I had supposed Santander was just a place of no interest that travellers passed through. We travelled with Majestic Tours by coach to Plymouth then boarded the ferry. For some reason we had to get off the coach and board as foot passengers. I have no idea why but it was very inconvenient and there was a lot of waiting around. The voyage was very pleasant otherwise. Travelling in this leisured way is part of the holiday and one gets used the idea of being in a foreign country and can start using euros. When we got to Santander I was most pleasantly surprised, as we docked beside a lovely wide boulevard and not in a dockyard as I’d expected! Our hotel was very comfortable and spacious and only a few yards from a beautiful beach.
We were taken on some interesting excursions – the best was up into the Picos Mountains, travelling through a gorge and seeing these beautiful white mountains rearing up against a summer blue sky. Some of the excursions were not too good for people who couldn’t walk very far, though. It was very very hot and I found myself searching for shade and cool drinks.
I would have liked more time in Santander as I was impressed with the buildings and the beautiful flat walks beside the sea. I would really like to visit northern Spain again.
