Blogs from Cudillero, Asturias, Spain, Europe

25th April Well the forecast was correct & it rained in the night on & off & we woke to rain too. Plenty of vans have left again probably to head south or for the ferry. The rain eased so we walked down to town to the shop for something to do in the heavy cloudy weather. On the way we had 4 frights – large/guard dogs barking through gates, fences & jumping up at walls...Anyway, in the town we found a little shoe shop that also sold some hiking gear & we bought 2 extending walking poles with pointy ends, protected with rubber ferrules. We feel a little better now. It started to drizzle again just before we arrived back. Remember when I mentioned big eucalyptus? Check out the one photograph. So, not much to ... read more

23rd April Happy St. George’s Day And yes, Mr. & Mrs. Boring from Goring (Chester) have left, hooray! We had a lie in & then had breakfast outside in the warming morning although there was a heavy dew. A few people left & a few arrived including a couple who had stayed at the site in the mountains. Off on the bikes to Cudillero & the chap on reception told us the last part was very steep. It was all downhill & about 3km, the first part a gentle descent, then steep & then suicidal – we got there within 10 minutes with our brakes glowing red...I lied about the last bit. The street got narrower & narrower & then opened out onto a big area full of tables & chairs for the very busy restaurants. ... read more

After an excellent night’s sleep in our large cabin we breakfasted on coffee and Danish pastry then went on deck to watch our arrival into Gijon harbour. Very much a working port and no ferry facilities, just a landing dock which was obviously awkward to access as it took 30 minutes to complete the landing. We passed the time by watching a container ship unloading onto an endless supply of trailers which arrived one by one just as the hoist lifted and dropped each load. No problem getting out the dock, we simply drove off the ferry and away up the road. There seemed no alternative route so we took the motorway which runs a mile or so back from the coast. The coastline here is rocky with high cliffs and lots of inlets so we ... read more

Well it rained steadily all night and most of the morning. The sky was dismal, no breeze, humid, not cold just depressingly dull! We had planned to pack a picnic and have a hiking day today but decided it might not really be much fun; wet dogs, wet grass, slippery coastal paths and hazy mist instead of the promised panoramic views. So we decided to have a lazy morning and then drive around to see what we could find of interest towards lunchtime. We found San Estaban de Pravia, an old and historic port, still very gentile, with graceful old late 19th/early 20th century houses bordering the harbour and some very smart tapas bars. The tapas themselves were not truly brilliant (the squid was a bit tough) but the service and ambiance were very nice indeed! ... read more