Browsing Tag

Northern Spain

Adventure, Europe, Off the beaten track, Spain

Why we love Northern Spain

We’re of the opinion that you should never travel to the same destination more than once. Occasionally it doesn’t work out that way, like the time we got diverted to Tahiti while en route to New Zealand. We took our honeymoon in Tahiti and had the most incredible time in both Tikehau and Moorea. As such, we always said we wouldn’t go back. And yet there we were dancing with the locals at the airport adorned with flowers!

Last summer was the first time we’d visited Northern Spain having taken trips elsewhere in the country many times. We loved it so much we’re heading back there this summer albeit to a totally different region. If you’ve not been to Northern Spain before, here’s a little taste of what it’s like.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Spain

The Picos de Europa: our top picks

The rustic cottage we’d booked was located just two and a half hours drive away from Bilbao. Although we’d originally planned to stop in the capital of the Basque Country, we ended up heading straight to the small village of Trillayo. With a population of just 31, and the medieval town of Potes ten minutes away, it was an ideal base for our adventures. We’d totally fallen in love with this 200 year old cottage when we’d seen it online and really hoped it lived up to expectations. It really did, the views from our balcony of the Picos de Europa were magnificent. We’d enjoy breakfast there before heading out each day and evenings were spent watching the swallows fly in circles around nearby rooftops. There was only one day we weren’t out exploring but we’ve pulled together our top picks for things you really shouldn’t miss.

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Adventure, Europe, Off the beaten track, Spain

Photographs from El Habario, Liébana

We kept ourselves pretty busy while we were in Northern Spain. In the first few days we’d taken in the magnificent Picos de Europa, trekked from Dobarganes to Pico Jano and explored the spectacular El Soplao Caves. Green Spain is an absolute gem and there’s plenty to explore off the beaten track too. The roads in the Liebana region are surprisingly good and we enjoyed having the freedom of being able to travel around in our own car.

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Adventure, Cottage & villa holidays, Europe, Family, Off the beaten track, Spain

A rustic gem with views of the Picos

We’ve always gone out of our way to avoid the peak holiday season so now POD’s at school we’ve had to be a little more creative. Our road trip in Northern Spain is a great example of having a tourist free holiday. It’s certainly one of the favourites as we got to go on so many adventures. We took Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Bilbao, driving a couple of hours to the Liebana region from there. Our destination was the small village of Trillayo which is situated in the Bedoya Valley.

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Adventure, Cruises & ferries, Family

Sailing to Spain aboard Cap Finistère

When we won a ferry competition with Discover Ferries, we were more than a bit excited. The home of ferry travel consists of 12 operators spanning 55 routes to destinations across Belgium, the British Isles, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scottish Isles and Spain. We had no idea there was so much choice available and with our many childhood ferry trips a distant memory, we set our sights on Northern Spain.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Off the beaten track

What makes adventure holidays so memorable

The POD Father, as he’s known on POD Travels and our parent blog, and I have travelled much of our lives. From Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific to the Caribbean, North and South America. Not forgetting of course sun, ski and city breaks across Europe. We relish the kind of holidays that enable you to immerse yourself in a country’s culture and lose yourself a bit. Adventure holidays are certainly the most favoured and they often lead to the most spectacular experiences. That’s what we relish and to us it’s what makes a holiday truly memorable.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Spain

The magnificent Picos de Europa

The scenery in the Liébana region of Northern Spain is spectacular. The route along the CA-185 from Potes to Fuente Dé engulfed by huge mountains with the pretty Rio Deva river running adjacent. With not even a cloud in the sky, our excitement was at fever pitch as we drove along the beautiful winding roads.

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Europe, Family, Spain

Things to do in the Basque Country

Pais Vasco is well recognised for its unique flavours, tapas and wine with cities such as Bilbao and San Sebastian boasting Michelin star chefs. While the Basque Country is largely commercialised, it’s a land surrounded by lush countryside, mountains and coastline – with much of the Urkiola National Park, Valderejo National Park and Urdaibai Biosphere Reservation untouched.

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