Saturday 14th November

Fuente De is an absolutely awesome place. 1000 metre high limestone cliffs rise vertically from the meadows. I was up at crack of dawn to watch the sun lighting up the cliffs.

I have been here three times before, two of them with Ann. It's the kind of place that you know when you leave that you'll be back if you possibly can.

There were a few other vans parked at the telephrique car park overnight. The enormous (and empty) National Park car park just over the road sports prominent signs banning camper vans and caravans from parking there overnight. Presumably buses, articulated lorries, tanks, armoured personnel carriers etc would be allowed to park there. National Park Authorities appear to be well endowed with unenlightened ignorance.

As the sun got higher the cliffs changed colour.

The very nearby campsite were Ann and I have stayed on a couple of occasions in the past was closed. The person who runs the campsite lives in this rustic little house. He has very strange powers! He can talk to you in a language you don't understand but you can understand what he is saying. Similarly he appears to be able to understand what you say to him while apparently not knowing your language. Even more strangely he can change his appearance - sometimes he looks old - at other times young. I am being absolutely serious in making these comments.

If you do ever get the chance to come here it is well worth taking a trip up (and down?) on the telephrique. The unsupported lift of 1000 metres to the 2000 metre high  plateau of the Picos de Europa is a thrilling and unforgettable experience.When you get up there, there are stunning views of the high peaks which rise from the plateau.

Anyway with a sick van and a heavy heart we decided it was time to head for home so we tore ourselves away from Fuente De and came north to the Cantabrian coast. We  stopped for a brew by this estuary at low tide.

We stopped for the day at the village of Cabarceno, not far from Santander. We had travelled 99 miles (159 kilometres) today. There is a safari park here. There are elephants.

And bucks.

And buffaloes

.

We even saw an elephant with five legs!

The car park here is by a lake. At dusk hundreds of eagrets came and roosted in a single tree