Ditch the Tourist Trail for These Conscious Travel Experiences in Northern Spain.

Years ago, my partner and I spent a month travelling in the south of Spain, through the cities and villages of Andalusia, grand in their architecture and soulful in their music. Spain therefore, has always evoked in me images of intricate Arabic design, underground flamenco gatherings and Spanish guitar music spilling out on cobblestoned streets.

Depending on where you’ve been or read about, thinking about travelling in Spain might also conjure up images of its vibrant, busy cities or coastal towns fighting for space on their beaches.

But last month, while travelling on assignment for Spain Tourism, I was introduced to a side of Spain I had no idea existed. In the Spanish Pyrenees and the mountains of Castilla y León, I was surprised to witness spectacular landscapes, isolated valleys and forgotten villages, and centuries of mountain culture and tradition, still preserved. I learnt how conscious travel here can protect living culture, prevent migration to the cities, keep alive stories of love and kindness, revive ancient heritage, restore nature, and inspire a new wave of creativity.

If you ever visit Northern Spain (and you must!), take the time to slow down and connect with these mountain communities. Perhaps through them, you’ll also find a new perspective to view the world today:

Conscious travel in Catalunya

Slow down in an isolated valley with its own language and music!

We drove just 3.5 hours from Barcelona (or 5 hours by bus) to arrive in Val d’Aran – a remote valley in the Spanish Pyrenees that became accessible with a mountain tunnel only around 1950. Before that, it remained cut off from the rest of Catalunya, isolated by its high mountains. An ancient shepherd trail had to be walked for days to arrive here. As a result, Val d’Aran developed its own music, culture, governance, architectural style and even language – Aranese!

I remember cycling along its picturesque villages, gushing rivers and ancient Romanesque churches, hearing fascinating stories from my local guide about the folklore and traditions that still inhabit these mountains. On winter solstice, young people still fire up wooden torches and run down the mountain in a centuries-old tradition, to usher in the light of longer days.

TIP: Stay at Parador de Arties with heritage 15th century architecture, in the scenic village of Arties. Also check out Hotel Nau Iori in Vielha, a small, eco-friendly hotel with solar energy and vegan-friendly, organic food.

Also read: A Mi Amada – A true love story from the Spanish Pyrenees

Witness the mindblowing digital restoration of a 12^th century Romanesque church

Visiting UNESCO World Heritage Romanesque churches built between the 12th and 15th centuries in the dreamy stone villages of Vall de Boi, in the backdrop of snow-dusted peaks and spring wildflowers was magical enough. But what lay inside blew my mind.

Back in the 1100s, in the granite Church of St. Clement in Taüll, artists created fresco paintings on the walls using natural pigments – lime and chalk for white, mineral charcoal for black, iron oxides found in the Pyrenees for yellows and browns, vermillion for red. But about a 100 years ago, crafty businessmen found a technique to transfer the paintings from the walls onto linen, and sell these stolen treasures to private collectors across Europe and the US!

It hasn’t been possible for the church to buy back the paintings, but in 2013, visual artists from Catalunya painstakingly used technology to recreate the lost paintings, pixel by pixel. I was mindblown to witness this video mapping tech project the paintings back on the ancient church walls, recreating a glimpse of its original grandeur – and felt convinced that technology has such a significant role to play in restoring living (stolen) heritage!

TIP: Get a combined ticket to visit multiple Romanesque churches in the valley.

Also read: First Time to Spain? 10 Travel Tips to Plan Your Trip

Learn about life and traditions in the Spanish Pyrenees in an eco-museum

In the little village of Esterri Aneu, Casa Gassia – a traditional house from the 18th century with no inheritors – was converted into an eco-museum preserving the way of life in the Spanish Pyrenees 100+ years ago. Think charcoal bedwarmers, priced possessions during the era of transhumance when nomadic shepherd walked across these mountains and valleys with flocks of sheep, and basic kitchens with stone sinks and clay utensils.

I was surprised to find how much this forgotten way of life, now confined to a museum in the Spanish Pyrenees, resembles contemporary life in the Indian Himalayas. At the end of the eco-museum tour, our passionate guide sat us down to explain how marriages were once arranged in these villages, with parents and grandparents dictating who their daughters must marry! It seemed unthinkable that we still live that reality in India.

Also read: How Croatia Compelled Me to Rethink Travel Blogging

Raft down the ancient river trading route of a Pyrenees community

A scenic train and bus ride away from the historic Spanish city of Lleida, the spectacular Noguera Pallaresa River once formed the ancient timber river trading route for mountain communities in the northern region of Spain. It offers a different sort of river adventure today.

We wore wet suits on a (luckily) sunny spring morning, boarded an inflated raft on the chilly river water, and slowly paddled downstream, surrounded by rugged mountains and dense forests. Then the rapids picked up, the river threw us into whirlpools, the cold water splashed over our faces and hair, and the thrill of the adventure soaked our souls!

My last memory of river rafting is as a teen on a school trip in Rishikesh, when the freezing water of the Ganga turned my lips blue. I wasn’t too excited at the idea of river rafting in the cold mountains again, but it turned out to be an experience to remember.

TIP: Stay at the heritage 17th century convent Parador de Lleida; have lunch at Teresa Carles, an incredible, women-owned, vegan-friendly restaurant!

Also read: A Slow ‘No Fly’ Journey from Switzerland to the Lofoten Islands, Norway!

Walk amid twisted rivers on a 7000-year-old shepherd trail

In Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, we hiked up a gorgeous mountain trail that local shepherds have used for nearly seven centuries – along a meandering river, roaring waterfall, vultures circling above, the reflection of snow-capped peaks in the crystal lake waters below.

This is Catalunya’s only national park, home to 200+ glacial lakes and stunning 3000m mountain peaks, but perhaps what makes it most unique are its ‘twisted rivers.’ In the flat parts of this Alpine terrain, the rivers cut across pine and fir forests, creating surreal braids of streams aka twisted rivers. What I loved even more is that a circular boardwalk makes this spectacular natural wonder accessible to people of all abilities.

TIP: Cars are not allowed in the national park, but you can take a shared 4×4 taxi for 5.75€ per person per trip to get there.

Also read: Away From the Crowds: 11 Offbeat Places in Europe Waiting to be Explored

Conscious travel in Castilla y León

Walk one of the most stunning stretches of the Camino de Santiago

I’ve been lucky enough to do some spectacular hikes in Europe and beyond, but the Camino de Santiago felt so different. I walked only a short stretch on the Camino Frances, but I quickly felt like it wasn’t just a solo hike. I crossed paths with people from different places – Andorra, Korea, Netherlands, Spain – each of us carrying our own physical and mental loads. I chatted with some and walked silently along some.

Even if you have just a day or two to spare, walk this pilgrim trail from Cruz de Ferro to El Acebo or Molinaseca. Over just a few kilometers, I experienced snow, mist, a light drizzle, a rainbow, wildflowers, snow-dusted mountains, frosted Alpine vegetation, stunning stone and wood villages, and kind-hearted locals and pilgrims.

I also learnt that many remote villages sustain their economies entirely because of pilgrims walking this trail, running rural BnBs and small cafes. This allows them to live close to nature in their ancestral homes, without having to migrate to the city to find a source of income.

TIP: Stay at Casa Rural Pajarapinta in Molinaseca, a welcoming family-run rural BnB.

Also read: Walking a 1000-year-old Pilgrim Trail Through the Italian Alps

Re-examine life at a living 10^th century monastery

I did a long train journey from Lleida, via Madrid, to León, and was surprised to arrive at Real Colegiata de San Isidoro at night. This is no regular hotel. It’s a living Christian monastery dating back to the 10th century – now part hotel, part museum and part living quarters of a small handful of monks!

I walked down its ancient corridors with monastery paraphernalia still adorning its walls, slept in what was once a cell for the monks, and started my mornings with breakfast in its historic cloister. Though now a luxurious abode, looking out my window over the ancient walls that were once the refuge of monks alone, made me contemplate the transient nature of life and the places we call home.

Also read: How I Used HomeExchange to Experience Europe Like a Local

Draw inspiration from Guadi’s world (and mind) at his earliest creations

As someone interested in the evolution of creative people, I was really fascinated to visit some of Antoni Gaudi’s earliest creations – Casa Botines in León, and the Palace of Astorga in the nearby town of Astorga. Long before his rise to fame as the architect behind the grand Sagrada Familia, he designed a residential stone building in León, the ground floor of which was for a tailoring company. This heritage building resembles a castle in a fairytale and is said to have inspired Disneyland, but it was the little touches within that I fell in love with, like a wood and glass cove in every apartment for street watching and ‘to be seen.’

Whether or not you’re interested in architecture, stepping into Gaudi’s earliest creations is a reminder of how our creativity can challenge the status quo, no matter when or where we’re born!

TIP: Experience life in a different era at the restored 12th century convent, Parador de Leon.

Also read: What Indian Cities Can Learn About Green Tourism from Copenhagen

Hike in the spectacular Picos de Europa National Park

I felt in awe as we drove out of León city into the Cantabrian mountains. Just an hour or so away, the landscape transformed into jagged limestone mountains, rolling meadows, river gorges and timeless stone villages. In the Picos de Europe National Park, I did short hikes along a glacial lake, into a forest with an abandoned chapel and to an old bridge straddling a gorge high above the river. We chanced upon a cryptic contraption once used by the local community to chase wolves away from livestock!

This was Spain’s first national park, and I can’t wait to return someday to do a circular hut-to-hut hike, wake up to a sea of clouds, and have that ‘end of the world’ feeling.

TIP: Experience some of the region’s most incredible natural wonders with WildWatching Spain.

Also read: The Swiss Alps on an E-bike: 385 Km, 7 Alpine Passes, 6 Days!

Soak in the magnificence of one of Europe’s largest stained-glass window collections in a 13^th century cathedral

My first impression of the city of León is witnessing the incredible gothic León Cathedral at night. Its grand facade, lit up by night lights, is something else. But what is even more awe-inspiring is the spectacle that awaits within its walls. On a late morning, I found myself surrounded by warm sunlight lighting up the stained glass windows covering its high walls – such a magical feeling!

I learnt that the cathedral is currently in the midst of El Sueño de la Luz (the dream of light) – a long term restoration effort to clean the stained glass windows, replace their iron frames with non-rusting brass and add a protective layer for air circulation to make it adaptable to varying weather conditions. This costs 5000 Euro per square meter, paid for entirely by tourism; a reminder of how tourism can help protect our cultural heritage.

TIP: I highly recommend my local guide Blanca for all things León!

What would you most like to experience in Northern Spain?