What you can see on the Fuente Dé webcam
The camera stands at El Cable, the upper station, and looks across its stone terrace to the track that leads away into the high limestone country. Beyond a grassy hollow rise bare grey summits and screes. On fine days the path is dotted with walkers; on others, cloud fills the frame. In winter, snow covers the track and the rocks. It is a still image rather than a video, with the date and time printed along the top.
The path into the high Picos from the top of the cable car
This camera of Cantur, the regional company that runs the cable car, is at El Cable, the upper station, 1,823 m (5,981 ft) up. It looks over the stone wall of the station terrace and along the gravel track that leads walkers away into the high massif, past an information board, towards a grassy hollow and the bare limestone summits behind.
People on the path give a sense of scale and show how busy the top is. Before buying a ticket, it tells you whether you will be above the cloud, inside it or under a clear sky, and in winter how much snow covers the track. It is a still image, with the date and time printed along the top.
The Fuente Dé cable car
Opened in 1966, the cable car climbs 753 m (2,470 ft) in a single span, from 1,070 m (3,510 ft) at Fuente Dé to 1,823 m (5,981 ft) at El Cable, in under four minutes, with cabins for 20 people. The top station is a viewpoint over the valley and the start of several marked paths: one crosses the high pastures of Áliva and drops to Espinama, and experienced walkers carry on towards Peña Vieja or the Cabaña Verónica refuge.
When to watch Fuente Dé
Spain is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. Cloud can sit on the peaks while the valley below is sunny, and the reverse happens too, which is exactly what the camera answers: whether the top is above the cloud, inside it or under a clear sky. From late autumn to spring, snow can lie up here long after it has gone from the valley, so check the path before planning a walk.
Around Fuente Dé
The station lies inside the Picos de Europa National Park. Down the valley, the road passes the villages of Espinama and Cosgaya on its way to Potes, the market town of Liébana, about 14 miles (23 km) away, and the monastery of Santo Toribio above it.
Getting to Fuente Dé
The road ends at the lower station, which has a large car park. The nearest airport with flights from the UK is Santander, about 54 miles (86 km) away as the crow flies and further by road; ferries from Portsmouth and Plymouth also dock in Santander. Asturias airport, to the west, is a similar distance away.
