Bicycle Touring Spain Sunday 31st-May-2015

Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is bicycle touring in Spain on Sunday, 31st-May-2015. Villaviciosa to Santander. 108 miles. Another long day, but at least I’m in Santander, ready for my ferry tomorrow. I don’t know why I was so determined to get here today because my ferry doesn’t leave until tomorrow afternoon, but I’d just got it into my head that I had to be here today!

At about 6 o’clock tonight, I’d decided that I wouldn’t make it to Santander, or rather, I would, but it would be a bit late. So I decided to stop at a campsite for the night and then cycle the thirty or so miles to Santander in the morning.

Idiot

According to my map, there were loads of campsites along the coast road. Now I know that my map hasn’t been that accurate so far, and it’s shown quite a few campsites before. But I was sure that there would be at least one that existed along this coastal road. I was merrily bowling along, not really taking that much notice of the roads. And just following the signs for Santander. I was flying down yet another huge hill when I suddenly thought I was on the wrong road. As I could see the motorway in the distance. And there was no way that I should have been able to see it. So I slammed the brakes on and stopped!

I looked at the map, and sure enough, I was on the wrong road. I should have turned left at the top of the hill. Balls, I thought, well, there was no way I was going to cycle back up the hill. I’ll just have to continue on this road, which was the main road to Santander; it was just that it didn’t show any campsites this way. Whereas the route I wanted to take along the coast there was! There was nothing else I could do apart from continuing on this road and getting to the campsite in Santander. But if I saw one on the way, I would stop there or maybe a hotel.

A Long Day

Well, I didn’t pass any campsites; I did, however, pass a couple of hotels. But they were closed, so I pushed to Santander. It was dark by the time I arrived in Santander, and I still had to find the campsite, which was on the opposite side of town! Realising that I might not get to the campsite until nearly midnight, I thought a hotel might be a better idea.

San Antolin beach.
San Antolin beach.

Even if I could get into the campsite, a lot of them don’t let you shower between midnight and six in the morning. They turn the lights and hot water off, and I really needed a shower! I eventually checked into a hotel at just gone eleven o’clock. No restaurants open, but at least a bed and a nice hot shower!

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