Spain's northern coast, washed by the waters of the Mar Cantábrico, is one of the most densely-populated and most heavily-industrialised parts of the country. It is also one of the most mountainous, and in an average year is certainly one of the wettest.

In this Arcadian world there are still some farmers who prefer to scythe grass by hand and rely on horses and mules or teams of oxen. Bottled cider is poured gracefully from a great height into wide-brimmed glasses to aerate it. Bold red squirrels compete with humans for the treasured hazelnut harvest. It is not quite Somerset - nor is it exactly the Swiss Alps, either.

And it is home to Europe's most extensive metre gauge railway network - close on 1,500 km of shining metals extending along the coast from Hendaye in France to Ferrol on the Rías Altas of Galicia, and from Bilbao across the mountains to León. Within the Basque provinces, the operator is EuskoTren (owned by the autonomous government); the remainder is in the hands of FEVE (Ferrocarriles de Vía Estrecha), controlled directly by the Ministry for Public Works and celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

It was in the 1970s that FEVE announced plans to launch a luxury touring train, the very first of its kind in Spain, and indeed one of the first anywhere in Europe. Redundant carriages were converted into sleeping cars, while four Pullman cars which had been built in 1929 were transformed into luxurious lounge and bar cars.

Within a few years, around 85 per cent of places on El Transcantábrico were being snapped up annually, and the operation was generating profits. By the late 1990s every sleeping berth was booked up long before the start of the summer season so six years ago, FEVE invested more than £1.3 million in a second train, again using redundant carriages, and simultaneously decided to provide all sleeping compartments with en-suite facilities. El Transcantábrico 2 entered service the following year, thus enabling simultaneous weekly departures.

El Transcantábrico is a one-way, 1,000km journey lasting from Saturday to Saturday. The start venues are, respectively, the Parador de los Reyes Católicos in Santiago de Compostela and the Parador de San Marcos in León. On-board accommodation is in double bed en-suite compartments, with minibar, wardrobe, writing desk and telephone with exterior line. The showers incorporate hydrosauna, turbomassage and steam bath options, and hair-dryers are also provided. Air conditioning and heating can be individally regulated for each compartment. Luxurious, certainly; a trifle cramped, perhaps. There are no single or twin berths.

Standard rates are £1,340 per person in a shared compartment (£2,000 for exclusive use of a compartment). The price includes buffet breakfasts on board, plus lunch and dinner - including wine - in restaurants along the way (with one exception: at remote Sotoscueva station, between León and Bilbao, dinner is served on the train). In 2006, the operating season runs from April 8 - October 28, with a reduced-price special over the Constitución and Inmaculada public holidays in early December. Outside the season, the trains are available for tailor-made charters for 50 people.

León to Santiago or Santiago to León? The itineraries are in fact almost identical, though the Tuesday night westbound is spent in Ribadesella, while that on the eastbound run is based in the neighbouring fishing port of Llanes. My personal suggestion for a first-time run over the system is from León to Santiago, on account of the sequence in which the scenic climaxes of the journey are approached.

When to go? Aim for the shoulder seasons - May and June, or September and October, when the countryside looks at its best, when the air is clear and less humid, and when the hoteliers, restauranteurs and shopkeepers are less harrassed. Before or after the summertime invasion from the cities.

Take brolly, waterproof - and swimwear: in northern Spain you can experience winter in midsummer, summer in midwinter, and four seasons in one day at any time of the year. A three-month autumn blends into a five-month spring. Correctly forecasting the weather here - even the Spanish Met Office admits it - is a matter of luck.

Page 2: the itinerary ()

LEON TO SANTIAGO

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