Picos de Europa - a motorbikers dream trip!
We took the 25-hour Brittany Ferries crossing from Portsmouth to Santander on the Pont Aven. It is a long sailing but there are plenty of facilities on board including a pool, cinema, lounge, bars and restaurants and live entertainment. There is also the opportunity to look out for whales and dolphins particularly when sailing through the Bay of Biscay and they even give talks on these amazing creatures.
From Santander we drove 60km west to San Vicente de la Barquera and the Hotel Faro de San Vicente for our first stop. It is a great little hotel with very fresh looking white décor and the restaurant kitchen stayed open until 11pm which was just as well as the ferry was running late, and we did not arrive until gone 10pm. The tapas were great and the service friendly.
The next morning, we had a quick wander round the harbour before heading further west to Cangas De Onis taking a picturesque route along the N-621/AS-114. Cangas is a picturesque town with a stunning bridge which we overlooked whilst eating a tasty lunch. We then took the N625 south along the western edge and gorges of the Picos to the lake side town of Riano before turning north east to our final destination of the day, the town of Potes, which is a great base for exploring the area. Here we stayed on the outskirts of town at the Hotel Infantado. Potes sprawls along the river with many bars and restaurants but our favourite bar was Radical 4/14 which is popular with locals and tourists alike.
We spent the next three days riding out and exploring the area but took one day off to take the cable car to the top of the mountain at Fuente De from where we took a stunning 16km walk back downhill to the base station. Tim was hoping to spot an elusive bird called a Wall Creeper but it was not to be, although we did see vultures, eagles and lots of other species plus some great flora.
Leaving Potes we started to make our way reluctantly back towards the ferry at Santander. We took the most scenic route possible and found a delightful lunch spot at the Posada Rural Flor Del Nogal where I had the most amazing dish of Nachos - mango sauce, nachos, guacamole, strawberries and fresh anchovies - it sounds disgusting and had I known what I was ordering I would have chosen something else, but it was stunning! After lunch, we rode on to our final stop at the Palacio Torre de Ruesga. Set in yet more beautiful countryside and a room with the biggest jacuzzi bath I have ever seen. We had a lovely night talking to some lovely people and slept well in a very comfortable king size bed. Breakfast was plentiful and tasty, and it set us up for our final circuitous ride back to Santander for the ferry back to the UK.
This was only a short trip. Seven nights in total with two on the ferry and five in Spain but it was one of the best trips we have taken. I will let the pictures do the talking.