Castillo

Our stop at Arnuero isn't pretty, but its free and at 45km distance from the Santander ferry port, its just what we need. The aire provides a dedicated tarmac parking area between a main road and a wetland grazed by cows. The clear skies have persisted and an unpleasant aroma wafts over from the cow field as it bakes in the 24°C heat. Its not too bad and we are appreciating our last day of winter warmth!

On the way here we stopped at a humongous Carrefour supermarket to pick up a few bits, bobs and bottles. While we were getting lost in the aisles that stretched farther than many of the small villages we've stayed in, we kept hearing a dog barking. We ignored it, thinking it was probably a new toy, but on the way out we saw that the complex also sold puppies, that were displayed in glass tanks stacked for prospective buyers to peruse. The practice of selling puppies and kittens like this will soon be illegal in the UK and looking at these poor creatures we could see why.

Without much to do near the stopover, we didn't feel we were missing out as Vicky began to pack our bags for the ferry and Will took the chance to service the tandem. He took it on a test run to the nearby supermarket and picked up bananas for a vegan eggy bread recipe Vicky was keen to experiment with. There's not much else to tell really; our minds being taken up with tomorrow's sailing and our impending return to the UK, so our last evening on the continent was a quiet one.Read more