I have long been aware of the delights on offer in central and northern Spain, far from the tourist-laden beaches in the south.  Many driving friends had also said the roads are a delight to drive, being free of large amounts of traffic and very well maintained.  With the help of those friends and some guidance in AstonOwners.com and Pistonheads.com, we planned a 10-day trip with our 2014 DB9.  Of course, 3 of those days were aboard a rather large and well-appointed Britanny Ferry.  Luckily, the Bay of Biscay was calm for both crossings, so we enjoyed the opportunity to bookend our driving tour with mini-cruises.

The route we took was an 850-mile oblong, starting and ending in Santander.  To be precise, this is what we did:

Home to Portsmouth >>> Portsmouth to Santander >>> Santander to  Fuente De >>> Cable car to mountain >>> Fuente De to Leon >>> Leon to Salamanca >>> Salamanca to Avila >>> Avila to Segovia >>> Segovia to Burgos (Lerma hotel) >>> Lerma to Bilbao >>> Bilbao to Santander >>> Santander to Portsmouth >>> Portsmouth to Home

Leaving the ferryport, we headed west to the charming village of Santillana del Mar, then on to Comillas and eventually Llanes.  The latter was a bust as there was no parking to be found anywhere.  The only reason for going that far west was to swing south and east via a spectacular viewpoint of the Picos de Europa (Mirador Pozo de la Oracion in Carrena (AS114) (W3w ///starters.hotels.plodded)).  We headed deep into the mountains along smooth, clear roads towards Potes and eventually to the Parador and cable car at Fuente De.  

A side trip up an incredibly windy road to Linares (about hallway down the N621 towards Potes) was rewarded with great driving and views.  The location of Fuente De is magical, and with good weather, the photographic opportunities are manifold.  The cable car tickets can be bought on the day, with 20 tickets per half hour reserved for walk-up purchase.  

Moving ever southwards, we retraced our steps to Potes and then continued along the N621 towards Riano, where an amazing view is to be had from the Mirador above the town (M. de las Hazas in Riano (w3w ///aspiring.heaven.unsigned)). 

There are many other viewpoints before Riano, but the best of them is Corso (shortly before Puerto de San Glorio).

With a heavy heart and a full camera, we left the mountains and made our way to the next Parador at Leon.  We had promised ourselves that we would stay in Paradors all the way (join the Amigos club for a 5% booking discount and a free welcome drink).  Leon was the most expensive, being a 5* venue, but was very well worth the money, with an enormous room and a bathroom bigger than many people’s lounges at home.  

From Leon all the way to the end of our trip, the driving was incidental to the sights, with each town delivering top notch buildings and café cultural scenes.  Salamanca was a highlight, being the Spanish equivalent of Oxford and with a history just as long.  Our visit also coincided with a classic car tour for extra interest.  

The crest above the University building door suggests that Aston Martin’s influence has spread this far in the 1920’s if the initials AM are anything to go by.  

Although driving pleasure was now secondary to the sightseeing, one is able to cover vast distances between towns, quickly on the autoroutes and even the quiet country roads allow a pretty fast pace as one traverses the vast, flat, arable plains of central Spain.  The CL603 from Segovia towards Burgos was a delight, with barely another car on the road.

Sightseeing highlights on our trip were the cathedrals in Leon, Salamanca and Burgos, The walled city of Avila and the Aqueduct and Alcazar in Segovia.  Almost every town makes a big deal of illuminating their buildings at night so it is well worth revisiting a town after dark.  The Cathedrals especially take on a much more defined appearance under artificial light against a black sky. 

Bilbao was our only non-Parador hotel, but the Occidental did not disappoint.  Good, private parking either underground or in front of the hotel made for less anxiety.  A word of caution, though: Bilbao is surrounded by hills and the Occidental is 323 steps above the old city (which, by the way, is cramped, entirely pedestrianized and a bit shoddy – but worth seeing).  The newer part of the city is charming with the well-known ‘Bilbao Effect’ deriving from the construction of the Guggenheim art museum.

It is a short easy drive from Bilbao back to Santander or one can also take a ferry from Bilbao depending on your timings.