We enjoyed a few days in Burgos before travelling to Santander for the ferry. We booked a fish restaurant for lunch on Sunday; our hearts sank when we arrived at 2pm and saw the restaurant was empty. However, the place soon started to fill and, by the time our octopus starter arrived, they were turning people away. The atmosphere was jolly and the food exceptional – our oven roasted turbot was perfection. The bill was €130 for two hours of heaven.
We had lunch the following day at an asador, a traditional restaurant specialising in roasted meats cooked in a wood-fired oven. We had slow roasted suckling lamb served with bread, salad and a bottle of chilled Crianza, the local red wine. Except for salt and maybe a little garlic, no herbs or seasonings were used in the cooking of the meat. Three courses followed by coffee and liqueurs cost €100. Much to Tony’s embarrassment I requested a “doggy bag” for the liquor from the bottom of the roasting dish. After a night in the fridge the juice had transformed into a rich meaty jelly (topped with a layer of white fat, which I discarded). The jelly would wonderfully enrich my home-made soup.
In Spain, away from the coastal touristy areas, we found the quality of food served in traditional restaurants was excellent. It was honest food with the freshest of ingredients and good value compared with a similar quality restaurant in the UK.
The next day we received a message from Brittany Ferries saying that our sailing was delayed for 24 hours due to a stormy weather forecast. We spent two days parked up at a fuel station outside Santander. It wasn’t the best location but we managed a walk each day, dodging the rain showers. The night we would have sailed was so windy it rocked the truck so much it felt like we were at sea. The following day was windy but with blue sky and sunshine as we began the last leg of our journey home.
We had left the UK on the 22nd September 2025 and returned on the 13th February, 2026 – 146 days. We had covered about 12,000 miles and were looking forward to seeing our lovely family again.
Blog ends.
