Start: Gijon
End: Aviles
Distance: 16.54 miles (26.62 kilometers) with 1,028 feet (313.33 meters) of ascent
Quote: “Make your feet your friend.” – J.M. Barrie
Musings: We were warned in guidebooks and by other pilgrims that this leg of the Camino del Norte would be the least enjoyable on the entire route. We haven’t walked all the segments yet, but so far we are in agreement with the guidebooks.
We started the day with a long walkthrough through the ‘burbs of Aviles, followed by a heavy industrial area, and a section under an elevated freeway. Then for awhile, we returned to dirt roads and the countryside, but then quickly returned to hard pavement and industrial areas. On the upside, Aviles is a charming city with an ancient core. I’m going to post some pictures of the industrial area we walked though, and the underside of the freeway, just to give you the flavor of our day.
A lot of folks take the train and bypass the walk that Carol and I did today. We considered doing that but a couple of things deterred us. First, I kept thinking about the last time we tried to cheat the Camino by using a series of outdoor escalators and a elevator. We ended up waking a lot further that day due to my poor navigation skills. I didn’t want that to happen again! But more fundamentally, I think it’s just part of the bargain in a long pilgrimage. Just like any life has periods of time that are not pretty and feel like a slog to get through, so too does a pilgrimage of any length have sections that are not so pretty and really more of a slog. It’s all just part of it. You’ve gotta take the good with the bad.
Until next time, here are the pictures for today:
There’s a Camino directional sign on one of the pillars holding up the elevated highway.
In the distance is the industrial area we walked next to today.
But we did get some dirt roads along eucalyptus groves today!
And some wild strawberries along the way.
A
A renovated hórreo.
The old part of Aviles.
Ditto.
Our waiter tonight pouring Asturian cider in the traditional manner to aerate it.
Your waiter was quite handsome, but your picture of that cow needs to be framed! 💖
But there is still beauty even under the overpass! I think so anyway.