Northern Spain Trip
The Practical
We wanted to do a two-week driving holiday in Northern Spain for several reasons. First of all, I had stayed in Parador Hotels on my Camino Frances walks, and Sue was keen to have the "Parador Experience" as well. Secondly , from watching the cycle tour "Vuelta Espana" on tv I was keen to check out the Picos de Europa mountain region. The Picos are quite small in area but the scenery is spectacular; I wanted to sus out the area as a possible destination for a future walking holiday. We did not fancy the long drive down to Northern Spain through France, so we opted to take the Brittany Ferries's service from Portsmouth to Bilbao. As the ferry left quite early in the morning, we stayed overnight at The Hampshire Hog, Clanfield, near Portsmouth.
"Cap Finistere" is a 32,000 ton car ferry capable of carrying 850 passengers and their vehicles. |
The Ferry Schedule
| Wednesday 21st October |
ETD Portsmouth 11-45 hrs |
Thursday 22nd October |
ETA Bilbao 12-45 hrs |
| Tuesday 3rd November |
ETD Bilbao 10-30 hrs |
Wednesday 4th November |
ETA Portsmouth 09-00 hrs |
Our cabin for the night
Major Driving Points
| Bilbao Ferry Port |
Fuente Dé, Picos de Europa |
140 miles |
2 hrs 55 mins |
| Fuente Dé, Picos de Europa |
Cangas de Onis |
65 miles |
2 hrs 2 mins |
| Cangas de Onis |
León, via Riaño |
101 miles |
2 hrs 41 mins |
| León |
Monforte de Lemos |
139 miles |
2 hrs 23 mins |
| Monforte de Lemos |
Gijón, via Ribadeo |
177 miles |
3 hrs 03 mins |
| Gijón |
Santillana del Mar |
94 miles |
1 hr 30 mins |
| Santillana del Mar |
Bilbao Ferry Port |
70 miles |
1 hr 14 mins |
Although the above point-to-point distances amount to 786 miles, we drove nearly 1,300 miles with side trips
Bilbao to Fuente Dé - 140 miles
The Picos de Europa "loop" - with 4 roads leading to the interior
Fuente Dé to Cangas de Onis - 65 miles
Cangas de Onis to León, via Riaño - 101 miles
León to Monforte de Lemos - 139 miles
Monforte de Lemos to Gijón, via Ribadeo - 177 miles
Gijón to Santillana del Mar - 94 miles
Santillana del Mar to Bilbao - 70 miles
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