Picos de Europa

We drove towards the cable car terminus at Fuete De but it was still miserable and we could not even see the end of the cable so after a coffe in the terminus building we drove back down the mountain road with a big tourist bus right on my tail. Tried to loose it by diverting up to a monastery but the bus followed still on my tail, 1700m up a 16% hill and the van loosing power rapidly, just made it.

We walked from the car park to the old hermitage where there was a panoramic view all around with Potes and our site 600ft down below. The sun was breaking through by now so stopped and had a picnic and watched the snow capped mountains appear through the clouds. Spectacular.

Lots of photos with eagles and vultures circling overhead. A most fortuitous diversion!

Leaving the coast for the mountains

After seeing the sights in Comillas, Gaudi stuff mostly, we went to St Vincent de la Barque a fishing town with large inlet and harbour. We had a nice lunch of rabas and prawns in the rain. Decided to drive into the mountains to see i it was drier. The Herbina pass is a deep narrow gorge where the sun does not reach in winter and opens out into the foothills of the mountains. We made for one of the sites at Potes, which was a bit like Buxton in Derbyshire where we stopped for coffe and a look round. Lots of beans for sale on the market its the staple die . Nice site, Isla de Europa,  with a pitch near the river with very friendly owners and it was dry for a while too.

Santillana del Mar

This is an attractive old village with a lots of tourists flocking around the shops and cafe which now occupy many of the old houses. In the past it was a desirable place to live for the wealthy locals. Its near the Altimira archaeological site which we also visited to see the cave art.

The site had quite big kerbs to drive over which was a bit of problem for my suspension.  Noisy with a school party when we pitched up and then a large German travelling bus which converts into sleeping accommodation for about 30 people arrived. The site was a little way out of town and a tiring walk back up the hill in the heat. But then the wind and low clouds appeared - end of sun bathing.

Wedding Anniversary

After a simple breakfast we walked through Noja to eastern side of town.  Rosemary found a new top from the market on the way, then we found two very Spanish beach restaurants and we did not have a dictionary. So we ordered some raciones (big tapas) with the help of the waitress and the cook! Not sure how or why we ordered razor clams, but they were memorable!

 There was a long walk back round the headland on the coastal path with little coves and pine trees, it was very pretty.

We have some Dutch neighbors, very close to us! Its even hotter today but a fresh breeze in the afternoon.

Had a camera free day!

Chilling out

Rosemary washed - while I watched it dry.

Missed lunch rock climbing and lying on beach. Suntan improving.

BBQ'ed prawns again. Getting warmer - no wind.

First day at Playa Joel

We walked into Noja for the first time to do some shopping but got a bit lost and spent 2hrs on a shopping trip.

Playa Joel is on a super sanding beach and we spent the afternoon there just chilling out and enjoying the warm sunshine. Vest, dongle and recently crafted shell necklace.

A few Brits arrived from the Santander ferry later but we do not have close neighbours as yet. The site is only about 25% full. The pool may be open for the season tomorrow, they have been jet washing it for two days. The showers and facilities hee are excellent.

Rosemary bought some big prawns and I BBQ them. Delicious with a bottle of local white wine.

Futurescope

We spent all day at the high tech theme park. There was a fantastic Imax and 3D space show based on the space station. An Atlantis virtual reality ride with simulated shaking and drops, very disorienting. We dined at an on-site restaurant €18 including wine.

I foolishly left my camera on a bench. It had been taken. I was distraught!

It was an expensive day in more ways than one, the was €31 entrance but worth it for the experience.

We stopped overnight on the huge camping car park for €2.

American and German Cemetry

We stopped for a while at Avorramanche where there is a panoramic view of the remains of the Mulberry Harbour and a 360 cinema experience. On to the American Omagha beach near Port de Blessin. There was tremendous contrast between the immaculately maintained white crosses in the American cemetery and the sombre black German ones nearby.

We had a BBQ with our neighbours, an American padre,  and I heard my first woodpecker.

Pegasus et le memorial

We looked around the Pegasus bridge which commemorates the first landing of gliders to start the liberation of France in WW2 and then on the the main memorial museum at Caen. It was expensive but very impressive and informative in English and French.

We shopped in outskirts of Bayeux and stayed over night at the smart Chateau de Martagny camp site.

Spain here we come

We set off to stay overnight near Winchester on route to the ferry at Portsmouth. The site is quite small but has a pub just outside the entrance that served overpriced and poor quality food. However it was in a convenient location and gave us plenty of time to get to the ferry in the morning. This is our first big trip to Europe and we wanted to get off to a relaxing start. Its the first leg on a "pilgrimage" to Santiago de Compostela  in northern Spain, driving through France and then back from Santander.

The journey to Santiago de Compostela begins

We left home at 2:00 pm to an overnight stop near Winchester prior to catching the ferry to Le Havre.

The 2005 pilgrimage

For our first trip to mainland Europe in the Twurp we decided to spend a month driving thru Western France before heading for the famous pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain with just a few camping cheques and an ACSI card and some good maps.

Although we had camped all over France with the children in the 70's and 80's we had not spent any time in Normandy, so this was our first goal and a very moving experience too. This was followed by a week 'chateauing' in the Loire valley, then  a few days on the holiday island of Ile-de-Re and a night on a Bordeaux vineyard, courtesy of France Passion before we hit the Spanish border.

Our first site was the popular Playa Joel, between Santander and Bilbao. This is an excellent base for exploring the northern coast and the Picos de Europe mountains, all within 30 miles of a ferry terminal and we found many Brits who do just that. The new motorway between the French border and Gijon is spectacular and FREE and a perfect way to access this suberb and unspoilt stretch of coast. Being wetter and cooler than southern Spain this is where the Spanish come in the summer while most of us Brits sizzle in the crowded Costas.

We enjoyed some wonderful sites both in the Picos and all along the coast where we picked up the old pilgrimage routes (now World heritage sites) to Santiago. It's a humbling experience to see pilgrims who have walked hundreds of miles to kiss St James (stone) head in the Cathedral, when we have just driven here. However its a busy place, with just one packed campsite, so time to head back east to Rioja country on the inland route via Leon and Burgos, another pilgrimage trail.

Just a long weekend to taste the wine, pack some in the Twurp, and we were back in Playa Joel for the last couple of days before the short drive to Bilbao to catch the ferry home to Portsmouth. A most enjoyable 7 weeks tour and hopefully the first of many.