We’re off to Santander. Well, more accurately we are off to Somo, which is just across the bay from Santander. There is a pedestrian ferry ride to get you into Santander itself. Somo was a little over an hour’s drive away.
Leaving the área de autocaravanas site at Bilbao was a bit pedestrian – with almost a hundred units on site and every unit being a motorhome/campervan, there is naturally a queue for the motor vehicle service points; at least they have two. If you do not want the service points, you still can’t leave because the way is blocked by the waiting line of those who do need them. Brilliant.
The next site was also for autocaravanas only. It had an automated, camera-controlled barrier. Our instructions said, “as you drive up to the barrier swing slightly left; the camera should read your number plate and open”. The operative word there is should. It didn’t. We juggled back and forth changing the angle several times and still it didn’t do what it should have done. Having failed to get a tram ticket from the automated machine in Bilbao, we now had a campsite refusing to admit us.
Our leader, Andy, called the guardian who arrived on an e-scooter. He gesticulated for us to try again at a couple of angles, which we must have already tried. Still no joy, the camera clearly hadn’t read the operating manual, never mind our number plate.
There’s no magic button at the gate but the guardian did, it seems, have a remote control fob tucked away in his pocket. Finally the gate did slide reluctantly open. One other of our number had also had difficulty entering. Getting out tomorrow could be fun, given the exit camera.
At 14:30 our group wandered down towards the ferry in Somo, to head into Santander. It began raining and our umbrellas came out. Our intended ferry departure had been cancelled; apparently it was low tide and the ferry was unable to dock. We repaired to a bar to wait for the next sailing. The bar had awnings to keep off most of the rain.
The next sailing time to Santander was approaching. At gone 15:00 I decided it was getting a bit late for me to be wandering around a potentially rain-soaked town so I chose to stay behind (with another glass of vino tinto). Then I’d return to Frodo and cook dinner to await Francine’s return.I’d make a pork paella.
The main attraction billed on our tour was the grandly named Museo D Prehistoria Y Archaeologia D Cantabria. Wow, what a mouthful. Archaeology and prehistory? I didn’t think I’d be missing much. The artefacts looked well presented, though, given Francine’s couple of pictures, just not me.
Francine did manage to find something to satisfy her more artistic leanings with a reflection of the cathedral in a small pool.
As I was waiting, a message arrived from Francine: in gusty high winds, the ferry was having a serious amount of difficulty docking in Santander to bring them back. The captain had made several failed attempts. With (I’m told} no fenders on the stern, one attempt had even stuffed the stern of the boat into the dock and damaged it – the boat, not the dock. Eventually, though, the ferry got in to allow passengers on board to disembark and those waiting to board.
We had a slightly later paella than anticipated.
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