Getting back to santander.

[Stevenlou]

We plan to cycle from santander to santiago on our own cycles, would be grateful of any information regard travelling back to santander from santiago to pick up ferry for trip back to UK. We are planning our camino for June 2019.

 

[Deleted member 36903]

We plan to cycle from santander to santiago on our own cycles, would be grateful of any information regard travelling back to santander from santiago to pick up ferry for trip back to UK. We are planning our camino for June 2019.

Hello @Stevenlou. In 2015 I travelled back to the Santander ferry using the Alsa bus service from Santiago. While waiting in the bus station I saw two people dismantling their bikes for transport. I don’t know what the regulations are for bicycle transport on the buses but you will find the Alsa website easy to negotiate and with English as a language option. The journey from SdC is long but very beautiful & with several stops for food & drink. There is (or used to be) an overnight option. Buen Camino!

 

[Tia Valeria]

It was possible to take a bike on the FEVE from Ferrol to Santander via Oviedo. Be aware that although bikes go free for short journeys you do have to pay to transport them for a long trip. We have seen a biker have a real problem because he had not paid for his bike! Worth checking with RENFE/FEVE about taking your bikes that way. Also checking the times. We took 3 days but you could do it in 2.
Not sure about getting to Ferrol...... bike maybe

 

[domigee]

Hi! I travelled to Santander after finishing in Santiago. I went by Alsa bus, changing at Oviedo (but I didn’t have a bike...)
Have a look at rome2rio.com for alternatives.

 

[Stevenlou]

It was possible to take a bike on the FEVE from Ferrol to Santander via Oviedo. Be aware that although bikes go free for short journeys you do have to pay to transport them for a long trip. We have seen a biker have a real problem because he had not paid for his bike! Worth checking with RENFE/FEVE about taking your bikes that way. Also checking the times. We took 3 days but you could do it in 2.
Not sure about getting to Ferrol...... bike maybe

Thanks for the information I'm sat looking at maps while reading and pondering best way to return.

 

[Stevenlou]

Hello @Stevenlou. In 2015 I travelled back to the Santander ferry using the Alsa bus service from Santiago. While waiting in the bus station I saw two people dismantling their bikes for transport. I don’t know what the regulations are for bicycle transport on the buses but you will find the Alsa website easy to negotiate and with English as a language option. The journey from SdC is long but very beautiful & with several stops for food & drink. There is (or used to be) an overnight option. Buen Camino!

Many thanks a valuable piece of information.

 

[Glenshiro]

Journey time is about the same whether by bus or train - about 9h 40m.

Buses are provided by ALSA, (from €44.00, 13 stops) who say:

Transporting bicycles, surfboards or skis has an additional cost, 5 euros for short-distance routes and 10 euros for long-distance routes.

Because of the limited space, we admit 4 objects (bicycles and surfboards) total in each coach, one per ticket. They have to be good conditions to travel without causing any damage to other baggage, so it is obligatory for them to be well packaged in boxes or bags suitable for transportation.

Trains by RENFE, (from €36.95, 12 stops) whose website says, in relation to bicycles:

Whenever they exceed the dimensions for consideration as hand luggage, they will be admitted on AVE, Long Distance and Avant trains for journeys in Spain under the following conditions:

• The bicycle is folded or dismantled and inside a carrying case with dimensions not to exceed 120 x 90 x 40 cm (length-height-width).
• The pedals must be removed and the handlebar turned to 90º.
• Bicycle transport is free of charge and simply requires that you obtain the corresponding ticket.

I think you'll find the train a lot more comfortable for such a long journey.

Have a good trip.

 

[Stevenlou]

Many thanks valuable information.

 

[Former member 60103]

Returned to Santander on completion of Norte/Primitivo 2016.
RENFE train Santiago to Ferrol via A'Coruna.
The journey from Ferrol to Santander is (or was for us) a two day stint with an overnight in Oviedo. The journey is long on both days but very scenic. On the Oviedo to Santander section you will pass parts of the Norte. The train cost 25 euros or thereabouts and on the occasions I have travelled this route I have been transferred to a bus at some point FEVE seem to be always doing engineering work.
For the ferry back Santander to Portsmouth If I recall they have seating (couchettes) which came in at £65 but with limited availability as they want you to spend an additional £65 on a cabin. It is a long crossing and all food etc on board is expensive. But when I boarded they did not seem bothered about people taking stuff onto the ship.
Hope this is of some help,
Buen Camino, Don

 

[notion900]

I thought the Oviedo to Ferrol part of the FEVE was very boring. Even the ticket inspectors (there were two - they changed shifts!) looked at me pityingly. There were trees right up to the tracks both sides of the line and I hardly caught a glimpse of the sea or a view of any kind. It might be nicer to get the bus to Oviedo, spend the night there and then catch the FEVE. Oviedo is very nice, has lovely restaurants, and relics to see.

 

[Stevenlou]

Returned to Santander on completion of Norte/Primitivo 2016.
RENFE train Santiago to Ferrol via A'Coruna.
The journey from Ferrol to Santander is (or was for us) a two day stint with an overnight in Oviedo. The journey is long on both days but very scenic. On the Oviedo to Santander section you will pass parts of the Norte. The train cost 25 euros or thereabouts and on the occasions I have travelled this route I have been transferred to a bus at some point FEVE seem to be always doing engineering work.
For the ferry back Santander to Portsmouth If I recall they have seating (couchettes) which came in at £65 but with limited availability as they want you to spend an additional £65 on a cabin. It is a long crossing and all food etc on board is expensive. But when I boarded they did not seem bothered about people taking stuff onto the ship.
Hope this is of some help,
Buen Camino, Don

Thank you

 

[Stevenlou]

I thought the Oviedo to Ferrol part of the FEVE was very boring. Even the ticket inspectors (there were two - they changed shifts!) looked at me pityingly. There were trees right up to the tracks both sides of the line and I hardly caught a glimpse of the sea or a view of any kind. It might be nicer to get the bus to Oviedo, spend the night there and then catch the FEVE. Oviedo is very nice, has lovely restaurants, and relics to see.

Thank you

 

[Glenshiro]

For those who aren't railway geeks don't know, the FEVE system is a narrow-gauge light railway network in northern Spain. It can be very scenic, it's very cheap and it services lots of small towns and villages, but it is very slow.

My earlier post was referring to RENFE, the national rail system.

 

[MikeC]

Alsa bus company require you to remove front wheel, turn handlebars, and pack everything into a plastic bag or box. This made it unwieldy for me to load into the bus but it should be fine if there are two of you.

I have also done the journey from Santiago to Santander by Renfe (without my bike) and it was easy and comfortable, but they don’t have bike spaces on most of their longer distance train sets so you would need to box the bikes and then get the boxes to the station and through the platform underpass at Santiago.
The change of train at Palancia also involves a platform change.

I have also used the Feve narrow gauge train. Very long and slow journey, and there is one section which has a bus transfer around a bridge under repair. Bikes are NOT carried on this bus service.

There is a a bike shop in Santiago which can help you. Velocipedo will just box your bike for about £20 or ship it back to UK for about £100.
I used them to ship my bike back in 2016 and they did a good job.
This freed me up to fly back from A Coruna and was a good option for me.
Buen Camino