First days in Spain

Mon:  14^th April.   Buenos Dias!  After a smooth overnight crossing on the Pont Aven, a Brittany Ferries vessel (our mini cruise), we arrived in Santander late this morning,

driving off the ferry at 11.20a.m. and putting our timepieces forward one hour.  We proceeded to the nearby Carrefour supermarket for groceries and fuel for Boris before continuing on to our chosen stopover at a caravan park near San Vicente de la Barquera on the north Atlantic coast.  As it was a lovely, sunny though hazy day, we were able to sit outside to eat a late lunch.  The rest of the day was spent doing very little. 

Tues:  15^th April.  A sleep in this morning…we’re still on England time I think.  It was a warm, sunny morning and we were able to skype with our son James and grandchildren Harriet and Ted before packing up and leaving, a happy start to what was a most enjoyable day.  Our first stop was at the Playa (beach) de Gerra for a walk along the sand,

then on through S.Vicente to the motorway for a short distance before taking a detour through the Sierra de Cuera, stopping at a local café in Panes for coffee,

then on through stunning scenery,

with scraps of snow still clinging to some of the mountain tops, to the town of Arenas de Carbrales where, on seeing a sign for a funicular, we followed the river

for 6 kms into the mountains until we reached Poncebos where we bought tickets for said funicular.  It was a 7min journey, 2 kms through a tunnel

at the end of which were several walks one could take.  As the walks took 3 to 4 hours each, we opted for a 10 minute look around and photo opportunity

before the return ride down through the mountain.  After collecting Boris, we drove down the road a little way to stop at a car park for a snack of bread and cheese before driving through Arenas de Carbrales to Cangas de Onis where we are stopping for the night in a large car park opposite the bus station (a freebie!).  It was about an hour’s drive through glorious scenery, spoilt only a little by the haze lying about.  Once we’d got ourselves sorted, we strolled across the river into and through the town and what a lovely town it is!

Mike found a little hardware shop next to the Post Office and was able to buy a tap fitting (by drawing pictures as we have almost no Spanish and the shopkeeper has no English) as we didn’t have the right fitting for a non screw on tap.  So far the Spanish people we’ve met and spoken to have been very friendly and willing to help in our struggles to speak their language.  We finished off our excellent day with another stroll through the town after dinner, when all the locals were out wining and dining and strolling too.  We like this town!!

Wed:  16^th April.  Thick fog was blanketing the town this morning when we woke, with very low visibility, i.e. we couldn’t see anything beyond the car park.  By the time we’d had breakfast, done all the usual morning things and crossed the river to visit the Post Office, it had almost cleared.  We packed and left and headed toward Cudillero, about 100 kms from Cangas de Onis and on the coast.  It was a pleasant drive, the roads here are very good and the scenery is interesting, with lush, green rolling hills and valleys all around and when we reached the coast, the ocean looked stunningly blue and calm. 

The most exciting thing that happened today was when arriving at Cudillero, we drove through the little village which is situated at the bottom of a steep, winding road and has a very narrow cobblestoned main road, not at all suitable for motor homes and saw a motor cycle policeman coming towards us, motioning to us…we thought we might be in for a bit of trouble but he very kindly helped us out of the jam by stopping oncoming traffic and escorting us through!

The rest of the afternoon was spent soaking up the sunshine at the caravan park, keeping out of trouble.

Thurs: 17^th April, 2014.  Once again we woke to thick fog, only today it didn’t completely lift until late afternoon.  We drove back down to Cudillero, scene of yesterday’s ‘misdemeanour’, only this time we parked at the port

and walked the short distance into the town…at 11 a.m. when we arrived, the shops and cafes were just opening up so we strolled around for a time before having coffee at the Don Vito Corleone bar/cafe.  On the low, side walls of the café , there were many still photos, scenes from the Godfather films …I guess the owner is a huge fan! It was busier today than yesterday and head on collisions were avoided by the policewoman on duty taking control of the traffic flow…in a couple of places on the road through town, there really isn’t enough room for even two small cars to pass each other so Boris had little chance yesterday…until his saviour came to the rescue on his motorbike!  Chaos reigned at the car park when we returned at 1 p.m., the place was chokkers and cars were parked in any little space available so we were happy to be leaving then, it’s obviously a popular place.

Down the road a little way, we pulled in at a service station which had a large car park and made and ate lunch before continuing on to an overnight stop at a beach near Rinlo, on the coast.  It was in a car park, another freebie, and overlooked the Atlantic ocean…a lovely beach below the cliffs and a well used crazy paving path along the edge of the cliffs. We joined the walkers on the path, it was still overcast, the sun hadn’t made an appearance so it was quite cool but the view was magnificent so we didn’t mind too much.
 

Fri: 18^th April 2014.  More fog but it cleared fairly early to be replaced by sunshine.  By 9 a.m. the walkers were out walking, the cyclists were cycling, the surfers were surfing and the runners were running.  The baker came in his little van to the car park so we bought a loaf of bread and a pastry from him before setting off on a very scenic drive, stopping at a beach near Viveiro where we ate lunch and then travelling on to a caravan park at Valdovino.  The office was closed when we arrived at about 2 p.m. so we drove to the nearby beach, bought ice creams and walked along the beach board walk before returning to the caravan park…still no one in the office so we chose a site, plugged in the power and sat in the sunshine to read.  The office was still closed at 4.30 p.m. and at 5 o’clock so we’ve given up until morning. 

There are many excellent beaches along the Atlantic coast, the water is clear, a gorgeous blue and looks inviting but as yet we’re not brave enough to go swimming, we need warmer weather! 

Though the roads are mostly very good, now and then we’ve encountered a bumpy stretch but nothing major.  The countryside we've travelled through is a little unkempt but that hasn't detracted from the attractive and often stunning scenery along the way.  We're enjoying Spain!