We set off at 07.30 and grabbed some coffee and bread in a cafe that we were amazed was open. I knew the Camino de Norte would fork towards Oviedo onto the Camino Primitivo, but I didn’t expect it so soon and as a result we had a slight detour towards Oviedo following the wrong yellow arrows before realising our mistake. We managed to hook back up again with the main route to Gijón costing us a total detour of 4km and a 200m climb, painful given it was already a going to be long day.
There were two tough climbs and while the height itself is not that high the gradient was brutal.
The weather was also very hot for the climbs. After the first steep climb 450m, we also had a brutal decent However in both the ascent and descent the walking poles I brought were a huge help.
We stopped off in Peon in a rural restaurant that was preparing a massive Sunday dinner and all the tables were booked, so we only got coffee and snacks.
We then had a climb to 300m with a massive gradient but the descent was easier.
We eventually reached the suburbs of Gijon and had a long hike through different types of neighbourhoods. We then walked along Rio Pile, passed the El Molinón - Enrique Castro Quini Stadium and onto the sea front promenade.
From there we walked along the promenade to our hotel. So total today was 33.36km.
After we checked in we went for a paddle in the sea, it was cold but felt good on the feet and calves.
We then had a delicious Spanish G&T. John found an excellent fish restaurant but it was very expensive relatively.
Today: 33.36
