April 26, 2012 to April 28, 2012
Potes and Fuente Dé
cruising down after a couple of bus trips
Sightseeing per se is not really on my agenda, but I hope to spot the street sweeper in San Vincente, chatting to someone and enjoying a small glass of beer. He encapsulates a piece of Spanish culture in a way.
Unfortunately there's no sign of him when the bus pulls into and then departs the town's small station at 10:15.
The sun is shining, but only on the distant snowy ridge as the almost empty bus makes its way out of Santander. Of course it doesn't last and there's only a small window of blue and this slowly shrinks during the two-hour journey to Potes. At least it isn't actually raining and the wind has subsided.
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During the first half of the trip, certain places are familiar from having been through a few days ago: San Vincente, of course, and then Unquera and Panes. It's as I recall - the countryside isn't too exciting, but it gets more dramatic after Panes with the road - N621 - following a deep gorge north, similar to the ones I cruised down just a little to the south.
Once off in Potes, a smaller bus pulls up and it's going up a cul-de-sac route to a village named Espinama. It's strange it doesn't go to the very end, just a few more kilometres, but about 20 km uphill is better than nothing, so I stick my bike in the rear hold, pay the fare of one euro something and do a bit more sightseeing as the bus heads up road.
The driver, bless him, drives those extra few kilometers to the very end, just for me, to a spot named Fuente De, which is basically a cable car station, a café and a hotel.
From the road, hiking trails are signposted and some can be seen wiggling across the rugged landscape.
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Students are milling around while I have a coffee in the café and a couple of sandwiches before starting on the descent. It's easy to speed along and at times I top 60 km/hr without any effort. It's all down some 24 km to Potes and the road is wide, the bends gentle and there's little traffic - I'd actually imagined a potholed mountain track.
A steam, or river, runs beside the route and there are yellow flowers on the grassy verge and a few villages cling to the slopes. One called Pido comes first, its stone houses tumbling down the hillside, across the river, and their clay-tiled roofs look quaint. Espinama stands either side of the tarmac and has cafes and places to sleep, as I imagine most of the smaller villages do, too.
The snow-capped peaks form a backdrop, a superb one, although not as vibrant-looking as I wish due to the cloudy conditions, meaning my photos are less vibrant.
It tries to rain and my PVC jacket gets dug out... I toy with the idea of stopping in Espinama, but after a couple of minutes it doesn't appear it'll last, so decide to ride on down.
Potes is a full-blown tourist destination and there are a few hotels and hostels to choose from. The one I book into charges 30 euros a night and stands above the river. While in a wonderful position, surrounded by the Picos de Europa, the village doesn't feels like the sort of place where I'll see a street sweeper having a glass of beer and a chat.
Friday
A large, paved terrace right outside my bedroom offers a good view of what might be called downtown Potes. Unfortunately when I go out there at 10:30, the vista isn't very bright, with rain falling just as the forecast said. I pop downstairs and book in for a second night
For something to do while my room gets cleaned, I take a few photos from the terrace, watching people walk by under umbrellas and wonder what to do with the rest of the wet day.
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A yellow canoe hanging on the side of a building beside the bridge below the terrace has the words Turismo Activo printed along it and at around one I decide it's time to do something - time for some tourist action.
After buying a couple of postcards and finding the post office, I get some pineapple yogurts from a small supermarket and wonder who buys the made-in-China souvenir tack that most of the shops stock. It's then time to stretch out on the bed for a while and ponder what to do later.
Planning the next leg of the tour gives me something to do. Folded photocopies of a UK map are in a plastic envelope in one of my panniers, but when I look for sheets numbered 1 and 2, they aren't there. Maybe they are still on my desk in Taiwan, or perhaps I've thrown them away by mistake. Either way, I'll have to buy a new map when I arrive in Plymouth. So that's that little planned task out the window.
It doesn't stop raining until around 8:00 PM, but maybe Saturday day will be dry. Maybe not. At nine, I go downstairs for dinner and have a beer. It's still light outside with wispy clouds ringing the mountains.
Saturday
The peaks are completely hidden when I take a peek around the bedroom curtains and they don't appear all day. It rains persistently.
Today's ride: 24 km (15 miles)
Total: 2,288 km (1,421 miles)
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