Atlantic to Asturias

Having met Dad in Santander, we spent a couple of hours exploring the city. We wandered through the old town and by the port, enjoying being back on terra firma and getting some fresh air. It was interesting to see how large furniture is delivered to top floor flats in the city! After lunch in a café we got on our way to Ribadesella to find our first apartment of this trip.

The journey along the motorway provided spectacular views of the mountains, sea and valleys. Our accommodation in Ribadesella was a third floor apartment on the edge of town. Clean and comfortable with enough space for all our needs, including Racheal’s changing table, but not exciting enough for me to think to take photos!

We had three days to explore the area, but the first one was the only one to promise decent weather, so we set off to explore the mountains of Picos de Europa. Our first stop was Cangas de Onís with a cross hanging under its old bridge, the church and an interesting town hall on stilts. The latter provided a good picnic spot out of the rain.

From here we headed to the funicular railway to visit the village of Bulnes. Fortunately the rain had stopped and the views were stunning. Unfortunately the funicular was closed for maintenance and as the only other access to the village is to hike up a mountain, we didn’t get to see Bulnes. Instead we continued on a scenic route to Llanes, on the coast.

Day two was wet. We had arranged to meet up with friends of Dad’s in a nearby town and spent a pleasant hour and a half chatting with them in a cafe. We returned to the flat for lunch, then visited the museum of cave art in Ribadesella. A group of young cavers had stumbled across some of the finest cave art recorded when exploring in 1968. The cave was not accessible, for obvious reasons, but the museum was very interesting.

Our third day was Mothering Sunday. I was treated to a cup of tea in bed, a card that Racheal had made and a beautiful bird book she had chosen. The weather was much better than forecast, so we headed into the mountains again, this time to Covadonga where the church has a vertical drop on three sides. Fortunately, the disabled parking was on the fourth side and only a short, level walk away. Across the courtyard were the chapter house and a shop where Racheal chose to spend some of Granddad’s money! Further down the hillside was the Holy Cave and Hermitage. After we had had a good look round, we found a restaurant by a stream, with a good view of the church, where we could get meatballs for lunch.

Returning to Ribadesella, we parked at the apartment and walked into the town to explore. The small, steep streets down to the water were a maze of slopes and steps and we came to a few dead ends before we found an accessible route. Walking along the river to the point where it met the sea was pleasant. Part of the path was lined with tile murals telling the story of the town, and at the end steps onto a wall gave good views of the town and the sea.

The evening was spent packing ready to move on our next location.