We decided to get away early to reduce the amount of time we would be walking in the heat of the day.
We departed at 7.15 am and needed our head torches to see the path once we left the streetlights of Colombres. The sun rose at 7.50 am, and after about 3 km we stopped for breakfast.
The terrain early in the morning was mainly roads and dirt paths. We were close to the motorway for the first 5 km, but then we emerged from the countryside onto the coast—and what a coastline!
The last time I walked this section it was raining, and I didn’t attempt the coastal route as it would have been dangerous. Today, it was stunning but challenging. At one point, a sign warned that the route crossed a limestone arch and that anyone with vertigo should turn inland. It was quite a large arch, but absolutely spectacular.
We met two other pilgrims, Nina from Germany and Kyungnam from South Korea, and I took photos of them as they crossed the arch.
The coastal route then became a dirt path, with more wonderful views of the coast, before we reached Pendueles. From Pendueles to Andrín, there were constant ascents and descents along a wide, winding dirt path that seemed never-ending.
The coastal route then became a dirt path, with more wonderful views of the coast, before we reached Pendueles. From Pendueles to Andrín, there were constant ascents and descents along a wide, winding dirt path that seemed never-ending.
After leaving Andrín, we climbed onto a headland with stunning views along the coastline. At one end of the headland, there was a raised viewing platform.
From there, we could either follow the road downhill or take a path recommended by the apps. This path was torture! It wrapped around the mountainside with views of Llanes, but it was like a roller coaster, constantly going up and down without seeming to take us any closer to our destination.
Eventually, the path turned and we descended rapidly down the hill before making our way into Llanes. We stopped for our customary beers at 2.46 pm
Today we walked 26.5 km and climbed 533 metres.
Ao total walked 203.5 km and climbed 3,326 metres.
