northern spain in july
 

My husband, mother and I are planning an autotrip in northern Spain. We are planning to leave from Madrid and travel north. We have 2 weeks. We would like to go to Saintiage de Compostella and along the coast to San Sebastian. Any thoughts or ideas or suggestions? I have travelled a lot throughout Spain, but never the north.

You might be interested in a Parador 'package.' There's one in Tuy, one in Baiona, the Parador de los Reyes Catolicos in Santiago, 2 in Santillana del Mar and a new one (I'm not sure if it's open yet) in Limpias, just south of Laredo.

Places/sights not to miss along the way: Monte Santa Tecla near LaGuardia; and head south from Unquera (Cantabria) along the rio Deva to Potes, Capital of Liebana, near the Picos de Europa.

Peak season starts with ls Virgen de Carmen (Patroness of seafarers) on 16 July. There's a pre-Santiago fiesta in Santander that begins about then.

The Camino Frances will be crowded with pilgrims making their way to Santiago for the Apostle's feast day (25 July) in 'Holy Year' 2004. Take a look at http://groups.msn.com/gettoknowalittlefromSpain for some of my Santiago fotos from Anho Jubilar Xacobeo 1999.

On the way to Santiago, I would weave around to visit Segovia, Avila, Salamanca and Burgos. Years ago we had an interesting stop in Los Madrigal de las altas torres (sp?) which happens to have the convent where Queen Isabella lived as a child.

San Sebastian is one of my favorite places in Spain. I believe the jazz festival and the film festival are both in July. If you plan to travel to San Sebastian during either of those festivals, be sure to reserve your rooms early (like now wouldn't be too soon). Be sure to stop in Bilbao to see the Guggenheim.

Continuing my previous suggestion: I looked at a map, and Segovia, Avila and Salamanca are obvious choices on the way to Santiago. Segovia and Salamanca are more than short stops on the way (they deserve one or two days each), while Avila is just a couple of hours on your drive to Salamanca. Of course, if you have seen these places on previous visits, you might want to take another road.

Be aware that San Sebastian was the traditional summer resort for Spain's wealhy for a reason. The Atlantic climate is different - much cooler and damper - than the rest of Spain. Be sure to bring a light jacket for the evenings.

Do spend a day or two in León on your way north. The Camino de Santiago goes through it and the small villages which surround the city are most interesting. As you near the Picos de Europa, the views are stellar. The roads through the latter tend to crowd in high season, so plan to negociate the narrow gorges early in the morning after sunup. You will love Green Spain!