259 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
259 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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travel
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cantabria
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7940916
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# Cantabria: a region of Spain that has it all
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## Cantabria offers everything you could ever want in a holiday or short
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break in Spain- that's why Michael meadows never wants to go anywhere else.
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![Colourful Santander in Cantabria][1]
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Colourful Santander in Cantabria
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1:50PM BST 13 Aug 2010
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It was the inevitable question. "So how was your holiday in… where was it?
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Cantabria?"
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My answer to my friends was less obvious: "I don't see the point of going
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anywhere else."
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OK, my suntan and happy mood may have caused a little exaggeration but at the
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time I meant it. For me, Cantabria reads like a checklist of everything I
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love: a fabulous coastline with cracking beaches, wonderful countryside
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including lofty mountains, quaint, historic towns and excellent hiking and
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biking, all within a short drive of each other.
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Plus there's a wide variety of good-quality accommodation, great food and wine
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and highly hospitable people.
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Oh, and despite this region of Spain being as scenically impressive as New
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Zealand, you can get there easily with your own car on an enjoyable cruise.
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Slowly, more British people are discovering Cantabria in verdant Northern
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Spain -- I spot more GB car number-plates each time I go -- yet it remains
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delightfully uncrowded and unspoilt. Look hard and you may find a bar or two
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with an Irish name, but that's about the only nod to the rest of the world.
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Cantabria remains resolutely, traditionally Spanish.
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Now it's even easier to get here as Brittany Ferries has added a new ship and
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additional sailings from Portsmouth, in addition to a weekly service from
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Plymouth, to Santander.
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Though I tend towards that stubborn traveller attitude of never visiting the
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same place twice, I make an exception for Cantabria. It's the sheer variety
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packed into this small region that acts as a magnet.
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**ANCIENT TREASURES**
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Barely an hour after arriving following a leisurely 24-hour cruise from
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Portsmouth, my wife and I were strolling around Santillana del Mar, one of
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Northern Spain's most important historical towns where handsome medieval
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facades front cobbled streets and squares. We especially like it in the
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evening, when the atmosphere increases as the number of visitors falls.
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Nearby is the excellent re-creation of the protected caves at Altamira,
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showing off the notable prehistoric paintings that were discovered here. We'd
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visited before, so instead set off for Comillas along the coast. This small
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seaside town always fascinates, with particularly fine art nouveau buildings
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sharing space with family-run restaurants, while down on the beach the cry of
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gulls mixes with the squeals of lively toddlers.
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The next day we parked up by Oyambre beach to the west of the province; a vast
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stretch of wild sand backed by grassy slopes with pockets of trees. It was a
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sunny September afternoon and the locals were making the most of it. Families
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splashed in the gentle surf, kite-boarders flew across the waves further
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offshore and young couples played beach tennis. Yet it was still remarkably
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empty. A 10-minute stroll from the car park and we had a vast section of
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goldand- blue heaven all to ourselves.
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That evening, we walked along the quayside of nearby San Vicente de la
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Barquera, passing the colourful fishing boats swaying beneath the noble church
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beside the old bridge. It was an idyllic scene but our stomachs were leading
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us to one of the town's eateries and a scrumptious combination of fish soup
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followed by hake cooked in locally made cider.
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Next, we drove south through the stunning La Hermida river gorge, a narrow
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slot on the eastern edge of the Picos de Europa, the glorious national park
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that pushes skywards behind the coast. A detour led along a twisting road to
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an upper valley, in which nestled a couple of stone villages in an environment
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that seemed as remote and timeless as anywhere in Europe. A perfect chance for
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us to exit the car and take a pleasurably aimless walk among the peaks, past
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old barns and tiny streams, our wander witnessed only by placid cattle.
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**COUNTRY AND COAST**
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Many visitors end up in Potes, a riverside mountain town in the beautiful
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Liebana Valley, backed by the formidable Picos. A superb base for a few days,
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it offers access to the exciting Fuente De cable car into the high ground or
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up to the mountain pass of San Glorio. At the latter we sat for an hour,
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admiring the incredible vistas north over the narrow valley and south-east
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across mysterious, cloud-skirted peaks.
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Using the lanes that criss-cross the rural heartland of Cantabria, we headed
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east and at one point realised we hadn't seen another car for at least half an
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hour. The Picos de Europa deservedly attract an in-the-know band of hikers,
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yet out here it's an undiscovered country, with deep roots in agriculture, the
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rollercoaster hills broken by the odd village and limestone ridges riddled
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with caves.
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It's not a straightforward journey as the eastern mountains of the Cordillera
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Cantabrica tend to lead the road astray, but it's a thoroughly enjoyable one
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-- though do buy a decent map.
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We ended up in Ramales de la Victoria, a large hill village close to
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accessible caverns and a couple of impressive waterfalls. If you like walking
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in solitude, this bucolic area is a real find -- as is the cuisine. Fish rules
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on the coast but in the hinterland you'll find thick stews made with beans and
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pork and meltingly tender lamb.
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Back on the coast, Castro Urdiales at the east end of Cantabria is another
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favourite spot. The rather ungainly but endlessly interesting bulk of the
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Iglesia de Santa Maria looms over the town, while the promenade along Brazomar
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beach proved a good place to find a cafe from which to idle away an hour with
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a coffee, drinking in a classic Northern Spanish seaside scene.
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Heading back towards Santander, it is difficult to resist taking the numerous
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side-roads to some of the 60 beaches and coves that make up the Cantabrian
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coastline. In early autumn, the sea is warm and I managed an invigorating swim
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in a deep bay backed by an imposing mountain. No two beaches are even similar
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in Cantabria; some are playgrounds for youngsters with soft sand and shallow
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water, others feature artistic rock formations, still more are superb for
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spotting seabirds, especially those coves that incorporate a river estuary.
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Passing Laredo, an outstanding venue for children with a wealth of facilities
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along huge beaches, we spun round to Santoña, a picturesque fishing town in a
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naturally sheltered setting. Santoña is famous for anchovies and I didn't need
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any persuading what to have for dinner.
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**A HANDSOME CITY**
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Santander we had saved until last as we always like to have something to look
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forward to.
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On a warm Sunday evening, the local population was out in force, all
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generations ambling along the seafront, stopping at the many cafes or browsing
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the stalls. Unhurried, spacious and with a healthy smattering of fine old
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buildings, it's a must-visit city at the beginning or end of a driving tour,
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or makes a terrific city-break destination if you have less time.
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In Santander -- as in several other places in Cantabria -- there has been a
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resurgence in accommodation towards the more luxurious end of the scale (the
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city has long been favoured by Spanish royalty), which means that all the many
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sights and activities can be enjoyed with a touch of indulgence. Having said
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that, there are hotels, guest houses, inns and campsites that fill the options
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in any budget.
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As you can see, Cantabria offers a remarkable variety in one small region and
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you can sample as much or as little from its menu of attractions as you like.
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The province can offer great value, too, as accommodation is well priced and
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it's still possible to have a glass of wine in a local bar for about a euro.
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**CRUISING IN STYLE**
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I'm keen to try the just-launched Brittany Ferries ship Cap Finistere, which
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has joined the highly-regarded Pont-Aven on the Portsmouth-to-Santander route.
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This means extra sailings and more flexibility over holiday dates -- and
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there's also a service from Plymouth to Santander that takes 21 hours.
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Cap Finistere has a swimming pool, airy sun-decks, cinema, fine dining and
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very comfy cabins. With my own car, I also like the fact that I can pack my
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hiking boots, camera gear (which gets heavily used) and bird-spotting book,
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along with the wife's collection of beach towels and other "essential"
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paraphernalia.
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Portsmouth is quick to reach from a large part of southern England and with
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easy embarkation and convenient departure times, it all adds up to a relaxing
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start to a holiday with a whiff of adventure.
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On our most recent tour to Cantabria, we met British people who were on their
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second, third and even sixth visit. Most tellingly, though, was the first-time
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couple who were asking my advice on what to see and do when they return. And
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they'd only been there a day…
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* To find out more about Cantabria, visit the **[Cantabria Tourism
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website][2].**
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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[What are these?][4]
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* Share: [Share][3] [ ][5] [ ][6]
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[Tweet][7]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/cantabria/7940916/Cantabria-a
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-region-of-Spain-that-has-it-all.html
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Telegraph
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## [Cantabria][8]
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* ### [Sponsored »][9]
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* ### [Spanish Tourist Board »][10]
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External Links
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* ### [Cantabria Tourism][2]
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[X][3] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][4]
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Share:
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* [ ][3]
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* [ ][5]
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* [ ][6]
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* [Tweet][7]
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* [![Cantabria][11]][12]
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01696/cantabria-
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1_1696171c.jpg
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[2]: http://english.turismodecantabria.com/
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[3]: #
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[4]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-article-
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What-are-these.html
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[5]: mailto:?subject=A Telegraph reader thought you would be interested in
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this article&body=Depending on your email program, you may be able to click on
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the link in the email. Alternatively, you may have to open a web browser, such
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as Firefox or Internet Explorer, and copy the link over into the address bar.
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%0A%0Ahttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/cantabria/7940916/Cantabria-
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a-region-of-Spain-that-has-it-all.html %0A%0AFor the best content online,
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visit www.telegraph.co.uk
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[6]: javascript:print()
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[7]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[8]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/cantabria/
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[9]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[10]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/spanish_tourist_board/
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[11]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01689/sponsor-puff-
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canta_1689543a.jpg
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[12]: http://www.spain.info/uk
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