Already years ago we had trouble with the credit bank named after this city, even now Santander brings us no luck. We have a great boat entrance into the bay. Almost like to Venice.
But we do not get cash with our credit cards. On top of this, Rolf’s credit card is eaten by the vending machine. And all this on a Sunday. The bank’s support service answers the question about support in English language: mañana! So have your credit card blocked – we still have some with us.
The campsite Comillas annoys us. High prices and arrogant staff are a bad combination. The customer is king? Not at this place. We are happy to cycle further the next morning, despite great coastline which sometimes has rough Atlantic charm and sometimes South Sea flair.
We have breakfast at one of the beautiful picnic areas overlooking the sea before heading towards Picos de Europa, the most visited Spanish National Park. Perhaps here we will find traces of the last brown bears in Europe. Our friend Hubi gave us this tip. The details were provided by Juan Carlos who we met on a bike trail near Bilbao.
We have laid our first base to Las Arenas de Cabrales, near Poncebos.
The Picos are really impressive, pointed spikes, deep narrow gorges, up to 2600m high. We run the popular Ruta de Cares. The views are great, the route hike is quite long with over 20 kilometers of round trip.
The next day we visit Bulnes, one of the nine villages, in the National Park. The route is nice, the views are great and this time it does not last the whole day.
Inspired by our campsite neighbors, a Dutch couple who cycle through Northern Spain for three weeks with the loans of their parents – touring bikes, tent and cookware – we cycle to Potes, our second base, and from there on to the heart of the Picos, to Fuente Dé.
We reject the fixed idea of letting us sail from Santander to Plymouth after reading the latest report by Hana and Peter Bergh (love2bike) about the Scottish Highlands. After all, we are sunny-weather cyclists. However, we meet the two Englishmen Ruth and Ken at the beautiful campsite La Viorna near Potes. Together they are already an incredible 153 years old. Three times they have walked around Montblanc and now came by car and tent from Plymouth to Santander to explore the Picos and other beauties in Northern Spain and South France. We sit together the evening, eat and talk. It was really nice, so lovely that we might go to the island again, to the Lake District in Northwest England. Ken convincingly explains that it is the most beautiful place on earth. We certainly have a place for our tent for the first overnight stay. 😊 And who knows, it would not be the first time we might meet them again when we drive up the Atlantic coast.
To Saint Malo we have about the same direction.
