2018-10-03 Espinosa de los Monteros, Santander, Plymouth then Home

Previous Day :: Trek Overview :: Some reflections

Espinosa de los Monteros to home

Espinosa de los Monteros to Home via ferry to Plymouth

Last day of this long european trip, there are always mixed feelings as we head for home. We think about the bottles of wine that are stashed in the lockers and look forward to drinking them at home. We speculate about the state of the garden and the pot plants. The Santander to Plymouth ferry is a long crossing, one we prefer not to take, Portsmouth is better for us, but we can’t always have exactly what we want.

Cold again in the morning but as soon as the sun is up over the mountain the day warms quickly. We leave mid to late morning continuing on the BU570 and 572 across Cordillera Cantabria, a truly magnificent climb to 1350m. At the top of the pass we pause and look at the view both ways, it really is high and breath-taking.

We pass from Castillo y Leon into Cantabria and the CA643. Here we follow a series of series steep switchbacks down the shoulder of the Portillo de Lunada, down and down, through several very isolated mountain villages: La Concha, San Roche and Mirones following the Rio Miera way below us. In Cantabria the houses in the mountains are built in the Swiss Alps style with wood balconies and many red geraniums in flower troughs. At Lierganes we stop for a late lunch and then on to an Aire for the afternoon, prepare tea and pack a bag for the ferry. The Aire: Area del Lago del Acebo, Cabarceno is next to lake Pozo del Acebo and a safari park.

Apart from the emptying facilities that are grim (really grim and only one tap…), it would have been a great spot to stay overnight… must remember it for the future as it is only 30 – 40 minutes-drive from Santander. We park up and rest in the sunshine, it is about 28°C and very pleasant.

We reflect on our tour through northern Spain and our return to cold and autumnal England. It has only rained once (briefly in Prades) during the four weeks we have been away. We board our ferry at Santander in the early evening and depart around 9.00pm. We have a quiet night with calm water.

Our trek through France and Northern Spain

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Summary of motorhome journey through France and Northern Spain