First time in northern Spain, and so far…

Saturday 17th September Portsmouth to Santander (470 nautical Miles or 540 miles)

We went to bed early last night, 9:30 ish. The next thing we know it’s 9 in the morning. Del slept the best in months, H not so good.

The room was dark and quiet, just the slight hum of the engines down below. We get up, shower, and have breakfast which is a simple continental affair but very nice all the same.

It’s a bright sunny day.

It’s a clear blue sky and very warm in the sun. It’s beautiful as we have a walk around the decks in the sunshine with France on our left. We find a seat and sit in the sun while some of our travel companions join in on a health and fitness class. We give that a miss.

Just as we are getting comfortable we are asked to evacuate the deck as a helicopter is about to land on the ship’s helipad. By all accounts, someone has taken ill and has to be taken off the ship. Just as soon as we get up we can see and hear the fast-approaching helicopter coming from the French coast like a giant angry fly!

We get inside and have a view of the helipad through the glass roof of the bar. We see the helicopter, blades spinning for quite a long while, then with a quick rev of the engines, it was off and gone. Bit of drama there, sad for the person(s) being carried off, however. Hopefully nothing too serious.

We spend the rest of the afternoon in the lounge watching the French coast go slowly by nice. The sea is flat, the sky is blue, and it’s a lovely sunny day as we make the slow turn left to go south and into the Bay of Biscay -a sea that has quite a reputation for being rough. There are some dolphins racing us through the surf.

We have dinner in the restaurant, it’s busy but the food is good, Hayley ate too much. We have one last walk around the decks outside, it’s black out there, dead dead black and the wind is building. Time for bed.

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Sunday 18^th September 2022 Santander to Cobreses 26 miles

We are woken at 5:45 by gentle harp music over the bedroom speaker. It’s a nice way to wake up. Last night there was a bit more of a swell, it was roughing up in the Bay of Biscay. We have a quick shower, pack our things and head off to breakfast. Rooms have to be vacated at 6:30 am for a 7:00 am disembarkation.

The queue for the breakfast is long and we are surprised at how much this breakfast was, 19 euros for a continental breakfast!! Del takes a doggie bag with him to the van. Jess is waiting in the belly of the boat which is already filling up with people getting ready for the off.

15 minutes later we are slowly exiting the front of the ship and into the Port of Santander. By chance, we are flagged into an empty exit lane. It usually takes a while to get out as we now have to have our passports checked and stamped so to be led off into an empty lane is a bonus.

No questions, no comments, the passports are stamped and we are waved on.

We are off! 34 hours later we are on the Spanish mainland and making our way to a garage where we can fill up with fresh water and maybe finish our breakfast.

The garage is something quite amazing. Yes, an amazing garage. It’s brand new, huge, and built for motorhomes to empty, refill and wash their vehicles. Amazing. Inside there is a bar/cafe and a full shop. Del can’t help himself and has a coffee with a slice of Spanish tortilla despite already finishing the doggie bag recovered from the boat breakfast.

We fill up with water and do a shop and soon we are on our way to our first stop by a lake and back onto a safari park called Largo del Acebo.

It’s very nice. Peaceful and picturesque. We get settled in and take a walk around the lake and check out the safari park. It’s massive but again very expensive so we settle for a peek of the elephants through the fence. The village is quite charming and we have a good walk before making our way back to the van and a sit outside with a view of the lake to plan the rest of the trip. At this point, we still have no idea where we are going or what the time frame is.

Del has a thought, always a bad thing, that maybe we should move on, seen as the next stop is only 40 minutes away. So we pack up and an hour later we in our new stop called “Las Hazas” in Cobreces, Cantabria which is just an hour and a bit west of Santander.

It is beautiful here. It has everything that we need including a good 2 and a bit-kilometer round-trip walk to the beach where we have a small cold beer in the sun before walking back up the hill to have a light dinner.

Hayley is completely wiped out and glad to be in bed. We have been up since about 5:30 this morning, she didn’t sleep well on the boat for two nights so she is happy to have had a shower and be tucked up ready to get a well-deserved sleep.

Tomorrow is a new day.

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Monday 19^th September 2022 Cobreses to Castropol 161 miles

We always intend on getting up and leaving early, say 9 to 9:30 which means an early breakfast and today was to be no exception but as usual, we didn’t make it. After a good night’s sleep, we have a light breakfast. Today we are heading to the region of Asturias. Currently, we are in Cantabria, the bit that runs along the middle bit in the north of Spain. Asturias is further west and is very green and beautiful.

The place we stayed at yesterday and last night was superb, a good night’s sleep was had. Del has quick chat with the lady who runs the place to thank her and in exchange, she tells us how wonderful Asturias is and bids us farewell.

We set off and after a large food shop, we are off and on our 2 and bit hour drive along the north coast of Spain.

Indeed the scenery here is amazing. Very green and very hilly. It’s very clean, tidy, and bright in the afternoon Spanish sunlight. A lovely drive that we both share.

We arrive at a campsite on the coast called Camping Penarronda. It’s amazing. The owners are very nice and welcoming. We get our pitch and settle in. It’s a bit windy today but that’s okay. We lock up Jess and go in search of the nearby beach. It doesn’t take long for us to stumble upon the beach, and what a beach.

It’s a massive open bay of pure white sand, and amazing views, we just stand there looking at the Playa Penarronda before setting off for a walk.

Dinner tonight is in the local Restaurant “Las Parejas” (The pair) before that it’s back to the van for a glass of local Asturian Cider and a sit in the remaining afternoon sun.

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Tuesday 20^th September 2022 Castropol to Ribadeo 11 miles

We had a lovely stay last night, and this morning it’s a lovely clear blue sky day. A very short jump today to a campsite that is almost on the beach at Ribadeo just 11 miles from where we are today.

The drive was easy and scenic. The campsite is compact, the big campers can’t get in here that’s for sure, but for our 6m van, it’s easy.

The staff are friendly here at Camping Gaviota and they show us to our space which is just a 2-minute walk from the beach. Of course, we have to take advantage of that, so once we are set up in our pitch we gather some bits and pieces together, chairs, a towel, and a book, and off we go.

Two hours later we make it back to Jess for a simple dinner by the van before retiring to bed. Tomorrow is a long 2 and a-half-hour drive as we make our way further west along the northern coast of Spain.

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Wednesday 21^st September 2022 Ribadeo to Valdovino 89 miles

Our plan today is to go to a place called Valdovino and to a campsite near a nice sandy beach. We are taking the scenic but the longer route which turns out to be scenic but not spectacular. The scenery was lovely, maybe we just bigged it up a bit in our minds too much as northern Spain is quite stunning in general. We arrive at the site which didn’t look as we expected either, a bit sad. We did see a free parking area with a view of the beach on the way in so we thought we’d give it a go instead.

You simply turn up find a spot in an ‘authorised’ parking place and that’s it. There are no facilities like water or electricity, fortunately, we made sure that we had a full tank of fresh water, an empty grey water tank, and a fresh toilet, and leave the solar panels to do the rest.

We pick our spot and get settled in for a free night. Excellent. We take a walk along the stunning sandy beach in the bay. Brilliant white sand for miles. the weather is perfect.

H comes up with the brilliant idea of dinner on the beach, a picnic. Nice. She puts together a fabulous spread of fresh prawns, Ali oli (garlic mayonnaise dip, very popular here). A salad, tortilla, and half a bottle of rose wine. It’s a bit windy and still quite hot and sunny so we take a beach brolly which we hope will give us some protection from one or the other or both.

We get set up and have a wonderful picnic. Until……

So imagine the scene if you will. It’s a bright warm early evening, the wind is a bit gusty. There we are just finishing our picnic on the beach and a gust of wind uproots the beach brolly.

Super Del springs to life and chases the ever-tumbling brolly along the sand dunes. He just about gets a hold of the brolly and goes down! Badly…

He hobbles back to H complete with the recovered brolly but also a nasty gash on the top and the side of his right big toe. The nail is also turning a nice shade of dark blue. There is not a lot of blood but the skin has lifted from the toe. Nasty.

H rushes back to Jess for a first aid kit and returns to patch up Del’s busted and painful foot. Is the toe broken? Is it fractured or just bashed?

It appears that as Del was trying to recover the brolly, facing into the sun, he didn’t see the flat rocks buried beneath the sand, slips, and catches his toe in a ridge. He thinks.

Temporarily bandaged up H helps Del back to the van for a shower, a full clean of the toe, Savlon application, and bandage. This is helped along with a large Ricard and a strong cup of tea.

We shall just have to see how this one goes over the next few days, but for now, that’s the walking and cycling out of the itinerary for Del.

To bed with a couple of paracetamols and ibuprofen. H does a great job of helping and caring for the poor brolly rescuer. Well done H and thanks!

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Thursday 22^nd September 2022 Valdovino to Sant Vincente do Grove 115 miles

Despite the incident of yesterday, we both slept well. It’s nice here, very peaceful with the sea crashing in the distance. Del’s foot is ok, not any worse, not any better. It’s all freshly cleaned a dressed for the day.

Today we are moving slowly south on the west coast of Spain towards Portugal. Motorway today to Sant Vicente do Grove which is a small spit of land on the west side of Spain. H will be doing all of the driving for the next few days until we see how Del’s foot goes. Feeling sorry for himself he settles down into the passenger seat for a very scenic trip. It’s a lovely place here and already we are talking about spending 5 weeks just in the north of Spain sometime in the future. We are really rushing through it right now as we have only 4 weeks left to do Portugal, cut across Spain to the northeast, then up through France, Belgium then home. We think.

Today is not really a campsite, there are no facilities except electricity. You can do a full van service and it only costs 10 euros a night.

We get pitched up and settled in. Del keeps his foot up and rested. It’s swollen, so ice packs are applied and then cleaned a re-dressed.

We like a walk and this place is perfect for that, you can walk on either side of the site for miles.

Sadly H goes for a walk alone. It’s a wonderful place with a boardwalk that stretches around the scenic coastline.

The sea is flat and calm it’s warm and sunny. Beautiful. Del just potters around the van resting his foot as much as he can before H finally makes it back.

Dinner tonight is a Fideua. A Catalan dish. Like Paella but with small thin noodles. A first for H and an absolute success.

Tomorrow we are crossing the border into Portugal…

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Friday 23rd September 2022 Sant Vincente do Grove to Praia de Ancora 84 miles

Another great night’s sleep last night, this is getting to become a habit now! Today we are going over the border from Spain to Portugal and our first stop will be a free one parked up just off the beach.

We set off knowing that today is just mostly motorway which is ok as the passing countryside can still be quite wonderful. Hayley wasn’t aware that Portugal was back an hour, the same time zone as the UK which threw her a bit for a while.

Del’s toe is getting better by the day. Not quite up to doing ballet yet and walking has to be done carefully and for a short time, but it does seem to be getting better.

We set off straight after breakfast and the journey is quite hilly but spectacular in parts. We do like this part of Spain and do intend to visit it again in the future but for a longer time. It’s totally different from other parts of Spain on the Med side and miles away culturally and visually from way down south which can be flat and very very dry. It’s great up t’north and we would recommend it on your next trip out!

We trundle over the border, the only indication is the usual blue sign with the gold stars with “Portugal” in the middle, there is also a gantry bridge with a clock on it over the motorway to remind Hayley of the time! The roads are not good so far… Full of holes, humps, and bumps! We arrive at the chosen spot, after a quick shop, but decide that it’s not quite right so we move on to another. Again not for us. There is some confusion about free parking overnight in Portugal. Some people have reported having been fined for parking in these “free” car parks.

H is looking at the maps and the phone and finds a nice cheap campsite not too far away. We arrive at a rather rustic but pleasant site.

Tall trees, green grass, and rough pathways. It’s smashing. Lots of space to park where ever you like and the chap who sees us in is very friendly. Good. We shall stay here.

We get set up and spend the afternoon just chatting away, reading and picking at Spanish tapas and fruit, all very relaxing, all very nice indeed.

French dinner tonight – duck, sauteed potatoes, and salad. We will start in French style with a large glass of cold Ricard. Well, why not. When in Rome… Er…