Today, things started to go badly.

We left the hotel at 09:00, no earlier because breakfast was not available until 08:00. We didn’t get back until 19:45, 10½ hours “out and about” travelling 203 miles!

The weather was pretty good in the morning. The same could not be said after lunch. Low cloud, low temperatures and frequent misty rain.

The roads on which we travelled were mountain passes - narrow and windy, with only inches to spare if a lorry was going the other way - 3mph with the 2nd driver looking along the 6 inch gap between the vehicles.

During the afternoon, road conditions worsened. Large tracts of the “carriageway” were under repair, each tract was perhaps ½ a mile in length and there were several of them. How our driver managed it is the 8th Wonder of the Modern World. Whoever in Leger’s planning office devised the route is guilty of Driver Abuse. The amount of time it added to travel beggars belief.

The scenery was spectacular. These are serious mountains through which you go up, down, up again, etc. The road passes through narrow gorges covered with trees. Spectacular for an hour or so; after the length of time we were travelling… “If I ever see another tree!!!!”

Our first stop at Santilliana del Mar was warm and sunny. It’s a small village with interesting old buildings but is only comprised of one main street with (it’s Spain) a church at its end. We met a few very friendly donkeys and found a lovely courtyard café for drinks and a snack. After such an appalling Spring in the UK, it was so, so good to sit in the sunshine and soak up some natural vitamin D3.

We then travelled on to Potes via the “road works route” through the Picos de Europa.

This, also, was a pleasant enough place with a fair amount to see. Lots of little shops and cafés. Margaret (she has a talent for this) found a café which she says (and she knows all about such things) served some of the best carrot cake she’s ever tasted.

After a couple of hours there, stupidity once again took centre stage. The itinerary moved on to Fuenté De, which has a cable car that travels high into the mountains for “incredible views”. On a day with low cloud and mist? The location was included in the itinerary, the cost of the cable car, €17pp, was not. But we were obliged to go there, or stay in Potes for another 90 minutes and be picked up on the way back. Some stayed, some went. We went with nothing better to do.

It took 30 minutes there, same back and 30 minutes for the intrepid cable car riders to go on their adventure. (6 went, 10 - including us - stayed on the coach and chatted). On their return they said you could see very little and it was freezing cold; not surprising as they’d travelled from the base at 1,090-metres (3,576 ft) to the upper station at 1,850-metres (6,070 ft)

Back at the hotel, our reward was a very pleasant dinner.