Aug 1 - 12
At the end of the beach we found a cave! Often you can't go into the cave, or even see it... But because the tide was so low, we were able to walk right in. We had fun creeping into the darkness and splashing around, before the tide quickly started coming back up and we went out for a swim instead.
At the opposite end of Berria beach there is a little mountain. The climb up is only about 20 minutes..and that's including numerous photo stops - how could you not stop for a few pics?! Stunning.
When I reached the top I could see both Berria and Noha beaches, plus all the marshland and mountains of the area. I could have sat there for hours, perched on my little rock at the very top of the mountain. Amazing views.
I also did a slightly more intense hike on Mt Buciero. While the kids were with their grandparents, Julian, Juana and I set off to walk across and around the mountain - not actually up it! The reason for this is that there's a little lighthouse on the far side of the mountain that boasts unbeatable views and crystal clear water. After a bit of a trek up and down (but mostly up!) through the bushes, we stopped at a little viewpoint.
Then we started our descent to the lighthouse - down 763 very steep stairs. Ow, my knees! Once we reached the bottom, we were greeted with beautiful views all round. If only we'd brought our bathers..!
The fun part was next. The climb back up those glorious steps. All 763 of them.
As if we hadn't had enough of a workout, we continued on our loop of the mountain, walking on some questionable terrain, including slippery mud and unstable rocks. When we came back out from the bushes we were treated to views of cliffs and beaches and even the nearby prison!
Lovely half day hike!
On a very overcast afternoon we walked along the coast of Noha. For about 3 or 4km we were continuously treated to spectacular coastline views, often inclduing the mountains in the background. The sun even came out for a bit!
Coming back we cut through a forest, where the trees seemed to be alive!
Afterwards, we went to a skate park so the girls could do some rollerskating. Seems rollerskating is quite popular in Spain. While there I watched some very swift experienced skaters and also had a giggle at some beginners struggling to keep on their feet.
We used another overcast day to visit the town of Santillana del Mar, a beautiful traditional village near Santander. The buildings and even the roads have been kept exactly how they were hundreds of years ago. A lot of the houses had big stone family shields displayed at the front and centre.
It is a gorgeous place, but nowadays is absolutely riddled with tourist shops. It doesn't seem like there's a single place in the whole town that's not dedicated to tourism. I can't imagine living there!
The cave used to be open to the public, until they realised that having people in there was destroying the paintings. Instead, they've created a replica cave, where you can learn all about the paintings and the lifestyle of those who have inhibited it throughout the years.
On the early morning drive to the airport I was lucky enough to catch a pretty incredible sunrise...
What a beautiful region of Spain. I'll be back soon, I'm sure.
The second half of my workaway experience in Cantabria was somewhat similar to the first half! Little bit of English teaching, lots of beach days and plenty of exploring.
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| Lots of snapchat selfies, too! |
One particularly memorable day was on Berria beach (the little local one.) Ariadna and I walked to the end of the beach, stopping for many, many, many photos.
At the end of the beach we found a cave! Often you can't go into the cave, or even see it... But because the tide was so low, we were able to walk right in. We had fun creeping into the darkness and splashing around, before the tide quickly started coming back up and we went out for a swim instead.
At the opposite end of Berria beach there is a little mountain. The climb up is only about 20 minutes..and that's including numerous photo stops - how could you not stop for a few pics?! Stunning.
When I reached the top I could see both Berria and Noha beaches, plus all the marshland and mountains of the area. I could have sat there for hours, perched on my little rock at the very top of the mountain. Amazing views.
I also did a slightly more intense hike on Mt Buciero. While the kids were with their grandparents, Julian, Juana and I set off to walk across and around the mountain - not actually up it! The reason for this is that there's a little lighthouse on the far side of the mountain that boasts unbeatable views and crystal clear water. After a bit of a trek up and down (but mostly up!) through the bushes, we stopped at a little viewpoint.
Then we started our descent to the lighthouse - down 763 very steep stairs. Ow, my knees! Once we reached the bottom, we were greeted with beautiful views all round. If only we'd brought our bathers..!
The fun part was next. The climb back up those glorious steps. All 763 of them.
As if we hadn't had enough of a workout, we continued on our loop of the mountain, walking on some questionable terrain, including slippery mud and unstable rocks. When we came back out from the bushes we were treated to views of cliffs and beaches and even the nearby prison!
Lovely half day hike!
One very unique experience I had was making tuna. Never thought I'd spend a whole day 'making tuna'! It is a tradition in Juana's family for everyone to get together for one day in the summer to make a year's supply of tuna for them all to share. They bought 130kg (!!!) of tuna from the market and cooked it up in the morning. Then we spent the day cleaning it, chopping it up and stuffing it into jars. 220 jars! Once completed, the tuna-stuffed jars were filled with oil, sealed shut and then boiled again in an enormous pot.
On a very overcast afternoon we walked along the coast of Noha. For about 3 or 4km we were continuously treated to spectacular coastline views, often inclduing the mountains in the background. The sun even came out for a bit!
Coming back we cut through a forest, where the trees seemed to be alive!
Afterwards, we went to a skate park so the girls could do some rollerskating. Seems rollerskating is quite popular in Spain. While there I watched some very swift experienced skaters and also had a giggle at some beginners struggling to keep on their feet.
We used another overcast day to visit the town of Santillana del Mar, a beautiful traditional village near Santander. The buildings and even the roads have been kept exactly how they were hundreds of years ago. A lot of the houses had big stone family shields displayed at the front and centre.
It is a gorgeous place, but nowadays is absolutely riddled with tourist shops. It doesn't seem like there's a single place in the whole town that's not dedicated to tourism. I can't imagine living there!
After a bit of wandering round, we had the world's most enormous lunch (seems to happen a lot here!) then went to visit the Altamira cave. This is a prehistoic cave, full of paintings that date back over 13,000 years. It's incredible to think that a painting in a cave could last that long!
The cave used to be open to the public, until they realised that having people in there was destroying the paintings. Instead, they've created a replica cave, where you can learn all about the paintings and the lifestyle of those who have inhibited it throughout the years.
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| The actual cave entrance |
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| Countryside near the caves |
My very last day in Cantabria was spent on the beach. We built sandcastles, made ourselves into mermaids and went back to check out the caves again.
On the early morning drive to the airport I was lucky enough to catch a pretty incredible sunrise...
What a beautiful region of Spain. I'll be back soon, I'm sure.
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