Day four: It was cold and damp first thing. Despite being high, we headed higher – the Picos de Europa beckoned with a chilly embrace. An hour of misty climbing was not a great start to the day, other than it being the perfect conditions for the little Terrier to thrive in, as it seemed to love the thin, cold, damp air. Then, as if by magic, we broke through the cloud and emerged into a brilliant Alpine morning – all be it a long way from the Alps – of fresh green meadows with, of all things, daffodils, cows with big bells around their necks and rocky cliffs shooting vertically up towards the now clear blue sky. We headed north over the Puerto de Piedrasluengas at 4400ft. Then another joy-bringing, glad-to-be-alive, descent enjoying the perfection of the throttle response, which seemed to thrill us both, eventually dropping into Potes, less than 15 miles from the coast at Santander.
Today’s navigation was quite simple, as from Potes it was the N621 for the next 140kms over the mountains to Riano and then onto La Robla. Not having to consult the map left lots of time to appreciate the scenery with its lakes and mountains. The roads and the riding were fantastic, smooth and safe, with so many bends of all descriptions, including the ubiquitous hairpins – it was a delight and what great fun!
Coffee stops were made, and lunch was taken. There was never a shortage of bars; I read somewhere recently that Spain has more bars than the rest of Europe put together. I have no idea if this is true, but it didn’t take
