Wednesday 17 October - Castro-Urdiales about 30k west of Bilbao.
Hilly or what - we have had some whoppers and steep too! I do not think we have been on a flat bit of road for days. We cruised into Santander following the N634. we have followed this road for many miles. Our European taxes have been spent on building a new motorwayright across northern Spain - a great project with towering viaducts which literaly go for miles across vast rias. This takes most of the traffic off the old road (N634) leaving it for us cyclists - the price for no traffic is long hils with switchbacks up and down the rias.
After an interesting conversation with a waiter in Santander we eventually found the ferry which crosses Santander harbour and saved us about 30k.
Next stop was Sa toña one horse town with out a hotel. We ended up in Pensions. The owner spoke almost continupusly and I did not understand a single world I am sure he was taking the p..s but the rooms were clean. We then got it all wrong for supper but ended up we think with some sort of eel covered in cheese. The road ended here which was not clear on the map but we found a ferry which drpped us on the beach the otherside of the estary next morning
Today we headed towards Bilbao but with an ever strengthening wind and a series of very steep long hills we stopped about 30k short in Castro. Gilly nearly had another crash - the wind was gusting very stongly and swirling and we were crawling up hill with a deep monsoon ditch beside the road - she just stopped her self going over the edge. This is an interesting town with a harbour beaches and an old Cathedral on the coast.
Our quads and thighs are twice the size they were but all is going well. we have sent our camping gear home as all the campsites are closed.
Distance today 34k at an average speed of 9kph. Total dist 444.46k.
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