Are we there yet?

As we started our return route towards Santander, we had the feeling of being on a very long car trip, with the catchphrase “are we there yet?” repeating in our heads.  We would be sailing around areas we left only a month or two ago, with little sense of discovery.  This dread led us to the decision to try to squeeze into all those small fishing ports that we skipped over the first time for lack of information and fear of not finding an adequate place to tie up for the night.  It’s funny how boredom wins out over fear after awhile. 

That decision has made all the difference.  We’ve enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery in northern Spain.  The photos (taken with my increasingly scratched lens) were taken in the small ports of Luarca, Cudillero, Lastres, and Llanes.

Luarca coastline

Luarca anchorage, buoy + line to shore with the dinghy

Luarca harbor

Cudillero.  We managed to squeeze onto the end of a pontoon rather than pick up a mooring buoy.

The entrance to Cudillero at low tide.  Even the slightest swell makes this a "rodeo".

Cantabria coastal scenes

Cantabria coastal scenes

 

Cantabria coastal scenes

Entering Lastres

Lastres Harbor

One of the few visitor's berths in Lastres.

Lastres Town

Night scenes in Lastres.  Caution: there are more fisherman around this port than anywhere we've ever been.  Be prepared to feel like you are in an amphitheatre with nearly 100 local fishermen peering down at you !

 

When the motor is on, one of us is out front WATCHING (after our misadventures from last month).

Llanes and its multicolored seawall

Entering Llanes, rennovated 3 years ago (entrance dragged to about 1.5 m).

Llanes visitors berth, just to the left on entering.

Llanes port

Llanes town is a charming maze of pedestrian streets, quite touristy.

 

Leaving Llanes

 

Ribadesella.  We didn't pull in here because of the tides (would have had to leave at 3 am !)

And now we're nestled in the big city of Santander as a series of depressions roll in off the Atlantic.  We will head up into the Picos de Europa for a few days (no, not with the boat) for a change of scenery.