El Camino del Norte : Villaviciosa to Soto de Luiña

Kilometres this section : 95

Kilometres completed : 561

El Monumento a la Madre del Emigrante, in Gijón.

After the first few days, the way has been pretty flat, but now there's a bit of a hill to climb out of Villaviciosa, up to 450m.  It's not so hard, but certainly a contrast to the Camino Francés.  A bigger contrast is the weather, I get at least some rain most days, today it is more like a constant drizzle, well I can cope.  I walk down from the hills, into a pleasant green valley, although it is a bit damp, feeling more like England than Spain.  Up another hill, with a view of the sea from the top, then down to my stop today, Gijón, a popular place with surfers it seems, there are many at my hostel, a little way out of town - well, only a mile walk to find a bar, beer and tortilla.

Gijón also has trains!

I take a day off in Gijón, or Xixon in the local Asturian, it is really rather awesome, so much to see.  There are many palacios, churches, and statues of course, also a turn of the 20th century coastal fort, and so many museums, wow!   I look at art, local glassware, visit the home of local luminary and, among other things, travel writer, Gaspar Jovellanos, and more.  The highlight is probably the extensive Roman bath complex of which much survives, interesting to see 2,000 year old roof tiles that look identical to the ones still common here.  And still there is more, I make my way west along the route to a pension, and just before I arrive is a train museum, it is very cool.

La Iglesia de Santo Tomás de Canterbury, in Avilés.

Gijón is a big place, it takes a while to walk out of, then things take a turn for the not terribly scenic, a long section past a massive industrial area, mostly steelworks I think.  It is interesting enough, but I could do without the long section along a fairly major, busy road.  Then there's a nice walk along the river Avilés into the town of the same name.  It's another big place, much to see I am sure, but I have no time, on to Salinas by the sea, and another surf hostel.  After the usual wash of myself and today's clothes I walk along a pleasant promenade to a really busy bar with a sea view.  After subsisting on pinxos yesterday evening I feel I should get proper food again, so even though many more pinxos turn up I also find room for a burger.

Another wet day, I seem to have left the mountains behind, now the way is through green, damp hills, it really does feel like England.  The sun does appear for a while, but then the rain really comes down, a shame, I'm on a nice path through woods, but it's currently unpleasantly muddy.  Time passes in something of a blur, it keeps raining, then finally stops as I pass an abandoned hotel.  Into Soto de Luiña, not a big place, the albergue is open but no sign of staff, so I buy a bottle of wine and sit down to wait, and they do eventually turn up.  Tonight I find a pilgrim menu, yay, well, OK, not too impressed by the noodle soup, but the main course is awesome, fried potatoes and slices of sausage that appears to be made of bacon!  There is cake too, and of course more wine...

Bacon sausage!

Photos to go with this post can be found here.