After our 3 ½ week road trip around the wonderful country of Spain, we arrived back at the Bay of Biscay.

Not quite where we started at the Basque town of Bilbao, but about 60 miles further along in the Cantabria capital of Santander.

We had a brief flavour of Santander’s splendour as part of our 2014 Spanish road trip. However, that one evening was just a taster.

We found a bar in the Mercado del Este, serving amazing tapas and vino tinto at ridiculously low prices To give you an idea, we had a choice of red wine for either €1.70 or €2.20 - When a similar size glass of wine in London would set you back over £5.00 or €6.50 - We splashed out on the €2.20 glass and loved it!

However, the next morning we were off on our adventures.

This time it was different, we allowed an extra night to soak up this wonderful town.

We couldn’t return to Santander and not pop back into the Mercado to reminisce, although it's a shame the cervezas were not Spanish, why is Amstel so popular in Spain?, but the tapas were still pretty impressive.

The streets around Calle Daoiz y Velarde are littered with bars, find the one that suits your taste, shuffle in and soak up the atmosphere.

One of our joys in Santander is to join those promenading along the beautiful sea front. This may be a harbour town, but it is so elegant.

From the beauty of the buildings, to those who have made the effort to don their finest and stroll along the tree lined boulevard of Paseo de Pereda.

Along the Paseo de Pereda, some 520miles/840km from Trafalgar, lies this wonderful monument to the dead of the Battle of 1805.

At one end of the Paseo de Pereda is a really eye-catching sculpture of 'Los Raqueros.'

This sculpture is dedicated to the children who scraped a living from the docks at Puertochico. ‘Raquero’ is said to come from the English word ‘wreckers’.

The children would dive into the sea and retrieve coins and other items of value, often from shipwrecks.

You get the feeling that Santander, like so much of Spain, centres on the family. With areas like the bustling gardens of Jardines de Pereda, at the western end of the Paseo de Pereda.

Complete with its own little duck pond and carousel. Within these gardens is a wonderful monument dedicated to the writer José María de Pereda, which depicts a story of his works.

Plaza de Pombo is another pretty square, enticing families to come in and relax amongst its many cafes.

Nestled in the town is a series of fine buildings, some given the finest of touches and some requiring a little TLC. But this architecture and the mix of styles is what gives Santander that touch of class.

One building which did survive was the old Bank of Spain which sits just by the Santander Cathedral.

Adjacent to the Bank is the old Post Office which thankfully also escaped the clutches of the fire. This attractive building was erected in the 1920’s and is a classic example of Cantabrian style architecture.

Just off Calle Calvo Sotelo is Plaza de Velarde, a square dedicated to Pedro Velarde, a hero of the Dos de Mayo uprising.

Santander Cathedral which was constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries, was built on top of the former Santander Abbey.

The Cathedral which is mainly built in Gothic style was also seriously damaged during the fire in 1941 and was restored and reopened in 1953.

The rectangular Church of Saint Lucia was completed in 1868 in Italian Renaissance style, which can be seen from the imposing external pillars

A few streets back sits the Church of the Sacred Jesus Christ, this imposing place of worship was inaugurated in 1890.

Mixed with the old, there is always the new.

So when strolling along Calle Daoiz y Velarde during the day and you come across a 'Chocolateria' - well it'll be wrong to pass it by

Our accommodation for the 1 night we were in Santander, was at the The Silken Coliseum hotel. It is in a really central location in the town with onsite secure parking at €18 per day.

This road trip has sadly come to an end and it just leaves the sailing back to Portsmouth on Brittany Ferries, Cap Finistère. 24 hours and we were back in Blighty.

This road trip has sadly come to an end and it just leaves the sailing back to Portsmouth on Brittany ferries, Cap Finistère. 24 hours and we were back in Blighty.

Or are you planning of taking the ferry to or from here. Do yourself a favour an stay a night or two to experience the town.

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