As we are getting tidied up a police car drives through the car park on its rounds, stops where Ali and Grete are chatting in front of the vans and asks for our passports. Is it the mayhem in A Coruna? Is it Nick W's interest in the cannabis magazine in the garage? Has Ali taken too many photos? They copy out our details, wish us well and go on their way. Later as we are driving away we pass them in the opposite direction and get a wave and a smile.

We join the A-8 motorway which will take us towards Santander. It's a beautiful ride through the countryside in the brilliant sunshine, and in the distance we can see the Picos mountains, some with snow on them. In places we are only 5 or 6 miles away and the snow and ice is thick and white. When we entered Spain four weeks ago these very roads were impassable.

There are more stretches of new, uncharted motorways and road works. Spain must be spending billions on its road network.

We have a lunch stop near Buelna, looking out over Biscay, much calmer than the last few days, then we drive on to Santillana del Mar, the town of three lies. It has no saint [sant], it is not flat [illana] and there is no sea [mar]. While both Nicks opt to avoid the cobbles and stay with vans, Ali and Grete have a wander. It is a pretty little town with cobbled streets and well preserved medieval buildings in biscuit coloured stone. They return each with a new leather handbag and belt. They don't get something for which the town and region is famous; cider.

There is a camper stop in the town but we still have time to move on so it's a 40 minute drive to Cabarenco, a few miles off the motorway near Santander, where the guide book says we might see elephants [not white, not even the pink ones we have seen most nights, but real African Nellies].

We reach the aire overlooking a lake with the Picos in the background. The lighting is beautiful casting shadows through the bare trees.

The intention was to have a meal out so we walk up to the village. There are numerous restaurant-bars, but none are doing food tonight. We find the entrance to the safari park and look over the fence into the enclosure, but the elephants are nowhere to be seen.

Back in the van the girls raid the last of our stores and do a big fry-up.