Stage Santander to Comillas (By bike)

At around 58.5 kilometres, this stage brings together in a single day's ride the two walking stages that separate Santander from Comillas. It is the longest of the western Cantabrian section and also the most uneven: the first half crosses the urban and industrial corridor surrounding Torrelavega, while the second runs through meadows, small hamlets and beaches to one of the finest heritage towns on the Cantabrian coast. The profile is rolling but never hard, with short ramps and no climb of any consequence.

Leaving Santander, the route puts the cathedral and the Paseo de Pereda behind it and heads west through Peñacastillo and Santa Cruz de Bezana, between industrial estates and service roads. Shortly before Boo de Piélagos comes the first decision of the day: the Mogro estuary. Walkers usually solve it by taking the narrow-gauge train one stop, since the railway bridge cannot be crossed on foot. On a bicycle the sensible option is to go around the estuary inland, climbing to Puente Arce and dropping back down through Oruña, a few extra kilometres on quiet secondary roads.

Picking the route up again at Mar, the way links Requejada and Barreda, with the Solvay plant dominating the landscape, and skirts Torrelavega without actually entering it. This is the least rewarding part of the day and is best covered with an eye on the traffic. Past Viveda the atmosphere changes completely and a road between meadows leads to Santillana del Mar, where it is worth getting off the bike: the Romanesque collegiate church of Santa Juliana, the emblazoned manor houses and the cobbles of Calle del Cantón justify the stop, and two kilometres away lies the Altamira museum with its replica of the cave.

The second half is the good one. The path leaves Santillana towards Oreña and Caborredondo between meadows and hórreos, passes the church of San Pedro and continues through Cigüenza to Cóbreces, dominated by the Cistercian abbey of Viaceli and its red-brick church. From here the sea reappears between the hills and a succession of small beaches and clifftop viewpoints follows. Take particular care on the final link with the Comillas road, a bend with no hard shoulder and no proper crossing.

Comillas closes the stage with one of the most singular Modernist ensembles in Spain. Within a few hundred metres stand El Capricho, an early work by Gaudí, the Sobrellano Palace by Joan Martorell and the Pontifical University by Domènech i Montaner, all commissioned by the first Marquis of Comillas. The ensemble is completed by the cemetery with Llimona's Exterminating Angel and an old town of sloping streets running down to the harbour and the beach — a fitting end to a day that has gone from the factory to the palace.