Spain October 2022

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I'm off again. Spain this time. I just arrived in Santander today after a very comfortable overnight sailing from Plymouth.

I have no set itinerary except that I'll be sailing back to Ireland from Bilbao in one month's time. Surely it doesn't take a month to cycle from Santander to Bilbao. Well, I'm not taking the direct route.

The plan so far is to go to Bilbao via Lisbon, returning via Donaña and Seville. Now that will definitely take a month! To cycle it all I'll have to do a minimum of about 80km per day which is doable. I think I will make good use of trains and buses as I feel it necessary.

I hope to keep this blog updated every few days, depending on WiFi availability and having something to say. We'll see how it goes.

I spent this evening visiting the Ermita de la Virgen del Mar on a little island a few hundred metres away, reached by a pedestrian bridge. So I've clocked up my first church already.

It's a small church with a very elaborate gold adorned altar area and a the largest set of rosary beads I have ever seen hanging from the wall to the left. They seem to be arranged vagueyin the shape of a harp.

I also got the birdlist going. First onto it was feral pigeon at the port, closely followed by house sparrow. The list picked up a bit after that. Cattle egrets in a field, naturally with cattle, a wheatear, probably on migration. And a black redstart. I'm pretty sure that's a new tick for me. I can't think where I've seen one before. It got even better when one started singing from the rocks just behind me.

So, the sun has just set, the sky has it's red afterglow. I'm already thinking I brought a layer too many.

A pair of bats is now circling just above my tent. Maybe I'm attracting in mosquitos. The bats will sort them out!

I might stay an extra night here, or I might see about getting a train to the far side of Los Pico's de Europa. Lovely mountains, but they are very steep in places.

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Photos

The Hoe Plymouth.
Drake played bowls here before sailing out to meet the Spanish fleet. Now there's a regular ferry service to Spain from here, operated by a French company.

Beach at Virgen del Mar.
The white blob on the horizon is the Point Aven that I arrived on.

I think this might be a Wall butterfly.
Had a quick look on internet. Could be a Wall. Should have known that, I've seen them before. If that's wrong feel free to correct me. That's how I learn!