Arriving 10pm in Santander. Where to stay? >> Labaniego, Vadiniense, San Salvador

[Steffan]

Hello all,

this year, since I have brushed up on my Spanish, I decided to do my very first camino in Spain.
I have planned to travel with Ryanair on a mid August Sunday from London to Santander, but the plane arrives late at 21:45. I wonder where to spend the first night. Is too late to turn up at a hostel?! I don't feel like spending my first night in a traditional hotel and kind of loathe the idea of arriving so late!

Probably some of you arriving from London, must have faced the same question. What did you do? Travel to Bilbao instead and arrive with Easyjet at lunchtime?

I have maximum of 30 days to find a way back to London. I am a slowish, savourish, (or may be just a bit lazy, LOL) 15-25 km per day type of a pilgrim, and my plan was to get to Santander, then to San Vincente de la Barquera (either on foot or by bus), walk the Camino Labaniego to Potes, then the Ruta Vadiniense to Leon, followed by the San Salvador to Oviedo.

I thought to spread and splash all these thirty days generously and savour the mountains, possibly I could walk it back and forth - or continue on the Norte or Primitivo - I don't know yet.

I have walked quite a few caminos in France and Germany - and I feel I want to postpone arriving in Santiago de Compostela - arriving there is not really my goal. It is a bit like saving the last few pages of a good book I never went to finish...
I am sure some of you feel similar!

... I got a bit off topic. So yeah... what to do arriving in Santander at 10 pm? Thank you for reading/answering!
Steffan

 

[peregrina2000]

Hi, Steffan, welcome to the forum!

Gronze has a good list of albergues and cheap places to stay in Santander. https://www.gronze.com/etapa/guemes/santander.

I stayed this year in the Pensión Magallanes, very clean and cheap, but these little family run places are unlikely to have anyone at the desk that late. So wherever you wind up, make sure to confirm you can arrive that late. The albergue will be closed (and probably full anyway) at that time.

If your goal is to walk 12-15 km a day, you should check online sites like gronze and mundicamino, as well as this forum guide, but I think there are a number of places where you'll have to walk at least 25. But good planning will be crucial, if you want to arrange casas rurales and the like.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/ruta-vadiniense-guide-pdf.59/ for Lebaniego/Vadiniense.

And for the Salvador, here's the best guide in English: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/enders-salvador-guide-in-english.40078/.

Good luck with this -- I think the combination you describe is a great idea, I walked that very route about 7 or 8 years ago! Buen camino, Laurie
http://caminovadiniense.blogspot.com

 

[Steffan]

Thank you so much Laurie! So much good information! I like the look of 'Gronze' and
I will now go and devour your blog, looks very interesting! I see it took you a bit over 30 days to get to Santiago - possibly I should be able to do that too! 12-15? nah, you must have misread!

 

[crackmrmac]

Steffan, The airport bus stops outside the bus station in Santander. Central Hostel is across the street.

 

[Deleted member 36903]

Second Pension Magallanes but with @peregrina2000's caveat that checking in late might be a problem.

 

[Steffan]

Thanks guys for your answers - I have now actually booked a flight to Bilbao, where I arrive at lunchtime, then visit the Guggenheim and take a bus to Santander or beyond.