Vincci Puerto Chico Santander

Twas a rough old night as we free camped (including a wonderful fish barbecue) on Oyambre beach, and it soon became apparent that our surf boards were non too happy perched a-top the van roof; this to the extent that they attempted to become detached at around 5am ...

A very pretty (cobbled alleyways, olde worlde stylee, cows in a field with not only udders, but also tuneful bells which, when youºve got a dozen, made quite a din a la Mike Oldfield) little town, unlike the campsite which was essentially a sodden piece of grass, for which we were charged Euro 22, for the pleasure of a night's shut-eye.

Leaving San Sebastian behind we drove to Santander to spend the night. With nothing more then the car, no place to stay and no plan. As luck turns out we found a cheap Pension to stay at, and ate in their quaint little restaurant, treated to warm hospitality, good food, and free Grappa and Lemonchelo

Yesterday night was supposed to be the last night in Santander, but the plans have now changed - I'm liking it so much here that I'm staying an extra night. This means that Bilbao will be cut from the itinerary but really, having already been there twice, there's not much left to see. Bilbao's a funny town - I've explained to friends that as a tourist, other than the Guggenheim there isn't a big draw. But I still loved it there last year because I ...

... overlooking the beach in El Sardinero, then returned to the pension to change for the beach. I picked up a ****** little beach mat and realized how poor quality it was - it'll probably disintegrate after just a few uses, which shouldn't be a problem as there won't be that much beach time on this trip.

The beach was great, and was nice and hot when the sun wasn't hidden behind the clouds. The clouds were shifting and changing ...

... side.

It was a very long trek back to the pension, and I was completely exhausted after. I'd basically walked non-stop for almost four hours since leaving the pension, with only a short break to eat the kebab. I'd probably walked over 10 km since arriving. It was a warm night, and there were so many beautiful spots to check out along the way. One of my favourite Spanish words is "Guapa" - it means beautiful, and it so perfectly describes ...

... I kid you
not). Young bikini-clad women climb on tractors with a vague nod
towards tractor welfare and cleanliness, reinforced when some nearby
farmers (they have to be, surely), spray them with hoses (that's the
tractors and the women both). All this makes for a tiring start to
proceedings and so whilst the “hosers” are resting, the women
(there's no rest for the women in Spain) are for some reason
compelled to wrestle each other in a ...

... he describes to me why he believes in Aliens and how God made them ... and he works through the logic as to why I'm not too confident that Aliens exist at all. He is so serious and logical about the whole thing and its all so precious! I love it. These perfect and wonderful moments in time with the kids and our family are priceless. I hate the fact that I can't document every one of them for my future memory's sake, but the reality is that life speeds at such a pace that ...

... out or shopping and a convenient ferry port on the long western routes with Bilbao being another alternative (and international airport). Plan on eating out a lot when holidaying here, like the Spanish who seem to take every meal from breakfast to dinner at the local eatery. If you've not arrived by car or coach, car hire is strongly recommended to see the Picos de Europa mountain range, a very short drive from the coast. Breathtaking drives along ...

... shared bathroom and far from town, nice walk though. Thats really how to sum up my stay in santander walking, to the town and the bus station, home and then the next day i actually caught a bus really cheap and easy only £1, but i walked around the rest of the day, and ate more helado of course!! There are plenty of beaches to choose from here and they are all fairly similar in quality but a bit different in populations, basically just keep walking till you ...