Rather optimistically, we had planned to visit some of the “Bodegas” on Monday morning prior to the 120 mile trip to the port of Santander. This wasn’t the best planning we had made on this trip as many of the wineries didn’t open until 09:30 and we needed to be rolling by 11:15. The Rioja wines were also expensive (well it’s all relative compared to blighty) but they were sufficiently priced to really need a prior wine tasting and we just didn’t have the time.

So we left Haro on time but with no wine additions.

The drive to Santander was not exactly un-eventful because once in the Bilbao area, we were diverted through the most spectacular roads and tunnels which hadn’t previously shown up on the satnav – which, after all is only some 6 months old. At one point, we were suspended hundreds of feet in the air on a kind of horse-shoe sticking out of the mountain. Moe exclaimed “Oh, look at the view”. I nearly stopped the car and abandoned it on the spot. Am not good with heights!

The ferry left on time and dinner on-board was excellent. Up to the standard of your best cruise ship.

Our arrival into Portsmouth was delayed by 2 hours because another Brittany ferries ship was berthed at our dock and we had to wait for its departure, complete with its “cargo” of veterans making the pilgrimage to the 70 year D-Day celebrations.

We arrived home early in the evening, thus concluding this trip.