289 lines
9.4 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
289 lines
9.4 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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travel
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brittany_ferries
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8502944
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# Holiday in Spain: food in Cantabria
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## On holiday in Cantabria, Annie Bennett finds the imaginative use of
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natural local ingredients, along with regional wine, to be a real highlight.
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![Pinchos][1]
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Image 1 of 2
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Cantabria treats: tasty pinchos
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![Mussels served with vermouth][2]
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Image 1 of 2
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Cantabria treats: mussels served with vermouth
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3:40PM BST 13 May 2011
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One of the most memorable dishes I have eaten recently was inspired by the
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Cantabrian coast at low tide. Featuring clams and seaweed, it was an exquisite
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composition of delicate flavours, aromas and textures that did indeed evoke the
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sensation of walking on the sand, listening to the sound of the waves rolling
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gently on to the shore.
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The dish was created by Alfonso Higuera, who has taken over the restaurant at
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San Roman de Escalante, an elegant luxury hotel in a grand country house that
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dates back to the 17th century. Set in beautiful grounds, it's near the
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Santoña nature reserve on the Costa Trasmiera east of Santander (it's bookable
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through Brittany Ferries).
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One of Spain's most interesting young chefs, Higuera accompanied Óscar
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Calleja, another rising star on the Spanish restaurant scene, to Shanghai last
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year to represent Cantabria at the World Expo. The two chefs have similar
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ideas about how to take Cantabrian cuisine to the next level, and I can highly
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recommend their restaurants.
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Calleja is at the helm at the Annua restaurant in San Vicente de la Barquera.
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Annua is set right on the sea, at the mouth of the San Vicente estuary, where
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the mix of fresh and salt water creates a rich ecosystem that is ideal for
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cultivating oysters, which of course feature on the menu.
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Both Higuera and Calleja are fanatical about using the best local ingredients,
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whether lobster, scallops, anchovies from Santoña, Tudanca beef or artisan
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cheeses from the Pas valley or the Liebana area in the foothills of the Picos
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de Europa mountain range.
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## Related Articles
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* [Recipe: Cantabrian cheese cake][3]
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12 May 2011
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* [10 Great Restaurants in Santander][4]
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12 May 2011
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* [Recipe: Cocido montanes][5]
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12 May 2011
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* [Holiday in Spain: Cantabria introduction][6]
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13 May 2011
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Both are keen on incorporating the different varieties of algae that grow
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along the coast into their repertoire, as I was so fortunate to experience at
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San Roman de Escalante.
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Like Higuera, Calleja is interested in recreating the landscapes of his
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homeland in his cuisine and serves a fabulous venison dish inspired by the
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forests, where wild mushrooms are used to represent the undergrowth.
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While this cooking is highly creative, both chefs are very clear that what
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they are doing is developing the traditional Cantabrian recipes that are
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typical of family meals all over the region. You'll find local specialities in
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each area, whether on the coast or inland.
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**Delicious seafood **
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Given the 130 miles of coastline, seafood obviously plays a huge part in
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Cantabrian meals. One of my favourite restaurants in Santander is El Marucho,
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a totally unpretentious place where the focus is firmly on the freshest,
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tastiest shellfish. Run by the same family for 70 years, this is a restaurant
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where you install yourself at a marble table, tuck your napkin under your chin
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and give your undivided attention to your lunch.
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You have to try the rabas, as squid is called in Cantabria, expertly fried in
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a crispy batter, and the goose barnacles, which are gathered from the rocks
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and taste of the sea. Then there are the razor clams, prawns, spider crab…
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With this seafood extravaganza, you should drink an albariño white wine, which
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is produced in small quantities in Cantabria, as well as in Galicia, where the
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grape comes from.
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**Local produce **
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From Santander, you could drive south-east to the valleys of the Ason and Soba
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rivers to try the trout, salmon and eels. The abundant woodland means there
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are wonderful mushrooms in the autumn, while the green meadows provide
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excellent pasture for sheep, cattle and goats. Roast kid, marinated in herbs,
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is one of the most typical dishes here, and you should also look out for the
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delicious Las Garmillas cheese, which is made in the village of Ampuero and
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tastes rather like camembert.
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A dish you will come across all over Cantabria is _cocido montañes_, a tasty
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stew that is made with butter beans, pork ribs, black pudding, chorizo and
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alocal cabbage. It is however most typical of the Saja-Nansa area in the west,
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where there are characterful restaurants in villages such as Cabuerniga,
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Barcena Mayor and Ruente.
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Further west in the mountain villages of Liebana, the dish to try is the
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hearty _cocido lebaniego_, made with chickpeas and pork and served with a sort
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of deep-fried dumpling made from breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic and egg.
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Also superb are the steaks of Tudanca beef, with the local Tresviso blue
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cheese melted over the top. Be sure to order a Liebana red wine to drink with
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your meal, which is made with the mencia grape, an ancient variety that has a
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distinctive fruity flavour.
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**Something sweet**
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If you have a sweet tooth, look out for _quesada pasiega_, a cheesecake that
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is the speciality of the Pas valley. If you go there and see the cows grazing
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on the lush, green rolling hills, you will immediately understand why the area
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is renowned for its dairy products.
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The quesada is made with the fresh local cheese, which is mixed with butter,
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eggs and flour and flavoured with cinnamon and lemon zest.
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Wherever you choose to eat in Cantabria, a lot of the ingredients will be
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locally sourced and freshly prepared. From seafood platters on seaside
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terraces to cosy mountain taverns and chic city gastro bars, you can have a
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different gourmet experience on every day of your holiday.
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[X][7] Share & bookmark
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][8]
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* Share: [Share][7] [ ][9] [ ][10]
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[Tweet][11]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8502944
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/Cantabria-Spain-food.html
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Telegraph
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## [Brittany Ferries][12]
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* ### [Sponsored »][13]
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* ### [Travel »][14]
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[X][7] 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?][8]
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Share:
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* [ ][7]
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* [ ][9]
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* [ ][10]
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* [Tweet][11]
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* [![Brittany Ferries][15]][16]
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Brittany Ferries competition
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### [Win a trip to Cantabria][17]
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[![Win a trip to Cantabria][18]][17]
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Here's your chance to win a return cruise-ferry crossing from the UK's south
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coast to Santander, courtesy of Brittany Ferries.
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[**Enter the Brittany Ferries competition here**][17].
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The closing date is June 30, 2011.
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Travel with Brittany Ferries
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### [Travel with Brittany Ferries][19]
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[![Brittany Ferries: Cap Finistere][20] ][19]
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Take the Brittany Ferries service from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander and
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you get a wonderful mini-cruise as part of your holiday.
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### [Where to stay in Cantabria][21]
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[![Cantabria accommodation: Hotel Torre de la Ruesga][22] ][21]
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From chalets and quaint casas to luxurious escapes, Debbie Toms picks her top
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places to stay in Cantabria, Spain.
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### [Cantabria holiday accommodation][23]
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[![Hotel El Rebeco, Fuente De][24] ][23]
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There are many fantastic places to stay when you travel to Cantabria with
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Brittany Ferries. Here's some of the very best.
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01894/pinchos_1894959b.jpg
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01894/mussels-
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vermouth_1894957b.jpg
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[3]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8504704/Recipe-Cantabrian-cheese-
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cake.html
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[4]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8504425/10-Great-Restaurants-in-
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Santander-Northern-Spain.html
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[5]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8504570/Recipe-Cocido-montanes.html
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[6]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8502837/Spain-Holidays-
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Cantabria.html
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[7]: #
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[8]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/4590190/Share-this-article-
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What-are-these.html
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[9]: 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/brittany_ferries/8502944
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/Cantabria-Spain-food.html %0A%0AFor the best content online, visit
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www.telegraph.co.uk
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[10]: javascript:print()
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[11]: http://twitter.com/share?via=Telegraph
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[12]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/
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[13]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/
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[14]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/travel/
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[15]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01895/in_association_wit_
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1895213a.gif
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[16]: http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/
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[17]: http://www.cantabriabycar.com
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[18]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01895/Brittany-Ferries-
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c_1895248e.jpg
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[19]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8502918/Brittany-Ferries-
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Cantabria-Spain.html
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[20]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01894/Cap-
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Finistere_1894901e.jpg
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[21]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8503323/Holiday-accommodation-
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Cantabria.html
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[22]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01895/hotel-torre-de-
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rue_1895159g.jpg
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[23]: /sponsored/travel/brittany_ferries/8510228/Cantabria-holiday-
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accommodation.html
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[24]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01892/Hotel-de-
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Rebeco_1892182g.jpg
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