It was a basic communal breakfast at the albergue...
..then off for Santander. On the way out we saw these stats of people staying since 1999. It seems this is a must stay for pelegrinos, so the numbers would be a fair reflection of numbers doing the walk. Reinforces what Father Ernesto said the previous evening about the rapidly increasing pressure of numbers. In 2014 they had 8,400 stay.
We took the coastal route to Santander, walking firstly through rich farmland..
...then we came to the coastal cliffs..
...lovely deserted beaches...
...and popular surfing beaches.
This was one of most enjoyable walks, a narrow track, lovely farmland right to the cliff edge, and spectacular coastal views.
This is just to prove Bob was there!!, but it is also a distant view of Santander, our objective for the day.
We wondered if this wasn't the world's biggest rock pool.
We dropped down onto another long lovely beach for our final 3 km to Somo. Again, lots of surf schools.
From Somo we caught a ferry to Santander, a welcome relief from the foot slogging.
The architecture in Santander looked pretty amazing as we approached.
It was first stop Tourist Information Office, both to get general information and our "cellos" or stamps for our pilgrim credentials. We already have quite a few.
After settling in to our hotel and doing our washing etc it was time for lunch. Santander is renowned for seafood, so seafood it was at Taberna Marinara El Machi. This was their display..
..as Paul Hogan would say, you call those things in Australia flathead - this is a flathead!
Everyone was delighted with their choice..
...fish stew for Bob, a must have in Cantabria according to the guides.
After siesta we went to Playa de Los Sardineros...
...for a swim and to check out the Santander 1900 festival. There were all sorts of people dressed in period costume, mostly kids...
...but also bands...
..a parade and line-up...
..and lots of food stalls..this one being pretty impressive..
..and this drink stall selling virgin cocktails was too much for the girls to resist.
And a final word...Santander himself....
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