Andy Symington - Northern Spain Handbook

These price codes refer to a standard double/twin room, inclusive of the 10% IVA (value-added tax). The rates are for high season (usually June-August).

Price refers to the cost of a main course for one person, without a drink.

S pain began in its north. Say that to the Asturians and theyll puff up with pride, for when the Moorish wave swept rapidly across the peninsula in the eighth century, the small mountain kingdom stood indomitable. It was from here that the long process of Christian reconquest began, laying the foundations of modern Spain. It wasnt necessarily subtle, and the culturally sophisticated Moors must have wondered where they had gone wrong, but the tide turned. The Asturians erected beautiful churches in the eighth century, Len had 24 kings before Castilla had laws, and Castilla was a muscly European kingdom centuries before Madrid was heard of. Aragn ruled the western Mediterranean and half of Italy, and progressive Navarra briefly united the whole of Christian Spain in days when Vikings still prowled the seas.

Fascinatingly, these ancient kingdoms still exist, and not just in terms of modern administrative boundaries. Travel between the Basque country and neighbouring Burgos and youre crossing a sociocultural border thats immediately evident in every way: how people eat, dress, earn a living and even what language they speak. The same goes for Asturias, for Aragn, for Galicia; and the cities of the plain in Castilla seem like little autonomous kingdoms. One common aspect is the regions immense architectural wealth. Even the most forgotten of villages may flaunt city walls, a majestic church and a handful of imposing stone palacios unchanged by the passage of time. On the natural side is a series of fabulous protected parks and reserves backed by a network of excellent rural accommodation.

Tourism in the north is a world away from the crowded colonies of the southern coasts. Its the original Spain, or more accurately Spains, and whether youre admiring Gothic vaulting, nosing wine in the Rioja, surfing Basque waves or pacing the pilgrim road to Santiago, its a vital, vivid and engaging place.

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