Gallocanta to Santander

Full Circle

It feels like the final straight!

We left Gallocanta and stopped for supplies in Used. The village looks empty, but the inhabitants were all in the shop!

The route continued through lovely landscapes before skirting Cubel. We couldn't physically visit every village and town we passed, but were very happy with the vista of this one from the road.

After Cubel came a beautiful lush green valley, that we dropped into and then climbed out at the other end.

At the top of this short climb we found a sign for San Anton. On further inspection we discovered the village had been deserted in the 1970's. It is nestled beneath a limestone scar and was well worth a quiet wander along the main street where we could see into the houses. Most of the roofs have now collapsed, but the chapel and cemetery have been restored and there is a local pilgrimage to the site each year. We even found a child's shoe.

The rest of the day was mostly spent free wheeling as we dropped some height and enjoyed the super views.

At the bottom of the hill we found Monterde, with the most brilliant church tower.

We camped at Nuevalos for a couple of nights, amongst the pine trees, and took a screen shot of our location 🙂.

The campsite was located on the shores of a reservoir, Pantano de la Tranquera, which we followed for quite a way when we set off. Knowing that we would follow mostly back roads for the day we made sure our tyres were pumped up.

Our lunch spot looked out on not only some fabulous scenery, but also an enormous area set aside for solar panels.

Another great track! This one was late afternoon while looking for a suitable wild camp. A few kilometres on we found a small area of woodland that suited just fine 🙂.

Our next large town would be Soria. On the way we rode through Ciria.

Then we spotted this crustacean in Soria on the Río Duero, and a sturdy building built into the rocks.

This was the only way to get bicycles to our campsite. The road option involved motorway, which we weren't prepared (or permitted) to do. It was also lovely to be in the company of storks again. There was a baby (stork!) in the nest, but we only once saw the top of its head.

From Soria we took a Via Verde that pretty much links Santander with the Mediterranean.

It appears I don't have the ability to sit still for a full 10 seconds while waiting for the camera timer 😂. This was the third attempt..

We stopped at Ermita de la Blanca to fill our water bottles. We generally filter our drinking water, and have found hanging the bladder from the handle bars works well.

We were now pedalling through pine forests and enjoying the smells and easy riding. We also opted for another wildcamp, and with good weather were able to pitch just the inner tent 🙂.

The following day we had a super treat! Having just turned a corner we spotted some really big birds soaring in front of us. They looked very different to what we had seen so far. So, we slowed down and then saw to our right a group of vultures. What a sight! They had obviously got some lunch and every now and then started to fight as they positioned themselves around the carcass.

The cameras on our phones were not up to the job of securing great photos, but hopefully these couple of shots give some idea. We stood for a long time, just watching and admiring, and knowing we were so fortunate to be there.

Just around the corner, and still hyped by our vultures, we bumped into a man walking with his grandma and puppy.

We were really keen to know more about the vultures, but sadly our Spanish and his English didn't stretch that far. He did however want a photograph. We assumed a photo of all of us, but no. He wanted us to have a photo of him and his dog! We understood that he was a boxer, hence his stance in the photo.

We love meeting these people and attempting conversations. They are so kind and welcoming.

Along the Via Verdes are signs such as this one with lots of information.

We had spent until now riding mostly at around 1000m. From Burgos we dropped to 500m and found ourselves in among the sheer cliffs rather than on top of them. It was beautiful. We got neck ache due to looking up all the time!

Next came the final couple of climbs before our descent into Santander.

It was very windy at the top of the pass, and there were a few good gusts on the first downhill stretch too. Luckily not much traffic, and those vehicles that did pass us gave us lots of room.

In 7km we dropped 600m, before flattening out a little for the final section to the coast.

Healthy roadside snacks!

Hats off to our super dooper bikes! Hardly an issue all the way around.

Below is our first sighting of Santander, before dropping down to the ferry terminal to complete our full circle. We then rode along the sea front to the campsite, about 10km out of town. We stayed for three days, putting our feet up and enjoying the rest, while waiting for the ferry back to Portsmouth.

Our ferry ride was on the most gentle seas you could imagine, and the views of Santander when we set sail were amazing.

So, we have cycled 2,555 km (1580 miles) climbed approx 26,500m and travelled through a wide variety of landscapes.

Spain has certainly delivered what we were looking for, and we would love to return one day and explore some more. If we were to pick out a favourite part, it would have to be northern Spain for its mountains and lush green valleys, and also the area north east of Madrid known as the empty quarter. Just amazing!

We have a few more plans before we head back to New Zealand, but in the meantime an enormous thank you to you all for following along. We love sharing our travels 😊.

With all best wishes.

See you next time.

N & M