31 km. Partly cloudy and beautiful in the morning, then steady rain for the rest of the walk. The climbing was reminiscent of the first week, with a similar total ascent/descent of about 850m. This included two big ascents of about 400m and 250m. I wasn’t sure I could do it, but my leg held out. Got an early start (for me) just before 8 am. There were not going to be many food stops along the way, and I wasn’t sure I would have time to stop anyway, so my pack was heavy with e

13 km. A bit hilly as we move into mountains again, but overall a pretty cruisy day. No rain today, partly cloudy and cool. This is a weird stretch. It is 43 km to Gijón from Pernús, and I would have liked to break that more in the middle for the two-day walk, but Villaviciosa was the only stopping point. (43 km is a no-go for me, especially now that the hills are getting higher again.) Tomorrow will be a long day with much bigger climbs than I have had in a while, but that’s

27 km. Sunny and chilly (4C when I set out) in the morning, then cloudy and cool. Lovely day. It started to rain at one point, but I made it stop by laboriously pausing, taking off my pack, and putting on the rain cover and rain coat. Within two minutes, dry again. Today is Sunday, so most restaurants and cafes were closed this morning. I started to worry that I would be walking without coffee, when suddenly, just as I was leaving town, I smelled breakfast. Literally. The sme

17 km. Another light walking day, mainly because I am looking ahead at potential stops, and this gets me back to an easier progression of stages in terms of finding rooms or beds each night. But also because I am feeling very, very relaxed, and want to be kind to my leg until it is better. Today was cool and started off gloriously sunny. Since I knew it was a shorter day, I didn’t get started until after 10 am. Then I strolled along, soaking it in. I was feeling so relaxed an

16 km. Chilly with light to moderate rain most of the day. Gentle hills only, alternating between coastal and inland walks. Had a slow start. Woke up a bit flat. Was feeling frustrated about, 1) the delays due to the mid-layer, 2) leg pain that interrupted my sleep in the night, and 3) the decent amount of cold rain forecasted on and off for the next two weeks. I went down to meet Claudia for breakfast, and another pilgrim that Claudia had met previously, Eva from Germany, jo

23 km. Cool and light rain for much of the day. Hilly, some minor scrambles on the coastal path, otherwise fairly easy day today. We were off the roads for much of the day which was nice and our feet were very appreciative. My leg felt good. Walked with Claudia all day. We took all available alternate paths along the coast in an effort to see the famous bufones (blowholes) between La Franca and Llanes. Sadly, although it has been very windy along the coast most days for the

23 km. Hilly. Started out sunny and cool, but by the end of the day clouds were rolling in and it was a bit cold. Overall, good walking...

25 km. Sunny and cool until the last 1.5 hours, then rain, strong crosswinds, and colder. At one point I had to battle the wind to not...

28 km. Sunny and cool. Very hilly. I obviously did not make the 35 km to Cobrillas. Why do I put these things in writing?? Well I had...

24 km. Nice day today. Gentle hills, sunny and cool. Walked alone until the last 8 km. The scenery became more beautiful as the day went...

19 km. The word of the day is exceptional. Everything was exceptional. (Except maybe my walking distance, and I couldn’t care less.)...

16 km. Thought it was going to be 12, but these Camino guides can be tricky. I think I added kms in my effort to get to the Albergue la...

11km. Bit of rain, bit of sun. Mostly along roads. Today was an exercise in endurance and acceptance. I started out by going to the...

27 km. Chilly (13C/55F) and rainy until about the last hour. Mostly in mountains and countryside, although we started seeing the ocean...

17km. Relatively easy walk today. Cool and rainy. Had planned to walk to Laredo, which the apps said would be 30 km. But 30 turned into...

30 km. Rainy and cool today. The Camino made its way back to the sea at La Arena. It was a solitary walk. Saw Dave and Sue and caught up...

Enjoyed my quiet day today. Woke late and Andy made a breakfast of eggs and avocado and an excellent coffee. Heaven. Then I sat on the...

14km. Relatively easy day. One big hill to cross over to get into Bilbao. But I’m completely shattered. The sun really got to me today....

22 km. Great day today! My hip and legs felt fine and strong. I think all of you out there are the angels I can credit for that. I’ve had...

Spent the day resting, running errands (mostly unsuccessfully), and doing some sightseeing. Gernika is another beautiful town. I enjoyed...