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Santander

Our December 2017 base in Cantabria near Torrelavega: a log burner, a decorated mantelpiece and dinner on the stove, half an hour from Santander.

December 2017 opened our Spanish winter in Cantabria. We took a house near Torrelavega, half an hour inland from Santander, and it turned out to be the kind of place that argues against ever going outside: brick, timber, a log burner and a mantelpiece already dressed for Christmas.

Inga sitting on a red sofa with a laptop beside a lit log burner, the mantelpiece decorated with Santa and snowman figures under mounted antlers
Work, but make it December: log burner lit, Santa and a snowman on duty, antlers refereeing from the chimney.
Dileep standing in a kitchen with a red sparkling counter, steel pots on the hob and packets of chorizo and a tray of chocolates laid out, a fire glowing to the right
Dinner service, Cantabrian edition: chorizo and a tray of chocolates staged on the counter, the fire supervising from the next room.

Cantabria in December is green, quiet and short on tourists, which suited us perfectly. By the 22nd we had chased the warmth south to Málaga, but the fireside up north is the part we still talk about.