VUELTA A ESPANA 111 TOUR OF NORTHERN SPAIN, 5-15 JUNE 2026 15th Jun 2026

Having missed the first 2 trips to Northern Spain due to diary clashes, we were delighted that at last we were on our way. However, our anticipation was tinged with some emotion as this was to be our first tour since the loss of our dear friend Martin Bryant. Over the past few years, we have covered many roads and countries in the presence of Martin and Hilary, visiting castles and churches and having the history of the area explained to us in the way that only Martin could. We took comfort in the fact that Martin firmly believed that our old cars were to be driven, and in fact, along with James Mumford, the whole idea of touring Northern Spain came to be realised.

It was suggested that we all meet up at The Ship and Castle Inn, which is by the ferry port in Portsmouth, it was great to meet up with some old faces, and also meet new, soon-to-be, friends. We were all pleased to have arrived in good time although David and Allison in their Sunbeam 14/40 arrived on the end of a tow rope attached to Rupert and Annie’s Sunbeam 20/60!! The car had “failed to proceed” after a fish and chip supper in Southsea, fortunately only a short distance from the port! The issue turned out to be a faulty, recently refurbished magneto, fortunately David had a spare and they made it to the ferry in good time. It turned out that the spare had a fault and the car had a max speed of 37mph for the whole tour! 

      Two cars were coming from Ireland and would be disembarking at Bilbao so arrangements had been put in place for us to meet up at lunchtime on our first day in Spain. At this point some comments were made that we may be in for a lively crossing… indeed we were.

Saturday found us pitching and rolling towards and through the Bay of Biscay which resulted in only about 50% attendance for our aperitifs and Welcome Dinner. Nevertheless, those of us who weren’t confined to our cabins enjoyed our get together and James poignantly toasted our absent friend, Martin.

Sunday 7th June

Happily, all the cars roared off the ferry although David and Sally needed the assistance of Mike Dancer’s Jump starter pack!!  Spanish passport control was incredibly well organised, dispatching us on our way to explore the delights of northern Spain. 

We were barely out of Santander when we headed for the hills, marvelling at how quickly you feel you are in “real Spain”. The road was good with lots of twists and turns, climbing up to Soncillo where Bar el Sifon obliged us with our first and very welcome Café con leche, two for €3!! As the temperature rose, we headed for Ona, where parking at the bottom of the hill was plentiful and a 10-minute walk took us to the cathedral square. We took the opportunity to have lunch here, listening to the various church bells doing their bit for a Sunday morning. We were pleased to see that the cars from Ireland had arrived so now our contingent was complete as we headed for our 2-night stay at Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzada.

A delightful afternoon driving in the sunshine, quiet roads, and splendid views. Dropping our bags off at reception we drove approximately 200 meters to a reassuringly secure, walled and gated car park. 

Showered and refreshed we gathered together for drinks before our meal and James took the opportunity to once again raise our glasses to Martin (this was because many of the party were not able to attend the gathering the previous evening)

Monday 8th June, Rest Day!

Santo Domingo de la Calzada offers much to do. The town itself is charming with medieval streets, Cathedral and it is on the Pilgrims Route to Santiago de Compostela. Its location offers many exploring opportunities which were taken advantage of. A few people drove to the spectacular city of Burgos, enjoying the sights and indulging in a typical plentiful Spanish lunch. A group of us chose to visit the Rioja botanical gardens which were delightful, very well laid out and so peaceful. The birdsong added to a lovely experience, Daithi O’Ceallaigh, a keen ornithologist was able to draw our attention to a couple of Nightingales in full song. Apparently, visitors are encouraged to walk around the garden in bare feet as this adds to the sensory experience, we didn't’t, but I can imagine that it would,

We then headed to a small village for coffee where unfortunately we encountered a problem whilst going up a steep hill. As a car coming towards us was wandering down the hill, we had to stop… this resulted in our 1st gear slipping. We managed to get to the top where we stopped to allow the car and the driver to cool down before progressing back to the security of the car park at the hotel for David to assess the situation. Lunch seemed the best option and after an afternoon enjoying the sights of the local area on foot some fettling was done and we hoped to avoid any more hills starts. 

Others in the party drove to Ezcaray which boasts some aristocratic houses and a bar which apparently could be in the running for the slowest service award.

Another sociable evening followed, although we did muse on what the Spanish do with all their lovely vegetables and salads that they grow, as restaurants don’t seem to be aware of their existence!

Tuesday June 9th

Drive to Parador de Calahorra

We had been warned to set off with a full tank of fuel as there wouldn’t be any opportunities to refuel on route so we knew that this would be a day spent in the hills. As we left Santo Domingo de la Calzada it was quite cool and although the forecast was for some rain, we remained optimistic and revelled in what was a fabulous drive. We had all left early as we were aware it was a longish drive and we were feeling very lucky to be able to enjoy such a remote route, only to round a bend and discover Rupert and Annie at the side of the road looking perplexed. Well Annie was, Rupert was under the car. Their car had suffered a rear spring hanger failure! 

As always, we and others stopped to offer advice and suggestions, however with no phone signal the picture looked bleak until a way was suggested to make a temporary repair including inserting an adjustable spanner as a packer, they could then retrace their steps to civilisation and hope to get some welding done. Mike and Karina very kindly offered to retrace their steps with them to ensure they were ok. What we didn't’t know was that this was a local festival day and siesta time was rapidly approaching… either of these Spanish phenomena are pretty sacred, but to have the misfortune to encounter both together does not give ground for optimism. Amazingly they were able to find an obliging garage that was open and were prepared to help them… after siesta time.

Having waved them off we returned to our car which had now decided to “fail to proceed” Fortunately James and Trisha were still with us and after enlisting the help of a young couple driving past, we tried pushing, to no avail. James then gave us a tow and we roared back to life. Then followed a fabulous day of driving, a delicious lunch, a short stop, leaving the engine running, to see some dinosaur footprints! Our car was running so well, as long as we didn’t need first gear and we really enjoyed a spirited drive up and down the hills, commenting on the remoteness and beauty of the area

It was a relief to arrive at our Parador, where again parking was good and David planned to do some fettling the next day.

As we arrived, word came through that Rupert and Annie were getting their car sorted, but now Mike and Karina’s car had in all likelihood blown a cylinder head gasket!

Fortunately, Mike was able to continue, although they didn't’t arrive at the hotel until about 10.30pm. Rupert and Annie were a few minutes later. We all gathered outside with phone torches on to cheer and welcome them back. It was a great relief to know that we were all under the same roof after the challenges of the day.

Wednesday 10th June, Rest day

Some of the group were able to enjoy the delights of this area today, which was a day off. Tuleda was visited as were some vineyards. There were also various attractions in the town of Calahorra, including a gourmet shop and a vegetable museum, unfortunately the latter was closed on this particular day. I should at this point add that we had been delighted at the meal last evening to be given a starter of mixed vegetables, apparently the area is famous for its vegetables.

For many of us, however, the car park was the social hub of the day with much fettling going on. Bonnets were up, tools assembled, parts compared and advice in abundance. We were very grateful to have the advice and assistance of Nick Ward who sagely gave his time throughout the day. We did however go for a lovely lunch with Nick and Susan before the boys finished their stint in the gearbox. A temporary repair was made for our starting problem by cleaning the contacts in the changeover solenoid and 2nd gear was adjusted…. we even had a little of 1st gear. Thank you Nick!

Mike Freeman had a spare cylinder head gasket and had an enjoyable and sociable day replacing the gasket which had blown between two cylinders. Car running better than before! 

Thursday 11th June.  Ainhoa

    Today we headed for the Pyrenees!! A spectacular drive, leaving La Rioja, through Navarra and into France. We had been warned that fuel was much more expensive in France so refuelled before we crossed the border. Roadside cafés were in short supply today but we did find a delightful place before crossing into France. Some of the group actually stopped here for a delicious lunch.

    Our hotel, The Originals Argi-Eder, was a welcome sight in such a picturesque setting and on both evenings we were treated to a delicious meal where the staff were obviously happy to share the delights of the hotel. On our arrival we walked the 5 minutes into the village which lived up to its reputation as being one of the prettiest towns in France. Later that afternoon many enjoyed relaxing by the pool and comparing notes on a super day of driving.

Friday 12th June 

Day off.

Ainhoa is on the route of the Camino de Santiago and some were happy to wander into the village, sit with a coffee and watch the bustle of the place. The hotel pool was also an attraction. The area is the claimed “pepper capital of the world” and we saw field upon field of peppers. The attraction of the sea side proved irresistible for some and more lavish lunches were enjoyed in St Jean-de-Luz. Those of us who fancied some exercise chose to walk up the hill at the rear of the hotel where we were promised yet more spectacular views and a herd of wild ponies. Neither the views nor the not so wild ponies disappointed, but the hill went on for what seemed like miles and was exhausting to climb in the hot weather. However, it really was worth the effort and it was good to stretch our legs before descending into village for some much-appreciated lunch.

Saturday 13th June Parador de Limpias

Today was to prove a real test for our old cars as the temperature had been rising over the last few days, but today it reached 38 degrees. Not ideal for some of these old cars. The route was again spectacular with long twisty climbs and descents. An early casualty was Jeffrey and Ann Huntbach’s Sunbeam which faced the indignity of a low loader to complete its journey. Jeffrey and Ann joined us at the hotel courtesy of a taxi! Mike and Karena had a very long day, not arriving at the hotel until well after midnight as they encountered problems with the Autovac en route. It was due to Mikes skill and knowledge that he was able to fettle and nurse their car to our overnight stop. Alex and Miranda also ground to a hot stop, but managed to get going again… only to stop again. However, with the assistance of Paul and Jayne Wignall and a new condenser they managed to complete the route. The final casualty of the day was Robert, Niki and Daithi, their Talbot Lago T15, thought to be a problem with the distributor, they would also be boarding the ferry as foot passengers!

We had driven straight to the hotel as we did not see any obvious suitable (i.e. on a downhill slope to preserve our disappearing gears) places to stop. Suitably revived after delicious calamari and a beer 10 minutes’ walk from the hotel, we were able to count the arrival of some very hot cars, drivers and passengers on our return to the hotel. 

A very sociable evening followed with news that Mike and Karena were on the way so there was much relief and congratulations that these wonderful cars had achieved so much and plans were already being made for Vuelta 1V.

Sunday 15th June

A thankfully uneventful journey to Santander in good time for our ferry check in.

Obviously, such a fabulous time could not have been had without the considerable efforts of a few, namely James and Elinor. Having first had the idea to come to Northern Spain a few years ago, James planned with Martin how this could be achieved, thank you James for continuing this mission, your organisation, clear instructions and good-natured general ‘herding’ .I know that we are all grateful to you. A massive thanks also to Elinor for those truly amazing routes that defy adequate description… you really had to be there to fully appreciate them. The instructions in the Road book were brilliantly clear and informative which did help to keep things on an even keel in the car.

Hasta luego mis buenos amigos!

Susann and David Cook