Coastal cycling with no coast.

While having paid flights & accomodation all sorted should mean a certain sense of gratitude, having to hang round till 9 for a meeting didn't help my mood. In said meeting being told the feedback form couldn't be emailed didn't help. They got a rather curt level of feedback. Said my farewells & so began a week of lumpy cycling & rather rough & ready Spanish. Getting out of Santander wasn't the easiest nor most picturesque - industrial estates & shipyards aplenty. 18 miles in & I found myself merely at the opposite side of the estuary & pondered whether there was a ferry. Also began to wonder at what point shops would close on a Sunday. Pushed on - bound to come to more urban areas. Except I didn't. Water wasn't the problem - going along the Camino meant frequent water fountains / taps. Just after 1 came upon a very shut looking supermarket which happened not to be at all. Thankful for small mercies, stocked up & pushed. A couple of nice coastal cycle routes offered a little flat. Rain prompted lunch. Experienced a couple of resorts neither of which inspired - both very high rised - Laredo had the nicer beach & a nice old town but the rest was pig ugly. Castro Urdiales didn't have a great beach but seemed a little less over developed but still wasn't great. For all the cycling along the coast there was very little sight of the sea. Not great. That said the way the coast was treated @ the resorts I was glad to be staying in the country. Wasn't so happy when it became apparent the limited dinner options. Host was very hospitable - initial conversation reasonably understood & then he went off on one & I didn't have a clue. Still negotiated breakie from 9 to 8 so that isn't bad.もっと詳しく