Spanish Roadtrip: Picos de Europa and Salamanca

In Part one of our Spanish roadtrip blogs, we share with you our adventures exploring the scenic Picos de Europa and the charming city of Salamanca. We spent a few days on the Northern Coast but had to head south earlier than expected because of a forecast predicting a week of heavy rain!

Portsmouth to Santander Ferry

There are several ways to reach Northern Spain in a campervan, with some being more costly than others. We opted for the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander for a few reasons. Primarily, after a long drive to the south coast from the Yorkshire Dales, the prospect of relaxing on a ferry for a couple of days was very appealing. Additionally, the idea of driving off the ferry and reaching our first destination in under an hour without lengthy drives was attractive. It was a refreshing change from our long drive to the Alps in the winter.

We thoroughly enjoyed the ferry, treating it almost like a mini-cruise where we had our own small cabin as a base and could enjoy a few drinks and nice meals. We brought our books and appreciated the break from social media and Wi-Fi, as there is no signal for most of the journey.

The total cost for the outward journey was £706.50, which includes £125 for the two-berth cabin. For us, this expense was worthwhile, as it saved us the two-day drive from Calais, along with toll, petrol, and campsite costs.

Northern coastal towns

We explored a couple of pretty coastal towns using Martin Dorey's Take the Slow Road Spain and Portugal guidebook. Santillana del Mar was our first stop with its pretty cobbled streets and ancient collegiate church. We had arrived there early on a Sunday morning and there was not much open, however it meant that we had the town almost to ourselves as it slowly woke up.

We spent our first night in Spain at Camping El Helguero, mainly chosen because it was only €21 with our ACSI card. The weather was pretty wet and gloomy so we were not after anywhere with a pool or by the beach. It was OK and it had us in the right location to get to Comillas the next morning.

Richard was eager to visit Comillas because it features a renowned Gaudi building with a Persian-style minaret. The village is a charming small fishing community with a picturesque harbor and a rich historical background to discover. Wow -the clouds that day were quite ominous, creating a moody and atmospheric scene!

Excited to explore the mountains, we made our way to Camping El Redondo in the Valle de Camaleño. This marks our second visit to the Picos de Europa National Park, and our expectations were high.

The campsite was charming and rustic. Reservations are not possible, and payment must be made in cash upon arrival. The campsite owner didn't speak any English, and our Spanish is quite limited, but we managed to have a few conversations filled with smiles and gestures. It's set in a stunning location surrounded by towering mountain peaks and forests. The drive to the campsite was quite an experience, with a dirt track for the last 500 meters before descending a steep driveway.

The campsite facilities were 'unique,' with grapevines growing through the toilet areas. The lukewarm showers were a pleasant surprise after a sweaty day of hiking, though the saloon doors that didn't lock were a bit unsettling!

The highlight of our stay in the Camelano Valley was riding the Fuente De cable car and then embarking on a 15km hike back to the campsite. The views and scenery at every switchback down the mountain were breathtaking. From rugged, rocky peaks to wildflower meadows with stunning mountain lodges and miles of dense forest, it offered everything.

We highly recommend this hike. For those less adventurous, a shorter hike to a mountain hostel for coffee and cake is an option before taking the cable car back down.

After spending a few nights at Camping El Redondo, we traveled back down the valley. We were looking for a campsite near a river, lake, or with a pool since the temperatures were in the 30s. Using the ACSI app, we discovered a fantastic site just outside the charming town of Potes.

Click on the Link below to watch our YouTube Vlog on the Fuente De Hike

Camping La Viorna was the ideal place for a night, featuring the coldest pool we've ever encountered! We enjoyed a delightful morning exploring Potes and sipping coffee.

From Potes, we journeyed around the southern part of the Picos de Europa National Park, experiencing the most breathtaking drive of the trip. The road led us through deep mountain gorges alongside the river. At times, it was narrow with tight switchbacks and miles of roadworks. It was somewhat unsettling that there were catch-nets full of rocks above the road, and as a passenger, I felt quite close to the oncoming lorries and motorhomes.

We did encounter a minor mishap when our wing mirror clipped a German campervan. Fortunately, no major damage occurred aside from a few scratches on the paintwork. Our mirror became loose and dangled, with the blue plastic casing found 30 meters down the road, but they snapped back together easily—phew!

We paused for a picnic at the Collado de LLesba, home to the 'Oso Pardo' monument, a statue of a brown bear. It's a stunning viewpoint.

With temperatures still soaring into the high 30s, we chose to drive to the picturesque village of Cain, known as one of the endpoints of the iconic 'Ruta del Cares'. This is a 12 km hike carved along the mountain gorge from the village of Poncebos. We've hiked the route before and highly recommend it, but today, due to the heat, we only walked a couple of kilometers along the river and took a swim in the crystal-clear, freezing cold water.

If you are interested in doing the Ruta Del Cares - please note it is an out and back hike 24km in total. There is no public transport to get you back to your start point as it is an hours drive around the mountains!

We stayed overnight at an excellent aire offered by the community in the village of Posada de Valdeon. Priced at £15 per night, including access to the local sports center facilities, it was a fantastic deal. The village has a few restaurants and serves as an ideal starting point for high mountain hikes.

Our next destination in the Picos was the Lagos de Covadonga. These 2 beautiful lakes are a huge tourist destination and in the summer months can only be reached by bus from the village of Covadonga - the narrow, twisty mountain road is closed from 31st May until the end of September. We were fortunate to catch it on the last day in May and it was quite a drive!

As we reached the highest lake, the skies unleashed a massive thunderstorm. The lightning was continuous and truly astonishing. The herd of cows grazing in the high pastures were frightened, with nowhere to seek refuge. Then, just 15 minutes later, the storm moved on, and the sun shone brightly once again!

We stopped for the night at a free aire located in one of the car parks near the village of Covadonga. There were just three other vans, and it was a very tranquil spot to sleep, offering stunning views of the surrounding mountains.

Not to be missed if you are in the area is a visit to the Basilica de Santa Maria, we caught it on a Friday evening as a wedding was taking place. The Grotto with the church in the cliffs and a stutue of the Virgin Mary is another must see place in the village.

Click on the link below to see more of the Covadonga Lakes and our travels

From the Picos de Europa, our initial plans were to go back up to the coast and spend a few days on the beach but the weather forecast was awful for northern Spain. With this in mind we made the decision to head south towards the city of Salamanca. It was a long drive that we broke up with 2 stops.

In his book 'Take the Slow Road in Spain,' Martin Dorey details a picturesque bike path that traces an old railway line starting from the village of Villanueva. This route leads you past a bear sanctuary, where, if fortunate, you might catch sight of a bear. Unfortunately, we observed one bear lingering by one of the gates, likely due to learned behavior, anticipating being fed if it waited there.

After a night at a campsite in the Luna Valley we had a day of sight seeing before reaching our destination Camping Don Quijote.

We indulged ourselves in a bit of photography on the banks of the Luna reservoir which had several laybys to pull over and take in the views.

Our next destination was the ancient town of Zamora, featuring its castle and impressive cathedral. Situated on the riverbank, it boasts an ancient Roman bridge that still stands, along with historical mills. Although there was an aire in the town, the temperatures were in the 30s, and with no shade available, we sought another campsite with a pool to cool off.

Camping Don Quijote served as an excellent base for exploring the beautiful city of Salamanca, with a short walk to the bus stop that takes you right into the town's centre.

With temperatures still in the 30's we enjoyed diving into the cold campsite pool and a cold beer in restaurant. The wifi was not great by the campervan but it was rapid quick in the cafe which was great for uploading our videos.

Something we had never noticed previously at campsites was a motorhome wash zone - there was a constant queue in the morning of travellers cleaning their vans before they set off to their next destination!

Salamanca is a university town often likened to Oxford due to its stunning architecture dating back to the 11th century. The city had a charming atmosphere as we strolled around, with a mix of relaxed students, tourists from around the globe, and locals going about their daily lives.

We enjoyed a leisurely evening in the Plaza Mayor, watching the world pass by and savouring delicious tapas in various cafes and bars throughout the day.

The city is full of awe and wonder, with every corner revealing a new view. We highly recommend climbing the cathedral tower; the views across the city and into the small courtyards were simply spectacular.

Salamanca quickly became one of my favourite cities I've visited, and I would gladly return there.

After spending a few days in Salamanca, we decided it was time to continue our journey and explore a new country for us—Portugal. Read all about the places we visited and our adventures in our next blog.

Take a look at the video using the link below to see for yourselves why we fell in love with the city of Salamanca

We really hope that you have enjoyed revisiting some of the places we have discovered. In our next blog, we head over the border into Portugal...

Jackie and Richard