THEY SAID WE COULDN'T DO THIS ANYMORE! - Off Grid (VAN LIFE) Asturias, SPAIN

Overview

Nick and Sarah (van-life travelers) share their latest stop in northern Spain. After a hot summer building a remote off-grid property in Portugal, they head into Asturias for a cooler mountain break—complete with a solar eclipse trip, gorges, waterfalls, forests, and a rugged coast.

Arrival & off-grid / nature highlights

• They locate a great parking spot in a small mountain village after an stressful search.
• The region is known for brown bears, and local rules encourage visitors to use trash bins to reduce the chance of bears being attracted into towns.
• They hear and spot wildlife activity, including confusing nighttime sounds they jokingly describe as “bear vs. cow.”
• They discuss the possibility of bear activity around caves and rock shelters.

Morning hike routine (and safety)

• They take a short hike along a path/road around a peak.
• Suggested pace/distance:
  • Walk about 30 minutes out
  • Roughly 1 hour round trip
• They choose not to push further due to terrain (including thorny ground) and fatigue.
• Wildlife safety approach:
  • Stay alert for bears
  • Bring appropriate gear (they later wish they’d bought a hiking stick)
  • Be careful where they step in rough, thorny areas

Travel breaks & meetups

• They share the area with other campers and van travelers.
• Friends join them on walks after a hearty breakfast.
• They note the views look even better on the way back to the van.

Drone incident + practical tips

• Their drone crashes while filming in “follow me” mode.
• Tip mentioned:
  • If you lose your drone, use the app feature “find my drone” to make it beep.
• After the crash, they continue editing/work for a while before moving on.

Off-grid land system (Portugal property) — key lifestyle/tech steps

They respond to comments saying you “can’t do this anymore” by showing how they keep the estate running while traveling:

• Gravity-fed irrigation system
  • Water comes from a 4,000-liter storage tank
  • The tank is filled by a well
• Automation
  • Timers control irrigation
  • Remote top-ups via smart plug + pump
  • They monitor remotely via camera
• They note that remote systems can support other projects (for example, refilling a pond with fish).
• Core message: irrigation took lots of trial and time, but it allows them to travel while keeping the land self-sustaining.

Leaving Asturias viewpoints & visiting Somiedo

• They leave early from a picturesque high-view parking spot to head to Somiedo National Park.
• Their route passes high-elevation villages (around ~1400m), with even higher hikes above that.
• Scenic stops:
  • Outskirts picnic area near Peral
    • A short ride to an observation deck overlooking the Somiedo Valley
    • Multiple miradors/observation points with jagged mountain views
• They emphasize bear awareness even at viewpoints, referencing typical bear timing:
  • Often around spring afternoons
  • Generally between sunset and sunrise / nighttime depending on conditions

Camping inside/near the National Park

• They stay at Camping Somiedo (they mention wild camping isn’t ideal inside a national park during high summer).
• Notes from the campground:
  • Busy in August
  • Only about 3 showers
  • They set up near a small stream in Pola de Somiedo, described as a small town and research center area

Bear-watching emphasis (equipment + behavior)

• The atmosphere feels like “surveillance,” with people actively scanning for bears using:
  • Binoculars
  • Big zoom cameras
  • Telescopes
• They hear bear sightings from others even when they don’t personally see one on-screen.
• Local wildlife facts:
  • About 300–350 Cantabrian bears in the region, with numbers reportedly higher than earlier decades.

Scooter ride along the river + another viewpoint stop

• They rent/ride scooters on a flat riverside path:
  • About 2.4 km
  • Roughly a 40-minute walk alternative, so scooters save time
• They reach a viewpoint/mirador, but:
  • They struggle to continue because the forest path/terrain isn’t suitable for scooters
• They briefly push onward on uneven ground, realize they’re at the wrong (or second) deck, and decide not to continue further.

Food, recipes, and home-growing tips (Portugal + Spain)

Breakfast / simple camp cooking

• Nick makes oatmeal with fresh berries and nuts.
• They also eat tostadas with fig jam, including:
  • Red/purple fig + cinnamon
  • Yellow fig + honey
• They emphasize using local fruit whenever possible.

Watermelon + seed saving (future-proof gardening)

• They buy a watermelon and cut it up because they aren’t sure it was fully ripe.
• They:
  • Save all the watermelon seeds
  • Store them after removing and drying
• Seed-saving guidance:
  • Seeds can be stored up to ~5 years
• The main gardening theme:
  • Save seeds from fruits/vegetables “just in case”
  • Grow your own food as a future-proof path
  • Preserve seeds to build future harvests

Fig harvesting plan

• While driving, they notice birds eating unripe figs earlier.
• They hope to return and collect more figs to make jam jars.

Departure and onward travel plan

• After editing and lingering longer because of the views, they leave around mid-afternoon (late check-out).
• They travel north toward the coast through/around Somiedo, stopping at lookout points along the route.

Notable locations / products / people mentioned

• Somiedo National Park; Pola de Somiedo
• Other area mentions: Peral, Somiedo
• Observation decks / miradors:
  • Mirador del des Filandor de la Malva (spelled as shown)
• Campsite stop: Camping Somiedo
• Gear/products:
  • Drone (filming; “find my drone” app feature)
  • Smart plug controlling the irrigation pump
  • Gravity-fed irrigation from a 4,000-liter tank
  • Binoculars / zoom lenses for bear spotting
• People:
  • Nick and Sarah (video hosts)
  • Ninian and Stephen (van travelers mentioned as visitors/campers)