turning right to C-626 to Boñar. There take the road to Sabero. You´ll get the crossroad with N-625. Turn left to the North.

Using both options you can go towards Riaño. In Las Salas there is a narrow road on your left hand. At the end of the road is Lois.

b) From Asturias:

You have four mountain-passes to cross the mountains driving. From West to East:

- Puerto de Pajares N-630: go to La Robla and then the same as I described for coming from León.

- Puerto de San Isidro LE-333: go to Boñar and just the same.

- Puerto de Tarna C-635: go to the crossroad with N-625, turn right towards Riaño, and there go to Las Salas. Another posibility is taking a route from Liegos (there is crossroad on your right)

- Puerto del Pontón N-625: just go to Riaño and then to Las Salas (Remember the Liegos route). Note, this is the most conjunction of curves I´ve ever seen.

c) From Santander:

-Puerto de San Glorio N-621: go to Riaño and the to Las Salas.

d) From Palencia:

The best idea is driving on C-626 to LE-232 on your left. Go to Puente Almuhey and take a local road to C-611, when you reach this road turn right to Cistierna. You´ll get N-621, turn right and go to Las Salas.


Road map:




(Click on the map to make it bigger)

You can also have a look here:
Michelin Guide road map (English) | Michelin Guide road map (Spanish)

Red Tape

No permissions required, no dangerous wild animals... Only one thing if you cross the forest on the SW: you mustn´t take your dog with you, it´s not allowed

When To Climb

365 days a year it´s possible if the weather is not too bad. It´s not difficult at all. Everybody can reach the summit. You just need to walk some hours.

On winter it could be difficult if there are a lot of snow so skies or snow shoes can help you a lot.
Crampons can prevent accident with frozen snow as well.

One important thing. If you go from the East there is a rounded hole, in winter is completelly covered by snow. It´s quite big, big enough to contain a 4x4. It´s beautifull but DON´T TRY TO GO DOWN. There is deep crack there. Of course it´s invisible with snow...

Camping

It´s not allowed to camp in all León province. In this area it´s not a good idea, there are people taking care the nature so should have problems with law.

Accomodation in the area more or less than in the rest of León: "casas rurales", hotels, and private camp sites ("Campings").

You have camp sites in Boca de Huérgano, and in Picos de Europa area in Soto de Valdeón y Santa Marina de Valdeón.

Mountain Conditions

Riaño area is one of the coldest places in the North of Spain. You can find some metres of snow in many occasions.
Snow can be hard and frozen if the temperature is cold, normally during the first hours of the morning.

In summer the weather is cooler than the rest of the province but the temperature can easyly reach 35º.

You have consider the sea is not far from these mountains. This is dramatically true in Picos de Europa. This means storms can start suddenly, because of the wet coming from the sea that reach this cold area quickly.
Raincoat is allways a good idea.

Fog and rain is not unusual in spring and fall.


Weather forecast:


[ Left ] Metosat satellite view provided by INM - www.inm.es -
* Note: the map shows the clouds evolution.

[ Right ] Reflectivity map provided by The Weather Channel - www.weather.com -
* Note: the map shows, from blue to red, the power of clouds.



For more info use these links: Weather forecast today (English) | Weather forecast today (Spanish)

My Suggestions

* Take a time to visit Lois village, specially the church, also know as "La Catedral de la Montaña" (mountain cathedral).

* Riaño is a nice place to have breakfast or just have a coffee after/before the journey

VERY IMPORTANT:

** Take a MOBILE PHONE with you. You can use it most of the mountain areas. If you can phone try going up or changing your position. I can remember my moibile ringing on the summit of Torre de Friero... I couldn´t believe it! Mobile is the best thing to make an emergency call. Forget about radios.
Take note of this number: 987 718 004. It´s the number of G.R.E.I.M., Guardia Civil Mountain Rescue Team. They are really good proffessionals with lots of years of experience. If you have serious problems phone them: tell them who you are, how many people is in difficulties, try to tell them where you are, or at least a detailed description of the area.

Special info

The meaning in English of some Spanish words.
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* Collado, collada: col, for instance "Collado de Gete"

* Pico: peak, for instance "Pico Fontún"

* Peña: peak (very tipical from León, Asturias, Santander), for instance "Peña Ten"

* Torre: peak (very tipical from León, Asturias, Santander), for instance "Torre del Friero"

* Cueto: peak, for instance "Cueto Millaró"

* Puerto: mountain pass, for instance "Puerto de Pajares"

* Cordillera: big group of mountains, for instance "Cordillera Cantábrica"

* Macizo: group of some mountains or peaks, for instance "Macizo Central, Urrieles of Picos de Europa"

* Cumbre: summit

* Cima: summit

* Canal: corridor, for intance "La Canal de Dobresengos", note it´s in femenine

* Canaleta: narrow corridor

* Hoces: canyon made by a river, for instance "Hoces de Vegacervera", "Hoces de Valdejeja"

* Valle: valley, for intance "Valle de Valdeón"

* Río: river, for instance "Río Torío"

* Horcado: narrow col between two peak, normally difficult to cross, for intance "Horcado de Pambuches"


Books I recomend.
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Montañas de León (in Spanish only)

Ramón Lozano, Santiago Morán
Everest Editorial
ISBN 84-241-0404-8

Description in detail of more than one hundred routes across the mountain of the León province, including the Picos de Europa Area and many others.

Book details (English) | Book details (Spanish)


50 montañas de la Cordillera Cantábrica (in Spanish only)

David Atela
Desnivel Ediciones
ISBN 84-96192-90-3

Really useful book about the most remarkable mountains in Cordillera Cantábrica massif. It doesn´t containt anything about Picos de Europa area so it lets it go along another interesnting and no so famous mountains.

Book details (Spanish)

Another remarkable peaks in the area

* Llerenes - 1894 m
* Peñas Pintas - 1998 m
* Gilbo
* Cueto Cabrón
* Cueto Nebloso
* Peña Ten - 2144 m
* Macizo de Mampodre

The Spanish corner :-)

Info in Spanish for Spanish Speakers & Spanish Studients:

Para todos aquellos que no tengan un inglés súper, y yo me incluyo, he decidido añadir esta sección. También para todos aquellos que estudian o están aprendiendo español.

Creo que puedo decir sin miedo a equivocarme que el Yordas tiene unas de las panorámicas más hermosas que recuerdo. Tal vez sólo superadas por el impacto y dramatismo de los Picos de Europa, el Yordas en cambio es una montaña "bondadosa" y mucho más "amable".
La ascensión es muy variada, y la recompensa en la cumbre muy grande. Si bien, no apta para los que busque emociones fuertes, si que puede resultar un reto en ciertos sentidos.

Para una información más detallada os remito al texto en inglés. Si tuviéseis algún problema estoy a vuestra disposición para facilitaros toda la información que esté a mi alcance.

External Links

• Cristino Torio´s web site>Cristino Torio´s web site
  Web about León Mountain by one of the most well known climber in the León province (Available only in Spanish)
  
• Web Site about Picos de Europa and the North mountains
  Information, photographies a lots of things about Picos de Europa, the tallest montains along Cordillera Cantabrica and the North of Spain. It counts with a valuable informations by the hand of the people on the forum, most of them experts in these mountains. I´m sure they can answer your question even in English, French or German (Available only in Spanish)
  
  
• Castilla y León Tourism Official Web Site
  You can find here many information about this region, as camp sites, accomodations, monuments, culture, nature, it could be a valuable tool to plan your holidays and trip along the mountains of this region. (Avalaible in many languages)
  
• Web site about the Riaño mountain
  Good information about the area arround this village and the mountains arround (only in Spanish)
  
• Complete weather information
  A lot of information about meteo. Satellite views and different weather forecast models (only in Spanish)
  

Images

View Yordas Image Gallery - 30 Images