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Kia ora,
I'm planning on walking part of the Norte / Primitivo this April.
Due to time constraints I have to start around Santander but the consensus seems be that the walk out isn't great.
My question is whether it would be best to avoid Santander all together and, instead, take a train from Madrid to Torrelavega and then bus or walk to Santillana del Mar?
Is this reasonable and would I be missing much by not going to Santander.
I expect I'll be a bit jet lagged for the first few days and so want to start reasonably easy but without wasting time.
I'll take whatever advice people have,
Thanks
An advantage would be that you could visit the Altamira Caves on your way into Santillana.
Hi Antonius, you probably know this, but you can't go into the actual Altamira Caves, you can only see a reproduction. Apparently the visitor centre has done a good job imitating the cave paintings, but for me seeing a copy kinda defeats the purpose. If you want to see original palaeolithic art, they're still letting visitors into "El Castillo" cave at Puente Viesgo. Amongst the oldest cave paintings in Europe (40,000-60,000 years, in fact there's now a debate over whether the artists might have been Neanderthal). It's a 30-minute Alsa bus ride from Santander, you could probably find a way to walk if you wanted.
Sorry if this is a bit off topic! But thought I'd add it in case Lauraec was a cave art fan and kicked him/herself afterwards to find out they were so close to one of the oldest sites of palaeolithic art in the northern hemisphere.
I know it is a reproduction, I visited the caves later year, but I want to show the caves to my wife. I liked the caves. I see your point but at the same time I know that the original paintings in a prehistoric cave will deteriorate when too many people visit them. So it is better to see a good copy than no painting at all. There is also a museum where more information is given about the background.
That,s good information. We will start our Camino from Santander , but don,t know if we will be walking the first day. Perhaps we could start with a visit to the caves on our first day. Later on we will be in Ribadesella and could visit the Tito Bustillosite. Thanks for te informationOk, I just wasn't sure you knew they were a reproduction. The El Castillo cave is staffed by very informative academics and researchers, and they keep a constant check on CO2 levels. They are very clear that they will close the cave the minute they detect any risks. It really is quite an experience: over 200 figures including aurochs, mammoths, human forms; strange geometric patterns, and hundreds of handprints. Just thought you might be interested in knowing you could experience the "real deal" a few kilometres down the road from Altamira.
Take a bicycle. If you have done the Frances you will find Its nothing like it. Way too much asphalt. Much more modern and built up. Much urban sprawl, pretty in parts but would be nice to have the time to stop along the way to enjoy the scenery; be ready for very hilly countryside.Kia ora,
I'm planning on walking part of the Norte / Primitivo this April.
Due to time constraints I have to start around Santander but the consensus seems be that the walk out isn't great.
My question is whether it would be best to avoid Santander all together and, instead, take a train from Madrid to Torrelavega and then bus or walk to Santillana del Mar?
Is this reasonable and would I be missing much by not going to Santander.
I expect I'll be a bit jet lagged for the first few days and so want to start reasonably easy but without wasting time.
I'll take whatever advice people have,
Thanks
I recommend flying into and starting from santandar as it's a beautiful small city. Get the metro out of the city ....I forget the station but could look it up for you....sleep first night here at an amazing albergue run by a fantastic lady and start your walk early next morning to santilliana del mar. Let me know if u want more info and I'll look it up in my journal tommorrow. I stayed there last august.Kia ora,
I'm planning on walking part of the Norte / Primitivo this April.
Due to time constraints I have to start around Santander but the consensus seems be that the walk out isn't great.
My question is whether it would be best to avoid Santander all together and, instead, take a train from Madrid to Torrelavega and then bus or walk to Santillana del Mar?
Is this reasonable and would I be missing much by not going to Santander.
I expect I'll be a bit jet lagged for the first few days and so want to start reasonably easy but without wasting time.
I'll take whatever advice people have,
Thanks
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