April 25, 2014

Crikey! Sunshine with a proper blue sky- not seen that for a while.

We’re up and away to make the most of the good weather. We don’t get more than a couple of kilometres up the road before reaching the information board advising that the mountain pass is open. The road climbs from the valley bottom, seemingly straight up, no zigzags here, just a killer gradient. The legs and lungs are not happy at such a sudden assault with no time for a warm up. We know today will be all about climbing but we hope it isn’t going to be this hard all the way.

Last night we made a few changes to our intended route. The first part is the same but later on instead of heading straight for Santander we’re going to head further to the east so we can stay somewhere on the coast a couple of days before going to Santander for a couple more days. We set out on the tour a bit too early but until you get going you always worry that you’ll be slow or get an injury, so having too much time at the beginning is better than not enough.

As it turned out the climb to the top of the first pass, Alto de Bocos, was the hardest work of the day. The pass was not high at 780 metres but the climb was made in only about 7 kilometres. Once up there the road continued along a ridge rather than downwards. We are surrounded by bright green pasture and the sound of cow-bells clanging. The sky is still blue and the sun shining, although it is cold and the wind is blowing hard. After a pit stop at a very welcome bar at a  cross-road, we set off again heading for another mountain pass. This one is not in a hurry, taking around 20 kilometres to reach the top – much easier and once we get there – wow! what a view. From a viewing point right on the summit we can see the sea in the far distance and, spread far below us, a bright green patchwork of fields and trees which seem to sparkle in the sun. Speaking of which, we suddenly realise that we’re getting red bits, as we’ve forgotten all about putting on the mega expensive sun-cream. We spend an hour relaxing in the sun and after lunch set off downhill. This side of the mountain pretty well runs all the way down to the coast. We free-wheel for nearly 20 kilometres with the road running alongside a river that gets ever bigger as it runs to the sea.

The last few kilometres take us across a causeway towards a place we have been able to see in the distance for some time. It actually doesn’t look too promising from a distance – it looks like it will be a working port with docks and warehouses. Still we carry on – if it turns out not to be somewhere to stay we can turn along the coast until we come to something suitable. However, its appearance is deceptive, as once in the town it is big, absolutely heaving with shops, bars, restaurants and people. There is a promenade along the estuary and on the other side of town, a couple of kilometres away, a beach. This will do just fine.