Cantabria, Liendo and a Festival

So after leaving Castilla y Leon we re-entered Euskadi and then left it just as quickly again as the road sign announced that we were back in Cantabria. The green valley was picturesque without being dramatic and for a time we could have been in the Yorkshire Dales or the Lincolnshire Wolds until we drove through the town that was busy today with a cattle market and horse auction that was attracting lots of people in from the surrounding countryside. We didn’t stop but drove through the middle of all the excitement and after a while were back in Euskadi and then after another short while back in Cantabria where we followed directions to Ampuero and then once again to Laredo.

As we had already seen the seaside end of the town, and the weather wasn’t really suitable for the beach anyway, this time we parked at the other end of the town at the historical centre and walked in. We were looking for somewhere to eat and another of Marta’s recommendations and we followed the road from the Town Hall into the back of the town looking for the bar El Tunel. Marta’s directions were perfect and when we found it we agreed that this was a sitting indoors sort of day so squeezed past the pavement tables and went inside.

The bar was laid out with an assortment of pinchos and we made some choices as the staff tried hard to be helpful with explanations, all in Spanish of course, and it really didn’t matter really what they were because they all looked delicious; and so they were so we had a good selection and a couple of beers and thoroughly enjoyed our late lunch.

When we left the bar we were surprised to find that the sun was out, the clouds were gone and the temperature had more or less doubled. It was shirt sleeve weather now so we took the opportunity to explore the cobbled back streets of the town. Laredo old town was declared a Historic Site in 1970 and is the original town centre dating from the Middle Ages and it still preserves remains of its old original walls. It consists of a network of small streets and large stately houses from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries and at the highest part of the town the Gothic parish church of Santa María de la Asunción where there had been a wedding earlier but was firmly locked and closed now.

With the sun on full power we thought it would be nice to go back to the Posada and sit in the garden so we drove back, stopping at a petrol filling station on the way back to buy some beer and wine and after taking a detour to a disappointing viewing platform just outside the village arrived back in Liendo at about four o’clock.

It was delightful in the privacy of the private garden and we drank some wine, played some cards and chatted to a solo traveller from the Netherlands who had just arrived and we just simply enjoyed being in a tranquil environment surrounded by flowers, listening to bird songs and virtually watching the grass grow and a day that began requiring raincoats ended needing sunscreen.

As the sun dipped behind a tree we slipped into the shade we thought we might move the table back into the sun so we took one end each, lifted and selected a new spot and began to lower into position. We lowered and lowered and then lowered a bit more and when we were clearly closer to the ground than we really should be it eventually dawned on us that we only had the table top and not the table legs because the two parts were not attached so we had to return to the original position and hope that no one had seen our little moment of pantomime.

Later we returned to El Roble for a final dinner, choose badly off the menu and had a lamb meal we didn’t enjoy. The owner realised this and although it was our own fault insisted on only charging us half for the meal. We thought that was nice.

After dinner we returned to the village where the festival was in full swing and people in the square were listening and dancing to a group singing Spanish pop songs and we just had to join in. The local people seemed to like this and invited us to join them in their group dancing routines that seemed straight forward enough in a barn dance jigging sort of way and we spent half an hour or so being a part of the community of Liendo. It was a good finish to the day and as we returned to the hotel under clear skies we were optimistic about the next day.

Cantabria, Laredo

We found the Bar La Solana at the top of the village overlooking a panoramic view of an impossibly green valley and parked the car. I think they were surprised to see us because we were the only customers and the family owners were sitting around reading newspapers and watching the television and once again things didn’t look promising but we ordered some food from the small chalkboard menu on the wall and sat outside in what was now full sunshine and blue skies and watched the small lizards who were all no doubt pleased with the improvement in the weather. So pleased in fact that a couple of them were copulating under our very noses! When the food arrived we were delighted with a rustic lunch that included quite the best calamari we had ever tasted, better even that on the island of Ios where we have returned three years running just for the squid!

After a couple of San Miguels we strolled around and enjoyed the views, walked around the hill top church and monastery and then returned to the car and back to the coast where we were heading for the town of Laredo which, with a five kilometre sandy beach, is one of the most important seaside towns in Cantabria, which in the summer is a favourite destination for thousands of Spanish holidaymakers. But this was the last day of April so the atmosphere was laid back and relaxed and we parked the car without any difficulty directly on the sea front and walked over the dunes next to the road and down to the beach.

The clouds were gathering again now and the sky was transforming to chalky white as we walked across the hard sand avoiding the puddles of water down as close as we could get to the water’s edge. The bay was long and wide and we had it practically to ourselves but I expect it gets a whole lot busier and crowded in the summer. At one end was the old town and harbour and at the other were the rows and rows of holiday hotels, which to be honest didn’t look especially thrilling. We were right in the middle so didn’t walk to either end but after a while returned to the car and with the weather deteriorating again drove through the town without stopping and returned to Liendo, sitting at the bottom of its saucer shaped wide valley surrounded by hills, and the Posada La Torre de la Quintana.

We didn’t go straight back to the hotel but walked instead into the quiet village centre, through streets of white buildings with red tiled roofs, the village square, a couple of bars and a church. We were looking for another of Marta’s recommendations but this placed didn’t show any signs of life so we decided that tonight we would return to El Roble. The shops were closed for the siesta for the next half an hour or so, so we walked back and then after a few minutes I went back again to buy some more supplies of wine.

I really liked this place, mostly because it was so authentic and the shopping was a real experience. The shopkeeper knew even less English than I know Spanish but with the help of another customer, who also knew no English, he helped me make a selection of local wines. There were no prices on the bottles so I worried about the cost but I had no need to because when he cashed up they were only a couple of euro or so each . I really like trying to communicate with Spanish people especially when it is clear that we cannot understand each other but they carry on anyway with the conversation at great speed and when it is all over look at you as though you have understood every word. This is the time to nod appreciatively, say gracias and then adios and move on.

Later we sat in the garden and drank some wine, when it turned cool we went inside and played some pool and waited for Marta and Luz to leave but this evening there were some more guests coming from Madrid for tomorrow’s festival so tonight we would not have the place all to ourselves again. They arrived at about eight o’clock just as we were preparing to go out for dinner when we returned to El Roble and had a plate of Iberian Ham to share and a main course each of succulent cod prepared in two alternative styles.

There was no sign of the Spanish guests when we returned so with the hotel to ourselves we played some more pool and drank the excellent local rioja and when we finally ended the evening we reflected on an excellent and relaxing day and wondered what the weather would bring in the morning?

Cantabria, Collados del Asón Natural Park

In the morning it was disappointingly overcast and clouds were crawling over the mountains that surrounded the village and prospects didn’t look good so we had to arrange an appropriate itinerary to take account of the weather. It certainly wasn’t seaside weather so we decided to travel inland and see the countryside and after a substantial continental breakfast prepared by Luz, the housekeeper, we left Liendo and drove first west and then south into the hills.

The first part of the route took us past Laredo, Colindres and Ampuero and then to the busy little market town of Ramales de la Victoria where we left the main road that carried on to the to the city of Burgos and the burial place of El Cid and headed towards the Collados del Asón Natural Park.

It was slightly overcast but there was no rain and there was a moody ethereal mist over the emerald green pastures and fields which added to the rural ambiance. Once off the main road the driving experience required complete and undivided attention as we drove along twisting narrow roads, under mountains and into deep gorges, through forests of fresh broad leaved trees as we alternately dropped and then climbed along a twisting river valley. The tall mountains all wore lace bonnets made of swirling clouds as we followed the small roads through a succession of rustic villages where local people were working hard on the farms and weren’t expecting tourists. Twice we had to stop for cattle being driven along the roads as they took priority over cars on their way to and from the milking sheds and everywhere dairy cows with bulging udders were grazing on lush grass on the precarious slopes of the hills and mountains.

The road kept going west, twisting and turning all the way and following the river valley until it finally swung north and we started to climb once more towards the southern entrance of the Natural Park which was along a road with a vertical grey limestone mountain on the left and a sheer drop to the right which meant I had to pay special attention to driving duties. At the top there was a viewing platform to stop and admire the panorama from about twelve hundred metres high down a deep gorge with steep mountain slopes on either side, which was where we going next down the road that zigzagged along the eastern side of the valley.

First we had to negotiate our way past a herd of wild horses who were not minded to give priority to traffic which meant driving carefully around them and then we began the rapid descent to the bottom past the source of the Asón river, which begins here in what today, it has to be said, was a slightly disappointing waterfall and then flows for forty kilometres north through the town of Colindres, where it forms the Santoña estuary which is the most important Special Protection Area in the north of Spain.

All the way down the road stuck close to the vertical side of the mountain and as we avoided fallen rocks and stones at regular intervals I began to wonder if I had made a sensible decision when I rejected the insurance option on broken windscreens and glass but we found our way to the bottom without incident and we left the gorge and began to follow the river north towards Arredondo where we followed the road to Riba and then headed north again. Our intention was to return to Ampuero through the twisting valleys that meandered through the mountains but the combination of confusing road signs and an inadequate map conspired together to prevent this.

Driving in Spain wouldn’t be the same of course if we didn’t get lost a couple of times and we took a couple of unnecessary detours in our quest. Down narrow roads that simply stopped at small hamlets or single farms and once down a promising new road where the asphalt ran out after a few kilometres and we had to double all the way back. We had to admit defeat when we found ourselves almost back at the coast and had to repeat the first section of the route again to reach our destination.

So we drove south again and at Ampuero left the main road and headed for the tiny village of La Aparecida climbing again and getting closer to the Buzzards circling above and through spreading puddles of sunshine burning through the swirling mist vapours on one of those getting better all the time sort of days. We were looking for another of Marta’s recommendations because based on how good they had been so far we were again confident of her suggestion for lunch.

Cantabria, Castro Urdiales

Castro Urdiales is a busy resort in high summer but on a day in late April it was unhurried and relaxed with only a few visitors sauntering along the promenade. We had parked at the beach end of the town which meant there was quite a long walk to reach the harbour further to the west and this took us past the yacht club and elegant balconied sea front buildings all overlooking the wide sheltered harbour where a variety of boats were resting on the muddy sea bed at low tide.

We had been up for a long time and it was definitely time for lunch so we roamed along the pavement trying to select a bar that was serving what we were looking for and we were looking for pinchos, or pintxos in Basque. Pinchos are Northern Spain’s equivalent of the tapas, the main difference being that pinchos are usually larger and always ordered and paid for independently from the drinks. They are called pinchos because this is the Spanish word for spike and many of them are held together with a sharp wooden skewer. Another difference is that whilst tapas are served on a small dish, pinchos are generally arranged on bread slices and laid out on the bar was a mouth watering selection of tasty snacks and every one of them an attractive work of art. We made our selections and sat at a table on the pavement as the sun continued to strengthen its grip and the day was getting progressively warmer.

After lunch we continued our stroll to the handsome old town of Castro Urdiales where the Town Hall stands adjacent to the immaculate main square next to what was the original tiny harbour that was sheltering behind its protective stone walls. Around the harbour side women were working under parasols repairing fishing nets and past the fish market at the far end of the harbour a set of weathered stone steps took us up to castle which stands on an elevated rocky outcrop. We made the tour of the restored fortress and then walked around the outside of the impressive medieval parish church, the Iglesia de Santa Maria de la Asuncion, which had the external appearance of a much grander cathedral.

The tide was coming in now and as the harbour was beginning to fill with water the boats were lifted into life from the sea bed and all around them the large grey mullet swam around scavenging for scraps of food. It was hot now and there was an attractive bar next to the water’s edge so we sat for a while in the sun and had a beer and a plate of octopus salad, which although rather expensive tasted absolutely divine.

After this pleasant sojourn in the sun we retraced our steps back along the promenade and watched nervously as some heavy black clouds began to roll in from the land and we quickened our pace because we feared we might get wet. We returned to the car just in time because very quickly there were some big spots of rain on the windscreen and in the distance there was a big electrical storm over the mountains.

We needed some alcohol so before leaving the town we looked for a shop and we stopped at Eroski, which is a Basque supermarket chain with nearly a thousand outlets across Spain and is the second-largest retail distribution group in the country after the French company Carrefour. I immediately liked Eroski because it had a wide and varied selection of wine all reasonably priced so we purchased another corkscrew, which would have to be left behind of course at the end of the holiday, and some various bottles of local Rioja to enjoy later on.

Motoring west once more on the Autovia del Cantabria the rain stopped and the sun came out again and after a few kilometres we left the motorway for the village of Liendo to find our accommodation. As usual this wasn’t that easy and we made a couple of circuits of the sleepy streets and tried to understand directions given to us in impenetrable Spanish before we chanced upon it hiding behind a high stone wall and with only a very discreet sign to identify it.

We were staying at the small Posada La Torre de la Quintana, which was a converted stone mansion with an impressive façade and surrounded by carefully manicured gardens. And we were delighted with our choice of accommodation, which was rustic and authentic and we were lucky to have the best suite in the hotel complete with a glass fronted balcony. We sat in the late afternoon sun in the garden with a glass of wine or two and Marta, who ran the place, made some recommendations for sightseeing and for food. Actually we were the only guests in the place and when the staff went home at eight o’clock we were left all alone to rattle about the place as though it was our own personal property. The only problem was a power failure at just about dusk, which meant we had to call for assistance and a maintenance man had to turn out to attend to the fuse box.

Later we took Marta’s suggestion and stayed in the village to eat at a restaurant called El Roble, which didn’t look very promising from the outside but despite this, and a waitress who had forgotten to take her happy pill this morning, the food was excellent and reasonably priced and we instinctively knew that we would be returning again tomorrow. As we ate our meal the heavens opened and the rain poured down and we hoped that this didn’t mean the end of the fine weather.