Cantabria

Cantabria is a region on the northern coast of Spain, considered part of Green Spain for its maritime climate. It's bordered to the west by Asturias and to the east by the Basque Country. South across the mountains is Castile and León, on the dry plateau more typical of mainland Spain.

• 43.466667-3.81 Santander is a seaside resort, university town, transport hub and capital of the region.
• 43.414-3.412 Laredo is the fishing village that gave its name to the towns on the Texas / Mexico border.
• 43.384444-3.2153 Castro Urdiales is a small seaside resort.
• 43.350556-4.0491674 Torrelavega is industrial and commuter belt for Santander.
• 43.393333-4.1047225 Santillana del Mar is a picturesque medieval village.
• 43.387-4.2896 Comillas was a 19th century holiday resort for the aristocracy, so it has many fine buildings.
• 43.385-4.47 San Vicente de la Barquera has an imposing medieval church and castle, but the main draw is Oyambre National Park, with pristine beaches and dunes.
• 43.2275-3.857788 Valles Pasiegos is the collection of villages along the valleys north of Santander.
• 43.002-4.1389 Reinosa is mostly modern but is a base for exploring the southern hills.

Cantabria as a region with its present footprint has only existed since 1981. Over the centuries its name has been applied to territories much smaller (just the area around Santander) or larger (taking in parts of the Basque Country and of Castile and León). It often comprised disparate fractious townships, resisting each other as much as the Romans or Visigoths or Moors.

Its defining feature is the Cantabrian Mountains marching parallel to the coast. These draw the clouds and rain so the climate is cool and lush, with upland pastures suitable for cattle, and rivers descending steeply through narrow valleys to the Bay of Biscay. The hills have several deposits of iron ore and from the 18th century these were mined, with steel-making and metal-working in the valley towns. This industry collapsed in the 20th century and has given way to the service sector, best-known name being the Bank of Santander.

Tourism is mostly domestic: international visitors prefer the warmer calmer Mediterranean, while Spaniards especially in the height of summer enjoy getting away from that over-developed, over-touristed coast. Cantabria's major attractions include fine city architecture (from all eras from Gothic to Modernist), the caves with prehistoric art, and the mountain villages.

Santander Airport (SDR ^IATA) has Ryanair flights from various cities in west Europe, Britain and Ireland. Iberia fly from Madrid, and Vueling fly from Barcelona.

Renfe trains run 5 times a day from Madrid Chamartín via Segovia, Valladolid and Palencia to Reinosa, Torrelavega and Santander.

A slow Cercanias train trundles twice a day from Bilbao to Santander, but the line further west to Oviedo has been lost.

Britanny Ferries sail to Santander from Portsmouth year round, and from Plymouth Mar-Oct.

From Madrid follow A-6 north past Valladolid towards Reinosa and Santander.

A-8 is the coastal motorway from the French border and Bilbao to Santander and onward to Oviedo.

Public transport connects the towns but for many out-of-the-way places you need a car. The gradients in the hilly south are daunting for cyclists.

Alsa is the principal bus operator, with routes fanning out from Santander.

Cercanias commuter trains run from Santander south via Torrelavega to Reinosa, west via Torrelavega to Cabezon de la Sal, and east to Lierganes.

• Grand architecture: Santander has the best examples (including its famous Bank) but there's plenty elsewhere, such as in Comillas where they were wealthy enough to hire Antoni Gaudí. A particular local style is indiano - these are 18th / 19th century bling-mansions for merchants showing off the wealth they'd made in the Americas.

• Caves: this is a karstic area so it's riddled with caves with dripstone formations. But the big attraction within is their prehistoric art - some of it pre-dates the last Ice Age and depicts lions and giraffes. Perhaps the best is the group at Monte el Castillo near Puente Viesgo, but access is very restricted. 43.376944-4.119751 Altamira near Santillana del Mar became so popular that what you explore now is a replica, with the original sealed up. Other notable caves (which may or may not be accessible) include Covalanas, El Pendo, Hornos de la Peña and El Soplao.
• 43.35-3.8522222 Cabárceno Nature Park. An area of open-cast mining landscaped into a wildlife park and zoo. It's 15 km south of Santander in the village of Cabárceno.  
• Roman remains are not common in Cantabria, but one fine example is Camesa Rebolledo a spa complex 10 km south of Reinosa.

• Beaches: lots of little coves and several long sandy beaches. This is the Atlantic, so the sea is clean but cold - you'll want a wet-suit for surfing and wind-surfing. These beaches can be exposed and with nor'westerly weather the sea is too rough for bathing. You also need to plan around the tides, as the beaches are mostly covered at high tide.

• Mountains: the Cantabrian mountains mark the region's southern border, rising to 2000+ m, with several protected areas for hiking and wildlife-spotting. Further west they become the higher and better-known Picos de Europa, but that's across the boundary in Asturias.

• El Camino is the collective name for the plexus of pilgrimage trails towards Santiago. The classic route from France is much further inland via León, but when that region was under Moorish occupation pilgrims switched to a route along the coast. The Cantabrian section of this Camino del Norte is from Bilbao through Castro Urdiales, Laredo, Santander, Comillas and San Vicente de la Barquera, thence into Asturias towards Oviedo.

• Fiestas: every town and village has its own "patron-saint" day with church parades carrying a great Madonna. Some have morphed into secular rock concerts.

Lots of small supermarkets, usually open M-Sa 09:00-21:00 but closed on Sunday.

Cantabria like the other north coast regions has a hearty version of Spanish cuisine, with meaty stews, and all parts of the pig eagerly consumed. Fish are also popular, and many ports still have a fishing fleet for sardines, squid and the like. The dairy industry means lots of local cheeses and dairy-based desserts. You seldom encounter southern dishes such as paella.

This region never drew in foreign migrants and so other cuisines (such as Chinese) are uncommon, even in Santander.

The tap water is clean and safe to drink. It comes from mountain sources so it's not heavily chlorinated or otherwise treated.

Two wine-producing regions have protected geographical status: Liébana and Costa de Cantabria produce both red and white.

You're seldom far from a beer, but cider is more popular, and a sidrería is a restaurant specialising in food-cider pairings.

Orujo is similar to grappa or marc, a shot of spirits taken as an aperitif or after dinner.

Hotels are found in the main towns and along the beach strips.

Few campsites, but El Camino pilgrimage route has budget hostels.

• Basque Country to the east is centred on Bilbao.
• Asturias west has a similar terrain of small coastal resorts with mountains rearing up inland. Oviedo and Gijón are its principal cities.
• Castile and León south across the mountains feel more typically Spanish, with cities such as León, Burgos and Palencia.