Asturias Spain Wildlife - Jayhill Travel Company

Asturias Spain Wildlife
Bears, Birds & Wolves

We have pleasure in forwarding the final details for your visit to Spain. Please read carefully and if you have any queries do contact us right away. Remember, you’ll need a valid passport

If you’d like information on parking in Plymouth please advise

Tuesday June 1st Meet with Paul in the Brittany Ferries Terminal in Millbay Docks, Plymouth at 1630 We travel on a Group ticket but, you’ll each receive a Boarding Card / Cabin key when you check in as a group.

Check in usually commences about an hour before the ship sails at 1845. You’ll be asked to show your passport so don’t stow it with your luggage! If you arrive early there is a nice café near the Terminal called “The Dock” where you could take some refreshment.

Enjoy the cruise to Spain and make use of the ship’s facilities.

There is entertainment during the crossing not least of which is watching out for whales or dolphins .

There’s a coffee shop; main restaurant (Le Flora) and a self service restaurant on Deck 7 . Entertainment takes place in the main bar on Deck 8.

The ship operates throughout on British time.

Tuesday June 2nd: We reach Santander at 1730 (Spanish time). The new EES checks will take place here.

You’ll proceed as usual into the Terminal Building and at the Border Control they will take your photograph and your fingerprints. Absurd and time consuming but painless!!

Just outside the exit of the Terminal, the coach from Autocares Lupefer will be waiting and once everyone is on board we’ll set off westwards.

We’ll arrive at the Hotel Castillo del Alba in Somiedo and meet with our Spanish Guide,Fernando Jubete who will brief you on the programme and then you will have dinner.

Days 3 & 4: This visit will focus primarily on brown bear viewing, which will require morning and afternoon “stakeouts.” Morning stakeouts will involve getting up one hour before sunrise, having a quick breakfast, and traveling to the stakeout location, which is usually less than 15–20 minutes from the hotel. Each stakeout will last three to four hours. Stakeouts will be repeated in the evening, beginning three hours before sunset and continuing until nightfall.

During these days, it is quite likely that several Brown bears will be spotted, as they are also in their mating season during those weeks. Other mammals that may be seen during the stakeouts include Wolves, Roe deer, Red deer, Chamois, and Wild boars.

Although birds are not the main focus of the trip, during the waiting periods it is quite possible to spot species such as the Short-toed eagle, Honey buzzard, European nightjar, Woodcock, Red-billed and Yellow-billed chough, Griffon vulture, as well as passerines such as the Dartford warbler, Iberian chiffchaff, Bonelli’s warbler, Short-toed treecreeper, Firecrest, etc.

During the middle of the day, a walk around the hotel will also guarantee sightings of numerous species of warblers, tits, woodpeckers, birds of prey, etc.

Day 5 We leave Somiedo and travel to Potes with observation stops en route. Our overnights will be at the Hotel Infantado with half-board as usual.

On June 6^th we will drive to Fuent Dé and ascend to the plateau above.

On June 7^th. After our morning in the field we start the drive to Santander where we will catch the 1845 sailing to Plymouth.

We reach Plymouth at 1545 on June 8^th.