La Naranjo de Bulnes

I took this at 7:0 am this morning which explains why its name means ‘golden light’.
We went for another walk on one of the tracks from the hotel and soon became lost but it meant we crossed a hillside with a meadow full of tongue orchids as well as some pyramidal orchids . So thrilled !
Once we returned to the farm and recovered with a coffee, we set off on another drive through the mountains to a funicular which only opened in 2091 and links the remote village of Bulnes with the Cares gorge and hotel below . Until the furnicular built the
only way to take goods up to the village was by a steep track up the mountain.
We rode up to the top through a tunnel which went on for over 2km . The village was a delight . We had met the first English couple since leaving the ferry . We had a coffee and snacks by the brook . It was really enjoyable. The mountains surrounding us were almost overwhelming.
We also saw some beautiful flowers including green hellebores .
We returned to the valley as the rain arrived again .
The meal at the hotel tonight included a delicious local blue cheese served with gnocchi but I’m missing vegetables!!