Very important information for those considering visiting Potes/Fuente Dé during May and June 2018 - Monday-Friday.
The N621 (Desfiladero de la Hermida/Hermida Gorge) has a series of programmed road closures meaning it is completely shut. The road is closed during the week, 00:00 Monday - 15:00 Friday for two weeks in the middle of May, and every week of June.
They are carrying out important bridge works on 3 of the bridges in the gorge (one has already been done earlier in the year). If you are looking to get to a certain point within the gorge, then it will depend on the date of travel as to how far you'll get, as it depends on the specific bridge they're working on at that point. Getting all the way up to Potes during these closures though is out of the question via the N621.
Details of the closure dates and specific sections affected can be found here: http://ayuntamientocillorigo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cierres-desfiladero-3puentes_Page_1.png
It is worth noting, that the first bridge works they did and subsequent closure of the gorge earlier in the year had to be postponed by a week due to bad weather.
Take note! The alternative route proposed to Potes from the A8, is taking the A67 south to Aguilar de Campoo in Castilla y Leon, then west to Cervera to Pisuerga, then south to Potes over the Puerto de Piedrasluengas. This is a round trip from Santander of around 3 hours. This is the shortest alternative route.
Public Transport (Palomera Buses)
There is no information on the road closures on either the Palomera website or the Transporte de Cantabria website. However, I have just phoned Palomera to clarify:
- they expect there to be buses running, with the need to change (and walk across the closed bridges I presume) at the closure site.
- obviously, timetables will be subject to slight alterations as a result of this
- information can be found by ringing Palomera: 942 88 06 11
- the guy I spoke to was very friendly, and said he spoke a little English!
- his suggestion if you want to speak to someone with better English was to phone the Balneario de la Hermida (where the bus stops) and ask them for the timetable as they should know it also: 942 733 625 He also suggested the Hotel del Infantado in Ojedo (Potes): 942 73 09 39, who speak English and most likely will also know the times.
- he thought that asking at the bus station in Santander, they'd most likely just direct you to speak to Palomera.
