Portugal Trip 1 – Portsmouth, the Ferry, Santander and Leon

Friday 4th – Sunday 6th April 2025

So another adventure begins. This time, we are travelling on the ferry directly to Spain, which takes nearly 36 hours. Two overnights and a full day.

After driving down to Portsmouth, we had a break at Port Solent, which caters for motorhomes. It is very pleasant and there are lots of bars and restaurants, where we enjoyed an evening meal. Our ship was due to leave at 10pm, so we had some time to kill.

The ferry was one of Brittany Ferries’ new fleet of Liquified Natural Gas powered vessels. It was very pleasant with all mod-cons. There is even a TV in each cabin with UK stations available throughout the voyage.

After the first overnight, we found ourselves off the coast of France, just rounding the Pointe du Raz, on the western-most tip of Brittany. We had visited there last year, but from the land-side. Just after passing the pointe, we were overtaken by The Salamanca, also heading to Spain.

We were a bit worried about the crossing as we would be travelling through the Bay of Biscay which is renowned for rough seas, but we need not have bothered; it was flat calm!

Sunday morning, bright and early, we were able to watch the dawn as we sailed into Santander. A truly beautiful sight.

Unfortunately it took ages for the ferry to unload, but once we did, we headed south-west to the town of Leon where we planned on staying the night.

Leon is a busy town which is on the Camino de Compostela, a pilgrim’s way to Santiago de Compostela. It boasts a castle and a large cathedral.

There is also a Gaudí Museum which features a bronze of the man himself, seated on a bench outside. The Spanish are rightly proud of Antoni Gaudí, a Catalan architect whose main works are in Barcelona.

We also came across some folk in traditional costume, dancing and singing in the park.

Enjoying a drink in the Cathedral Square: