Gorgeous northern Spain

            The warmer weather we longed for didn’t come immediately in northern Spain. Our first stop was Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, a centuries-old pilgrimage centre, the supposed burial place of St James the Apostle, who apparently was shipwrecked nearby. Galicia catches the brunt of Atlantic storms, causing so many shipwrecks that part of the coast is called the Costa da Morte - the Coast of Death.

               St James’s tomb is in the cathedral and while it was my third visit to the magnificent building, this time it was a big disappointment. The facade was covered in scaffolding and netting and to cap that, the city was cloaked in mist and drizzle. Our site, Camping AS Cancelas, was only 20 minutes’ walk away, and though we went in twice, we never saw the city at its best.

               We moved on, heading north and east towards the Asturian coast in the hope the Atlantic weather was largely being dumped on Galicia. And it was. By the time we reached Ribadeo, the sun was shining, with some warmth, too. That night we stayed at the delightfully quiet Camping Taurán on the cliffs above Luarca, a largish fishing village. We shared the site with just one other couple.

               We would have stayed longer, but we wanted to visit the Picos de Europa and were already behind schedule. First, though, Cudillero called. A fishing village midway between Luarca and Avilés, Cudillero is incredibly picturesque, its colourful houses spilling down a steep gully to the sea. A new road winds down the cliff out of sight of the village to a new harbour and a large car park a short walk from the village. It means Cudillero is traffic-free and retains much of its character, despite no boats in the old harbour.

               Farther east, we stopped at Camping Las Conchas at Poo, five minutes’ walk from an unspoiled sea inlet, its gently shelving sandy beach sheltered from the Bay of Biscay’s rollers. Two small hotels have bars on the beach. And there are great clifftop walks, one to Llanes, a fishing village with a walled centre.

               From there the Picos de Europa is not far, though the journey to Potes, its ‘capital’, is slow, taking in 22 spectacular kilometres of La Hermida Gorge. There are several sites around the beautifully situated town, the nearest being Camping La Viorna. Nearby are the San Glorio Pass and Fuente Dé, where a cablecar whisks you to higher summits.

               We had considered San Sebastian, in the Basque region, for our final Spanish halt, but having taken a liking to smaller places, decided instead on Hondarribia. We made a fine choice, with its old walled centre, beach and former fishing village of traditional Basque houses, as we segued into Basque France.