gmcclin Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Hi All, We are heading to France in June for our annual trip but have decided to travel into Northern Spain for the first time as well. We would be looking at traveling as far westerly as Santander and also a bit inland.. Would anyone have recommendations for Aires/Camp sites and places of interest in that Northerly region. Sat Nav Co Ordinates would also be appreciated. Looking forward to your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hi If you are prepared to go a little further west then the Picos De Europa is a beautiful bowl in the mountains accessed by a lovely road that winds up a long narrow gorge to the town of Potes. We have stayed several times using the campsite La Viorna. It's a bit of a step but the town is walkable plus there is a cable car at the end of the valley. Plenty of walking. Also campsites outside Bilbao. We caught a bus in and walked the old town plus a look around the Guggenheim. Plenty of old towns on the coast plus campsites. Enjoy your trip Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviddwight Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Go even further west some lovely camp sites and towns, superb beaches if you like them, we were there last Sept/Oct even swimming in the sea in Oct. The route through the Mountains to Leon is fantastic, not for the faint hearted though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casimir Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 We visited the Picos de Europe in 2013. Stunning rugged scenery and well worth a visit if you like that kind of thing. We stayed at two ACSI campsites - La Isla near Potes and La Paz near Llanes on the coast. La Isla was a nice site with reasonable facilities. It was very convenient for visiting the attractive town of Potes about 2Km away. The facilities at La Paz needed updating. There was free wifi at the restaurant. (You might pick up the wifi with a decent external antenna). The site is terraced and the views out to sea and overlooking a reasonably accessible sandy beach are beautiful. I would be happy to return to either one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Many thanks to you all for the help so far. Please keep it coming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 IF you are in to walking I would recommend the Cares Gorge in the Pecos range in north west Spain. Further east, in the Central Pyrenees ( Spanish side ) the Ordesa Gorge is also worth a visit - sometimes described as Europes Grand Canyon. Can be reached by bus from campsite in Torla. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 malc d - 2015-05-19 3:59 PM IF you are in to walking I would recommend the Cares Gorge in the Pecos range in north west Spain. Further east, in the Central Pyrenees ( Spanish side ) the Ordesa Gorge is also worth a visit - sometimes described as Europes Grand Canyon. Can be reached by bus from campsite in Torla. ;-) Hi Malc d, Yep love walking.. That sounds a real worth while visit. Would you have the name of the campsite please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I am taking all this in too, especially as we return to Spain mid June and want to turn right at Bilbao rather than dash south! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterjl Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 If you continue west you come to Santiago de Compostella,this has a lovely old town with windy narrow streets and a magnificent square. I spent a week at the university acres years back them took my wife twice in the Mhome. The campsite, lad Cansellas, or something like that, has a steep entrance but is a short bus ride away. Continue west as far as you can go, some beautiful scenery Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter21 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hi Ger We spent a very pleasant few weeks in Northern Spain earlier this year, in Cataluña. Two good sites are Camping les Medes and Camping L'Orangerie. Have a look at our blog if you want to get a feel of the area and for campsite locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninian Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hi, We are currently in Spain on the opposite coast in Catalunya, Some great sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 gmcclin - 2015-05-19 5:16 PM malc d - 2015-05-19 3:59 PM IF you are in to walking I would recommend the Cares Gorge in the Pecos range in north west Spain. Further east, in the Central Pyrenees ( Spanish side ) the Ordesa Gorge is also worth a visit - sometimes described as Europes Grand Canyon. Can be reached by bus from campsite in Torla. ;-) Hi Malc d, Yep love walking.. That sounds a real worth while visit. Would you have the name of the campsite please. It's some years since we were in the Picos - I think we camped in or near Potes, but don't recall the name of the site. I understand there is a site nearer to the Cares Gorge, in the village of Arenas de Cabrales - some 7 km from the gorge - but I've not been there. Might be worth checking out. The total one way length of the gorge is approx 15 kms, but the best bit, if I remember rightly, is the northern end which is quite spectacular - with footpaths carved into the mountain sides. Some good photos of the gorge if you Google " Cares Gorge". For the Ordesa ' canyon' we stayed at Camping Ordesa in the village of Torla. In low season you could drive up to the canyon to a large car park - but in high season you have to get a bus from Torla. The walk climbs steadily through the Ordesa Gorge until you reach the ' dead end ' where you have a choice of going over the top into France or follow a footpath which goes off to your right, and, still climbing, wends it's way back down the valley, gradually getting higher, along a ridge. By the time you are back to the start you are approx 2000 feet above the car park and have to make your way down through the forrested side of the valley. No serious climbing involved. ( We didn't go over into France ). The complete walk took us all day. As I say, it's some years ( at least ten ) since we were at either place so details may have changed - but I'm sure the scenery is still just as good ! ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hopefully here's a couple of pics of the footpath through the Cares Gorge in the Picos : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinP Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Santillana del Mar About 30kms from Santander is a World Heritage site village "Santillana del Mar" . It is a medieval village based around an old monastery. Beautiful and interesting. We stayed at the campsite which is about 600m outside the village. Very traditional with a number of tastefully disguised hotels and restaurants. We visited some years ago in December when the "green Spain" rain was in full flow but had a delightful day there and also visited the nearby Altimira Cave and museum. The cave has about 150 Paleolithic wall paintings. Due to erosion and contamination in the last 20 years (after millenia unspoilt) they have reconstructed the whole cave complex nearby to allow visits and combined it with a very educational visitor centre. (most of the exhibits etc in Spanish and English) . Well worth a visit. Dont think the campsite is ACSI ( at the time we booked it via the CCC as it was just close to the ferry port for a last minute sort out before homeward). No aires nearby to my knowlege. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 My vote goes to Campsite La Isla picos de europa, near Portes we are are there now it is excellent. Nice bike ride in to Potes which is a beautiful village. With ACSI 14 euro per night is a bargain. N43 9 27 W4 39 22 GPS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmcclin Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 Thanks a lot guys some great recommendations. Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Mitch Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 I would recommend visiting San Sebastian, which has a beautiful old town. San Sebastian sits in a lovely bay. There is an aire (area) in the university area, which is basic and partly used as a coach park during the day. There is also an excellent campsite at Zarautz, a few kms west. This site sits on top of a hill overlooking the town, with a coastal path to the town if you are fit enough. Good churros and hot chocolate at the beach-side cafes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Burgos: Camping Fuentes Blancas. Good, well run site when last visited, and a walkable distance to historic centre. Very impressive cathedral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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