Northern Spain
 

I'm thinking of a 10-14 day trip to Northern Spain starting with a car ferry from the UK to Santander in September. I don't know the area at all but it looks amazing. Any advice on the ferry experience, must see towns or villages, reasonably priced accommodation and how far we might hope to travel in 10-14 days allowing 2 nights in some places would be very welcome. Returning again on the ferry from Santander (or maybe Bilbao). We love the coastt but don't need to laze on the beach, would be up for a few longish walks (5 miles ish) and any lovely scenery. Many thanks.

You may want to look at a few guides regarding the region, including Footprint Bilbao and the Basque Lands, Cadogan’s Bilbao and the Basque Lands, and Maribel's Guides to the Pais Vassco, Uraidbi, Donostia and Bilbao, to start.

Ferry is good. Try and get an outside cabin with a window. Usually for 4 persons but you may get lucky and mange to book it for less.
I hate bar quizzes, karaoke etc. However there is a cinema and upper priced restaurants too.
The cost looks high but time one takes for channel crossing, overnight stop(s), tolls, fuel etc the ferry is well priced.
Must sees can be found on the interweb. What you see is really down to likes and dislikes.
I too recommend Footprint books. I used them oh so many years ago to kick off my exploration of the north of Spain.
http://www.footprinttravelguides.com...n/&Action=shop
They cover the whole of the north so no need to purchase any more!
The one bit of advise I can give is not to move too often. Think quality, not quantity. Less is more.

I cannot help with your question about how far you can drive but I can address some of the other questions.

Last year we took the ferry from Plymouth to Santander and spent a week in Northern Spain before taking another week to drive up through France back to Caen to catch the ferry home. This was at the end of June and the weather was variable over the course of the week. September may be drier but there is a reason it is "Green Spain".

The ferry was very comfortable and efficient. Santander is a very small port and a complete contrast to Plymouth.

The Picos de Europa are absolutely stunning. We spent 4 nights at Posada San Pelayo near to Potes and can recommend it. I still treasure the memory of swimming in the pool gazing at the mountains. Potes is a lovely little town. Nearby we also enjoyed taking the cable car at Fuente De to some very well developed walks - although you may find a lot of school parties up there.
Another lovely drive is to the lakes Ercina and Enol above Covadonga but I would not do this in the height of the tourist season and I am not sure how busy it would be in September.

We then stayed at Bakio on the coast, east of Bilbao. We enjoyed our time there but not so much as the Picos. The walk down the cliffs and across to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe was lovely. We had planned to visit Bilbao but never made it as we stopped in Gorliz and went on a clifftop walk and went rather further than intended!

We intend return, perhaps next year, and drive across to the west. But perhaps we will drive inland instead or finally make it to Bilbao - it is all lovely and the people are so friendly. Have a fantastic time wherever you go.

I agree that you should consult some guidebooks. Of the half dozen or so that I used for my time in the area, the ones I found most helpful were the Michelin Green Guide and Rough Guide.

You might find some useful information in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-catalunya.cfm

Enjoy!

Thanks so much to everyone for such speedy replies. They have all been very helpful for me to get stuck in to some research.

Thanks so much to everyone for such speedy replies. They have all been very helpful for me to get stuck in to some research.