From the jaw-dropping Picos to the spicy chistorra starters, northern Spain has an extraordinary amount to offer
Words and photographs Tess Paterson
“It’s not exactly what I expected.” That’s my sister-in-law Annalet, sounding just a tad less excited than she ought on her first venture to Europe. We’d just spent an epic week in France – all chateaux and stunning Bordeaux reds and cherry-laden trees in the back yard of our gite. From Bordeaux we’d driven towards Spain, the Pyrenees silvery and snow-topped to our left, the promise of the Bay of Biscay to our right.