Camino del Norte - Sept 2017

The Colombres albergue turned out to be fine, and nine of us had dinner in the nearby Mexican restaurant last night. Good food, great company and a fun evening.

We kind of underestimated today's walk. Compared to some of the previous days' exertions, the estimated 23kms sounded pretty easy. We set off with fairly basic food and water supplies, thinking that we'd reach Llanes by lunchtime and possibly even go a little further.

When we saw that there was a GR coastal alternative to the 'official' route, we were delighted to take it. And what a beautiful walk it was, with spectacular ocean views and forest shade when we needed it.

Things got a bit tricky on what should have been the final 4 or 5 kms. We continued to follow the GR arrows and went up, up, up, initially on the road and then on an off-road trail. The views were fantastic, but there was no shade whatsoever and although we could see Llanes far below, it didn't seem to be getting any closer. We eventually realised that we'd missed a right turn somewhere, but a quick check of the GPS maps told us that our trail would eventually join the road route to Llanes. It all turned out fine - there was even a shady glade and a covered church porch when we really needed to get out of the sun. And although water fountains seem more scarce in Asturias than in Cantabria, Damian spotted one on the way into town.

We abandoned any plans to walk further and checked into the Casona del Peregrino albergue. It has private rooms and a washing machine. Life is good!Read more