The Atlantic fringe of Asturias is a world away from the mountains and pastures of the Picos.

BBC: A culinary pilgrimage along the Way of St James

This gorge wriggles through the Picos for 11km, with limestone cliffs and mountain slopes rising up to 1, 500m overhead.

BBC: Spain��s mountains made of cheese

Picos Bolivar and Humboldt are the only remaining Andean peaks in Venezuela where glaciers still exist, though they are disappearing fast.

BBC: Venezuela��s Andean playground

Though virtually unknown compared to the likes of the Alps, Pyrenees and Dolomites, there is much to prove the Picos worthy of their grand name.

BBC: Spain��s mountains made of cheese

Rock climbers revere it for its long, exposed climbs, and for walkers it is the most magnetic destination in the Picos thanks to its dominating bulk.

BBC: Spain��s mountains made of cheese

The bastion of its long-guarded independence is the mountain range known as Picos de Europa (the Peaks of Europe), a vast natural barrier sheltering the region from the south.

BBC: A culinary pilgrimage along the Way of St James

Rising to 2, 648m above sea level at their highest point and stretching just 40km in length, the Picos de Europa -- the Peaks of Europe -- were apparently so named because they were the first piece of European land sailors sighted when coming across the Atlantic.

BBC: Spain��s mountains made of cheese