On Thursday 8th we drove north out of Potes and back through the Hermida Gorge – this time taking some photos! There is a vast amount of construction work in progress widening and/or repairing the road which made for a slow but exciting drive! Much of the route was reduced to single carriageway with alternating traffic. The van was frequently squeezing between a sheer rock face and steep drop into the valley below – but it was all worth it for the view.

We stopped for two nights at a free (!) aire just outside the small town of Norena, situated halfway between the coastal city of Gijon and the district capital of Oviedo. The main plus point of the site was that it was in walking distance of a train station which we used the following day to visit Oviedo. Note for train nerds – the commuter train lines in the north of Spain use a uncommon narrow gauge track – a remnant from construction many years ago that the country never got round to converting to the standard gauge used everywhere else.

On the 7th we drove into the mountainous Picos de Europa national park arriving at the Teleférico Fuente Dé. We climbed into a (cozy) cable car and were hauled up to an altitude of 1823 metres.

From the top station the views were simply spectacular. Many people were content to take in the sights but many were setting off on hikes through the mountains of four hours or more (we managed to resist that temptation!).

On Monday (5th) we continued west along the coast and then turned south to drive through the spectacular (and rather narrow) 21 kilometre long Desfiladero de la Hermida (Hermida Gorge) reaching the town of Potes. We were staying at a very good aire 5 minutes walk from the town centre for 3 nights.

Potes is on the eastern edge on the Picos de Europa (more later) and is a delightful town with origins dating back to at least the 14th century. It is full of narrow streets and bridges crossing multiple rivers. The centre is dominated by the Torre del Infantado tower which now houses a museum and also has a lift to the rooftop for some excellent views over the area.

The Alquitara shown in the shop window puzzled us for a while as it became clear this was an important symbol of the local area. It turned out that these are traditional stills used to produce Orujo de Liébana, a liquor famous in the region (the Orujo Festival is held every November in Potes!).

We next headed further west along the coast, through the coast towns of Santona and Noja, bypassing Santander and ending up spending one night at an aire overlooking the town of Santillana del Mar.

The town  is often considered one of the most beautiful in Spain.  It’s known for its medieval towers, Renaissance palaces and the Romanesque Santa Juliana Collegiate Church.

After two nights we left Bilbao and headed west to Laredo. This may sound like a location in a cowboy film but in this case it’s a seaside town between Bilbao and Santander.

The town itself was very quiet being out of season but we were stopping for 3 nights at campsite just south of the town which seemed much more popular. Camping Playa del Regatón is set on the estuary of the Treto river, surrounded by a wetlands national park. Just outside the campsite was a large riding school with horses & ponies being ridden along the shoreline.

In the evening people would stand on the shore just outside the campsite gates to watch the sun go down.

Opened in 1997, this must be the biggest single attraction in Bilbao. Designed by Frank Gehry, this contemporary art museum has a stunning exterior, it’s curved lines covered in titanium ‘scales’. Outside are two installations: a huge spider by the riverside and a 12 metre high ‘Puppy’ by Jeff Koons made of flowers at the front of the building.

Inside a host of weird and wonderful exhibits await the visitor. The paintings and drawings include works by almost every well known artist you can name from Da Vinci to Picasso. There are plenty of sculptures and audio-visual works as well. on te left below is a ‘bouquet’ by Jeff Koons (made of ballons!) in front of a piece by Gilbert & George. On the right is a huge collection of steel structures forming spirals and curves that fills the biggest exhibition space in the museum. This collection is called ‘Matter of Time’ and the visitor is invited to walk through the structures and lose themselves! If you click on the photo to expand it you might get a better idea of the scale, compared to the people walking through.