If cyclists have a choice, I would definitely recommend a ferry over flying. Its cheaper, less hassle, saves time & healthier for your bike & the planet. No need to spend time breaking the bike down into bits, packing it & building it back up again & same for the return; reduces risk of customs or handlers damaging or losing kit; much cheaper – airlines charge up to £150 extra each way for a bike, my round trip ferry cost was £240 total (without a cabin mind); all trail food can be packed on your bike ready to ride – so no shopping needed on arrival. Not having a cabin was not a problem though I recommend warm clothes, toiletries, towel, ear plugs, mask for eyes & drinking water. The reclining seat allocated was not working for me so around 1am I ventured out into the empty ship, found a nice long padded bench & slept like a baby. The cleaner finally woke me at 8 which got me to breakfast before the queue.
The morning was uneventful enough then, around 1pm, passengers were asked to make their way to their vehicles- at which point all hell broke loose. I would have blamed it on the booze the average passenger consumed the night before but I didn’t have a drop & was stumped myself. Because staircases are many & they don’t all open at every level, one essential bit of info needed but not advised to obtain was the staircase number each of us used to enter the upper decks on arrival. Example, those who parked at level 3 started down at level 5, passed level 4 to find the next door opened onto level 2. I point out these passengers are no athletes, but carried huge cases & the occasional dog!! Despite this, they bravely turned around, fought their way back up, through the opposition, to arrive back where they started, dishevelled & panic stricken & like all good Brits, blamed this failure on themselves. As with most things, I believe the majority got to where they wanted to be by squeezing through bumper to bumper cars diagonally across the length of this rather large vessel! Those that didn’t had a slightly longer cruise than planned & had all the answers to the mining’s quiz show! The cyclists amongst us were a little more logical & were by our bikes swapping gear & route notes. Some were doing the Pilgrims Trail, one group were riding some were riding a similar trail to me – be it on road. One brave guy was riding to Cape Town!! These nice all when the boat docked & will all split – that’s how it is. Straight away I decided on a route deviation & headed to Torrelavega, on the edge of the Sa de Pana Sagra. Santander was bypassed for now, I will likely check this out later as I await my COVID test. This region of Spain is lush & enjoys lots of rain. It’s supposed to be the least sunniest place in Spain but not today. I arrived at Torrelavega very hot indeed & tired. This sizeable town is lovely though, full of cafes grand buildings & a Santander bank on nearly every corner. I found a basic but clean hotel for €37, wrote this blog so time now for a beer & sleep in a bed!
John's Epic Cycle Adventures 