Our time in Spain had come to an end and we had to drive from Gijon to Santander to take the Ferry back to the UK. It was sad to leave but at least we could treat ourselves to an interesting drive.
Gijon to Cangas de Onis
It was a warm, sunny day as we headed inland towards Oviedo on the motorway, but outside Oviedo we were going to do most of the drive on an inland road. We happily turned off the motorway on to the N634 for Cangas de Onis
Cangas de Onis
We had stayed in the Parador of Cangas de Onis before and enjoyed it very much after an epic drive over the Picos de Europa. This was just going to be a brief stop for a coffee – and to buy honey and dried beans. More dried beans, I should say – I had already bought quite a few along the way!
We hadn’t been inside the Church of Santa Maria so took the opportunity this time – something was going to happen and it was open.
And then we walked down to the river to remind ourselves of the old bridge over the river.
And then we saw this – someone washing down a building from top to bottom. It reminded us of what we had seen in Gijon. People were washing the car park under the large supermarket near the Parador, and another team were washing down the railings around the building. I thought about the dirt of central London, the the World Heritage Site that is Greenwich…
And then we managed to squeeze in a coffee in a buzzy cafe!
Between the mountains
The AS-114 road gave us spectacular views of the mountains. We stopped in a layby just to look.
And then the road started plunging downwards
After that there was nothing else to say. There is a post on YouTube which adds to the experience.
Hotel Bahia in Santander
The Hotel Bahia is on the seafront in Santander and again we had a very comfortable room – on the 10th floor – what a change from Gijon. Across the corridor we could also look out on the Cathedral.
Back to the UK
The next morning there was a brilliant sunrise, but that was the best things about the day. We sailed
What a way to end a holiday! The crossing, through Storn Benjamin for at least half the way, was horrendous and I spent most of it flat on my back, or in the bathroom. After that it took a visit to the doctor and several days before I was on my feet again. But the memories before Santander are absolutely wonderful!
Anne Guy
Thanks for sharing your journeys with us and hope you are felling better after the rough crossing home!
Candy Blackham
Thank you for following – I love sharing. I needed a doctor’s help and it took about week to recover. I don’t really need that experience again!